،، ८८ vours to please us, by imitating them as far as lies in their power. The fecond, were it "founded on truth, would be of weight indeed; " and that is, that there are now no gentlemen of 66 any abilities that will write for the stage, and " that the town is obliged to be content with fee ing the fame things over and over again for feve"ral seasons together, without any one new fub"ject of entertainment being exhibited. The " latter part of this objection is founded on too "known a fact not to give some credit to the for mer, especially when propagated by those whose " interest one would imagine it was to inculcate a 66 contrary opinion; but this it is to take upon me "to confute, by displaying those latent motives "which have occafioned a report so injurious to "the present age, that I wonder nobody has yet " taken the pains to examine into it. "FIRST, let us ask the question whether there are, or are not, any furviving genius's truly "qualified to write for the stage?---I believe no" body will answer in the negative, because no"thing could be more easy than to prove the con 66 trary. This being granted, let us ask farther, "whence it comes to pass that every one should now " despise an avocation, which was once attended "with confiderable profit, and so much reputation, " that fome of our greatest men have valued them" selves more on their talents this way, than.on " their coronets. Strange it seems, that the name " of a dramatic poet should at present be so con"temptible, that no person of real abilities will " chuse to be distinguished by it! "YET it is easily accounted for, if the tedious " delays, the shocking rebuffs, the numberless dif"ficulties an author is almost sure to meet with, D5 "in " in his attempt to introduce any new thing on "the stage, were laid open and confidered as they “ought. "A PERSON of condition would make but an "odd figure, if, after having taken pains to oblige "the town, and do honour to the stage, he should "be made to dance attendance at the levee of an " imperious patentee for days, weeks, nay months "together, and receive no other answers than that " he had not had time to look over his play; that " he had miflaid it; - or perhaps affects to forget " he ever faw it:-at lafst, the actors must be "consulted, and it often happens that those among " them who are least capable of judging, are called ** into the cabinet council. If any one of these " happens to diflike the character he imagines will " be allotted for him, then the whole piece is con"demned; and the conclusion of the season, or "it is posible at that of two or three fucceeding ones, the author has it returned, and is told, " It is not theatrical enough; a term invented by " this august assembly, to conceal their inability of " pointing out the real faults, and the meaning "which can neither be defined by themselves or " any body else. "BUT you will say, Why should they behave " in this manner? --- Is it not the interest of " both manager and actors to receive a good play, " which will be certain of putting money in the " pocket of the one, and securing the payment of the salaries of the other! "To which I answer, that it is doubtless their "true interest; but avarice and indolence render many people blind to what is so:---the mana" ger flatters himself, that if the town cannot have "new "new plays, they will come to old ones, and he "should thereby save the profits of the third night; " and the actors (those I mean of them who are at " what they call the top of the business, for the " others have no influence) having their salaries" fixed, think they have no occafion to take the " trouble of studying new parts, fince they know " they must be paid equally the fame without it.. "THESE, madam, are the false ill-judged " maxims by which both patentee and company " are swayed to reject the most excellent. pieces "submitted to their censure, and are the motives. • which deter, as far as it relates to them, an au "thor from offering any thing to the stage. "YET while I condemn the little inclination " those gentlemen for the most part testify to " oblige the town, or give encouragement to the " poets, I must do them the justice to say, that it. " has not been always owing to them that so many " improving and delightful entertainments have " been deprived of feeing the light. There is " another more terrific cloud from a superior "quarter hangs over the author's hopes, and "threatens the destruction of his most sanguine " expectations. " I BELIEVE neither yourself, nor any of your "readers will be at a loss to understand I inean the "licence-office, at the head of whicha great perfon " is placed, who cannot be supposed to have leifure "to inspect every one, nor indeed any of the pieces "brought before him; and there is much more " than a bare poffibility, that his deputies may, " either through weakness or partiality, err in their " judgment, and give an unfair report; nay, fome go fo far as to imagine they are under a fecret 66 their : D 6 com. "compact with the managers of both houses to " reject indiscriminately every thing that comes, " except recommended by the higher powers; " but this I am far from being able to lay to their " charge, nor do indeed think either the one or " the other capable of entering into any fuch com "bination. "Bur to what, unless one of the foregoing rea" fons, can we impute forbidding the tragedies of "Edward and Eleonora, Gustavus Vasa, and fome " other excellent performances, founded on the " most interesting parts of history, supported by “ various turns and surprizing incidents, and illu" strated with all the strength and beauty of lan 66 guage; especially the former, which for every "thing that can render a piece improving and en"tertaining, finds itself not excelled (I had almost "said equalled) by any thing either of the ancient " or modern writers ! - Yet was this admirable "play, when just ready to make its appearance, " forbid to be acted, the longing expectations of "the public were disappointed, and we had been "totally deprived of so elegant an entertainment, "did not, thank Heaven, the liberty of the press "still continue in some measure with us. "THOUGH stript of all the ornaments of dress " and action, it gives in the reading a lafting and " undeniable proof that it is neither want of abili" ties or an indolence in exerting those abilities, " but permiffion to exhibit thein in a proper man"ner, that the stage at present affords so little " matter of attraction. "BUT I will now come to the point, which "chiefly induced me to trouble the FEMALE SPECTATOR with this letter; and having enumerated "the " the many hardships authors in general go through " in attempting to get their plays acted, I will " proceed as briefly as the circumstance will ad"mit, to lay before you those which myself in " particular have laboured under. " I MUST inform you, madam, that I have " wrote several things, which have not only been " well received by the public, but have also been " favoured with the approbation of fome of our " best judges; and that it was no less owing to " their encouragement than my own ambition, " that I refolved to try the force of my genius in " the dramatic way, which, according to one of " the greatest of our English poets, Is a bold pretence "To learning, breeding, wit, and eloquence." " I VENTURED at it, notwithstanding; and, " undeterred by example, launched into that sea, " on whose rocks and quicksands so many much " more skilful pilots than myself had been wrecked " before my eyes.. "To confess the truth, I was greatly emboldened " by the favour and friendship of a person of con"dition, a courtier, and who I imagined had in" terest enough both with the licenser and players ",to introduce whatever he should recommend. But to return : 46 -- " As my genius inclined me chiefly to the fub"lime, my first attempt was tragedy.---The part " of the history I made choice of, was the famous "combat between Edward, furnamed Ironfide, "King of England, and the great Canute of Den"mark. --- There appeared to me so true a magnanimity * |