CRITICAL STRICTURES ON THE New TRAGEDY OF ELVIRA.
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CRITICAL STRICTURES ON THE New TRAGEDY OF ELVIRA, WRITTEN BY Mr. DAVID MALLOCH.
LONDON: Printed for W. FLEXNEY, near Gray's-Inn, Holborn. MDCCLXIII.
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We have followed the Authority of Sir
David Dalrymple,
and Mr.
Samuel Johnson,
in the Orthography of Mr.
Malloch
's Name; as we imagine the Decision of these Gentlemen will have more weight in the World of Letters, than even that of the said Mr.
Malloch
himself.
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 Poetry; Heroic Poems and Remarks on New Plays, are things so essentially different, that they ought not to be written by the same Rules. 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 succeed 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 imitation of his Superiors, he shall restore every thing valuable he has plunder'd from the
French
during the Course of his sad and tedious Composition.
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 delighted with this new Method of informing the Spectators of the Transactions prior to the Commencement 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 during the time of the Roman Empire Letters were transmitted with the utmost Celerity from one Part to another of those immense Dominions; but we also know, that after 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 Number of which had Mr.
Malloch
been included we had not now been tortured with his execrable Tragedy. Novelty of the same kind with this we have mentioned runs thro' the whole Play, almost every Scene being 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.
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 whatever is despicable in
Shakespeare, Otway, 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 Original 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 introduced 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, he lulls in a Moment the fretful Child asleep. The Prince enters an Appartment of the Palace with a drawn Sword; this forms the Rebellion. 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. Cataline,
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 tempted to think, that Mr.
Malloch
gets his Rebellions ready made, like his
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 setting at Variance a virtuous Father and Son. How intimate his Acquaintance with Human Nature! How deep his Knowledge of the Passions! No less exquisite and refined 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;
'Midst all your Guilt I must admire your Virtue.
Let us invert this Line,
'Midst all your Virtue I must abhor your Guilt.
Let us parody it;
O Mr.
David Malloch!
'midst all your Dullness I must admire your Genius.
We heard it once asserted by
David 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 Portuguese Privy Counsellors are melted into Tears. The Trial of the Prince moves the Hearts of those Monsters of Iniquity, those Members of Inquisition, when the less humane Audience are in Danger, from the Tediousness 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 rebellious Subjects out of Prison to chat with him, when a wiser Monarch would have kept them close confined in
Newgate.
The incomparable Action of that universal Genius 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 seemed better suited to the Impetuosity 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 Degree of Impatience and Emotion called out,
Encore, encore.
In the fifth Act we were melted with the Sight of two young Children 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 Children on the Stage, that we must beg leave to transcribe the Passage.
"A disconsolate Mother with a Child in her Hand, has frequently drawn Compassion from the Audience, and has therefore gained a Place in several Tragedies; a modern Writer who observed how this had taken in other Plays, being resolved to double the Distress, 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 Gentleman who is sully determined to break the most obdurate Heart, has a Tragedy by him where the first Person that appears on the Stage is an afflicted Widow, in her mourning Weeds, with half a dozen fatherless Children attending her, like those that usually hang about the Figure of Charity. Thus several Incidents that are beautiful in a good Writer become 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; especially when we consider that many of the Parents of these unfortunate 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 Husband, 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 reserved for the Farce, which for that 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 Handling 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 express their Disapprobation. Like the Rascals who plundered
Lisbon
after the Earthquake, Mr.
David Malloch
will extract Guineas out of Rubbish.
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 entertained 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.
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 Applause 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 employed. The melting Tones of a
Cibber
should make every Eye stream with Tears.
Pritchard
should always 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
Lear;
but let us not Yawn at the Stupidity of uninteresting Characters.
FINIS.