prefent, as on this occafion. The effects, indeed, upon many were fuch as modern times have never before experienced. The choral pover of harmonical combinations affected some to tears, and fainting; while others were melted and enrapt by the exquifite fweetnefs of fingle founds. I had little leifure to contemplate the countenances of thofe around me; but, when 1 happened to turn my eyes from the performers, I faw nothing but tears of extacy, and looks of wonder and delight. Nothing, however, difcovered the admirable difcipline of the band, and unwearied and determined attention of the audience, fo much as the paufes, which are fo frequent in HANDEL's Mufic: for thefe were fo unanimoufly calculated, and measured, that no platoon, or fingle cannon, was ever fired with more exact precifion or unity of effect, than that with which the whole phalanx of this multitudinous band refumed its work, after all the fudden, and, ufually, unlimited ceffations of found, commonly called paufes, which, in general, catch loquacity in the fact; but now, at all thefe unexpected moments, the filence was found as awful and entire, as if none but the tombs of departed mortals had been prefent." To the account of the Commemoration is added, a state of the money received and disbursed on this occafion, and an Appendix, containing an abstract of the laws and refolutions of the Fund for the Support of decayed Muficians and their Families-to the benefit of which the fums arifing from the Commemoration were chiefly appropriated, and in favour of which, Dr. Burney, with a liberality that does him great honour, readily relinquifhed all views, however reasonable, of confiderable and certain profit to himfelf from this elegant and fplendid publication. We cannot clofe this article without taking fome notice of the engravings with which this book is decorated. And though all of them deferve praife, we fhould do injuftice to the very fingular merit of a young and rifing artist*, if we did not particularly diftinguith the two views of the King's Gallery, and of the Orcheftra, and the Frontispiece. Fame holding the Medal, in the latter, appears to us to be as beautifully imagined as correctly drawn: and, in the Views, the eafe, animation, and variety of the figures, upon fo fmall a Ycale, exhibit a union very uncommon, of minute labour with free and masterly defign. Mr. E. Burney, a nephew, as we are informed, of Dr. Burney. The The Natural San. A Comedy. Performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury-lane. By Richard Cumberland, Efq. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Dilly. THE mifer has been faid to have picked money from his own pocket, to add to the fum in his cheft; and the needy merchant continues to draw bills on his banker, as long as his former credit will fupport him, after his own stock is exhausted. We should be forry to ftyle Mr. Cumberland either a bankrupt in invention, or parfimonious of his exertions; but his prefent comedy fo nearly relembles the others, that, to make a third, he joins the former two.' The plot is taken from Tom Jones. The hero is a foundling, maintained by charity, and at laft appears to be the nephew of the gentleman who had hitherto fupported him, and who differs from Allworthy only, in being acquainted with the fecret: this variation is not advantageous, fince the reader is at once aware of the termination, and the means by which it is produced. We remarked, in our review of the Carmelite, that Mr. Cumberland feemed to defpife these artificial arrangements, fince he felt that he was capable of arrefting the attention by the magic of his language, and the force of the fituations. In this comedy his wand feems to be broken, and his attendant fpirits 'free as air.' In other respects the plot differs from the novel; but it is neither new, nor particularly interesting. The characters are those of the Weft Indian, and the Fafhionable Lover. Lady Paragon courts Blushenly, the foundling, almost in the language of Charlotte Rufport; and he has all the coolnefs, from the fame motives, of Young Dudley. Ruefull has the feeling heart with the harsh outside of Mortimer, and Major O'Flaherty preferves both his name and his manners. It has been remarked, that fecond parts feldom fucceed; the blush of novelty is loft, and the fituations are feldom equally interefting. The firft idea too is bold and vigorous; the colouring glows from an animated partiality: the continuation has the languor of a recollected image, and the execution drags heavily with all the weight of a necessary task. The language of this play is feldom natural, or properly appropriated; it is frequently witty, though it fometimes defcends to a pun: it aims at fpirit, but it is a spirit which is not from the heart; the fmile which is fometimes put on, to disguise pain or anxiety. We are indeed often pleafed' with and interested by a whole, though we cannot approve of the component parts; and it is neceffary to acknowledge, that, with all the faults of this comedy, we are fometimes entertained. There is a little novelty in the character of Dumps; Dumps; and Jack Huftings, the Will Whimble of Addison, is an amufing companion. We fhall extract the scene in which the former is first introduced. Dumps is brought in by David. O'Flaherty (feeing Dumps as he enters). Oh the Beelzebub! what's here?-Which of the feven deadly fins begot you? what gibbet have you defrauded of its furniture? Dumps. I am ferving-man to Squire Ruefull; I haften'd in advance, to fignify the coming on of my maler.-Salve, Domine!-Et tu quoque !-Pax in domo! that? O'FI. What the plague! which of your evil tongues is Dumps. "Tis Latin; I learnt it when I fhew'd the tombs in Weltminster Abbey. 'O'Fi. Oho! if vou come out of the tombs, 'tis no wonder you speak the dead languages. Dumps. Reaè. Sir Jeff. When will your mafter be here, fellow? Sir Jeff. Hark ye, David, take this mummy into the cellar, and wet his duft with a cup of October. You'll find better company in my vaults, friend, than the abbey's. Dumps. Oh dear, fir, I was reafonable merry, till I came into my mafter's fervice; he is a monument of a man: we fhou'd have had a terrible journey of it, if we had not luckily fallen in with a black job by the way, and kept company with the corpfe to Exeter cathedral. Jack. I must be acquainted with this fellow.-What is your name? Dumps. My name is Dumps, an' please you. Jack. How long have you been in Mr. Ruefull's fervice? Dumps. Five years by the calendar, five centuries by calculation. I had indeed the choice of being keeper of a pefthouse, but I was fool enough to withstand the offer; and, all other trades failing, took into my present service. O'FI. What other trades have you followed? let us know your hiftory. Dumps. "Tis foon told, gentlemen.-I am the fon of a fexton, and worked at my father's business in my youth; I then went into the fervice of a diffecting furgeon, and with my father's help furnish'd my master's academy with subjects. O'FI. Oh Lord, have mercy upon us! Dumps. When that trade fail'd, I hir'd myself out to the Humane Society. • O'FI. That was the devil of a jump backwards. Dumps. Many an honeft gentleman now walks about with breath of my blowing; but it was too much labour for one pair of lungs; and, by giving life to a drowned alderman upon a fwan-hopping party, I contracted a confumption, and turn'd murder-monger to a morning paper. . LL. O'Fl. Murder-monger! there you are in your old quarters once more.--And what's murder-monger, I would fain ask? • Dumps. Cafualty-compiler, an' pleafe you, inventer of murders to amufe our customers; but they faid I wanted variety in my violent deaths, I made too much ufe of the brewer's dray; fo they took a tragic poet in my place, and I was turn'd into Westminster Abbey, as valet-de-chambre to the ragged regiment, to brush the duft off the faces of the wax-work; from thence I came into Squire Ruefull's service; and if I take another step downwards, it must be to the old one, for I can go no lower in this world. Sir Jeff. Try the depth of my cellar firft, and then we'll talk further with you: get you gone[Exit Dumps, On the whole, we must confirm the award of the fpecta tors; and though, like them, we found fufficient inducement to look a fecond time at this comedy, we cannot stamp it with our approbation, or be much delighted with its frequent repetition. DR. The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL. D. With occafional Remarks on his Writings, an authentic Copy of his Will, and a Catalogue of his Works. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Kearfley. R. Johnfon was fcarcely interred, before this biographer was ready with his last dying speech, life, and characThis rapidity, if it contributed to gratify and almoft anticipate curiolity, muft have neceffarily occafioned numerous errors, even in a well-informed author; but the present biographer does not deserve that title; and we can truly fay, that his relations are erroneous, and sometimes contradictory. -He might indeed have vifited Dr. Johnfon, who received vifitants of almost every class; but he feems to have been little acquainted with the man or the fcholar. The inftances related of Johnfon's retentive memory are almoft within the reach of common minds; the anecdotes are trifling; and the character is drawn with fo little precifion and accuracy, that with very flight variations, it might be adapted to almost every man of learning. Since there are few pages which might not occafion some animadverfion, we shall not beftow on this production that time which we wish to employ on more important works. We Cannot notice every error, and there are none fo enormous as to deferve the preference. Those who have admired the author may wish for a defcription of his figure. As this is the moft faithful part of the work, we fhall felect it, for a fhort extract. Dr. 142 The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL. D. Dr. Johnfon's figure, even in his youth, could never have been calculated either "to make women falfe," or give him a preference in the fchools of manly or military exercifes. His face was compofed of large coarfe features, which, from a ftudious turn, when compofed, looked fluggish, yet awful and contemplative. The head at the front of this book is esteemed a good likeness; indeed fo much, that when the doctor faw the drawing, he exclaimed, "Well, thou art an ugly fellow, but ftill, I believe thou art like the original." The doctor fat for this picture to Mr. Trotter, in February 1782, at the request of Mr. Kearsley, who had juft furnished him with a complete lift of all his works, for he confeffed he had forgot more than half what he had written. His face, however, was capable of great expreffion, both in respect to intelligence and mildness, as all thofe can witness who have feen him in the flow of converfation, or under the influence of grateful feelings.' In respect to perfon, he was rather of the heroic ftature, being above the middle fize; but though ftrong, broad, and mufcular, his parts were flovenly put together. When he walked the streets, what with the conftant roll of his head, and the concomitant motion of his body, he appeared to make his way by that motion, independent of his feet. Indeed, to fee him in moft fituations, he was not favourably diftinguished by his habits.' We cannot take a more favourable opportunity, than at a time when every ear is eager to receive, and every mouth to convey, information on this fubject, to fuggeft a few precautions to his future biographers In the character of Dr. Johnfon there were great learning and virtue united. The former was generally employed in the most useful manner; to adorn the rugged harshness of morality, to enforce the most important duties of religion, and to ftrengthen that refolution which might otherwife have yielded to fafhionable follies or attractive vices. The latter was drawn into action, in circumftances which will confer the highest honour on his heart. But, if his biographers will attempt to raife him into perfection, if they will endeavour to fhow that his learning was as various as it was extensive, that prejudice never clouded his judgment, or that his perception of the elegant and beautiful was equally exact with his difcernment of right and wrong; in fhort, if he is exalted into a faultlefs monfter,' the attempt will injure his memory, and deprive the world of the advantage it might receive from an example, which otherwife might be emulated by the lovers of virtue, and the candidates for literary fame. A Che 1 |