The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-05-13 00:00:00

onunr•l.4vr.

The new meloolronit wit repested latot slight, mitt
vvelit off with erhal. The house preoetiteil r roll and
el.-gent appearsure.

ov NT•GAnta.N.
Fretlotfi), a tragedy. from the Iwo of the Rev.
Mr. M ATV N, of tho aorressfol author of
Bertram. *44 144 ht produced. The ?•eene la
lain in Staitz-dmt—amt the initicipal characters
are flit,.

Mr. YOUNG.

Corot th'ealoylorg ...
A•Pliwtr Mr. C. Kr NI DLL.
Berthold
Uribla

The plot is of the horrific kind—of that de-
script 1111 l which has, of late. tisitrned on our stage
the place of the natural mid the moral.
Feedolf.p, a patriot, whose name it the subject of praise
throughout Switzerland. on a sodden retires from the busy
!monis of inept, ■ud hides himself in his paternal residence
in the monotones. Fur many years lie has maple a confidant
of Berthold, a mis.hlepen wretch, allow horrible form is the
tenement of a firnd•like mind. Fa edolfu introsts his daugh-
ter Cril.ln to the case of this villain, its they journey to-
wards hi• castle. A dreadful storm overtakes them on
'Hir way, and Uriltla would have perished, lint for the in.
t. rpositirm of a stranger. Thu stneurer is afterwards dis-
covered to he Adilmar, the beloved of Crilda, against whom
Fredulfo has long cherished the most implacable hatred.
Scarcely has he succeeded in saving the daiighter, when the
inunineat danger of the father is amionnetal, and he hastens
to his rescue. H,,sucerrii. in his effort—hot Fr-dolfo—
t he generous Frednlfip—who is esteemed a miracle of virt use—
lii• moment he behold. his deliverer, hastens to pay the debt
of gratueole he owes, by an attempt to as mate him !
Ile is prevented—bot the unfortunate youth is made
II isoper, and is cosifilied in a &summit. Fredolfie, at
first, meditates his desiturtion—lint he ultimately relents,
and directs hi. Prime NI mister. Berthold, to five the pri -
spun r. Berthold, who detests the semi:lance of a just seinen,
r• monstrates with his master on the fully of such a proceed-
ing ; and, from their conversation, counecteel with some mi.
pimeatory matter which is afteswards introduced, we find
that fredialfo had murdered Wellingherg, the father
6.f the then Austrian Governor of Switzerland, who
had dishonoured los wife, and that his hatred to /Wilmer
arose from the rip eirmstience of his having hero drawn to the
sped where the murder wasconimitted, by the cries of the
victim Though A(1111112r was, at the time, a mete boy, he
elidesnapored to rescue the party assailed, and ►eceived
Fredolfo's dagger in his breast. lie had ever since been
persecuted by this pal nut, who 'Not list him transported to
a forrign clime—hot the alhirr turista of a I. as hardy nation
hod no • halms for 15,.,,, and, in spite of oppositioc, tie
returned to his "'montane-home." It appears 111.1 t lie
has signal': al himself "at tilt awl to hut, when
he would faits lay the trophies or Ilia valour at the fret of
he was Spurned by leer stern fat to-r In spite of the
at guments of Bert hold, who, deformed as he is, cherishes a
passion for Unlike, and, of course, detest. his rival, Fredollo
enniinands the liberatinu of Adilmar. It is nut
why Fredolfu has made Berthold his confidant—the repo-
situp yof his dearest secrets. But the slave takes advantage
of the power which his knowledze of Freplolfo's crime arras
lion with, and lie demands the daughter's hand, as the price
-f the father's security. The proposition is received with
liarror—but, when kredulfie finds that supplication, even
spit his knees, has no ef4ct on Ills "COlllll'll.* coons•
nay," he has recouise tu violence; and the inform-
lisle dwarf would on the mumetet be strangled, but
sudden visit from Count Wellingberg, the Governor of
So itzetlsorl, aud son to the Sublenisii whom Feedulfo had
assassinated, prevents him from effecting his 'purpose:. Wel-
lingberg cumes to demand the band of Crildit—but he is,
assuredly, the most extraordinary of wooers. He commences
his suit by insulting the kilter—and, when his 'proffer is
refused, instead of entlesivoitring to ►oullie the daiighter, he
lavishes on her terms of reproach awl seoru. " With that,
more WOllllll3ll out," and, to prove what a chivalric lover
Wellinglierg is, he endeavours to assassinate the father of the
lady, abuse limed he seeks, on& r his owl, roof. roiled in
Otis, he prepares to depart—hot is 'lvied by Berthold,
who unfolds le bini the secret of his father's moister. Wel-
lingberg feels no pleasure in the idea of having an oppor•-
lunity of avenging Isis father's death, hot receives the set ref
wills joy as affording the means of placing Urilda within his
power. l'redulfo is dragged to prison, whence he us rescued
by Adilmar, who incites the Swiss peasaiitry to rise in his
c tear. 11-Tribla is left behind in the confusion, and takes
sanctuary in a cathedral. She is pursued by %Velliug-
berg, who, reckless of clerical denunciation, seises on
her, ecru at the altar. Fredolfu now enter., accompanied by
patriot Swilzers—but, perceiving the danger in which his
daughter is placed, at the c :nand of Wellingherg he dis-
misses his followers and throws down Isis sword Adilmar now
rush,. forward, and, after some parley, he slat,, to secure the
life of who is still in the grasp of Wellingber;, pee.
scuts bis sword to the persecutor of his, mistress. Welling-
berg receives the weapon—and" horrible! horrible! must
horrible!" plunges it into the bosom of his unarmed rival!
eitulfn repays this Ireaelwry by staLbing Wrllitiglwrg—and
Frilila dies on her lover's body. It is a pity that Mr. 5141.
TURFY( dish nut devise 'Ural' •means for the 6 raking off" of
1211.41016, who had confessed himself guilty of murder. This
would have rendered the alaughter.house scent complete.
IVe re we to form our judgment oh' the existing
state of the serious drama in this country, by a re-
ference merely to the number of tragic pieces which
have, within a very few sessons, been produced, we
should he led to suppose that the genius of tragedy
had newly imp'd her wings, and that she was more
capable of taking bold, and lofty, and vigorous
flights, than she had, for a long period, been equal
to. But, when we examine the generality of her
rlfoi Is, we find that the reverse is the truth. Her
pinions are, indeed, more variegated, since those
" noclean birds," which brood is the thsiversities
of Gerinasiy, have contributed sonic of their feathers
in decorate them : hut they are not so passer.
fill us they have been—they c.sritiot soar the
pitch they have been wont to do. It wmild
almost seem that the noble, the simple spirit
of legitimate tragedy—that spirit which pur-
sues the passions through all their tortuous workings
—that spirit which is wildest by a a!rict observation
of ll:nine, and whose object is the just delineation
of natural diameter. as it is developed in history, or
11l it displays itself before ns—lias wholly evapo-
rated—or that ►f it exist, those who have the power to
nurture, endeavour to destroy it. flow else can we
account fur the texture of most of our modern tra-
gedies—into which " all hideous, all misshapen
things," are forced, without rule or application;
as if it were only necessary, in the composition of a
tragic &emit, to congregate, iii the smallest possible
compass, the greatest possible quantity of hor-
rid incidents and deplorable characters?—lt is
in vans to say, that such is the taste of the age.
That it is not so, is clear—first, because we have
trot yet learned to despise SHAKSPEA RE, or °TWAY,
which we infallibly will 40, whenever such tragedies
ur Frerluffu become popular—and next, because we
have lord the pleasure of seeing several pieces of
Out description, treated with the scorn they merited.
Mr. MaTußte seems
To have supp'd full with horrors—
Direness is familiar to his slauglaesous thoughts."
Of his four principal male charscters, three are vil-
lains—a proportion not to be found, we believe, in
any other play. Their principal business, through