The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1804-12-06 00:00:00

TO Tti.F. EDITOR OF TOE MUSH PRES 3.

S;a—l know not whether the f •elint•s of admi-
ration, or those of astonishriz?nt, Wt•re most power-
full♦ excited within me on rea ling your very
judicious and c nclus v 3 Cri-.ique on the me-it of
our infant Roscics (in the cha,aaer of Achmr,
—but I know that they w-re succeede f by
feelings of alarm, of com,rassion, and of regret, on
learning, soon after, his in entinn to riforrn a sepa-
rate ch.tracter, not only every night it, this week at
Covent Gard,:ii, bat to underg a s.miiar exerts. n
in the next, at Drary Lane.—Gut granr, Sit, if
this be the case, th a he tall n•t. a sacrifice to the
combined avarice of relations, in er.2.t, or intrigue
of managers, and the impatient, a ;able, curiosity
of the public,--if tie survive nwli b- nthacillons,
but still, if he should, and the ,e disadvantages
(the only

" Shadows, etotsds, or rlarknets,"
that can re,; upon him) shPuld be overcome, it is
deitghtf ul to conceive how gl aicitts a field•of fame
and immortali:y present itself before h:m. Yet
I cannot help thinking, that Were I the h. iror of a
patter, and, like you, animated with real resir•ft
and tenderness for this rare youth, I 'should hare
tak,n the liberty to mit the admonition r,l iiiendship
with the ardour of admiration, to rernind.him (and
those about him, whom his true weltare ought to
concern), that his great archetypes (if I may use
the expre.sion), the Rosclus of Rome, and •him of
Britain, GaceicK I mean, were not wily oilers and
nothing wry! (like the Herd. of whom, the Poet
asks—(Roos. teluatisn.
" Datil A not move our anger, ni our
" To tea thew things, the lowest soo. of earth,
P.eskot, with at lf-sufficizot itoirolisdee greed,
" To rule in letter., or ko,,ide w taste t'
but that they aetually joined to the accomplishment
of odors the learning of Acbaars, and the general
education and feelings of gentlemen / I should have
told hint, Sir, that the former wzs at once the pre-
ceptor and the friend of ClCefto himself, who gives
him the chat aaer of being, so excellent au odor,
that hr none sectned worthy to appear upon any
stage ; yet withal. so excellent a man, that he alone
should never have appeared there"---but tf the pa-
tron.t:.;e and frieadship of the Orator were not more
than en,-)nglt to stampthe ulterior merits of theA Ctor,
dare are not wanting other proofs both of his
learning and accomplishments. Howes terms him
Dams Roseate,

earn repreteel,dere conur
Qua paris itinint:, quo Dodos ILact.s egit :"
And he is known to have written a very learned
and ingenious Treatise (even for the Auvaistan age)
on the c imperative merits of the orator and attor ;
or, rather upon the conneelion between them. I
cannot help here 'remarking (as rather au extraor-
dinary coincidence), that what the Roman atior
was to Cicero—the British was to Chatham ! It is
enough for Garrick, that, on or off the stage, he
was praised and beloved by such a man I
Latalari a Tito latedet,•"
In short, Sir, I should luive dire led his view to
advantages beyond the mere stage, and have re-
commended to him the assiduous cultivation of his
minds for, as nothing seems to be above his genius
(which would necessarily turn with quick disgust
from every thing
Deform'd or &sunned, or trots :n cperie;")
so no intelleßtsal, or moral, or ornamental attain-
ments should be thought below it. A tenth part
of hi, present gains would be fully adequate to this
end ; and whether he resent to the public fountain
of learning, our universities ; or the private one, of
a wel)-selected and experienced Preceptor. Cie be-
nefit, in either case, both as to his Sulid fame and
future comfort, will be incalculable.
licatfiag, Dec. 4. I remain, Sm.