have arifen to his production from the fo-much boasted likeness of Garrick. So completely is the face thrown into fhade, that we will venture to affert, without the fear of being contradicted, that, on a gloomy day, no observer will be able to difcriminate the lineaments of the countenance, any more than if it were placed in the moft elevated part of the abbey. With respect to the hair, when we fay that it is stiff, inelegant, and even paltry, we know that we fhall be told-it is as Garrick wore it. This we will allow; but we nevertheless think, that the artist would have been eafily justified, had he altered it to fomething productive of finer effect. He ought to have known, that when a strict regard to minute and trifling circumstances is not confonant with grandeur or beauty, both the fculptor and the painter have the imprescriptible right of ages to deviate from it. The right arm of the figure under confideration, is ill proportioned between the elbow and the fhoulder; it is very little, if at all, thicker than it is at the wrift. This want of due proportion gives it the difgufting appearance of a withered limb. If this thinnefs is meant to be accounted for by the preffure of the drapery which hangs over it, the caufe is inadequate to the effect. The drapery is evidently intended to appear light and easy; but, were it fuppofed to be ever fo weighty, it would be impoffible for its compreffion to act fo violently upon the limb even if it could, the reprefentation ought to have been avoided. The right leg is cut off fo abruptly by the figure of Tragedy, that it has the appearance of having been amputated a little below the knee. We are perfuaded, that with a very fmall expence of thought, this blemish might have been prevented.

On the figure of tragedy we have but little to obferve. It is too nearly allied to mediocrity to call forth much either of cenfure or applaufe. The countenance, we are told in the advertisement, is "dignified and majeftic" this we positively deny and confider it as one

of

of the weakeft-marked phyfiognomies we have ever feen. It expreffes no one paffion or affection; of dignity or admiration, most certainly, not a fingle particle. The eyes are extremely ill-finished-the lefs we fay of them the better: they are, indeed, beneath criticism. The treffes of this figure, and likewife of Comedy, are hard and unnatural: they give not the leaft idea of hair. It seems, to us, that in this part of his figures, the artist studied from the massy-wig of Sir Cloudesly Shovel, in preference to the more elegant and natural execution displayed by Roubiliac in his delightful pro

ductions.

The figure of Comedy is by no means airy; nor does her attitude (falfely called "careffing,") give us any rea fon to fuppofe that the is pleafed. The body is preffed into a space too confined for it; and, thus huddled up, it brings to our remembrance Sir John Falstaff's fituation, when, confined in the clothes-bafket, to elude the jealous rage of Master Ford. The neck is coarfe and clumfy, far enough removed from all the received notions of feminine beauty. The face, it is true, has a fmile upon it, but not fuch a fmile as we fhould imagine to adorn the face of Thalia. The fatisfaction which appears upon this vifage, is of the childish kind; it appears to be that of a girl, who has had a new doll given her. If fuch was the idea which the artist meant to excite, we will do him the juftice to say, that he has perfectly accomplished his intention.

The curtain, we are told, is intended to reprefent the veil of ignorance, barbarifm, &c. It was certainly very judiciously done to tell the world what was meant, as it would, perhaps, puzzle three-fourths of that world to find it out. Allegory fhould, whenever it is employed, be clear and appropriate: it ought not to be darker than the darkest enigma. The allegory of Time and Death, on General Hargrave's monument, and that of Fame and Time on Marthal Wade's, both by Roubiliac, are obvious to the narroweft comprehenfion.

The

The curtain, in the prefent, will not be understood by any perfon who is not previously informed of its meaning. The folds of the lower part of it feem intended to give the effect of linen, thoroughly foaked with wet: a little more genius, and a little more labour, would have obviated this. The line and taffel which decorate the top, would have appeared pendulous, if they had been fuffered to fall, as they muft of neceffity have done. They would then have hid the medallion of Shakespeare; and, to avoid this, the artist has placed them in a pofition which, every obferver muft fee, from the fituation of the curtain, it was impoffible for them to take of themfelves, or even to keep when it was given to them.

The medallion of Shakespeare is of too infignificant a fize to require fo large a curtain. We have heard, in extenuation of this, that it was intended to introduce medallions of fome other poets, but that want of room prevented it.

We

Such is our unbiaffed opinion of the monument of Garrick, and in this opinion, we are well affured, we by no means ftand alone. We have heard it af ferted, with fome degree of confidence, that, neither the defign, or the execution of this monument, belong to Mr. Webber, but that he merely allowed his name to be put to it. A perfon, now deceased, has been mentioned as the modeller, and the execution of it has been affigned to a perfon of the name of Kendric. know not the truth of this report; we mention it merely as report, and fhall only obferve that, if it be true, we would advife Mr. Webber not to degrade his name by lending it to a faulty production; while, if the affertion be more than report, we feriously recommend to him once more to vifit Rome, and there ftudy the antique, till he can produce fomething which will show that he has a perfect comprehenfion of its excellencies and beauties.

.

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As we fhall, no doubt, be expected to give fome account of the mufe of Mr. Pratt,' we will now proceed to the task. On the pedestal, under the age of Garrick, and the time of his decease, the following lines are engraved, to which Mr. Pratt has affixed his name. This we lament, as they are far, very far inferior to many of his prior productions. We are much difpofed to imagine, that he contributed them more from kindness than from inclination.

To paint fair nature, by Divine command,
Her magic pencil in his glowing hand,

A Shakespeare rofe, then to expand his fame
Wide o'er this "breathing world," a Garrick came;
Though funk in death the forms the poet drew,
The actor's genius bade them breathe anew;
Though like the bard himself, in night they lay,
Immortal Garrick call'd them back to day.
And till eternity with power fublime,
Shall mark the mortal hour of hoary time,
Shakespeare and Garrick, like twin ftars fhall fhine;
And earth irradiate with a beam divine.

S. J. PRATT.

Gentle reader, you are now in poffeffion of the lines which are meant to do honour to the memory of one, who was himself no indifferent poet, and, we dare fay you think with us, that they are too mean for criticism to notice. But as the well established name of their author, and their fituation and intention, confer on them a degree of extraneous confequence, we will give our reafons for thinking them unworthy both of their writer and their station.

The word "paint," in the first line, is mean and equivocal; there are many other verbs much more expreffive and beautiful, which might have been chofen. The epithet" fair," applied to nature, is not improper, but it is trivial; and the conclufion of the line trongly reminds us of "by command of their majef ties," which we fometimes fee at the head of a playVOL. II.

D

bill

bill. The fecond line is a very weak one, and the contraft of "his" and "her" has a difagrecable effect, The fecond couplet, if we were not to allow a fufficient poetical licence, would lead us to imagine that Garrick rofe immediately after Shakespeare. The third couplet is correct and animated; had the reft been like it, we fhould only have had to applaud. The fourth fays over again, what was laid by the third; and without faying it any better: indeed, much to the contrary; for the expreffion "call'd them back," inftead of intimating greatnefs and power, is too familiar, not to fay vulgar. Of the fifth couplet, the firft line is inharmonious and weak: its want of harmony arises from its defective ftructure--the accent is injudiciously thrown on the firft fyllable, which is the conjunction "and," a word which ought never to receive the accent, when it may, with equal propriety, be laid elfewhere. The word "eternity," immediately after, adds to the inelegance: it has four fyllables, and of thefe four, but one is accented with any force The concluding word of the line appears to be lugged in for the purpose of rhyming to "time" in the next. The following line is not fo unmufical, but it is equally weak the verb "mark," is languid, and indeed improper, as it accords not with the power fublime" of eternity, juft before mentioned. The last couplet to which we are very happy that we have reached, is liable to as many objections as the preceding ones. The firft line of it affirms an untruth, for great as the fame of Garrick will, without doubt, always remain, it can never equal the fame of Shakespeare, any more than the borrowed luftre of the moon can equal the original fplen-" dour of the fun. The fubftantive "ftars," is too trivial for the office affigned to it in the next line, and the epithet "twin," affixed to it, is palpable nonsense, as it implies the co-existence of the two characters. The laft line is harth in found, and weak in expreffion. The word "beam," in this line, is liable to the fame objec