The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1821-10-22 00:00:00

fiE 'DIM; SCHOOL 7 RIENNI.4L
VISI rATION.

The triennial visitation of the Vice-Chancellor
and Bishop of Oxford, and the Wardens of St.
John's College, to the ancient eatablishmeut of
Reading School, has this year given occasion to one
of those classic repres,itations which have •many
iimei delighted the admirers of Greek tragedy. On
Monday. Tuesday, and Wednesday, in last week,
the iirestesof Euripides was performed in crow&
ed and brilliant audiences; and so great was
the anxiety to procere admission, that on the
concluding night." when the visitors attended,
many applientious for tickets were necessarily re-
jected. It is scarcely possible to convey All idea of
the purity, the beauty, and com,deteoess of this
exhibition, which at least equalled all that has
been seen in preceding year., to those who had not
witnessed it. The e ttttt it:tattoo of the sweetest of lan-
guages was, in every instance. most correct and
clear, so that the young performers seemed to be
speaking in their native tongue, and grace every
touch of pathos, every inflexion of sentiment, and
every delicate shade of imagery, with its appropriate
expression. Those who knew nothing of the lan.
guage were yet able to feel all the ryilinnis of the
lambic verse, and even, as by a universal instinct,
to feel what t;iey did not exactly understand, while
to the proficient its noblest beauty was made dis-
tinct and palpable. Mr. Palairet not only spoke
the part of Messes with the greatest taste and cor-
rectness, but depicted all the changes of this Hr.
daious character with vivid truth. Mr. La Motte
was a noble Py/ades: manly, cordial, I deci.
sire. Mr. Hams sustinued the part of Akeira
throughout with singular propriety. Mr. Adams
performed the difficult part of Tyndall,: with great
judgment and feeling. The costume was 1111Cnni.
111011Iy correct and splendid, the scenery tasteful mud
appropriate, and the grouping in several chief
scenes worthy a painter's eye.
The three last acts of King John, altered from
Shakspeare by Dr. Valpy, concluded the enter-
tainments of each evening. Here some junior per-
formers distinguished themselves, and some of thine
who had acted in the Greek play gave woof of the
versatility of their powers. The Prologue was
spoken by Mr. La Matte, with energy and judg-
ment ; and the Epilogue, with great vivacity soul
skill, by Mr. Richardson. We understand the
illnstrious visitors expressed their high gratification
at the rare treat thus prepared for thew.

EPILOGUE,
Spoken in the Character of one of the Choral Women,
By T. N. T•LTOORD, Esq.
Permit a form escap'd the Stygisu flood
To speak a word to" ears of flesh and blood"'
Sent from the myrtle grove of lingering maids,
To bring the lateetjashions to the Shades,
And, from assembled beauties, warn'd to bear
One radiant picture of the British fair,
I hither come, where loveliness is shedding
Its *often light on old, true-hearted Hammel.
When first, in Londou's circles, I began
To lay my dagger down and use a fan,
Ta a small party I admission pray'd,
Sufi scene of learning, love, and lemonade,
la hope, before the gentlemen came in,
To ascertain bow British ladies spin:
Judge the surprise a Grecian nymph must Gel
To Jed no semblance of a single wheel!
But on the tables, in confusion gay,
Books of all colours and dimeusious lay ;
here plates of Greek costume, which laird to strike
My eyes as being emineolly like;
There, in the depth of p7rusidie gloom,
A sphinx frowis'd terribly from Egypt's tomb,
And, 'needs piled Waverleys sod grim thiamine,
Peep'il modest fart,' Lord Byron's last three emotive
Annelid I said to our, they tented a lilac,
Pray what's the latest fashionable hue ?
Where may each feminine ei eat ion lurk?
You spin, no doubt, Ma'am—may I see your work ?
" Spin!" cried she—" 0! iu metaphor you
shiue—
I owe a little in the sonnet line—
My satire, not ill oat tiredly bestow'd—
A song or too—soil now and then an ode—
Sometimes my lighter leisure I beguile
By writing in the German critics style,
Like them in modern mysticism bold,
Praise or anatomise the great of old.
Euripides, I dare be swore, you'd name
As one whose genies fairly railed its fame;
A sentimental sophist, whose whole trade is
To frame long speeches and abuse the ',tidies.
There's his Orestes, could a modern cram
More monstrous creatures in a melu-drame ?
The bergs self, ii wild; usfashioned lad,
Who starts, and goes luelegautly mad—
Eleetia, tendon him who slew her mother.
Although the wretch was nothing but a brother!•
Theo, Pyludes"—for breath she made a pause,
I took the hint,aed whisper'd who I was.
She screened—she softly begg'd me to direct her—
" She'd not the least idea I was the spectre."
When Curiosity had vanqaisled fear,
A 'misdeed questions huzz'd around my ear.
" Pray, Ala am, instruct me—you I'm sure are able—
Is the whole losaoryof Troy a fable!"
" I die to kiiumi-1 trust. Ma an:4 you'll forgive—
Did such a man as Homer really live?
Or are the things a witless world regards
As his, the "roil of twenty thousand bards ?"
A faded nymph, who ne'er was quite divin►,
Simper'il—" W■s Helen's form at all like Heine'"
And one, the most erect mull grave of any,
Begg'd fur the latest news of Don Giovanni.
Yet think nut, Ceristiau Fair, sentr'd I view
The long.lust blessing Heaven restores to
Which gives you freedom, and to MOO secures
Wit, wisdom, virtue, charity like yours!
Among your ranks of beauty could I range,
And trace•in every smile the glorious change,—
tee Women--donm'.l no more by fate pe
To sink a ployathieg, or to rise a enrae;
Life with iniellieerice Mime,
And cast on Saacy's works a lovelier bloom;
Sustain Maii's spins when coadelou'd to roam,
And make a Paradise of every Home!

The Lord Bishop of LONDON on Friday held a
Confirmation at the General Peniteiitiary, Mill hank,
wl►en, after a very ebmnent and forcible uddre•s
from the Bishop, 200 prlsoorro, mile and feinule,
were admitted to that solemn r►te.

Lord RODNEY, the Colonel of tl►e North Dents
regiment or unl►t.a, waited on the Duke of Wel.
lington, at StrobeM.:ly, oil Monday last, to know
on what day his Grace proposed to inspect the regi.
inent, and his Comer is certainly to be at W►nches-
ter on some day early this week for the purpose.

COOO Baaammc.--The Glamorganshire Agri.
cultural Society have awarded their prier for the
best bull and the best boar to the Misses Bassett.
These ladies cannot he reproached with waut of at-
tention to good breeding.
Last week, at Noriliswton• Michaelmas Fair, Mr.
THOMAS Hoorn, of Bow, purchased three milch
coas and forty sheep for 18/. 115 r.