which office the king said would keep him quiet, as his time would be occupied in abusing the Catholics. It did keep him tolerably quiet, and he enjoyed his "otium sine dignitate," till his death in 1669. His learning was immense, but crude and comfortless, unprofitable to society, and of little use even to the proprietor. He wrote nearly two hundred volumes, large and small. What a fearful penance it would be to read them all! No won der that he figures prominently in D'Israeli's list of "authors who have ruined their booksellers." The greater part of his works were in Sion College. When that library was almost entirely consumed by fire, the huge tomes of Prynne were sedulously rescued; I suppose, from the idea that folios must be valuable; as the Dutchman said, "he knew his uncle was a great poet, for he had written a book as big as a cheese." MILTON'S "SAMSON AGONISTES." SAMSON AGONISTES is undoubtedly a very grand composition, laboured with the utmost care, and closely following the style of Eschylus, the severest as well as the earliest of the great tragic poets of Greece. It is, as the author intended it to be, a dramatic poem on the pure classic model, admirable in the closet, but quite unfitted for the stage, as the stage has been regulated since the revival of letters; not even divided into acts or scenes. In the year 1741-2, it was altered and adapted for representation in the Theatre Royal, Aungier-street, Dublin, then under the management of the younger Elrington. The performance never took place, though a vast outlay must have been incurred for the intended experiment. The only theatrical annalist who alludes to it is Baker, in his "Biographia Dramatica," where we find the following passage : "I remember to have seen in the possession of a gentleman in Dublin (one Mr. Dixon), an alteration of this poem, said by himself to be his own, so as to render it fit for the stage; and the same gentleman also shewed me a bill for the intended performance (which was, through some dispute among the proprietors of the theatre, entirely laid aside), in which, from the number of the characters, and the apparent strength to support them, it appeared to have been cast to the greatest advantage possible; every performer of importance, whether actor, singer, or dancer, having somewhat allotted to them towards the illustration of it. This representation, if I mistake not, was intended for the year 1741-2." Some years ago one of these identical play-bills came into my possession, I forget through what channel. To all who are curious in these matters, the document is an interesting one, perhaps unique, and certainly worth preserving. It is printed entirely in red ink, rather exceeding the usual size, and with the three principal characters in large letters; a distinction by no means so recent as some people imagine. THE FIRST NIGHT. By particular Desire, and Encouragement of Several persons of Quality, TRAGEDY CALLED SAMSON AGONISTES. Written originally by the sublime Milton. Now first reviv'd in an entire new Method and Manner, and adapted to the Stage. The Part of SAMSON to be performed by MR. ELRINGTON. DALILA HAVILA Manoa, Father to Samson, by Harapha, a Giant-like Philistian Lord Officers, Guards, &c., attending in the Procession, and Triumph, dispos'd to the best advantage. The MUSICK compos'd for the Purpose: With Overtures, &c., of MR HANDEL's, and Singing by MRS. CIBBER, Mademoiselle Chateauneuf, &c. viz. First Song-(in the Play) Beginning, "Bright Dalila, that in the Prime of Youth," &c., by Mrs. Cibber. Second Song" O'er the smooth enamel'd Green," &c., by Mademoiselle Chateauneuf. Third Song "Nymphs and Shepherds," &c., by Mrs. Cibber. Fourth Song " O Nightingale," &c., by Mrs. Reynolds. Fifth Song-Chorus, &c., Mortals all with gladsome Mind," &c., by Mrs. Cibber, Mademoiselle Chateauneuf, Mrs. Reynolds, Mrs. Baily, Mr. Giles, Mr. Dyere, &c. With a new PROLOGUE on the OCCASION, to be spoken by MR. ELRINGTON, as Genias of the IRISH STAGE. And an EPILOGUE by MRS. Cibber. With the following Entertainments of Dancing, in and between the Acts, viz : ACT I. In the Interlude, a Grand Ballet, by Monsieur Moreau, Mademoiselle Chateauneuf, Mrs. Moreau, Mr. L. Layfield, &c. ACT II. A French Peasant, by Mrs. Oates. ACT III. La Provençal, with a Minuet, by Mademoiselle Chateauneuf. ACT IV. A Spanish Entre, by Monsieur Moreau and Mrs. Moreau. ACT V. A Scotch Dance, by Mr. Oates. At the End of the Play a new Tambourine, Morisco Dance, by Mademoiselle Chateauneuf. The Boxes, Stage, and Lattices, to be laid together at a British Crown; Pit 3s. 3d.; Middle Gallery 2s. 2d. Places to be taken only of Mr. Foxhall, Box-keeper; and Tickets to be had at the Printer's hereof; Mr. Exshaw's, Bookseller, on Cork Hill; Mr. Hoey's in Skinner Row; Mr. George Faulkner's in Essex-street; and at Lucas's, the Globe, Bacon's, and Meath-street Coffee Houses. N. B.-Not only Mr. Addison, Steele, Tickel, Parnel, and several other of our most eminent writers, have honoured the AGONISTES with the highest encomiums, but the late learned and polite Prelate, Dr. Atterbury, sometime Bishop of Rochester, in his letters to Mr. Pope, has expressed himself in a most singular manner in its favour, viz "That he thought it to be written in the very spirit of the antients, and capable of being improv'd, with little trouble, into a perfect model and standard of Tragick Poetry." The judicious Mr. Warburton also observes, that "this Tragedy is a perfect piece; and as an imitation of the antients, has, as it were, a certain gloominess mixed with the sublime, which shines very serenely." And Mr. Steele, "That it serves, at once, to fill the mind with pleasing ideas, and good thoughts;" therefore presumed, at this time, to be worthy of the regard and encouragement of the Publick, more especially as the greatest care has been taken, amidst the Grandeur and Magnificence of the Scenery and Machinery, the Musick, Singing, and other Decorations, to enliven the Performance, to let nothing appear but what really has, or may seem to come from the Pen of the Sublime Author, as "our Language sunk under him," being unequal to that Greatness of Soul which furnish'd him with such glorious Ideas. The House will open at Three, and the Curtain rise precisely at Six o'clock, pursuant to a positive resolution of the Proprietors (at the Instance of the Nobility), made for that purpose. LONG LIVE THE KING. Dublin: Printed by A. Reilly, at the Stationers' Hall, on Cork-hill. This is a verbatim copy of a veritable play-bill in the year 1741-2. Puffing seems to have been quite as well understood then as it is now, but the patience of the Dublin lieges must have far exceeded anything we have any notion of, if they would have sat three mortal hours from the opening of the doors to the rising of the curtain, without a ruction or two in the pit, and a faction-fight in the gallery. The “Garry-owen" and "repale" shouts were not even in embryo, but they had the racy, indigenous fun in all its glory, which went out with the whiskey, and we fear will never enliven us again. When we recollect that Milton's poem has only five characters, and the chorus, with scarcely any action, save what is related, and no mechanical ac cessories whatever, we are at a loss to decide how much, or rather, how little of the original would have been retained in the strange gallimaufry which the bill announces. Had Milton assisted at the representation (as the French call it) he would have been sorely puzzled to recognise his own offspring. The attempt to bring Samson Agonistes on the stage appears very extraordinary and very hopeless. What could have induced the manager to think the elements of success were there? Did he calculate on the name of Milton? If so, his judgment failed him the muse which inspired "Paradise Lost," though powerful in the epic, is weak in the dramatic character. Samson Agonistes has strength in thought, and poetry in diction. Nervous and sublime, purely classical in construction, and strictly correct in the unities of time, place, and circumstance, why, it may be asked, should not this noble drama be successful on the stage, when we have so recently seen the Antigone and Iphigenia listened to by admiring thousands, with rapt attention and breathless interest? The answer is ready. Because the subject is even more remote and less congenial to the common sympathies of humanity: de VOL. XXXVI.-NO. CCXVI. ficient in action, and therefore essentially undramatic. Being taken from Scripture, there is a religious solemnity inseparable from it, more suited to an oratorio than a tragedy; and above all, the interest lacks the absorbing charm of female heroism. Managers, at all times, have had recourse to strange, out-of-the-way expedients to excite the flagging zeal of the public, and draw the million to the theatre. Hence the introduction of horses, elephants, lions, dogs, and even monkeys. But it is not fair to lay the whole blame of this on the ill-starred speculator, who must pay his salaries on Saturday, and whose natural good taste often revolts against the course necessity compels him to adopt. If legitimate talent ceases to attract, it is something to find even a Belgian giant or a General Tom Thumb to retreat on and supply the deficiency. Who in his senses would lay out a large sum on a vapid spectacle, if the sterling ore of Shakspeare or Sheridan maintained its current value? Many able writers and ardent lovers of the stage have thought differently, and have penned eloquent essays to show that the managers depreciate the national taste, that the decline of the stage is entirely owing to their obtuseness, that they pander to a depraved appetite, and that the public never fail to crowd the theatre when truth, passion, and nature are placed before them. Alas! all this sounds well in theory, but reduce it to practice, and the sandy basis of the opinion soon shows itself. For a time, indeed, the premises may be borne out by the conclusion, but the insatiate thirst after variety wearies even of perfection itself. The manager who tries to lead or reform the public, will gain the honours of martyrdom long before he accomplishes his object. Whitehead, when Poet Laureat, absolutely went so far as to apostrophise Garrick in a laudatory Ode as follows: "A nation's taste depends on you, 2 x Garrick, although a very cormorant in swallowing flattery, had been too long a manager not to know better than this. How he must have laughed in his sleeve at the hyberbolical nonsense. No one ever questioned the classical attainments of John Kemble, or his love for the legitimate drama, yet it was under his management at Covent-Garden that the live horses were first introduced. A real elephant, and the renowned Newfoundland dog, "Carlo," had already preceded them on the boards of old Drury. Carlo appeared in a spectacle written expressly for him by Frederic Reynolds (the celebrated writer of a hundred successful but ephemeral comedies), called "The Caravan; or the Driver and his Dog." His performance electrified the audience, and his attraction restored the affairs of the theatre, then on the verge of dissolution from a long run of ill success. On the first night, when the piece had concluded, Sheridan rushed on the stage from his private box, in a frenzy of delight, shouting wildly "My preserver !—my preserver !-I must embrace my preserver!" Reynolds stepped forward, thinking, of course, it was the author he demanded," No, no!" cried Sheridan, pushing him aside, "I don't mean you-I want the dog! the dog!"* And all this occurred, not in these degenerate times, but at the very epoch which oratorical actors, at fund dinners and other theatrical symposia, are fond of designating "the palmy days of the drama!" The Aristarchi of 1811-12, the discerning few, the limited circle of scholars and artists, all paid due homage to the studied taste and culti vated genius of the Kembles, which gave a living identity to the creations of Shakspeare; but the treasurer discovered that Blue Beard, Lodoiska, Timour the Tartar, and the Horses, were the magnets that drew the most money, and the hapless manager was compelled to use the aid of these degenerate auxiliaries. He heaved a groan or two, bitterly; but the exchequer was imperative. Dr. Johnson was right to a letter when he said, the stage must follow, but cannot control, the hu mours of the day, or the caprices of fashion:: "The drama's laws, the drama's patrons give, And we who live to please, must please to live." HANNAH MORE'S TRAGEDIES. HANNAH MORE, as all the world knows, was an excellent woman, a devout Christian, and a valuable writer. In her youth she was an enthusiastic admirer of Garrick, intimately acquainted with his family, and, of course, a freShe wrote quenter of the theatre. three tragedies-Percy, Fatal Falsehood, and The Inflexible Captivewhich were acted in London with little success, and have long since been consigned to "the tomb of all the Capulets.' They are not likely to be disinterred from that ample and wellstocked repository. As she advanced in life, and became serious and thoughtful, her early opinions changed. She " convinced herself that the stage was opposed to the true interests of reli gion, and wrote an essay to that effect, which she prefixed to a re-publication of her tragedies. That she was sincere in her views admits of no doubt; but if she had put forth the essay alone, and withdrawn the tragedies, her arguments would have been less open to objection. A little of the latent vanity of authorship prevailed, and she was thus driven to maintain that it was lawful to read a play, but criminal to act one-a refinement of casuistry not very intelligible. This essay is often quoted by the opponents of the stage as "a very clear Carlo was, in truth, a very extraordinary quadruped, and deserves to be remembered. It was not quite so common then, as it is now, to call for a great performer after a successful hit, but still it was done sometimes; and in the case of Carlo the call was unanimous, and repeated night after night. He had, however, his own notions on the subject, and neither threats nor blandishments could induce him to "smell the lamps" after his role was finished. In this dilemma, it was said, the authorities dressed up a sapient-looking mastiff, the property of Jack Bannister, at that time stage manager, in the exact costume of Carlo, with brass collar, duly inscribed; and sent him on, like a second Antipholis or Dromio, to receive the nightly plaudits. He deported himself with becoming gravity, and certainly proved the most ingenious double ever yet contrived by managerial expediency. and conclusive piece of reasoning." The authoress says, "There is a substantial difference between seeing and reading a dramatic performance," as reading "produces no ruffle of the passions, no agitation of the senses." Here are two erroneous positions included in as many short sentences. One, as regards the effect or excitement that reading may produce; and the other as regards the advantage or injury of excitement in itself. Sir Philip Sidney thought differently from Hannah More. "I never read," said he, "the old Poem of Chevy Chase' without feeling my blood stirred, as it were, by the sound of a trumpet." Do not thousands laugh or weep over a book, as the course of the story becomes humorous or pathetic? Have not many timid persons gloated over "Tales of Terror" and "Authentic Ghost Stories" at night, till they were afraid to go to bed, or even to look behind them? Have not licentious novels and irreligious tracts been often put down by law, because they tend to make libertines and unbelievers? And how could this be if "reading produces no ruffle of the passions, no agitation of the senses?" If Hannah More's opinion be carried out, and applied generally (the only fair way to try its value), it is better to read a sermon than to hear it preached; which is not only opposed to general conviction, but would tend to make the ministry superfluous, and nullify the power of eloquence. If anything, no matter what, is good in itself, and useful to society, that which sets forth its qualities in the strongest light is best. If it be bad, it should be suppressed altogether, and is equally unfit to see or read. Plays, according to this ingenious authoress, even the best plays, inculcate false honour, erroneous love, unsound morals, and notions of religion entirely hostile to Christianity. For these reasons plays are not fit to act or see, but still they may be read. "To read a moral play," says she, "is little different from reading any other innocent poem, the dialogue form being a mere accident, and no way affecting the moral tendency of the piece." It is difficult to consider as an accident what forms a designed and characteristic ingredient. That she looked on her own productions as coming within the list of moral plays or innocent poems is evident, or she would not have appended them to the essay in question. Let us examine Percy, the best of the three, the only one that has obtained any notoriety, and see how far it is exempt from or liable to the objections the authoress herself endeavours to establish. The heroine, to oblige her father, has married a man she has no love for, while devotedly attached to another. She is not actually criminal, but still cherishes her first affection. The lover returns from the crusades; the husband becomes infuriated with jealousy on discovering him within his precincts, and challenges him to mortal combat ; having previously sworn his knights on an oath, "confirmed by every rite religion bids," to administer a bowl of poison to his wife in case he should fall. The lover is killed, the lady goes mad on receiving the news, and swallows the poison in her insanity. The husband throws himself on his sword more Romano, and the unfortunate father, who has caused all this mischief, by rather an overstrained exercise of parental authority, is left to bury the dead, and closes the play with one of those little tame tags of morality," which Miss Hannah More in her essay so emphatically condemns. We have here an irregular passion, intemperate jealousy, unchristian courage exercised in a fatal duel, and leading to two suicides; comprising as much false love, false honour, false morality, and false religion, as either Prynne, Collier, or Styles could desire to find in a single tragedy. Volumes of objections have been written against Douglas, because it contains three or four passages in which fate is substituted for providence, and honour set above religion; these are blemishes in a very superior composition, but as compared with the faults of Percy, mere motes in the sunlight. Douglas keeps the stage, and will always be admired as combining the elements of a beautiful poem and an effective play, while Percy, having neither of these recommendations, is neglected and forgotten. Some thirty years since there was an attempt at its revival, but not even the transcendant powers of Miss O'Neill could give it interest or a permanent position on the boards. On this occasion Hazlitt observes: "It is not easy to forgive Hannah More for making us feel for the first time that Miss O'Neill could be monotonous. We were heartily |