man kindness," compared with these assertions of Cato, which are corroding as oil of vitriol:

"Good name in man or woman," &c.

Cato is ignorant of the performers, and their excellent qualities; but on this subject," I stand as one upon a rock."—I am, by associating with them, well acquainted with their opinions and sentiments;-interest is not the moving principle of players. Character! character! is every thing with them-town engagements have been relinquished, and travelling, with all its inconveniences and expences, has been preferred to loss of character; I have known " twenty-forty-fifty-an hundred" pounds a week, besides a benefit, all, all, sacrificed to character. Cato says "that players, by mixing mith tradesmen, their wives, and daughters, will give them a taste for idle company, dissipation, and extravagance"-I am afraid this melancholy Cato has been confined too much to the solitude of his study,

but

"Where glowing embers through the room

Teach light to counterfeit a gloom,

Far from all resort of mirth;"

"Let me play the fool:

With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come;
And let my liver rather heat with wine,

Than my heart cool with mortifying groans.
Why should a man, whose blood is warm within,
Sit like his grandsire cut in alabaster?

Sleep when he wakes, and creep into the jaundice
By being peevish ?"

The players are not idle; my friends the merchants, who have acquired fortunes by their industry-allow, that (about benefit time) they show an example of bustle and activity, worthy of imitation, and we should have fewer bankruptcies, if all tradesmen were equally mindful of the main chance.* Nor are they extravagant-did Cato or any other person ever dine at a player's house?—No, Mr. Editor, you know, as well as I do, that the honour of their company at our houses is quite sufficient-without expecting an invitation in return. Cato has imbibed his opinions from the ravings of enthusiasts; the current prejudices against

Nor are they idle in acts of social duty and good fellowship. Is he idle, who, to oblige his friends, eats three dinners in one day? And is not this fact on record? Did not Mr. Dignum, on a certain day manage, out of pure kindness, to dine with, three parties at the Crown and Anchor; the first at three o'clock, the second at five,

actors have no good foundation. I will "return good for evil," and roughly as he has treated those whom I so much admire, I would "point out new alliances to Cato,"-would invite him to scenes of mirth and revelry, and, but that he thinks so badly of me, would seat him at my table, when all my theatrical friends are smiling around me. He would then change his "vinegar aspect," and laugh at such "mirth moving jests,”-stare at such profound observations-and be astonished at such flashes of merriment as he never heard before-and be compelled to acknowledge that he had been in such company, as the ancient Catos never enjoyed! O! if after eating my venison, and swallowing my old port, he could only "see the puppets!" but Cato avaunt! "This eternal blazon” of wit, "must not be to ears of flesh and blood” like thine. DANGLE.

PUNCTUATION.

THE whole of Addison's Cato is given in the Elegant Extracts, edited by Knox, and there, and in several other editions of the play, not now within my reach, I find a noble passage not only marred, but rendered impious, by an error in the pointing. It is in the speech of Portius:

"The ways of Heaven are dark and intricate,
Puzzled in mazes, and perplex'd with errors;
Our understanding traces them in vain,
Lost and bewilder'd in the fruitless search."

Knox's Ed. Act 1, Sc. 1. The semi-colon should come after intricate, and the comma after errors; for, << our understanding" is" perplexed with errors," and not "the ways of Heaven."

The actor who plays the part hereafter may benefit by this hint.

My Brown Study, July 12.

W.

and the third at seven? and that each might think they enjoyed his delightful society exclusively, did he not eat a hearty dinner with all three? Shall it then be said to Mr. Dignum, in the words of Shakspeare," Thou thing of no bowels!" Forbid it justice. The last of these feasts was, I recollect, a company of literary men, and Mr. Dignum being afterwards asked, whether they had any thing intellectual? replied, with all that innocence so strongly marked in every feature of his face," Trie tellectual! Faith, I dont know.I did not see any at my end of the table !”

SYLVESTER DAGGERWOOD'S COMPLAINT.

"Should I reveal the sources of my grief,

If soft humanity e'er touched your breast,
Your hands would not withhold the kind relief,
And tears of pity would not be repress'd."

Beggar's Petition.

I

MR. EDITOR,

WRITE to you in behalf of hundreds of men, women, and children, and should your insertion of this letter in your extensively circulating magazine, obtain its object, it may be said of you, (as it was recently of the advocates for the abolition of the slave trade) “children yet unborn will bless you.”

I am but a poor provincial actor, and must never hope for fame or emolument, whilst your celebrated performers of the London theatres visit our parts;-and when they will cease to be so avaricious, and discontinue the practice, what prognosticator of future events can tell!

Reason with them, dear Mr. Editor-remind them of their former sufferings-when they belonged to sharing companies→→→ bring to their recollection the misery of enduring the cravings of keen appetites, increased by the bracing, sharpening, qualities of country air-or if these arguments are not sufficient to molify their hard hearts, and prevent their carrying away, at this season of the year, all the loose cash from the inhabitants of every village and town in England-to the great injury of us poor country performers-make an appeal to their pride.-The immortal Shakespeare thought it disreputable for the first-rate actors to stroll the country:

"Ham. What players are they?

Ros. Even those you were wont to take such delight in; the tragedians of the CITY.

Ham. How chances it they TRAVEL? their residence, both in. REPUTATION and profit-was better both ways."

Think, O! think, sir, of the injustice of these doings-then think of all the little Daggerwoods," my pretty ones,"

"And duller should'st thou be than the fat weed

That rots itself in ease on Lethe's wharf,

Would'st thou not stir in this!”

Dunstable.

SYLVESTER DAGGERWOOD.

STAGE CHRONICLES.

1. Now in that day John the Kembleite reigned over the city of Babylon, and the multitude flocked around the gates of his palace, crying, Oh king reign thou over us for ever.

2. But it came to pass that the people of Babylon were in that day of a fickle and perverse nature, insomuch that they waxed weary of John the Kembleite, and took counsel how they might despoil him of his throne.

3. And behold there came from afar off a man with a white beard, called Hough, and he bore in his right hand the youthful Bettyadad, whose chin was guiltless of beard, neither was there whisker to his cheek.

4. And the people marvelled greatly, crying, "Oh prince, who art thou?" But the man Hough whispered the youth," Answer thou, and say thy name is Norval."

5. And the youthful Bettyadad knitted his flaxen brow, and cried with a shrill voice, "My name is Norval." And lo! the people clapped their hands and cried, "who is like unto the youthful Bettyadad, who in wisdom and understanding far exceedeth John the Kembleite."

6. And the nobles of the land brought unto him myrrh and frankincense, and rich offerings, and arrayed him in purple and fine linen.

7. But such nobles were not of the family of Solomon.

8. Now it came to pass in that day that a damsel called Fashion held dominion over the city of Babylon, and she called unto her the youthful Bettyadad, and dandled him on her knee.

9. And behold the song of the Minstrel was hushed, and no man heeded the song of Dignumafat, who singeth in the hall called Vaux-yea, they even hardened their ears against the strains of Kellybeg the Hibernian, who chopped his thumb with an hatchet in the city of Bagdat.

10. And behold the youthful Bettyadad buckled on the armour of presumption, girding to his loins the sword of Thumb, and wielded the truncheon, and reigned in the place of John the Kembleite.

11. But behold John the Kembleite detached a centurion to the north, and detached a centurion to the south, and, like Herod of old, seized on all the infants of Egypt, to send one to depose the youthful Bettyadad.

12. And the little maid Mudie arose, and John the Kembleite took her by the hand, and led her forth to the walls of the palace, and bad the multitude fall down and worship her.

13. And the maid Mudie cried with a shrill voice, "Bud, Bud:" but the people despitefully entreated her, crying off, off, and sent forth, from their tongues and their teeth, a sound whereat the bravest soldier in the armies of John the Kembleite trembleth and turneth pale.

14. And the sound was as the sound of serpents.

15. Now it came to pass that the youthful Bettyadad rejoiced greatly hereat, and called unto him three witches, and demanded of them his future fate.

16. And one of the witches answered and said, "Oh insect of an hour! buzzing around the lofty brow of the mighty one, thy fame is as the mound of sand, which children in sport raise upon the sea shore-the tide of the people setteth against thee, and bringeth thee to nought."

17. And another of the witches said "Seest thou that cauldron, from which an infant riseth, bearing on his baby brow the round and top of sovereignty? thou art that baby, yea, like the youthful Daniel, shalt thou be cast into the burning fiery furnace."

18. And they seized him in their arms, and cast him into the cauldron, and the youthful Bettyadad cried with a shrill voice, “dismiss me, enough!"

19. And behold the cauldron sunk, and thunder arose, and darkness fell upon the land, and the fame of the youthful Bettyadad became even as the bladder of soap, which children in sport blow from the bowl of the tobacco pipe.

MR. EDITOR,

ON THE PRICE OF PLAYS.

J.

PERHAPS your readers will not be displeased to learn that in France, immediately prior to the æra of Corneille, and even during that æra, the various companies of comedians had each their author attached to them, who was paid at the rate of THREE CROWNS for each piece, and enjoyed the honourable office of beating a drum at the door of the theatre to assemble an audience. This was the case with even Mayret, the predecessor and the rival of the great Corneille.

Y.