The Sun.
London, England, 1803-04-18 00:00:00

THE

•
Druf:y.taxe.
ON S4turday last a new Comedy was. brought
forward under the tide of The Marriage Promise.

DRAMAtIS PER‘OI4IIE.
Charles Merten, . Mr. C. KEstatt.
Sidney, Mr.-Dwytx.
Tandem, - . a Mr. BANNISTER, jun.
• Consols, . Mr. DOWTON. ,
George Howard, . Mr. horn.' •
. Farm,. r Woodland, a Mr. PALMER..
Policy, Mr. HOLLINGSWORTH. .
leflenes, - a Mr. Powzr.i.
Mrs. Howard, - Mrs. POWELL.
Mrs. Harvey, Mrs. SrAxxs.
Emma Harvey, Mrs. jort Da tz.
Mary Woodland, Miss AI t. Lot..
FABLE. .. • „ •
The scene lies at a village near London, and the Play.
opens with the expeeted arrival of Charles Merton, who, on
the death of his father, enters into a fortune of ten thousand a
year. He is accompanied by Sidney,. a fashionable spend.
thrift, who plans a drinking match, m which Merton is so
much intoxicated that, though a most excellent and honour.
ble young man, he attempts improper liberties with Mary,
the daughter of Farmer Woodland. She is rescued from his
violence by George Howard, another tanner, in the neigh-
bourhood, who is attached to Mary, and who demands the
most submissive apology from Merton, in such menacing
language, that the latter, however eager to atone for his
irn-
pproper conduet, rather consents to hazard the issue ()fa duel.
Previous, however, to the interview between Merton and
Howard, the tormer, in expiation of his error, had sent a
letter to Fanner Woodland, uttering his hand to Mary,- and
this is Me Marriage Pr-mi4e, which gives the Play its title.
Soon after this letter had been dispatched, Emma Harvey
waits on Merton to solicit the renewal of a Lease, that had
expired that day, of a cottage, in which she and her mother
had long resided. • Merton is so much struck with the beau.
ty, elegance and simplkity of Emma, that he soon repents
of his Marriage PrGmiae, and is inclined to give himself, as
well 'as the renewed Lease, to the fair Suppliant. Taodinn, a
pert, silly, meddling Steward to Merton, having heard of
the quarrel between his Master and Howard, employs a cou-
ple of men to seize the Litter upon his arrival one the ground
appointed for the duel. Howard imputes the interruption
to the cowardice of his antagonist. Before Merton goes to
the field, be opens a box, left sealed by his father, which
contains a paper, signifying that the latter had been married
previous to his, union with Charles's mother, and that his
first wits is alive, but had solemnly engaged never to reveal
the secret. This secret is also known to lettCries, a faithful
old servant in the family. Merton determines to renounce
the fortune he had obtained, in behalf of the heir by the for.
vier marriage, but cannot *rest from lefteries a discovery of
theparty. •At length the ;meinl meeting between Merton
and Howard takes place, and just as they are going to tire,
'caries rushes in, and, struck by their mutual danger, in-
to-ins them they are brothers, that Mrs. Howard was the
first «iti ofthe late Mr. Merton, and that her sun George is
the issue of the marriage. Mrs. Howard proves to be the
daughter of Old Consols, a rich Stock-brok'ert,frorn; whom
she had eloped live and twenty years before, 'and from *hum
she had studiously concealed herself during the *hole of
that time. The discovery is effected by die accidental en-
try of consols into I'low:till's Cottage; where hetet:a:Wed the
most charitable attention, upwil the notion of ins being in
distress, while he is in acality in seareli of proper ()Weds tdr
ptitronage and bounty. It :Incas that there is a strong at-
tibehment between Howard and Mary, therefore Alerton is
easily released trout his Marriage Pramile, and enabled to
Otlf his hand to Emma, and hence with the prospect of a
the
double marriage, piece concludes. There is an under-
Plot arising from the desire- of Tandem, the vain officious
Steward, to be married to Mary. and his attempts to get her
father into goal fur arrears of rent, because lw will not miss
his daughter's indination.

If this Cottualy does not exhibit any high pre.
tensions to dramatis: fame, it is s Piece of consider-
able merit, and very well calculated to excite a
strong interest, and tri afford much amusement :
there is a liveliness and hutpour in the dialogue, and.
the plot, is Worked up iii such a manner as to take
a strong hold on the feelings.
The sentiments, in general, if not new, are
morel, striking, avid itnpressive and are conveyed
with energy, and Nn s with elegance.
The charalters of Comir and Tandem have the
chief: claims to novelty. , Whether the former,
after laliOuring to acquire great wealth, and being
still alive to acquisition, ivOuld be so ready to en.
gage in a career of Qn ;xoitie benevolence to get
rid of it, may be questioned. Ilowevvr, the pert
is sufficiently probable fur ilratnatie purposes, and
that is enough.
The same can hardly lie said respelling the long
concealment of Mrs. lb, word, as she is a very ex.
cellent woman, as si:e w.IS actually married, and as
she, for no adequate reason, secludes herielf five
'and twenty years, from an affeclionate father. Nor
does it seem quite probahle, notwithstanding so
guat a length of time has elapsed, that 'the 14ther
and 4 laughter should di•cover traces of each
other, since the Litter must have been a
,;till :Yawn
gill when she ran atiay with a gallant. We core
ceive it to be Strange that h r Wodiand should

be ignoratitok th ailvctiou that existe(Lbetween his
'laughter Emmet and I as he is a fond patent,
as the parties hati 01) reason to conceal their re-
gard, anti 'night vc7), suitably, be united.

There is the same inconsistency in this Play as
I.i The Iron Chest ;—a in in records an account of an
action dishonourable to himself, which he wishes to
bury in eternal oblivion. if old Merton dul not
Wish Oar his property sh:uild decent to the issue.
al his tirSt marriage, tor ‘v hat purpose did he leave
a piiper diielosing the secret to his son by the
second, particularly as he is anxious to have his
memory remain wltaillted ? Surely he would wish
'to have his memory as much revered by his own
o;, as by the world in general. These are err.
tmidy reassinabie objt.c'tint.x, yet they weigh but lit.
tle against the general
,metit of the Piece.
We think the, Author %honk' expunge the re.
fleetions which Howard utters agan,st rank and
affluence, for
want of charity. These refleaions have
been hacknied tlormy,,h the canting importainns
from the 'German Drama, and they are nut well.
founded, •
People .at high rank, and great posses.
sioni do as much good, and are full as charitable
as any other class of the community below them.
The Author of this Piece dons not. stand in need
of such fallacious and trite appeals to the middling
and lower orders able, at the expence of thoA who
are full as generous, and have larger means of bounty
which should not be damped by unmerited rctlec.

(ions:
We wish also that the
.Author would omit some
of the observations respediog duelling, as ,the pub.
lie. feelings have th!rn strongly en3aged by a recent
melancholy event, Acid as the subjea is to come
titre a wore aWeful Tribunal than the Stage. This
Piece, we understand, is written by Mr. ALtAtio.
tovm, the Author of Fortune's Frofic. It is very
creditable to his talents, and with the few altera.
lions which we have suggested, deserves, in no
small degree, the proteaton of the Public.
The acting, throughout, deserves high praise.
Cit t.RS KEMBLE hardly ever appeared f iel .ore to
5) much advantage. There was an islgenuotis spirit,
a :ense of honour and feeling, that gave strong
et; rt to. the pprt:pf../11ertvs, Dw v t a %V MICI have

leen
ditich better in .Yrdlityi if he had riot deatt -6
freely in node, vtbinki, and fie was, hots _
evert spirited on the whole. Do wreig was excti-
lent in. t:Snsoh. Pol,a gave a noble vigour to Gerge
Howard, Mts. Jos nArr had all her Spirit, with
an interesting mixture of sentiment in Emma. She
sung two Aits, in the first of which she was encored.
They are both pleasing compositionsj but the second
does not suit her voice. Keu,Y is the Composer._
Mrs. POW ELL was very natural and very interest.
ing in Mn.r .Iforajard. . POW ELL displayed his
usual good sense and feeling in Jr/oriel; and
PALMER gave a.g004.1 portrait of rustic humour and
parental affeoion in. Farmer Woodland. Miss MEL-
LON also deserves a very .commendatory notice'
for her tenderness in Mary. 'kr/Nis-nit was
truly ludicrous and diverting in Tandem, whiCh
may be classed with his most whimsical perfcr nances.
The Prologue, which turned upon the title of the
Play, seemed to be recommended by some poetical
spirit. The Epilogue might be supposed to be writ-
ten by Justice Greedy, for it was all about Cookery.