The Sun.
London, England, 1838-02-17 00:00:00

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.

'We last night witnessed, at this theatre, the second representation of
the new play—The Lady of Lyons ; or, Love and Pride. The scenery,
we are informed by the bills, is laid in Lyons and its neighbourhood;
and the action extends over the years between 1.796 and 1798. The
subject upon which the play is founded, is the love of two young and
generous hearts—blighted, in the warmth of its first affection, by the
cold and withering influence of worldly pride, but finally triumph-
ing over every obstacle, through the strength of its ardent, constant de-
votedness. The story possesses considerable interest; and though the inct-
dents are not very powerful or striking, and sometimes verge on the impro-
bable, it is developed with great dramatic effect. The language of the play is
generally excellent it is often characterised by a poetic richness of
expression, and a nobleness of sentimeht, which are rarely seen in modern
dramas.

The defects in the piece are such as may easily be remedied. There
frequently is a too close connection of the " tragical" with the " co-
mical"—a too rapid descent from the sublime to the ridiculous; by
which the effect of some Of its best passages is marred or utterly
destroyed. And there is now and then a tendency to something savour-
ing rather of political allusion, which should be studiously avoided 00
the stage.

The principal characters were admirably sustained by Mr. Maeready
and Miss. H. Faucit. We shall perhaps best describe both the play and
the acting, not by merely giving a dry analysis of the plot, according to
the mode of criticism now usually adopted—a custom, in our opinion,
" more honeured in the breach than the observance"—but by following
the progress of the story, and employing, when memory shall enable
us, the author's language.

Madame Deschappelles (Mrs. W. Clifford) is the wife of a rich Ly°-
nese merchant (Mr. Strickland) is a woman, blindly attached to the pomp
and distinction afforded by high rank, and anxiously resolved to secure
for her daughter Pauline (Miss Faucit),—the fairest "lady of Lyons"—'
an alliance with a noble family. Pauline's gentle and Innocent mind is
dazzled by the ambitious aspirings of her mother, and pride forms " the
sole alloy of her most lovely spirit." Claude Melnotte (Mr. Macready)►
the son of Mons. Deschappelle's gardener, from his childhood has known
and loved Pauline. The affection of his youthful days had acquired, as he
grew towards manhood, the strength of a deeply_seated passion'
He adored her with the fervid devotion of an enthusiasm
ardent, noble, and high-minded, he dedicates all his energies to the at-
tempt of rendering himself worthy of her to whom the every aspiration
of his soul was directed. At length, encouraged by the acceptance of
some bouquets of Rowers he has sent her, he ventures to send her some
poetry, in which he does homage to her beauty, affixes his own nalne
to the composition. The paper is returned with contumely. In the
first moments of outraged feeling, he is induced to join Beausart and
Glavin (Mr. Elton and Mr. Meadows) two rejected suitors of Pau-
line, in a conspiracy to effect their revenge by marrying her,
with their aid, under the disguise of an Italian Prince, and he
takes an oath to be steadfast in his purpose. The scheme succeeds
ex-
cellently well; and, as Prince of Como, he woos and wins Pauline.
These is a very amusing scene here, in which Mr. Macready admirably
displayed the easy nonchalance—the dignified selt.possession—the polite
gaiety of his assumed character. Left alone with Pauline, the con-
versation turns upon the advantages of rank. She speaks of its pos..
sessors as— " The representatives of a noble ancestry." The reply
was loudly applauded by the audience. " Aye, but, like other repre.
sentatives, the are nine times out of ten but silent members. I scorn
to borrow laurels from forgotten graves I Not to the past, but to the
future, looks true nobility, and seeks its blazon in posterity." Then at
her request he describes, in glowing colours, the happiness which
awaits her :—" Shall I paint the home to which, could love fulfil
its prayers, this hand should lead thee—a deep vale, shut out by
Alpine hills from the rude world; near a clear lake, margined by groves
of myrtle, glossing upon its surface a sky as cloudless, save by rare and
roseate shadows—as I would have thy face. At noon, while listening
to the music of birds, whose songs shall syllable thy name, we'll sit i
be-
neath the arching vine, and wonder why earth should be unhappy,
heaven halls left us hive. At night, standing under the spangled
firmament, we'll guess what star shalt be our home where love
becomes immortal—the air, breathing ambrosial perfumes,and
he
every breeze heavy with the sighs of orange-groves. Dost liko the
picture?" ?" Mr. Macready's pronunciation of this passage Was the
most finely toned and harmonious elocution we ever heard. A line oc-
curs in this part of the play which was much applauded—
" Honest men are the gentlemen of nature."
The most important scene, and that in which the acting of Mr. Mac-
ready and AEU Faucit was exhibited to the greatest advantage, W's that
where Melnotte, having married Pauline, conducts her to the humble
cottage of his mother, and the unhappy bride discovers the deception of
which she has been made the victim. We never beheld a more
striking triumph of histrionic genius than the ghastly look of
conscience.stricken agony with which Mr. Macready—slowly reveal.
Mg the countenance, which, overwhelmed with shame and remorse, he
had buried in his hands, spoke more eloquently than words could have
done, in answer to Paulino's wild inquiry, the dreadful confirmation of
his guilt. The effect was electrical. Nor much less impressive was
Miss Faucit's expression of Pauline's frantic hysterical grief,
on learning the extent of her misery. Nothing could be
more touching than the tender accents of deep but subdued
emotion in which Mr. Macready uttered the pathetic address
to her, when he recounts the story of her love, and tells her
"for thy sake I strove to rise from the prison in which my mind was
confined, by the fetters of low birth, and iron fortune, and sought
these jewels which aspiring minds win Irons the caves of knowledge.
"1 hy bright mind mirrored in my soul, lured me on to those aspiring
toils by which man masters man. For thee I grew a midnight student
over the works of agent sages—for thee I strove to borrow from each
muse, and every grace, such attributes as lend their charms to love, I
thought of thee, and passion taught me poesy—of thee, and on the
painter's canvass bloomed thy matchless beauty : life became the shadow
of the dear starlight of thine eyes ; man laughed; some
called me mad : I heeded not! but still toiled on, hoped on, for it was
sweet, if not to win, to feel more worthy of thee!"—Melnotte—as the
only reparation he make to the injured Pauline, gives his
consent to
their divorce—hoping, that " when only half forgotten, she wilt remem-
ber that heaven left some remnant of the angel yet in that poor peasant's
heart,"—" the past is gone, but there is a future left to all men who
have the virtue to repent, and the energy to atone." During his tem-
porary absence,—to send for her father, Beausart comes to gloat over
the wretchedness of his victim; he makes dishonourable proposals to
her, which she rejects with indignation, exclaiming—" A husband's
home, however lowly, is the temple of a wife's honour i" The
dignity of conscious virtue which marked Miss Faucit's utterance,
and the sentiment itself, elicited great applause. Beausart is
proceeding to offer violence to her, when Melnotte rescues her.
He then bids farewell to her I' so wildly worshipped; so guiltily
betrayed," and enters the French army. s In two years and a
half he rises to the rank of Colonel. He returns to Lyons, to find her
about to be married to the detested Beausart. He is present under
an assumed Lame, which helms borne in the army on occasion when the
marriage contract is to be signed—introduced to Pauline as the friend
of Melnotte, lie hears from her lips that she is compplled to the hated
union to save her father from ruin, who is on the verge of bank-
ruptcy, and can only be rescued by the sum which Beausart offers
for her hand; that her love fur Melvotte is as strong as ever,
and that she would gladly share with him a peasant's lot. A fines
effect was produced when Mr. Macready, throwing off the disguise of
his martial cloak, snatches the fatal contract fron Beausert just 39
Pauline is about to sign it, and tears it into a thousand fragrneOS,
exclaiming,
In the eyes of God and man, I have a prior claim. I outbid you,
sordid wretch. Take this gold—nay, blush not, old man—there's not
a coin but has been hallowed, in the cause of nations, by a soldier
blood I" heart.
With a fine burst of passionate rapture clasps his beloved to his

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BIRTHS'.
In Barbadoes, on the 3d ult., the lady of the Rev. Thos. Clarks,
of a son.
On the 11th inst., in Lower Brook-street, the lady of Dr. Hol-
land, of a dauuhter.

London; Printed and Published MURDO YOUNG, of No.
112, Strand, at The Sun Office, No. 112, Strand, in the count/
of Middlcsex.—Saturday, February 17, 1838•