CRITICAL STRICTURES, &c.

IN our Strictures on the Tragedy of Elvira, we ſhall not haſten all at once into the midſt of Things, according to the Rules of Epic Poe⯑try; Heroic Poems and Remarks on New Plays, are things ſo eſſen⯑tially different, that they ought not to be written by the ſame Rules. [8] Had Mr. Malloch been aware of theſe Diſtinctions in writing, which ſurely are not very nice, he probably would have diſcovered that Scenes admirably adapted for forming a Burleſque Tragedy, would never ſuc⯑ceed in forming a ſerious Drama. In the Prologue the Author informs us, that the Preliminaries of Peace are ſigned, and the War now over, and he humbly hopes, as we have ſpared the French, we will ſpare his Tragedy. But as the Principles of Reſtitution ſeem at preſent ſtrong in this Nation, before we extend our Mercy to him, we inſiſt that in imi⯑tation of his Superiors, he ſhall re⯑ſtore every thing valuable he has plunder'd from the French during the Courſe of his ſad and tedious Compoſition.

[9] In the firſt Scene of this Tragedy a Gentleman who has been abroad, during the Wars, requeſts his Friend to acquaint him with what has paſt at Court in the time of his Abſence. We were equally ſurprized and de⯑lighted with this new Method of informing the Spectators of the Tranſactions prior to the Commence⯑ment of the Play; nothing can be more natural, for we imagine the Art of conveying Letters by Poſt was at that time undiſcovered. We muſt indeed acknowledge, that dur⯑ing the time of the Roman Empire Letters were tranſmitted with the utmoſt Celerity from one Part to another of thoſe immenſe Domin⯑ions; but we alſo know, that after [10] the Subverſion of that State by the Incurſions of the Goths and Vandals, the firſt Act of Cruelty committed by theſe Barbarians was murdering all the Poſt-Boys in cold Blood: In like manner as our inhuman Edward upon his compleating the Conqueſt of Wales, ordered all the Bards to be put to Death, amongſt the Num⯑ber of which had Mr. Malloch been included we had not now been tor⯑tured with his execrable Tragedy. Novelty of the ſame kind with this we have mentioned runs thro' the whole Play, almoſt every Scene be⯑ing an Interview and a tête a tête. The King wants to ſee his Son, the Queen wants to ſee Elvira, Elvira wants to ſee the King, and ſo on thro' the Five Acts.

[11] No new Thoughts or Sentiments are to be found in this Performance, we meet only with old ones abſurdly expreſſed. Dryden ſaid that Ben Johnſon was every where to be traced in the Snow of the Ancients. We may ſay that Malloch is every where to be traced in the Puddle of the Moderns. Inſtead of ſelecting the Beauties, he has pick'd out what⯑ever is deſpicable in Shakeſpeare, Ot⯑way, Dryden, and Rowe, like a Pick-Pocket who dives for Handkerchiefs, not for Gold; and contents himſelf with what he finds in our Great Coat Pocket, without attempting our Watch or your Purſe. Tho' Mr. Malloch may only mean to borrow, yet as he poſſeſſes no Fund of Ori⯑ginal [12] Genius from whence he can pay his Debts, borrowing, we are afraid is an inadequate Expreſſion, the harſher one of ſtealing we muſt therefore, tho' reluctantly, ſubſtitute in its room. In the Prologue he acknowledges himſelf a Culprit, but as the Loſs of what he has pilfered is inſignificant to the Owners, we ſhall bring him in guilty only of Petty Larcenary: We believe he has been driven, like poor People in this ſevere Weather by dire Neceſſity, to ſuch diſhoneſt Shifts.

In this Play the Author has in⯑troduced a Rebellion unparalleled in any Hiſtory, Ancient or Modern. He raiſes his Rebellions as a ſkilful Gardener does his Muſhrooms, in a Moment; and like an artful Nurſe, [13] he lulls in a Moment the fretful Child aſleep. The Prince enters an Appartment of the Palace with a drawn Sword; this forms the Re⯑bellion. The King enters the ſame Appartment without a drawn Sword. This quaſhes the Rebellion. How to credit this Story, or to pardon this poetical Licence, we are greatly at a Loſs; for we know in the Year 1745 three thouſand Mountaineers actually appeared at Derby. Cata⯑line, we are credibly informed, had a Gang of at leaſt a Dozen ſtout Fellows; and it is pretty certain that Bedemar, when going to inſlave Venice, had provided Piſtols and Battle Powder for more than fifteen fighting Men. We are almoſt tempt⯑ed to think, that Mr. Malloch gets his Rebellions ready made, like his [14] Scotch Tobacco, cut and dry, at the Sign of the Valiant Highlander.

Our great Author poſſeſſes, in its utmoſt Perfection, the happy Art of uniting rival Ladies, and of ſet⯑ting at Variance a virtuous Father and Son. How intimate his Ac⯑quaintance with Human Nature! How deep his Knowledge of the Paſſions! No leſs exquiſite and re⯑fined in his Morality, like a true Diſciple of Lord Bolingbroke, he unites Vice and Virtue moſt lovingly together; witneſs this memorable Line of the King's, addreſſed to Elvira;

[15] Let us invert this Line,

We heard it once aſſerted by Da⯑vid Hume, Eſq that Mr. Malloch was deſtitute of the Pathetic. In this Obſervation however we beg leave to differ with him. In the fourth Act the whole Board of Por⯑tugueſe Privy Counſellors are melted into Tears. The Trial of the Prince moves the Hearts of thoſe Monſters of Iniquity, thoſe Members of In⯑quiſition, when the leſs humane Au⯑dience are in Danger, from the Te⯑diouſneſs [16] of two inſipid Harangues, of falling faſt aſleep. This majeſtic Scene is too exactly copied from a Trial at the Old Bailey, to have even the Merit of Originality. And indeed it is to the Lenity of the King of Portugal that we owe by far the greater Part of this amazing Play. The good Man lets his re⯑bellious Subjects out of Priſon to chat with him, when a wiſer Mo⯑narch would have kept them cloſe confined in Newgate. The incom⯑parable Action of that univerſal Ge⯑nius Mr. Garrick alone, ſaved this Act from the Damnation it deſerved. Had not he, like a ſecond Aeneas, carried the old doating and decrepid Father on his Back, he muſt have lain by the W [...]y. Tho' we muſt obſerve another Character in this Play [17] ſeemed better ſuited to the Impe⯑tuoſity and Fire of this Actor. We could not but ſmile at the Humour of a merry Wag in the Pit, who at the Concluſion of one of the moſt tireſome Pleadings, with ſome De⯑gree of Impatience and Emotion called out, Encore, encore.

In the fifth Act we were melted with the Sight of two young Chil⯑dren which the King embraced, which the Prince embraced, which Elvira embraced. Mr. Addiſon in the 44th No. of the Spectator, has ſome Remarks ſo judicious and lively on the Practice of introducing Chil⯑dren on the Stage, that we muſt beg leave to tranſcribe the Paſſage.

[18] ‘"A diſconſolate Mother with a Child in her Hand, has frequent⯑ly drawn Compaſſion from the Audience, and has therefore gain⯑ed a Place in ſeveral Tragedies; a modern Writer who obſerved how this had taken in other Plays, being reſolved to double the Diſ⯑treſs, and melt his Audience twice as much as thoſe before him had done, brought a Princeſs on the Stage with a little Boy in one Hand, and a Girl in the other. A third Poet being reſolved to out-write all his Predeceſſors, a few Years ago introduced three Children with great Succeſs; and as I am informed a young Gentle⯑man who is ſully determined to break the moſt obdurate Heart, has [19] a Tragedy by him where the firſt Perſon that appears on the Stage is an afflicted Widow, in her mourning Weeds, with half a do⯑zen fatherleſs Children attending her, like thoſe that uſually hang about the Figure of Charity. Thus ſeveral Incidents that are beautiful in a good Writer be⯑come ridiculous by falling into the Hands of a bad one."’

We would ſuggeſt to Mr. Malloch the uſeful Hint of introducing in ſome of his future Productions, the whole Foundling Hoſpital, which with a well painted Scene of the Edifice itſelf would certainly call forth the warmeſt Tears of Pity, and the bittereſt Emotions of Diſtreſs; [20] eſpecially when we conſider that many of the Parents of theſe unfor⯑tunate Babes would probably be Spectators of this intereſting Scene.

The Concluſion of the Piece is as abrupt as the other Parts of it are abſurd. We ſhould be much at a Loſs to gueſs by whom the Poiſon is adminiſtered to Elvira, were we not aided in our Conjectures by the ſhrewd Suſpicions which the King, tho' otherwiſe a very loving Huſ⯑band, ſeems to entertain of his Wife. Upon my regreting that her Majeſty, if guilty, ſhould eſcape without poetical Juſtice at leaſt, a Gentleman who ſat behind me, a Friend as I ſuppoſed of the Author, aſſured me her Puniſhment was re⯑ſerved for the Farce, which for that [21] Purpoſe was, contrary to Cuſtom, added to the Play.

Though in general this Tragedy is colder than the moſt extreme Parts of Nova Zembla, yet we now and then feel a Warmth, but it is ſuch a Warmth or Glow rath [...], as is ſometimes produced by the Hand⯑ling of Snow.

Bad as this Play is, yet will the Author have the Profits of his Three Nights: Few on the Firſt Night having either Taſte or Spirit to ex⯑preſs their Diſapprobation. Like the Raſcals who plundered Liſbon after the Earthquake, Mr. David Malloch will extract Guineas out of Rubbiſh.

[22] We ſhall now give, in a few Words, the Quinteſſence of this Play. Monarchs ought to be juſt. Heroes are bad Men. Huſbands ought to die for their Wives, Wives for their Huſbands. We ought to govern our Paſſions. And the Sun ſhines on all alike. A few of theſe new Remarks form the Sum total of this contemptible Piece.

After the Play we were entertain⯑ed with an Epilogue fraught with Humour, and ſpoken with Spirit. There was a Simile of a Bundle of Twigs formed into a Rod, which ſeemed to convey a delicate Alluſion to Mr. Malloch's original Profeſſion, and ſome of the Lines contained an exquiſite and ſevere Criticiſm on the Play itſelf.

[23] Amidſt all the harſhneſs inſpired by a real Feeling of the Dulneſs of the Compoſition itſelf, it would be unjuſt not to beſtow the higheſt Ap⯑plauſe on the principal Performers, by the Energy of whoſe Action even Dulneſs was ſometimes rendered reſpectable. We were ſorry to find ſuch great Talents ſo very ill em⯑ployed. The melting Tones of a Cibber ſhould make every Eye ſtream with Tears. Pritchard ſhould al⯑ways elevate. Garrick give Strength and Majeſty to the Scene. Let us ſoften at the keen Diſtreſs of a Belvidera; let our Souls riſe with the Dignity of an Elizabeth; let us tremble at the wild Madneſs of a [24] Lear; but let us not Yawn at the Stupidity of unintereſting Cha⯑racters.