The National Register.
London, England, 1808-04-25 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

2 .

passion, but their loves are interrupted by the command of Jr-
[horde), Protheus's father, who forets his von to tray et, and
join young Valentine, at Milan. Valentine, at Milan, falls in
love with Silvio, the Duke's daughter, to whom he introduces
his friend I' rothrus ; Protheus seeing her, becomes inconstant to
Julia. Valentine confides to Protheus his intention of stealing
away by night his beloved Silvia, who is to descend from her
window by a ladder of ropes ; and the false l'rotheus, iu jea-
lousy, betrays the plot to the Dul..e. Valentine is discovered,
and banished from Milan : he falls among the outlaws, is chosen
their Captain, and dwells in the woods, attended by his servant
Speed. Julia, unknowing of Pi othois's inconstancy, as:1111aq
male attire, and follows him to Nilan, where she lieds him wit it
Thur;o, a conceited suitor of Silrin,'erenadiieg her at the palace
window. She engages herself as his page, and is even snot by
him to request Silvia's picture, which she obtains.
harrassed by her father,who would per, sack her tee Loam Thign;o.
flies under the protection of Eglamour ,earch of Valentine. Tlot
Duke and his attendants, Mario and Protheits with his servants
Launce and Julia, pursue the fugitives. SP—ire and- Eel:wort.
are seized by the outlaws in the wood, and Silvio is to • cord by
Protheus, who sues for her favour in return of his service. This
interview takes place in the wood wi•hin hearing of V oterrtinr.
who rushes forward, and reproaches 111.011 ms with his perfidy.
Protheus repents, and Vote/dine restores. him to his friendship.
Julia discovers herself, and once more becomes dear to her re-
formed lover. The Dnke is brought iu by the outlaws; he it
pleased with the generous spirit of Votrotiac, unites him to Silvio,
and pardons the free-hooters. Scattered throw ~h the play are
scenes of low comic dialogue between the servauts !mimes mot
Speed.
This play, if it had not been published with the name of
Shakspeare, would probably never have been known to ally
body but the commentators on the (Ad drama. There i, an
incident in the third act : Volentiln•s rope-ladder is taken frean
his cloak by the Due:c.- -and there I' a situation iii the aft!. :
i a/eating discovers Pentao us w ooing. sit's:a—hut ace e:in se4
nothing else in the whole Play cle,.r.rvitig :!n‘ pv;:; e for dra-
matic construction; even e de rnction W' the rope-ladder,
though naturally matigek;, produces little CTert. Indeed the
earlier half of the Play is one of the dune, exhibitions that
ever inn audience tolerated : the fourth act better, and the
last scene in the tifthiLet istlecidedly good : bin :Al this, at best;
can only make The Two Gentlemen if Verer:i a stroLn
price Play. Nor is the absence of incident and interest coin
peasated by much poetical beauty in the dialogue : there aviS
two or three fine touches of nature, but they are too fine for
for common spectattrs, and yv:ll hardly mike the revivnl
answer to the Theatre. Among these are the soliloqu. of Jahn
on receiving I' rotheits's loving letter: and Julia's comparison
of herself with the picture of S? via.
The revival of the good pia •• of onr good authors is always
to be encouraged and applaadta: ; but this play seems to imve
been received, not because it was :t good alas., inn because it
was the play of a good author. We shall always extol the
medical power that can raise. from the torpor of numbitig
oblivion those forgotten wor:ss a ilk!, Mill retain tine ►prtr of
life : but we cannot approve the galvanic vette:net:ea that tor-
tures unredeetnable mortality, and forces corruption into nua
taco.
Mr. Kemble performed Faleniine with little effect in the oars
lien part of the pity : hut in the fifth act he blazed is it It all his
wonted splendour. We are always sorry to see biro represent-
ing a lover : strength, rather than tenderness, is the characte-
ristic of his genius. His soflnes.e is always too hart', and his
dtierlion ton dign;fierl, for the 1)e/romance of amatory parts.
In his address to 'F/curio at the end of the play., where Volrntine,
though he does not cease to love, is vertainly more a hero than a
lover, Mr.Kemble electrified the audience: pelim pa, indeed, there
never was an actor so eminently gifted for Opel( pression of rapid
declamation acid lofty passion, Mr. Pope did jut ire to the part
of Prof hear: Mr. Liston, throughout the conceited gentility of
Muria, was admirably humorous, and Mr. Munden was exceed-
ingly natural anti quaint in the little character of Lannee. Miss
Smith is entitled to high encomium as the rspresentative of Ju-
lio : she seems determieed to make the Lendtm pulsiie lament
more than ever her transit to the Dublin boards. She is pecu-
liarly excellent in the delineation et ipeeebless grief and patient
sufkring. We cannot ptaise the Sii/oia of Miss Norton. She
has not yet reformed her bad habit of bringing out her words by
syllables, when site should speak, them in sentences. Language
ought to flow iu a continued gush : sot to distil like drops Cato a
water-tub. .

f'

11