The National Register.
London, England, 1808-05-15 00:00:00

...100$11NONS: 'REGISTER.

31'

~;,,.x,,;. .014111641RAMATIC DETECTOR.
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ear*lll, I ..1.100.■...•
id n alawsliks open to all, infitionced by none.
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I ormiew—
If the t which iioraca brings against his own incon-
temporaries- r attemptias4o trade as authors without having
served au apprenticeship, was general in the age of Augustus,
when printing bad not yet begun to facilitate the diffusion of dui-
awes, what must be the lamentation of a Critic in our days, who
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not only finds a press teeming with the absurdities of would-be
poets, but alt,o sees two great and classical Theatres bestowing
their patronage and opening their stores to a set of authors un-
worthy of any place more noble than a butter-shop ? We know
that it is impossible for any power to prevent bad authors from
a riling; but it is not impossible fur any power to prevent bad
plays from appearing on the Stage.
We are nut among the number of those who conceive that no
dramatic genius, except in the instances of Mr. Sheridan and
Mr. Cumberland, exists iu the present day. We acknowledge
our.elves to have admired Mr. Colman, and laughed with Air.
ite)nolds ; we have been interested by Mr. Morton, and pleased
by Mr. Kenney. But if we possess good authors, it is the more
disgraceful that those who are bad should so often be obtruded

upon the town.
It has been found in all ages, that genius has become abun-
dant in proportion to the encouragement bestowed upon it. It
is absurd to imagine that human nature, from century to century,
materially varies in point of native ability : the difference that
we behold arises from circumstances, not from nature. It' hi the
(line of Augustus there arose an unprecedented number of great
writers, was it because human genius was improved ? No; it was
because the exertion of genius led to reward. Did the soul of
mankind go to sleep from the close of that period to the Pope-
dom of Leo the Tenth ? No : but Leo the Tenth promised
patronage to genius, and genius came forward to claim that
patronage. Were the intellects of all Europe paralysed fruit
that time till the reign of Louis the Fourteenth ? No: it became
the fashion for the great to encourage genius, and genius imme-
diately began to flourish. The philosophy of the vulgar,
indeed, declares that De non apparentisws et non existentilins,
cadent est ratio; hut a reasoning mind goes a little deeper than
the surface, and acknowledges it to hr possible that mice
way exist, although no gold dust glitter user the ground.
If these positions be true (and they seem ("deniable), the
quantity of dramatic genius might probably be much increased
in this country by due encouragement. And the persons who
must give this encouragenteut arc out Emperors, Popes, nor
Princes : but the Managers of the two winter theatres. For at
long time past it has been almost impossible for any- man, not
possessing a very powerful interest, to proeure the representa-
tion of any piece in either play-house : send of courseit is not to
be expected that authors of real genius w ill waste their time in
writing plays. Suppose an author has sent a play to Drury
Lane, if his name be unknown, it is likely that the product iota
will never he read : which is a very encouraging prospect.—
But even that is not the worst ; for w hen he applies to recover
his copy, he very probably has the mortification of heating,
nut only that his play is not te. be acted, but that it has unfor-
tunately been mislaid, and that the Managers have no hope of
finding it. At ('event Garden the case is somewhat less annoy-
ing to the anon sous author : for though his piece is pretty
sure not to he read, or it' read, to lee rejected, yet hr may, per-
haps, get his copy :gain in a month or six weeks, and puhlish
his play, it' he can persuade any bookseller to buy what the
theatres have refused. Let us now suppose that an author wha
has some private acquaintance with one of the. Managers of
Drury Lane, sends his piece to that house. Pei haps Mr. Cra-.
ham, the reading Nlanager, likes it, and wishes to have it pot
ia rehearsal ; but perhaps Mr. Wroughtiin, the acting Manager,
does not choose to strengthen Mr. Graham's power in the thea-
tre, and impedes the progress of the affair. 1 f the phis he ore-
g inally presented to Mr. Wrimehion, Mr. Graham may feel the
saute sort of jealousy, and Ott, equally the author suffers. if iv-
ever. it is said, that Mr. T. Sheridan is in future to hate the
authority of the theatre, in the acceptance or rejection of dra-
matic works, :aid then, perhaps, less imam% enience will result
to the public. For Mr. T. Sheridan, as far as we have hum
able to collect, is a gentleman of natural parts aid great ac-
quirements, an able critic, and a good-natured man. Under
such a director, we may hope to see the theatre better conduri-
; rind we shall he most happy. it' we find that a pauegrit
Iwhich we have given from ,;et,etal oniwi, is est-oh,heal to,
the evideuce of :.tit.

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