On this short and abrupt notice, he fat down, and finished it before he went to bed. When you have perused it, you will readily conclude that it was much applauded. I am, SIR,

Your's, &c.

OCCASIONAL PROLOGUE.

By the Reverend JOHN WALKER.
Spoken by Mrs. MURRAY.

As varying feafons mark the circling year,
Thus in our mimic world by turns appear
Succeffive changeful scenes.--Lo! COMEDY
Like the young Spring, with laughter-loving eye,
Brightens dull thought, and bids th' enliven'd breaft
Glow with pure wit, chafte humour and fair jeft.
Here too, with direful form, the TRAGIC train
In gloomy triumph fix pale Terror's reign;
Emblem of Winter wild!---Hark! the fierce blaft
Shakes the dark air, and howls o'er the rude wafte.

B.

O, have your fouls ne'er wept when aged LEAR
Trembles beneath the ftorm, and ftrikes your ear
With founds of woe? Say, what the ACTED grief
To that NOW claims your pity, Now implores relief?
Perchance within this city's ancient wall

Dwells fome fuch hapless father, caft from all
His heart holds dear; all fad in midnight florm
With no CORDELIA his cold heart to warm,
No friend, no faithful EDGAR by his fide,---
Ah! fee, he finks, and freezes life's red tide.
This night, by ftated rule, the Comic muse
Takes her alternate reign; glad to diffuse
To this bright circle her enchanting fmile,
To fmooth fix'd thought, or soften honeft toil.
What then, no laughing Prologue to the play?
Mid no fmart couplet glitters wit's fair ray ?---
Sir, Critic, ho: For ev'n our comic mufe
Than laughter merely has far noder views:
THIS NIGHT fhe fmiles, as usual, to be fure;
But then fhe fmiles, like angels, ON THE POOR!

To the NEW SPECTAT o r.

Friend SPEC,

THE Theatres have, fince my laft, engaged fo much of my attention, that I have not been able to visit other places of public amusement; and indeed there are few others worthy of notice. The Dancing Dogs, I have not yet feen, and of the other dancing puppets, I faid enough laft week, therefore begin my miscellanea, with a

PRIVATE ANECDOTE.

MISS L**** a young lady at the weft end of the town, whofe fortune and accomplishments are fuch as to attract many hearts, received the addreffes of an officer of the guards, and, it

was faid, fhe had promifed him her hand. Amongst this fpecies of gentry, it has been long remarked, that there are individuals who, though apparently accomplished, are deftitute of every principle of humanity; and the most dreadful thing which can happen to a worthy private, is to incur the displeasure of a coxcomb of the Guards. Our heroine's difpofition was of the tendereft kind; and the frequently lamented the hard fate of the fun-burnt foldier obliged to fubmit to the harfh correction of unfeeling wretches whose services were confined to the parks and the palaces of the metropolis; but she had no idea of her lover being one of those fons of inhumanity. It happened, however, a little time ago, that accidentally seeing him on duty in Hyde Park, fhe, with fome friends, came up at the very moment he was caning an old foldier, and, on enquiry, finding it was more to indulge an inhuman propensity, than from any real fault committed by the poor fellow who was obliged to fubmit to the barbarity, fhe renounced all connection with his officer; and the intreaties of her friends, the proteftations of her lover, .and indeed her own prepoffeffion in his favour, have not been able to induce her to think of entering the matri monial state with a wretch fo inhuman as to perfonally chastise where no chastisement is wanting; being well convinced that if age and good service receive fuch treatment at his hands, a brutal inhumanity must be the prevailing paffion of his breaft; and fhe has therefore, emphatically declared that" fhe will not link herself to a cockaded beadle, though he were fure of a staff;" justly concluding that as fuch a man advances in power his barbarity increases.

I AM much delighted with the conduct of this young lady, and wifh I had her authority for publishing the name of her quondam lover; but fhe, with the spirit of genuine charity," spareth "him that spareth not another!

being fpheriodical, give it a better title to the appellation to give a brilliancy to these decorations, diamond pins are added, and the figns of the Zodiac are now seen to glitter on the heads of the ladies, in emulation of the twin ftars that give animation to a beautiful form!

THE party-coloured stocking has fometimes. made its appearance, but has been generally fouted, as having too masculine an appearance: it had the disadvantage too of being introduced by impures, who ufually exhibited it in a manner calculated to excite difguft rather than admiration. That the fale may not be entirely loft, the frail fifterhood, on the requifition of certain hofiers, have promised to sport it as a spring fashion; but it is to be hoped the fashion will be confined to their own order, and not contaminate the delicate limbs of elegant innocence!-The gold and filver worked chevaux-de-frife,-if I may fo call it is liable to the fame objections. Nothing can equal pure white for a lady's ftocking, and hence, in fome countries, it has received the elegant appellation of the fow drop of drefs!

I AM aftonished that though her Majefty's virtues are fo little emulated among the higher ranks of the female world, an imitation of the elegant neatness of her dress fhould be equally neglected. Indeed all thofe of the Royal Family who honoured the Oratorio with their prefence on Friday evening, if I except the Princess Royal, were well and elegantly dreffed. Her Majesty wore a flight fatin dress, Saxon blue, richly trimmed with filver crape. The head-dress consisted of a piece of plain crape gauze, pinned before, and thrown back, with great neatness and taste : on the left fide, a black velvet crefcent adorned with brilliant pins, terminating with a black bow, ornamented with a diamond ftar. Her ear-rings wore fingularly beautiful, each consisting of tranf The head-dreffes of both the parent brilliants. Princeffes, were in every refpeft the fame, except that they had each of them an elegant plume of white feathers. The Princess Royal had on a pink and filver ftripe tiffue, with breast-bows and fleeve-knots of the fame, and trimmed like her Majefty's, but by no means well put on; her stays came remarkably high, and, with an enormous picture, hid every part of her bofom. The Princess Augusta wore a dress of the fame colour as her Majefty's, and trimmed in the fame manner, and looked extremely elegant.

universe in science; but politics are at once their bane, and their delight. Even the priests, forgetting the nature of their profeffion, will, in the facred temples, read-as well as they cancertain political pamphlets which they call Nomres, fignifying pulpit discourses. Hence, it may naturally be fuppofed, that the literati of Bulia are chiefly politicians; too many of them indeed, are fo; as they have no less than fixteen thousand books a day published on that fubje&t in Bulia only: one half in the morning, and the other in the evening; in which the politicians write against each other with all the rancour of animofity, and the virulence of party. In these books they also give daily accounts of what passes in the Reppu and the Etanes, which the people read with the utmost avidity. Several of them will sometimes affociate together, when one stroking his beard with great gravity, and, taking up one of these books, will read to the refst. Nothing can be more rifible to a stranger than to hear the curious comments each of them will bestow on what is reading to them: it might naturally be concluded, that there is no fuch thing as virtue or vice in Bulia. At the time I visited them, you will recollect, that disputes ran very high refpecting Reynardam. On the one hand, I have heard men obftinately contend that nothing could equal his virtues; and, on the other, that his vices are as numerous and as glaring as fun beams. But the Bulians have a very fingular way of arguing, and discover extreme ignorance or extreme turpitude; for rather than give up the hero of their praise, they will defcend fo low as to endeavour to prove that his vices are virtues, and defend him in the commiffion of the most deteftable crimes. The fubtilty of their fophifms is, fometimes, amazing, and fhews of what exertions the mind is capable in defence of its prejudices.

IN Bulia they speak very freely of the supreme authority, and, in plain terms, exprefs their opinions of legislative measures. One thing very much excited our admiration: that as the vices of fome were maintained to be virtues, fo the virtues of others were held to be vices. Rexman the king, than whom none had a more amiable character, frequently suffered gross infults from the multitude, by the mifreprefentations of political defperadoes; and, what is almost incredible, by the very men whofe fole ambition it was to fhare his confidence! These men had the fingular addrefs, by their oratorical arts, to perfuade the Bulians, that the motives to every action of the fovereign, and the confequences resulting from it, muft inevitably prove detrimental to the interests

terfts of the people at large. But in all his actions the king was supposed to be advised by the Retfinim or his chief Servant, who, of course, was deemed anfwerable for the confequences: for the Bulians held a doctrine, that the head of the legislature had no political free-agency! In the affair of Reynardam's statute respecting the balloon merchants, Rexman, however, made it appear that his voice had fome influence in the legislature, by refcuing the government from the impending danger, with which it was threatned by that ftatute; and yet Reynardam and his friends had the audacity to contend that the ftatute was framed for the public good! In this tranfaction, the opinion which Rexman entertained of Reynardam was verified to the world; and the king's love of his fubjects, and regard to their welfare were fo clearly manifefted, that from thence Reynardam was held in derifion, and Rexman esteemed and honoured as the faviour, as well as the father of his people.

THIS formed a grand era in the reign of Rexman; the royal authority affumed its due weight and importance in the ftate, and the perfon of the fovereign received additional respect and reverence. Nothing remained to disturb the public tranquillity, but the vain attempts of Reynardam to recover the power he had so justly forfeited by attempting to deprive the balloon merchants of their peculiar privileges; the Bulians naturally concluding that he who aims at the defeat of right in a partial degrec, wants only power to extend the influence of his principles to the destruction of every thing tending to counteract his own ambitious views.

THOUGH Reynardam was artful, and penetrating, he was impatient of controul, and his thirst after power was exceffive. Reynardam was well verfed in the characters of men: he was, therefore, adverse to vefting Reynardam with any of those powers which could feed his ambition, and enable him to ufurp improper authority. As the public, however, feemed defirous of the Retfinimfhip being confered on him, the king, willing to gratify his people, nominated Reynardam his chief fervant. Of his behaviour in that ftation, and his difmiffion from it, I have already informed you. The conjectures of Rexman were formed in truth, and the eyes of the people were at length opened to the real character, and the deep defigns of Reynardam. It was necessary to Lay thus much respecting the political principles of the Rulians, previous to the relation of some curious circumstances, which will form the fub. ject of my future animadverfions on the political fituation of the Bulians. In my next letter, I

intend giving you a translation of a very short work, which has lately been read with great avi-dity in Niatrib, entitled the Bulian Lovers, founded on facts, which have lately occurred in a Bulian family of distinction.

THEATRE S.

Drury Lane.

THIS theatre, fince my laft, has abounded in excellence of entertainment. On Tuesday Isabella; Wednesday, Meffiah; Friday, by command, Acis and Galatea, in which Miss George appear ed to much advantage. She was particularly excellent in the delightful air of "As when the Dove." Mifs George has the fingular quality of giving to English mufic all the delicacy of the Italian. A boy, from the King's chapel, was much applauded in every thing he fung, particularly in "Shepherd, what art thou pursuing?" Mrs. Kennedy was not fo happy as ufual in her exertions, none of the mufic which fell to her lot being of that kind in which she excels. Meffrs. Reinhold and Norris acquitted themselves with great approbation. Crofdill played a concerto on the violincello, with peculiar taste and execution. The compofition was of a kind calculated to fhew his abilities, and he did fhew them.

BESIDES the prefence of their Majefties, the performance was honoured with that of the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, and the Princefs Augufta. On his Royal Highness entering his box a partial hiffing of-about fix to oneprevailed in the house, which presently fubfided, and reminded me of the old privilege claimed bythe good people of these realms, of abusing their betters when they think proper.-Their Majesties were received with three cheers, as were the Princeffes, and appeared well entertained with the performance. The King and Queen were particularly chearful, and retired amidst the united plaudits of one of the most crowded audiences I have ever seen at an Oratorio.

THE tragedy of the Countess of Salisbury was revived at this house on Saturday, and is likely to become a prevailing piece. No play has, this season, been honoured with a more respectable audience, or more deserved applause.-Mr. Smith, in Alwin, acquitted himself with great fuccefs. His fcene with Raymond was particularly excellent, and gained him fingular approbation. In Raymond, Mr. Palmer gave evident proofs that he is honoured with the favours of Melpomene, as well as Thalia.-Aickin and Farren made as much of Grey and Morton as they could; whilft Mifs Kemble made me regret that there was any fuch character as Eleanor in the dramatis

dramatis perfonæ of this play, or that the managers could be perfuaded to make use of a little common fense, and not caft their plays as if they did not know their right hand from their left. The Countefs was performed by Mrs. Siddons with that correctness, chastity, and delicacy, and was, throughout the whole, marked with fuch peculiar excellencies, that I can speak of it only in general terms of applaufe, except in the scene where fhe is on the point of lofing her child, in which Mrs, Siddons was equal to the late Mr. Garrick in any one of his moft diftinguished paffages. I remember this tragedy was performed fome years ago, in which Mr. and Mrs. Barry, now Mrs. Crawford, played Alwin and the Countefs but Mrs. Crawford, though then in the zenith of her glory, did not display those powers nor that general excellence which marks the performance of Mrs. Siddons. I have before remarked, that the difference between those two excellent actreffes confifts in the one exciting the warmeft attention through the whole performance; and the other only in certain marked paffages, in which fhe, perhaps, excels the former.-Mrs. Siddons made fo much of the Countefs, that though the tragedy is but dramatic drofs, she ftamps it with the value of refined gold, and the audience at the conclufion called loudly for its repetition on Monday, and when Mr. Smith. gave it out for Tuesday, he received three thundering plaudits.

AFTER the tragedy the Deferter was performed, in which Mifs Philips attracted every auditor.. Befides a very beautiful perfon, this young lady poffeffes all the charms of mufic; an union by no means common, and, therefore, contemplated with delight. It is needlefs to add, that the fung her airs with exquifite tafte and delicacy. Mrs. Wrighten was also excellent; Henry was decent; and the rest of the characters were played with general propriety.

AFTER the tragedy of Hamlet, laft night, a new musical piece called the Double Difguife was prefented; the plot of which turns chiefly or a fervant affuming the title and pretenfions of his lord, who, on going to pay his addreffes to a lady, leaves his fervants at an inn, and, under pretence of returning to London, purfues his journey, and, under a disguise, gains the affection of the lady. His fervant then arrives, and creates " a whimfical confufion in the family," which is at length cleared up by his confeffion. This is fimply the outline of the plot, which is well suited to convey fome fprightly dialogue, animated with fome of the pleasanteft fongs, and moft agreeable mufic I

have heard for fome time. Mifs Philips, with that delicacy and grace peculiar to herfelf, gave all her fongs in the most captivating mannerMrs. Wrighten reprefented an Irifh girl, and was particularly arch in the dialogue, whilst her fongs were characteristically written and set, and most excellently fung. Mr. Barrymore in the Lord, and Mr. Dodd in the fervant, were very well at home, particularly the latter.-Parsons, in the father of the young lady, was as comical as ever; and Mrs. Hopkins quite refpectable as an old maid.

Mr. HOOKE, in compofing the music to this pretty trifle, has attended to a circumstance very little attended to amongst modern mufical compofers: that ballad fimplicity which never fails. to charm the moft refined, as well as the most unpolifhed taste. Every one of the airs are fet in this ftile: light, airy, fanciful, charming; and indeed the overture prepared the audience to expect fuch; for it is one of the most pleafing of that kind of compofition which has graced the orchestra for a long time. The baffoon and the hautboy are principals in it; and there are feveral folo and ad libitum movements for each of those inftruments, which charm every hearer, and do great credit to the performers as well as the compofers.

THIS opera has been got up with great care, tafte, and elegance; and has been decorated with feveral new scenes, particularly a garden scene, exquifitely rich and well fancied. It was received with unremitted applause throughout, and I am much mistaken, if it does not become one of the most popular mufical pieces which has been brought forward for many years, and several of the fongs will foon be warbled in the ftreets of this metropolis, particularly Mrs. Wrighten's humorous fong of the Irish lad! -The audience, though not very brilliant, was uncommonly crouded.

Covent Garden.

ON Thursday Aaron Hill's lukewarm tranflation of Voltaire's lukewarm tragedy of Zara, was performed at this house. Lufignan by Mr. Henderfon, was equal to Garrick's, but inferior to the late Mr. Barry's, though the fcene in which he discovers Zara to be his daughter, was. perhaps never better played.-Mr. Wroughton fhould not have been permitted to fpout Ofian; and if Mr. Whitfield would recollect that Zara is a tragedy, and not an opera, it would be all the better. Mrs. Crawford's Zara is a highlyfinished piece of acting, and it were a waste of words to attempt praising a performance which is above all praife!

IN

In the comedy of Rule a Wife and have a Wife, Mrs. Abington played Eftifania, for the first time, on Saturday, and acquitted herself with her usual fpirit, and certainly with more dramatic fuccefs. Eftifania is evidently her line of playing, and is much to be preferred to her Lady Betty Modifh, and other modifh trifles, about which a great deal more has been faid than they merited.-Mr. Henderfon, in Leon, was little, if any thing, inferior to Garrick, though it is the fashion to call him a copy only. Mr. Lewis in the Copper Captain was easy and spirited; and the play, on the whole, went off with eclat.

THE evening's entertainment concluded with the agreeable trifle called the Sultan, which being a production of Mrs. Abington, it is needlefs to fay, fhe played with the vivacity and gaiety for which he is remarkable.

Opera.

PACCHIEROTTI's Benefit on Thursday, brought together a confiderabie audience at the King's Theatre; and was one of the best entertainments of the kind, I ever attended. The mufic was excellent, and if Pacchierotti had a good benefit, he fhewed his gratitude by performing in a manner highly gratifying to his auditors. No efforts of the human voice can excel his second air; and his laft had peculiar merit: merit worthy of Pacchierotti. Repetitions of this opera may therefore be expected during the reft of the feafon.

OF Lufini, and Franchi, Bartolini, and Tafca, I can only fay that they feconded the great mafter of melody and pathos with all their powers, and the whole of the opera received, as it ought, abundant applause.

THE dances went off with ufual eclat, and gave a very brilliant conclufion to the evening's entertainment.

THEATRICAL ORCHESTRAS.

THE "thrummers of wire and scrapers of catgut," who are engaged at the Theatres to entertain the audience previous to, and during the performance, feem to have an infuperable objection to the former part of the business. They by no means relifh wafting their rofin before the curtain draws up. It is not, therefore, till after a vast deal of thumping with sticks, ftamping with feet, hooting and shouting, that the mufical gentry, who are thus the authors of difcord instead of harmony, choose to make their appearance; and then they have scarcely put their inftruments in tune, but-whisk!-away they go through the little door, like a duck under water, and are invisible in a moment! Then recom

mences the mufic of the iritated Gods, con fpirito: after that comes the tinkling of the prompt bell; and then open flies the little door, and-Da Capo! -Rofin away-whifk, and dive again!

WONDER S.

The most wonderful philofopher of the prefent age, the redoubted KATTERFELTO, whofe philosophy consists in the black art and the black cat, has communicated to me a plan for discovering who is the greatest philofopher in the prefent age: and his fcheme is fo curious, that I fhall, hereafter, with your permission, lay it before the public. At prefent I can only fay, that Katterfelto's is the most innocent and diverting philofophy which can be studied; for though it be currently reported, that he and his black cat are devils, he never fails to convince his auditors that they are cach of them as harmless as any house lambs in christendom. After all the noife this philofopher and his philofophy have made, his Solar Microscope is the most worthy of observation and applaufe. It is indeed, one of the beft I have ever feen, and his collection of microscopical objects are well chofen, curious, and, what is more, inftructive. Katterfelto, however, has the misfortune to be fometimes vifited in the night for the exhibition of that which can only be feen by the light of the fun!

Box-LOBBY NUISANCE.

THE Box-lobby nuisance is a nuisance only: a very harmless, but a very impertinent animal. It is sometimes a thing of fashion; but more frequently a would-be thing of fashion: each is, however, equally troublesome. It fometimes dresses in the extreme of fashion, and then it refembles Shakespeare's flower,

That fmiles on every one,

To fhew its teeth.

At other times it affumes the form of a walkingjockey, and being juft arrived from Cheapfide, expatiates very largely on the pleasures of travelling, and the delights of the country! It joftles every gentleman from the box-book, and, with an incredible bustle, examines the book, and expresses its surprise that no more of its acquaintance are in the house. It then discovers that public bufinefs may have detained them—that is, their bufinefs on the public roads-and that poffibly its dear friend **** may stay the divifion—that is, the divifion of the booty-and it cannot think of ftaying the play when there is no company in the houfe; and, therefore, having in the bustle of its importance eafed fome of its gazing admirers