The Express.
London, England, 1860-12-19 00:00:00

THE WESTIONETZE PLAY.

This is an age of revivals, and as the spirit-
rapper callsititthe ghosts of the departed, Daniel Weaver
recreates • in the lapsed, what good reason can be
shown wh in
Play should not be restored in
the old dormitory of St. Peter's School, Westminster ?
Yet this regular forerunner of the Christmas holidays was
well nigh being numbered with the things that have been.
For the bud two yeah there had been no Warming'',
Play, and it ehareis j withewrally supposed that the religso
loci was nom ble the cleric muses, and
that a victory been won by the partisans of the Abbe
Groan. But owing. we believe, to • memorial very
numerously armed by the "Old Weettninsters," not only
has the Play been revived, bat Plautus has taken the place
of Terence. Not fur sixty years has that elegant and
polished language which gave pleasure to Cicero and coo-
solation to St. Jerome after his heart bad bees
wrung by the memory of past sine—not for sixty
yen have those bread jests which equally amused
the how pepaleen of the Sabena and the Velahruni
end the maperar Diocletian, after a persecution
of the Chrierans, been heard within the walls of St. Peter's.
How the Arley of Dr. Busby which was intredneed in the
epilogue mar have rejoined ; bow the spirit of Justus
Livens, to wham Plautus was "the tenth muse"—" the
darling of the Haman mow," must have exulted ! Titus
Macchia Plautus is no doubt coarse —far too rouse in some
of his plays for a modern audience. The elder Bah= goes
so far as to say that " Teralfoo.ll loosest are often more
modest than Plautus's most marred wertetatui ;" but
as Nairn* Darer moat justly observes, even he was a
reformer, for be improved upon and rive refinement to the
gtthy estyr-insaks which existed previously. The rule
wl"ch Passeratiss gives is full of good sense in reference to
Phistes• and authors of his kind :-=" When you neet with
the coarse parades, imagine that you are walking in the
middle of the Sarum to the shrine of Chastity." If there
were not much truth and good sense in this,
why should learned Beeedictines and pious Jesuits
edit Plautus for the use of the " Most Serene
Dauphin, the Most Christian King, and his whole
family"—thaw farina', to use the language of pure-
minded Jacopo Corbnielli. The world would not willingly
resign an author whose play of the " no leas
shrewd a critic than Tpronounced to be the best ever
put on • stage. In his judgment also the "Trimnumus,"
which was acted by the Westminster student. last night,
stands second in mak. _

The play has no female characters at all, and is full of
moral sentiment, which perhaps recommended it to the
reverend directors of the school.

The acting of the young gentlemen in the Terentian
comedy was a thing almost of traditioo,and consisted rather
of an adherence to established rules than of any endeavour
to strike into new paths. In the present instance there wee
more latitude of interpretation, and we must Illy that we
have never seen a better performance. The part were
well got up, the enunciation, though rapid at times, as the
current of the dialogue demanded, was distinct, and the
points were well brought out. Where all acted so well, it
would be invidious to particularise any.
The epilogue was a counterpart of the play. The spend-
thrift bubo:dens resolves to sell the precincts of Westmin-
ster, bat the shade of Dr. Busby is evoked, and signifies his
auger that his Treasure (the Treasure was the name of the
Greek play of Philemon, from whom Plautus copied
it) should be disposed of by public auction. But
the sale doe* not take place, the " umbra " is
pacified, and when the Treasure is dug up it is
neither gold nor copper, but Dr. Busby's big rod. All
this scene was highly comic, and it of course refers to the
intention which had been entertained of disposing of the
present property, and transferring the school to some other
locality, a proposition which by no means appears to be
acceptable to the alumni. There were present yesterday
the Chancellor of the Exchequer (probably from his con.
DeXiOD with the Treasury), the Provost and Head Master of
Eton, Archdeacon Lane Preen, Colonel Sir Alfred Horsford,
K.C.8., Dr. Phillimore, Dr. Page, Sir Walter James, Dr.
Jelf, and Mr. Chester.

MiRCHANT TAYLORS' SCHOOL.—The day of the
winter speeches, technically called the Doctors`-clay, was
celebrated yesterday at this ancient seat of learniw, the
tercentenary of which occurs in 1861. The school leas a
history, end it seems likely to have a future and a distin-
guished am, if we may jut* from the performance of its
scholars on this °neuron. At the conclusion of the exami-
nation, which bad now been carried on for some days, and
the rivet ewe portion of which took place that morning, the
Master of the Company (Mr. Gordon), the warOens, the
examiners, Archdeacon Browne, sod Dr. Maine were intro-
duced to the school by the Hoed Master, the Rev. Dr.
Henley, at 2 o'clock. A variety of speeches were then de-
livered, according to the usual programme. Many of the
characters, in particular that of "Lord Chatham," by Mr.
Hall ;of the Queen," in Richard 111., by Mr. Derrner ;
of " Syrtis," in the Adelphi, by Mr. Trsill ; and the inter-
locutors in the French scene, were remarkably well sea-
Wined Dr. Hersey linkhed the proceedings by reading a
list of the scholars who had done well during the half-year,
and by a few words of encoursgoment to the scholars. The
school then broke up till Tuesday, Jan. 15.

WINDBOII, Dac. 17.—This day the Right Hon.
John Arthur Douglas, Lord Bloomfield, wee, by her
Ilajeety'scommand, sworn of her Majesty's Meet Honourable
Privy Council, sod took his plsoe at the board soconlingly.—
ampette.

---
Werraxau, Dec. 18.—The Queen has been
to give and grant unto Sir William Verner, Bart.,
d formerly a lieutenant-colooel in her Majesty's army, her
royal license and authority that he may accept and wear
the insignia of a Knight Commander of the Royal Hanove-
rian Guelphic order, which the late King of Hanover was
pleased to confer open him in approbation of his distin-
guished services iu connexion with Hanoverian troupe of
the German Legion employed against the enemy dam( the
Peninsular war and at Waterloo. —Gts:etfr.

WHITEHALL. Da'. IM.—The Queen hee been
pleased to present the Reverend Charles Hinman, /3.A.,
to the rectory of Barfoid St. Marna, in the county of
Wilts, and diocese of Salisbury, the same being void by
the promotion of the Honourable end Right Reverend
Father in God Doctor Waldegrave to the nee of
Carlisle.—Gazette.

Rtrow ELECTION. —The election for a representa-
tive for this city. in the place of the late Mr. Wane. ha.,
hese appointed for Friday next. There are two candidate,
—Mr. Reginald Vener, nmaia and brother-he-law of Earl
de Grey aad 114pou. sad Dr. F. IL Lees, a well-known tee-
tetallee and advocate of the Maine Liquor Law. They both
profess Mend principles, bet Dr. Less a are of the extreme
diameter, including the lane., to which Mr. Viper is op-
posed. The probability is that, tho latter will be elected by
• large orsionty.