The Sun.
London, England, 1802-12-02 00:00:00

'MAC? e•P A LIT-tilt titottt PARts, Nov. 17.

" In a former Letter I apprittd you of the great
applause which accompanied the representation of
VOLTAIRE'S Tragedy of Oedipus, at the Theatre
Francais. I particularly pointed out a certain
passage, respeeting the coqa'ettre which the deceas-
ed King Laius placed in the love and affedion of his
Subjeds, and which I observed drew down thunders
of applause from every part of the House. In con-
sequence of these indubitable tokens of popular opi-
nion, the future representation of that Tragedy has
been prohibited by authority.
" But this is not all.—A new interlude has lately
been produced at the Theatre Louvois, fOunded on a
circumstance which constituted the theme of a
much admired painting, exhibited in the Gallery of
the Louvre. The subjed of this Painting was Mo.
LIERE reading his Comedy of Tartufe to the cele-
brated Ninon de l'Enclos, who took this method of
avenging the injury done to MoLtERE, by the pro-
hibition of his Piece. On this occasion, all the cele-
brated wits of the age, inParis, assembled at the house
of Ninon de l'Enclos. Among others were the great
CONDE ; the Marquis de ROCHEFOUCAULT, COR-
NEILLE, RACINE, LA FONTAINE, &C. On
this incident, a dramatic Author, of the name
Of CHAZEL, founded an Interlude, which he
entitled Moliere chez Ninon. The Piece was per-
formed twice with great applause; but as it con-
tained a very warm encomium on Louis XIV.
which was received with rapture, by the audience,
its future performance was interdieted, and the un-
fortunate author has been transported to the Isle of
Elba. These are Fads on which you may con-
fidently rely. I leave you to draw your own infer-
ence.

" The Nesw French Court Almanack has appeared
about ,three days ago, and here, likewise, I meet
with various innovations highly entitled to notice.
The sixteenth of August, instead of being conse-
crated to ST. Roc H, as formerly, is to be given to ST.
NAPoLEoN. This event carries more of meaning in
it than superficial Readers would be tempted to
imagine. The preceding day, the isth, is the Festi-
val of the Virgin, the Birth-day of BONAPARTE,
and the An;,verrary of the Concordat. It is one of
the great Festivals of the French year. On the
25th of August is the Festival of St. Louis. By
joining, therefore, the Festival of St. NAPOLEON
in immediate succession to the Festival of the Vir-
gin, the Birth-day ofBoNAPARTE, and the Anniver-
sary of the Concordat, two days of high celebration
meet so close upon the heels of the Festival of St.
Louis, that the latter will not attraa much notice,
and probably soon sink into obliv ion, or be absorb-
ed, after the example of the Festival of ST. Roux.

" In this Abnanack it is likewise recommended
that the epithet Citoyenne (the feminine) should no
longer be applied to Ladies ; but the term Madame
supply its place. The Ministers of State are, like-
wise, in future to be stiled EXCELLENCY I"

THE THEATRE. The Play of Henry the
Fourth was very well attended list night, at Drury..
Lane Theatre. We have already so amply noticed
the representation of this admirable Drama, that
further comment is unnecessary. The chief attrac-
tion of the Piece is certainly STEPHEN KEMBLE'S
Falstaff ; and his performance is well entitled to the
approbation it has' received. Often as he has ap-
peared in this part, he by no means flags in it; but
in reality, represents it with a more digested hu-
mour and spirit.
Mrs. MATTOCKS was suddenly taken ill yester-
day, and an apology was last night made at Covent-
Garden Theatre for her inability to perform her
part of Carioso in The Cabinet. The part was
therefore taken at a short warning by Mrs. BE-
yER LEY, the sister of Miss CHAPMAN. Mrs. BE.
V ERL EY- acquitted herself very well in the part,
even without the consideration of the little time she
had to prepare for it. The Opera attracted a
crowded house, and went off with its usual success.
BR ARAM had most of his songs encored.
If the Comedy of Every Man in his Humozir has
not been represented for twenty years at Drury..
lane Theatre, as stated, and, we conceive, error.e_
ously, in the Bills, the other Performers most, post
of them, appear for the first time in their respective
characters, as well as .BANNISTER in Bobadil.—
Kitely is a more important part, and WROUGHTON
appears in it for the first time. Surely then his
performance merited the distinetion of being also an.
nounced as a Novelty.
Mr. MILES PETER A NDR EWS has been dissipat-
ing his Epilogue-Chagrin at Brighton. The Drip-
ping Family had, no doubt, previously left it.
BONAPARTE pays to the Editors of The Argus,
the English Paper published at Paris, Messrs. GOLD--
SMITH and ARTHUR. O'CoNNt,R, the enormous
SUM of 60,000 fines per annum, about z6OOl. ster-
ling !
JOHNSTON, who has escaped from the Fleet, has
shewn himself a Master of his Art, as this is the se-
cond time that he has contrived to smuggle out of
gaol.
The fast serious escape from the Fleet Prison was
by a Frenchman, about seven years ago, who as-
cended by a rope-ladder, and got over into the Bell
Savage Inn-yard, at an early hour in the evening,
when the other prisoners, watchmen, &c. were
amused with a band of music that had been intro-
duced into the Fleet for' the purpose. The sum for
which he was confined was •30001. and the French-
man got clear off. At that time the walls were not
near so high as they are at present.
ANECDOTE--II is related of FR ANC ESC° FR AN-
CIA, a Bolognese Painter, who lived in the time of
RAPHAEL, that he was extremely anxious to see a
Picture painted by that celebrated Painter, but being
prevented by his great age from travelling 'to Rome,
he entered into a correspondence with RAPHAEL on
the subjed. The latter in the mean time finished
his celebrated Piaure of Saint Cecilia \vhich he
destined for the Church of Bolognaoinf3 sent it to
FRANC IA with a request that he wonid find a place
for it, and corred its errors. FRANC lA, transported
with joy at receiving a work of RAr HAE L, hastened
to examine it, but he had no sooner looked at it
than immediately discovering the, vast distance
between his talents and those of RAPHAEL, he fell
into a profound melancholy, and died of grief,,at
the idea of having laboured so long only to become
a Painter of mediocrity.