213 which reciprocally imitate each other. As the writers of epic poems introduce thadowy perfons, and represent vices and virtues under the characters of men and women; fo I, who am a SPECTATOR in the world, may perhaps fometimes make ufe of the names of the actors on the ftage, to reprefent or admonifh those who tranfact affairs in the world. When I am commending Wilks for reprefenting the tenderness of a husband and a father in Macbeth, the contrition of a reformed prodigal in Harry the fourth, the winning emptiness of a young man of good nature and wealth in The Trip to the fubilee, the officioufnefs of an artful fervant in The Fox: when thus I celebrate Wilks, I talk to all the world who are engaged in any of thofe circumftances. If I were to fpeak of merit neglected, mifapplied or misunderstood, might not I fay Eaftcourt has a great capacity? But it is not the intereft of others who bear a figure on the ftage that his talents were understood; it is their bufinefs to impofe upon him what cannot become him, or keep out of his hands any thing in which he would shine. Were one to raife a fufpicion of himself in a man who paffes upon the world for a fine thing, in order to alarm him, one might fay, if Lord Foppington was not on the stage, (Cibber acts the falfe pretenfions to a gente:1 behaviour fo very jufly) he would have in the generality of mankind more that would admire than deride him. When we come to characters directly comical, it is not to be imagin'd what effect a well regulated ftage would have upon mens manners. The craft of an ufurer, the abfurdity of a rich fool, the aukward roughness of a fellow of half courage, the ungraceful mirth of a creature of half wit, might be for ever put out of countenance by proper parts for Dogget. Johnson, by acting Corbacchio the other night, must have given all who faw him a thorough deteftation of aged avarice. The petulancy of a peevish old fellow, who loves and hates he knows not why, is very excellently performed by the ingenious Mr. William Penkethman in The Fop's Fortune; where, in the character of Don Cholerick Snap Shorto de Tefty, he answers no queftions but to thofe whom he likes, and wants no account of any thing from thofe he approves Mr. Penkethman is alfo mafter of as many faces in the dumb-fcene as can be expected from a man in his circumstances of being ready to perish out of fear and hunger: He wonders throughout the whole scene very mafterly, without neglecting his victuals. If it be, as I have heard it fometimes mentioned, a great qualification of the world to follow business and pleasure too, what is it in the ingenious Mr. Penkethman to represent a fenfe of pleasure and pain at the fame time; as you may see him do this evening? As it is certain that a ftage ought to be wholly fuppreffed, or judiciously encouraged, while there is one in the nation, men turn'd for regular pleasure cannot em ploy their thoughts more afefully, for the diverfion of mankind, than by convincing them that it is in themfelves to raise this entertainment to the greatest height. It would be a great improvement, as well as embellishment to the theatre, if dancing were more regarded, and taught to all the actors. One who has the advantage of fuch an agreeable girlifh perfon as Mrs. Bicknell, joined with her capacity of imitation, could in proper gefture and motion reprefent all the decent characters of female life. An amiable modefly in one afpect of a dancer, and affumed confidence in another, a fudden joy in another, a falling off with an impatience of being beheld, a return towards the audience with an unfteady refolution to approach them, and a well-acted folicitude to please, would revive in the company all the fine touches of mind raised in obferving all the objects of affection and paffion they had before beheld. Such elegant entertainments as thefe would polish the town into judgment in their gratifications; and delicacy in pleasure is the first step people of condition take in reformation from vice. Mrs. Bicknell has the only capacity for this fort of dancing of any on the ftage; and I dare fay all who see her performance to morrow night, when fure the romp. will do her best for her own benefit, will be of my mind. T Tuesday, No 37 I Tuesday, May 6. Famne igitur laudas quod de fapientibus unus Juv. Sat. 10. v. 28; And shall the fage your approbation win, Shall communicate to my reader the following letter SIR, Y OU know very well that our nation is more famous for that fort of men who are called Whims and Humourists, than any other country in the world; for which reafon it is obferved that our English comedy excels that of all other nations in the novelty and variety of its characters. Among thofe innumerahle fets of Whims which our country produces, there are none whom I have regarded with more curiofity than thofe who have invented any particular kind of diverfion for the enter ⚫tainment of themselves or their friends. My letter fhall fingle out thofe who take delight in forting a company that has fomething of burlefque and ridicule in its appearance. I thall make myself underftood by the following example. One of the wits of the laft age, who was a man of a good eftate, though he never laid out his money better than in a jeft, as he was one year at the Bath, obferving that in the great confluence of fine people, there were fe ⚫veral among them with long chins, a part of the vifage by which he himself was very much diftinguished, he invited to dinner half a score of thefe remarkable perfons who had their mouths in the middle of their ⚫ faces. They had no fooner placed themselves about the table, but they began to ftare upon one another, • not being able to imagine what had brought them together. Our English proverb fays, 'Tis merry in the hall, When beards wag all. It proved fo in the affembly I am now fpeaking of, who seeing fo many peaks of faces agitated with eating, drinking and difcourfe, and obferving all the chins that were prefent meeting together very often ⚫ over the centre of the table, every one grew fenfible of the jeft, and came into it with fo much good-humour, that they lived in strict friendship and alliance from that day forward. The fame gentleman fome time after packed together a fet of Oglers, as he called them, confifting of fuch as • had an unlucky caft in their eyes. His diverfion on this occafion was to fee the cross bows, mistaken figns, and wrong connivances that paffed amidst so many broken and refracted rays of fight. The third feaft which this merry gentleman ex•hibited was to the Stammerers, whom he got together in a fufficient body to fill his table. He had ordered • one of his fervants, who was placed behind a screen, to write down their table-talk, which was very easy to be done without the help of fhort-hand. It appears by the notes which were taken, that tho' their converfation never fell, there were not above twenty words fpoken during the first courfe; that upon ferving up the fecond, one of the company was a quarter of an hour in telling them, that the ducklings and afparagus were very good; and that another took up the fame time in declaring himself of the fame opinion. This jeft did not, however, go off fo well as the former; for one of the guests being a brave man, and fuller of re⚫ fentment than he knew how to exprefs, went out of the room, and fent the facetious inviter a challenge in writing, which, though it was afterwards dropp'd by the interpofition of friends, put a stop to thefe ludicrous ⚫ entertainments. Now, Sir, I dare fay you will agree with me, that as there is no moral in thefe jefts, they ought to be difcouraged, and looked upon rather as pieces of un• luckiness luckiness than wit. However, as it is natural for one man to refine upon the thought of another, and impoffible for any fingle perfon, how great foever his parts may be, to invent an art, and bring it to its utmost perfection; I fhall here give you an account of an honeft gentleman of my acquaintance, who, upon hearing the character of the wit above mentioned, has himfelf affumed it, and endeavoured to convert it to the • benefit of mankind. He invited half a dozen of his friends one day to dinner, who were each of them famous for inferting feveral redundant phrafes in their difcourfe, as, d'ye hear me, d'ye fee, that is, and fo Sir. Each of the guests making frequent ufe of his particular elegance, appeared fo ridiculous to his neighbour that he could not but reflect upon himfelf as appearing equally ridiculous to the rest of the company: By this means, before they had fat long together, every one talking with the greatest circumfpection, and carefully avoiding his favourite expletive, the converfation was cleared of its redundancies, and had a greater quantity of fenfe, tho' lefs of found in it. The fame well-meaning gentleman took occafion at another time, to bring together fuch of his friends as were addicted to a foolish habitual custom of swearing. In order to fhew them the abfurdity of the practice, he had recourfe to the invention above-mentioned, having placed an Amanuenfis in a private part of the room. After the fecond bottle, when men open their minds without referve, my honest friend began to take notice of the many fonorous but unneceffary words that had paffed in his houfe fince their fitting down at table, and how much good converfation they had loft by giving way to fuch fuperfluous phrafes. • What a tax, fays he, would they have raised for the poor, had we put the laws in execution upon one another? Every one of them took this gentle reproof in good part. Upon which he told them, that knowing their converfation would have no fecrets in it, he had ordered it to be taken down in writing, and for the humour- fake would read it to them, if they pleased. There were ten fheets of it, which might have been reduced to two, had there not been those abomiVOL. V. nable K |