The Sun.
London, England, 1834-12-04 00:00:00

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.

Modern Honour, a new comedy in three acts, was produced
at this house last night. Neither the plot nor the incidents
connected with it call for much observation : —Sir Charles
Hardwicke (Mr. Warde) is a gentlemanly, specious sort of
person, who, having been once duped and beggared by
gamesters and sharpers, becomes naturally enough a sharper
himself. We meet him in the first act occupying a stately man-
sion in town, visiting the first clubs, and seeing the first com-
pany, and supporting by his knaveries and rascality and
sharping a show of costly magnificence. His son Frederick
Maitland (Mr. Vining) had, during the period of his father's
distresses, obtained a lucrative situation in India, and returns
home, to the great joy of his father and mother, and
to the great surprise of the young man himself on
finding them in such a palmy state. .llfr. Twyford
(Mr. Bartley) is a Manchester manufacturer, a great
cotton -spinner and steam-engine man, who, as a con-
sequence of the Reform Bill, is sent up to London as a
Member of Parliament. He has a daughter, Clara (Mrs.
Cramer), who is attached to Frederick, having known him
in youth. She is on a visit to Sir Charles whedhis son arrives
from India, and having discovered him to be a sharper, she is
filled with virtuous anxiety for the disgrace and pain such a
discovery must inflict upon the object of her affections.
There are three or four empty fops in the piece, the leading
dandy, ridiculous in dress, in manner, in everything, being
Lord William Eustace (Mr. Brindal.) The Lord picks a quar-
rel with Frederick in consequence of aome insinuations against
the character of his father. 'I hey are about fighting a duel,
the ladies are all in hysterics, but Frederick is forcibly kept
from the field, and his father in the meantime receives an
ample apology. At an entertainment given by the Ba-
ronet, Twyford is slightly seduced into a game of ecarte,
and loses a large sum to Sir Charles. Clara endeavours to
no purpose to dissuade her father from play. Frederick looks
on, and seeing clearly that his father is a cheat, is struck with
horror, as a young man of high principle would naturally
be. He insists upon his father returning the money. The
father, with some reluctance, does so, upon condition of a mar-
riage between his son and Miss Twyford. This is agreed upon,
and Sir Frederick, to hide his shame, determines to go to India
in place of his son. He retires from the scene, a shot is heard,
and the curtain drops, leaving it quite a matter of conjecture
with the audience whether he be dead or even wounded

In all this there is nothing very striking, and, truth to say, the
piece contains not action enough for one act, much less three.
Most of the persons introduced have nothing to do but to look
at others as idle as themselves. The performance, as far as
the actors were concerned, was uniformly good throughout :
but nothing could relieve the inherent defects of such a comedy.
.It failed to make any favourable impression on the audience,
and in our opinion not unjustly. It was announced for repeti-
tion on Friday, amid commingled cheers and hisses, in which,
however, the former preponderated.