The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-03-11 00:00:00

MR. THELWALL'S LECTURES,

During the Lent season, the public are obliged to put
up with " Lenten entertainment : ' jovial mirth and in-
structive grief,—the laughter of comedy,—the fan of farce,
—and the stately sorrow of tragedy, are relegated for two
nights of the week from the theatres, to make way for in-
congruous mixtures of all sorts of music,—acientific lee.
tures on astronomy,—and " oratorical and critical lectures,"
"de omni srihili. Mr. Thelwall, by permiarion of the
Licenser (" George Colman the Younger, Esq." Autocrat
of all Dramatic Exhibitions, &c.), has announced a series
of recitations and criticisms, at the Little Theatre in the
Haymarket. This gentleman, in addition to his teelitieal
pursuits, has long been known as a teacher of elocution.
Whatever his own oratorical merits may be, we know, that
in the more mechanical part of his profession he has been
extremely successful, and some instances have wine to out
knowledge of his singular triumph over the moat in-
veterate deficiencies and impediments of speech in his
pupils: our feeling, therefore, was considerably in fa•
your of this gentleman's pacific and intellectual aro•
cations, and we attended his lecture of last night with
a hope which has not been disappointed. The subjects or
the lecture were made up of recitations, criticisms, and
poetical addresses. The first piece was "a melo-mono-
dramatic prologue" (Mr. T. will pardon us for not under.
'standing his titles), which touched upon the various quali.
ties of Shakspeare's genius ; his own feelings with regard t 0
its delineation, and his notions about his capacity for retire.
renting the different personages of the poet's invention,
The following passages from the prologue are smut
enough :

0 t .f.sop's Frog !" Sir Quiz, the Critic, cries,
And scans me o'er with his dissecting eyes,
" is thia the Stage ,Colone% that alone
" Irould fill the Scene and make its Worlds his own ?
"With ambialexter impotence would strain
" At once at Shakspeares tragic rage, and Shakspravert
comic *eta?
" A wrinkled Romeo love's young would derlotei
" And frisk—die gay Mention of threescore ?
" Can these spare liml,a sustain the helmed port.
" Thal did alright Me air al Agincourt 1
" Hoge Ajax' might by five-foot-six be greed ?
" And Falstaff's jokes—frith Master Siender's *aisle
But soft, Sir Critic ; take us at out bent,
Our aim is hut to sketch--not represent.
We ask no dagger, jingling cap, or bowl,
T. aid the tearful. or assist the droll ;
100 masking 'Shreds of tragic:ill array ;
But leave the sentiment to work Its way ;
Suggest the passion on the part impresed,
And to Imagination leave the rest.
Then Culihan, with bestial grin, shall soap
" A south wind blow and blister you all o'er ; •
And sweet Mil anda's tearful blush impart
The " cry that knock'd against her very heart.'
Stern Shyluck, while he claim, the flesh tibt dog,
Shall seem as boarded as the veriest Jew;
And when he calls " a judgrnent ! come, prepare !.°
Shall whet his knife, and poise hi Mae. id ait.
Tawrisstont shall need nor bells nor motley vest,
If the voice quibble with becoming sect
And when Othello, in his frantic mood,
Breathes from hoarse lungs, " Blood t brood t :ago, Wismar!
For " cords and kniv,s," in savage fury !‘creams,
" Poison, or fire, or suffocating streams,'
Or claims" the handkerchief" with tyannais yelp
He'll seem " &Tried and black" as anodes heft.
The rest is yours ; to let the feeling sway,
Give Fancy rein, and what she prompts obey.
And I (as still the changefnl text Fequires,
Descends familiar, or sublime aspires),
Am demon, seraph, motley, monarch—what,
If your indulgence aid me, am I not?

Then followed an ex poreneous (or "spontertems'
as Mr. T. calls it) critieis on the imaginative faealty of
Shakspeare, which, if it contained nothing very ("minutia
the thoughts, was at least very ingenious and nov4 kb It,
combinations, and was happily ditenifled and illuseramd
by frequent references to other writer', both Nving ad
dead. The recitations which ensued were selected s
view to bear out the lecturer's opinions, and were at anew
judicious in the choice and beautiful in themselves- Thy
rest of the evening's performance consisted of disquisitions
on The Tempel, on the genius of Dryden, with roimellm.
ncous recitations. Mr. Thelwall's manner is extremely
emphatic and vigorous : his perception of the author s
feeling struck us as uncommonly *tenni*, end lit
admiration for Shakspeare was perfectly r.nei.l
enthusiastic.

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