enables the poet, without any breach of order or probability, to introduce him soon after in the interesting disguise of the old serving man CAIUS. It is worthy of observation that Shakspeare seldomer than any other poet takes aim at a single object--and that very often a sentence, or even a single line of his, will convey two distinct ideas, sometimes even more. In the ungovernable anger of Lear, still further inflamed by the interference and censure of Kent, an ordinary poet would have thought that the least Lear should do, being prevented from putting him to death with his own sword on the spot, would be to order him to instant execution; but Shakspeare has further use for Kent, and not only resolves that he shall live, but makes the very punishment ordained him, instrumental to a further illustration of the character of the old king. Across the whirlwind of Lear's rage therefore there breaks a flash of recollection of Kent's former fidelity and services-a throb of remaining regard, which pleads in his behalf; and the king contents himself with banishing him.

Five days we do allot thee for provision

To shield thee from disaster of the world,
And on the sixth to turn thy hated back

Upon our kingdom. If on the tenth day following,
Thy banish'd trunk be found in our dominions,
That moment is thy death.

Having dismissed Kent, Lear then turns to Burgundy, and, carry-
ing his indignation to a degree of vindictiveness, for which we cannot
help making allowance, considering the inflamed state of his temper,
and the infirm unsettled condition of his mind, and which cannot be
deemed unnatural, since the experiment of every passing year fur-
nishes so many instances of the kind even in inferior life, he tells that
prince, who has been Cordelia's suiter, that he may have her, pro-
vided he will take her without any other dowry than his abhorrence:
Now her price is fallen: sir, there she stands;
If aught within that little seeming substance,
Or all of it, with our displeasure pierc❜d,
And nothing more may fitly like your grace,
She's there, and she is yours.

Will you, with those infirmities she owes,

Unfriended, new adopted to our hate,

Dower'd with our curse and stranger'd with our oath,
Take her, or leave her?

(To be continued.)

THE following letter, received per New York, appears to the editor of the Mirror to be of too imperative a nature to be postponed to another number: our observations on King Lear are therefore cut short for the purpose of giving it a place in this.

MR. EDITOR,

A friend to your Dramatic Censor makes bold to address you upon the merits of that work, and hopes that his advice may have some weight. To the work in question, he has been a subscriber from its commencement; and upon that consideration, he considers it a right, which he holds in common with others, to offer any remarks he may think proper, provided they do not interfere with the private character of the editor.

The first subject we shall notice is a communication signed "Gum," which appeared in a former volume of the work in question; in which the writer displays a total ignorance of the characters which he attempts to delineate. To none of our per formers does he attach any credit. Simpson, who is a far greater favourite with us, than Wood is with you, he says is not above mediocrity; Mrs. Mason, a better actress than whom never trod the American boards, is almost passed over in silence! and Twaitsyes Twaits, the darling of the American people, is spoken of as but a trifling actor. This, sir, is not the way to obtain the patronage of the citizens of the United States. If you mean your work for the Philadelphians, it is well; but if you expect general support-give general satisfaction. If you can give our city no biographical sketches of its performers, I pray you, do not suffer your correspondents to hurl their malice at them; rather let them sleep in silence, than make them noted only by slander.

Of the Boston and Charleston performers you say nothing: and, if I mistake not, it was one of the conditions of the work, to give criticisms upon the American stage (not the Philadelphian only). I have said sufficient; and what I have said, has not been for myself alone, but for others who have patronized your work. If there is no other redress, then they must unwillingly withdraw that support, which by giving, they hoped to create a work, which might be both a pleasure to themselves, and an honour to their country.

New-York, June 1811.

WESTON.

P.S. I can hardly hope that you will have the candour to publish the above. If you will (and any remarks you may think proper to add) I shall consider myself greatly OBLIGATED to you.

W.

The promptitude with which we have given a place to the above letter, must convince the writer that we have no desire to withhold it from the public eye. Why WESTON should call in question our having candour enough to publish it, we are not at all solicitous to know, nor shall we take the trouble to inquire: we may be permitted, however, to compliment that gentleman upon the singular liberality of his suggestion: with candour of that kind, such suspicions as his are very naturally associated. After such an insinuation, who could have blamed us, if we had treated the communication with neglect? Indeed we should have done so, were it not that, instead of shrinking from the subject, we are glad of an occasion to bring it before the public.

To Weston's charge the answer is short and easy. At an early period of this work, the then proprietor of it, being on business at New-York, applied to a person there, in whose judgment he thought he could confide, to furnish the Mirror with occasional communications touching the theatre of that city. With the engagement, whatever it was, the EDITOR of the Mirror had no privity-he barely understood who the person employed was; and he had reason to believe him capable of the office. Soon afterwards, the communication signed GLUM (not Gum) was by the proprietor handed over, most probably without being read, to the editor, with other papers, for insertion, and was by the latter immediately put into the printer's hands.

At this distance of time, the editor has but an obscure recollection what the precise impression made upon him by that communication was; but from a review of the piece, taken since the arrival of Weston's letter, he is sure it could not have been favourable; and he remembers very well having united with Mr. Inskeep, of New-York, (who soon after its appearance came on a visit to Philadelphia) in censuring it, and lamenting its having been published. The editor of the Mirror is persuaded that he either did not peruse, or but very slightly glanced at, the writing, before it was printed: for had he noticed the tendency of some of its parts, he would have taken the freedom to state his opinion of it to the proprietor.-To have altered or rejected it himself, had he noticed it, would have been inadmissible, indelicate, and a violation of the etiquette which ought to subsist among writers.

Weston, however, must not infer from this, that the parts of Glum's observations, which have offended him, are those which

the editor would have thought reprehensible. From the nature of his office, the New-York critic was intitled to that confidence without which it would be fruitless to employ him; and it would be preposterous to suspect such a one of any hostile intentions to actors just arrived, for the first time, in the country: nor would it be less preposterous in the editor of the Mirror to call in question the correctness of Glum's observations on Mr. Simpson, Mrs. Mason, or Mr. Twaits, since he not only had never seen, but to this very moment has never set his eyes upon either of the two former; and since, of Mr. Twaits he never saw enough on the stage to enable him to form an adequate judgment of his professional talents. The editor has as yet seen that gentleman in but two characters. In one of those he greatly admired him; but that was low comedy-and in low comedy Glum has praised Mr. Twaits.

Of the really censurable part of the production, however, Weston says nothing. This, coupled with his laying such extraordinary stress on the other parts of it, which being a mere matter of opinion on actors, are certainly defensible, looks as if Weston had some particular cause for soreness on that point which the editor of the Mirror cannot possibly feel. Unnecessary comparisons between existing persons are never instituted but for bad purposes, and generally arise more from malice to the person lowered, than good will to him that is raised. Glum's injurious comparison between the managers of the New-York and Philadelphia theatre therefore has always had, and ever must have, our unequivocal disapprobation. Indeed so much, that, while free from any wilful concern in it, we should be glad to have it entirely expunged from the work. But why has Weston overlooked that part?-His silence on it, and his at the same time fastening so angrily upon the wrongs supposed by him to be done to his favourite performers, is rather curious:-it reminds us of the story told in a curious old romance, of a giant who gulped down windmills with ease, but was afterwards choked in attempting to swallow a bit of butter, at the mouth of a

hot oven.

Without following the example of Weston by glancing at a comparison between Mr. Simpson and Mr. Wood, we will say (and sincerely we do say it) that it gives us unfeigned pleasure to hear that the former is a favourite at New-York: it costs us no effort of faith to believe that he is deserving of it: we have, indeed, heard him spoken of by Mr. Wood with that liberal applause with which it becomes one gentleman to speak of another. But if Mr. Simpson

be indeed even as great a favourite in New-York, and on the same grounds, as Mr. Wood is in Philadelphia, his situation is truly enviable.

Could the editor of the Mirror but accomplish the brilliant sæpe repetita hypothesis of lawyer Dowling, in Tom Jones, and cut himself into four quarters, he would take care to be at one and the same time in Philadelphia, Baltimore, New-York and Boston; but since that kind of ubiquity is denied him, he must either go without any stage intelligence from those places, or take what he can procure "with all its imperfections on its head." To establish correspondents for the purpose has been an object of the proprietor's earnest solicitude; and, though as yet unsuccessful, he does not despair of speedily accomplishing it. But the election of a correspondent being once made, his criticism must be confided in, and appear unaltered in the work. In that case, the editor does not vouch for the orthodoxy of his opinion-he only gives it as the best he can get. For nothing in all empiricism can be imagined more arrogant or absurd than for an editor, who has not seen a performance, to censure the critique upon it of a correspondent who has; and such would have been our conduct (having never seen Mr. Simpson or Mrs. Mason) had we impeached the criticism of GLUM.

In cases of distant correspondents, the public, though they should dissent from the criticism, take no offence at the editor, because they know he is not reprehensible for the opinions of others:-were it not so, what an old house should he not now pull about his head by publishing Weston's encomium on Mrs. Mason, among a people who still remember that Mrs. WARREN once trod the American boards. If Weston will take the pains to look over the Monthly Mirror of London, he will find that the opinions of its country correspondents are frequently at variance with that of its city editors.—In the case of Cooke, there is a striking instance of this, where they publish a correspondent's dispraise of that actor, and declare at the same time, that they retain an opposite opinion in his favour.

Should the difficulty of procuring correspondents by epistolary application continue to be insuperable, the proprietor, or an agent for him, will go to the several cities in person for the purpose.It is our interest to please all our subscribers if possible; and,. whatever Weston may think to the contrary, it is sincerely our inclination also.

K. is received, and shall be published.

L. H

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