remember, between his manner, and what I have marked in the trea tife, are as follow:

In the first place, that fpeech, or foliloque, which I (for want of better judgement) have noted in the ftile of a ranting actor, swelled with forte and foftened with piano, he delivered with little or no diftinction of piano and forte, but nearly uniform; fomething below the ordinary force, or, as a muficiari would fay, jotto voce, or fempre poco piano.

Secondly, as to measure, the first line thus:

"Thirdly, as to accent and quantity, thus:

1-321-231222-1

To die,

to fleep, -no more.

"Laftly, Nymph, in thy orifons, he pronounced in common meafure, as,

Nymph, in thy o-rifons

Δ.. A :: A

making the word orifons quite different from mine: I was led to make the first fyllable o fhort and light, and the fecond ri long and heavy, by fuppofing the word to have been originally Norman French, oraiJon; but I fuppofe I was wrong in this, as in every other inftance where I have thewn the difference. I fhall forbear to give any more fpecimens of that great actor's elocution, from the memory of once hearing, left I should do him injuftice, as my intention here is not to play the critic; but merely to fhew, that by means of these characters, all the varieties of enunciation may be committed to paper, and read off as eafily as the air of a fong tune

ກ

It is with fingular modefty Mr. Steele here fuppofes himself to be in the wrong in every inftance, in which he differed from Mr. Garrick. But, unlefs popular ignorance may fanctify error

The name of the author, of whofe talents for musical invefligations we gave a Specimen, from the philofophical tranfactions, in our review for September.

and

and caprice be set up for the criterion of language, we see on reafon for admitting theatrical barbarifm to be the ftandard of polished fpeech. Not to reft merely on the authority of fo jocular a poet as Cotton, who fays,

Thus he went on with his ORISONS,

Which if we mark them well were WISE ONES,

the best etymologifts are of our author's opinion, as the best speakers pronounce the word orifon with the grave accent on the fecond fyllable. The illiterate and vulgar, indeed, may pronounce it orifon, with the acute accent on the first fyllable, as they do horizon, fonorous and many other words that require the grave accent on the fecond; but we think it a fpecies of falfe modefty, in men of letters, to countenance fuch depravations in fpeech, out of compliment to popular performers on the ftage +. It is certain that, if any theatrical perfonage merited fuch a facrifice, it would be Mr. Garrick. But, though it must be allowed he has been an incomparable actor, and is ftill COMPARATIVELY the greatest player in the world, he neither ever was, now is, the correcteft reader or most polished speaker. It is a juft encomium, our author beftows on Mr. G, and on the late Mrs. Cibber, refpecting the diftin&t audibility of their voice. The clarion (if we may venture fo to call it) of their articulation was indeed admirable, but the provinciality of the one and the Cockneyism of the other, with the occafional capricios of both too frequently affected the propriety of their pronunciation.

ог

To acknowledge a fuggeftion, for which it is more than probable neither Mr. G, nor our author, will thank us, we are in some doubt whether, under the appearance of so much ill-timed modefty, this mufical philofopher, cunningly enveloped in his cloak of gravity, is not fneeringly, instead of feriously complimenting our English Rofcius. The reader will judge

When this fyftem, fays he, was explained to Mr. Garrick, among many judicious remarks and queries, he afked this question: Suppofing a fpeech was noted, according to thefe rules, in the manner he spoke it, whether any other perfon, by the help of thefe

66

year or two:

The authority of Cicero, refpecting his pronouncing with the populace, and the mas norma loquendi of Horace, we conceive, may be carried much too far, and accele rate the growing depravity of our language. It was an injudicious conceffion of Dr. Fofter's, and fimilar to that of our author, when he fuppofed the caprice of a few, fine, (and therefore falje) fpeakers fhould change the pronunciation of any word in a "The word ally, fays he, meaning a friendly-affiftant, was four or five years ago pronounced as an oxytone ally and any grammarian, who had then laid the accent on the last fyllable would have been right: now by many perions of good fente the fame word is pronounced ally, and a grammarian, who thould now place the accent on the firft fyllable, would do right too." Surely this is paying too great complaifance to caprice! Indeed a laughable inftance of this kind occurs, in which a celebrated finger who had a most excellent ear as well for articulation as tone, has not only outlived in fome degree his auricular faculties, but lived to lofe the articulation of his very name. It is, it fees, the bun ton, in the theatrical world, to call Mr. Beard, Mr. Bird.

See Foter's Efay on Accent and Quantity. Edit. 1763.

notes,

notes, could pronounce his words in the fame tone and manner exactly as he did ?

“To which he was answered thus:

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Suppofe a first-rate musician had written down a piece of mufic, which he had played exquifitely well on an exceeding fine toned vi olin; another performer with an ordinary fiddle might undoubtedly play every note the fame as the great mafler, though perhaps with lefs eafe and elegance of expreffion; but, notwithstanding his correctnefs in the tune and manner, nothing could prevent the audience from perceiving that the natural tone of his inftrument was execrable: fo, though these rules may enable a master to teach a just application of accent, emphafis, and all the other proper expreffions of the voice in fpeaking, which will go a great way in the improvement of elocution, yet they cannot give a fweet voice where nature has de nied it."

And is a freet voice then, (the tone of the inftrument) the only thing that gives a Garrick the preference to the inferior tribe of performers?

*

Hear this, ye dagger M-rs! Ye English-General! ↑ B—ys hear this, and replume yourselves on what would be the excellence of your performance on better fiddles!

We muft here, however, enter a caveat against our feemingly notfufficiently-difcriminating author. Mr. Garrick might probably mean to play upon him as much as he to work upon Mr. Garrick. The difference between a great actor and a little aɛlır, does not lie only in the difference between their vocal powers; nor is it merely the fame with the difference between the eafe and elegance of expreffion, in the performance of a great fiddler and a · little fiddler. It is fomething ftill more effential and we will venture to say that, it would be much easier for a mere practical mimic, as illiterate and unmufical as moft mimics are, to imitate, or take off Mr. Garrick exactly, than it would be for the moft learned adept in Mr. Steel's scheme, or even Mr. Steele himfelf, to do the fame, by taking down his fpeeches, in the completest manner poffible, by means of his notes and characters. There is fomething in acting fuperior to oratory, and which, to adopt Quintilian's expreffion, demonftrari nifi in opere ipfo non poteft.

The name given to a very decent performer among the upper-under actors, on account of his great, but long-buried, talents for tragedy.

+ Mr. B, fo called from an incident that perhaps will hardly bear the relation.When Quin played Macbeth at Covent-Garden, Mr. B- performed the English Ge neral in the fame play; a perfonage that makes his appearance toward the end of the piece. Inftead of impatiently brandi ing the baton and marching forwards and backwards behind the scenes, B, fat foberly putting his pipe at one of the ale-houses adjoining to the theatre, when an acquaintance, coming in and thinking he might mitake it for an oratorio-night, asked him if he did not play a part in Macbeth. "Oh! yes," replied the tragedian, with a fonorous voice and confequential compo fure, "I play the ENGLISH GENERAL!"-Quin, fays he, lowering his voice with a tone of contempt, plays the SCOTCH!

(To be continued and concluded in our APPENDIX.)

ART. III. Letters, written by the late Right Honourable Lady Luxborough, to William Shenstone, Ejq. 8vo. 6s. Dodsley. Continued from page 404, and concluded.

Having given fufficient specimens of this epiftolary correfpondence, to enable our readers to judge how far it merits the high encomium bestowed on it by Mr. Shenftone; we shall quote no more of the letters entire, but clofe our extracts with a few citations from fuch as contain anecdotes of popular characters, or reflections on celebrated writers; the most generally amufing part of familiar letters.

Barrells, Wednesday, November 29th, 1749. SIR, Begun Tuesday night, 28th. "I do not know whether I am making reparation for my paft offence, filence, or committing a worfe, by babbling; for I not only answered your letter by your fervant, but wrote again the very next day; and ftill upon the fame fubject, Urn. I hoped for an anfwer lait Thursday; but not having one, I now torment you with a third epitle, which will probably draw another from you; and, was your politenefs out of the question, I fhould expect it to be an order for me to ftop my pen: I think it would be just; and as the French ftyle (and French every thing) is fashionable, it might be allowable for you to fay in that language to me, Cela fufit: which phrase I have often heard ufed by thofe who would be shocked to hear in rough English "Hold your tongue;" though I think found makes the difference, not fenfe. Talking of that, who would have thought a pack of French ftrollers could ever in any fhape have influenced the choofing or rejecting a member of the British Parliament? and yet the advertisements about the Westminster election fhew them to be perfonages of con fequence. It is it feems fact, that a pretty good fet of English actors who made an attempt to fet up a ftage in a province on the out-skirts of France, (where our language was a little understood) were driven off with the utmoft fcurrility; and yet our noblesse support their ftrollers here; for they are, I hear, eftablhed in fpite of the fracas made by the gallery; being well fupported by our lords, ladies, and ftill more by fome of our officers, who though they ran away from the French in Flanders, are eager to follow them here, and to pay their obfequious devoirs to the outcaft of them.What will not Englishmen now bear! "Were it permitted to find fault with M-y, I should be angry Penlez did not receive the royal mercy. But on the other hand, I am pleased with the K-g's antwer to the d-ke of New, who went to his clofet exulting with joy to inform him of the fortunate event of Sir Watkin's death: "I am forry for it; (anfwered his M-fty) "he was a worthy man, and an open enemy." This fine anfwer makes one regret that his min-rs govern inflead of him.-But how happens it pray, that I talk fomething tending towards politics to you? I do not conceive what could make it enter into my head: but when it did do fo, I can easily conceive it would fly away with my pen; for fo negligently as I write, the first ideas that prefent themselves go off to VOL. II.

I i

my

my friends, unpolished and unconnected: but to others I give only a very little flummery, and fo conclude. This word flummery, you must know, Sir, means at London, flattery and compliment; and is the prefent reigning word among the beaux and belles. Pardon my telling you what your dictionary would not have told you; and pardon me alfo for boafting of knowing something about the fashions my neighbours do not know, and which, thanks to chance, I do know !-I hope this felf-exaltation will not draw upon me the guilt of the arrogant Pharifee. My knowledge does not extend very far, as learned as I am; and yet I know that it is the fashion for every body to write a couplet to the fame tune (viz. an old country-dance) upon whatever fubject occurs to them; I fhould fay upon whatever perfon, with their names to it. Lords, gentlemen, ladies, flirts, fcholars, foldiers, divines, mafters, and miffes, are all authors upon this occafion, and alfo the object of each other's fatire: it makes an offenfive medley, and might be called a pot-pourri; which is a potful of all kinds of flowers which are feverally perfumes, and commonly when mixt and rotten, fmell very ill. This coarfe fimile is yet too good for about twenty or thirty couplets I have seen, and they are all perfonal and foolish satire, even feverally; fo I will not fend them: but to make amends for my grave politics, I will fend you a good pretty innocent ballad, wrote by a Mifs Jenny Hamilton, a pretty girl about town, who is going to marry More, the author of the Foundling, and writes word of it herfelf in this manner to an intimate friend in the country. It confifts, as you will find, of puns (or as the French properly call it, Jeu de mots) upon his name; and though I never was a lover of puns, I do not diflike the natural sprightly turn of thefe; and I hope they will amufe you a few moments, for the reafon you quote from Cibber (himself!) "That small matters amufe in the country." The truth of which most people have felt, or are unfeeling and unhappy.

"I asked you what your new books were, or pamphlets? You did not answer me perhaps you had not gone through them.—I wish the people in town would give themselves time to write, and amufe us a little but I believe they neither write nor read. How can they, as their time is taken up with new-fashioned amufements, which, like eternity, have neither beginning nor end? I imagine fleep will be left off, for I do not hear of an hour allotted for it. As to thought, it has employment enough in weighing these different amusements, and forting them fo as not to lofe any in the twenty-four hours: and bookfellers I believe might fhut up fhop, if it was not for us country-puts. Perhaps when the Jubilee is over, there may be a ceffation to the prefent whirl of diverfions.

My paper and the clock remind me that it is late; fo I employ the reft of the fpace left, in affuring you that I am, with great efteem, and without one particle of flummery, Sir,

Your faithful and obliged fervant,

H. LUXBOROUGH." In the next letter we have an affurance, which, if it did not flow from too great a partiality to felf, befpeaks the honourable. letter-writer of a philofophical turn of thinking, as well as a moft

worthy