The Sun.
London, England, 1817-07-14 00:00:00

POETRY.

THE Al,' PO TRAI

JOHN PHILIP.iCEMBLE,

To clpse in order due our long career,
Sec KLmet,r; march inaj!,stie
.serere ;

Fraught with uuctnumoo.pu.tv'rs of form and face,

He Curves tt)v poiop of Tragvoy to glace.

Fertile in genius'. and Mat ur'4l' by art, - •
Not son tiesti•ai, Oat stern to seize, the heart,
In uiurtlil r,f mule, aid in idle of mind,
To hint di' sphere ran4t lie assigo'd-.
AoLi:iist orillarin;„ he adorns the .4tege--
The 0,i...it, subtlety, the savieze rage,
The seiirOto! menace', aie! the eyine
Tile eat ay' valour, ano the patriot Lit e•---
These show t be v•igour iit a master's !laud,
Aud o'er-4 lc+ ags give lino 111-.14 co,iiinand :
,Ac 1. k f atilt :1; at,tl,ll pltA:1:11:11,
Or stem - •
Nor fierce ahne, for well his pow'r's can sheW
Cahn deciatuation and atteinper'd woe; •
The virtuous Duke who sway a while declines,
Yet cheeks the -Dc,,utH's aldfor'd designs,
And,•inthe Sov'reign or the Saintly guise,
Benevolently just. and meekly wise : •
The Dane, bewaihog now a father's fate,
Now deeply.pOnd'ring man's-mysterious state;
Tender-and dignifi'd, alike are steal— ••
The philosophic mind and priosely mien. •
When merely tender, he appears too cold ;
Or rather fashion'd w too rough a :
Nor -fitted love in softer form to wear, • •
But stung with-pride, or on-wining with despair;
As when the lust th.tavian's murmurs flow,
In full luxuriance of romantic woe:
Yet where /u cheers desponding Age,
Or the sweet wiles of Ro.ia:iud c.ugage,. •
We own, that manly graces finely Wein/
•
I be tender' lover and the soothing. friend.
Though Nature was so prodigally 'clod.
In the bold lineaments•of form and antra,
As if to cheek a fond excess of pride,
The pow'rs of voice she scantily supply'd :
when the lion-lea:les of passion rise,
For correspondent tones he vainly tries;- •
To aid the storm, no tow'ring note coin:Ones,
And the spent breath th' unequal task declines.
Yet, spite of nature, lie -compels us still
To owo the potent triumph of his skill,-
While, with dread pauses, decpen'd accents roll,
Whose awful energies arrest the soul. •
At times, perchance, the spirit-or the scene,
Th' impassion'd accent, and impressive mien,
May louse their wonted force, while, too reined,
He strives by niceties to strike the mind:
For action too precise,•inein'd to pore,
And labour for a point anknown before;
Untimely playing thus the critic's part, -
To gain the head, when he shonid smite the heart.
Yet still must candour, on reflection, awls
Senue t-efol comment had beta Anewdly shewn;
Nor here let puny malice vent its fall,
And texts with skill restor'd deW r. rulings call;
KEMIILt; for actors-nobly led the •way,
Ant prompted them to think as Well as play.
With cultur'd sense, and With experience sage
Patient he cons the titne-disfigur'4l page,
Hence oft we see hike with success explore,
And clear the dross fro,:: rich poetic ore,
Trace, through the maze of dktion, Passion's clew,
And been latent character to view.
Though for the muse of Tragedy design'd,
In form, in features, passions, and in
Yet would be fun the comic nymph embrace,
Who seldom without awe beholds his face.
Whetie'er he tries the airy and the gay,
judgmetit, not genius, marks the cold essay; -
11iit in a graver province he can please
With well-hired spirit, anti with manly case.
When genuine wit, with satire's active fiirce, •
And, faithful love pursues its gen'rotts course,
There in his I"atentine, olipt CONOREVU view,
einhody'd portrait, vi:; cons war in and true. -
Nor let us, with ulthallow'd touch, presume '
To pluck floe sprig of laurel front the town
Yet, with due reOrence for the mighty dead,
'Tis just the fame of living worth to spread:
And could the ooblest VetilallS now appear,
KE)11141i miglit keep his state, devoid of fear;
Still, while observant of his proper line,
With native lustre as a rival shine.

*this character of Mr. KEMBLE is extracted from a Poem
entitled IHE STAGE, published in the year 1795, when he
was in the meridian of his powers.

ANECDOTE of BUONAPARTE AND TALMA THE
FRENCH TR AGEDI .—The interest which this
celebrated iragediaa's visit to London seems to
have excited in the mind of the British patine,
induces us to think the folio ing anecdote, which
We nave upon. the authority of a French Gentle-
man, now resident in Dumfries, may not be alto-
gether uninteresting to our readers. While Boo-
wiparre was wily a Captain at Artillery, he and
Taluta :rappelled to dine one day at the same hotel,
though nut in the same party. The player on
!bat occasion dined alone, while the soldi,r of
fortune presided among a knot of brother officers,
Who hail assembled on his invitation, and at his
expence. While his friends were retiring, 800 -
;miute lingered behind, for the parpnse of set-
tling the bill, which, having beco charged more
extravagantly than-he expected, unluckily exceed-
ed the means he could command at the moment.
In this dilemma, be evinced his characteristic
promptitude and decision at character. Unlike a
Frenchman, he mimic ut ither speech nor apology,
but produced hiS sword saying to the waiter," Re-
tain this for the balance till to=morrow, when,
upon the honour of a Gentleman, I will redeem the
pledge." The waiter, who probably could not
discriminate betwixt the "heaven-erected face" of
a man of honour and the address of a swindler, de-
murred about the bargain) when Talma started
across the room, and indignantly told him, if he
doubted the gentleman's word, to place the sum to
his account. The waiter bowed assent, and retired.
Boonaparte felt the obligation ,alt bough his manner
of expressing his sense of it was laconic, and even
dry. But riS may be conjectured,
did not lose any thing by his bond of ciaution.—
On the contrary, his politeness gained hint a
powerful friend, who, both during his
and imperial reign, embraced every opportunity
that presented itself at praisinf.; his talents and
promoting his. interest.—(Dumfries Paper.)
The ROYAL ACADEMY Were inviied last week,
I'y the chief Officers of Didwich College, to the
first Annual Dinner at that place, pursuant to the
will of the bite Sir FRANCIS BOURGsmts, who lett
a herpiest for that vurpose, that his tine collection
Of pictures, also bequeathed ;o the College,
be annually inspectei; by the Academic Body, Air.
SonNE, the Architect of the elegant structtire in
which the pictures are deposited, anti ,rho is one
of the executors of Sir FLIANCI,, Was 1)rv•ei:1, a•
were also Mr. KEMBLE, a friend of the Benefac-
tor, and, the venerable President of the 1105al
Academy.

The Princess CHARLOTTE And the Prince ot
SAxE-Coßouao gave a Ittniital treat tin lirt (1,14-
day. last at Claremont. Sir figoaoy. tim Arrr an
Isis Pupil, Miss GooDALL, assisted on the oce.mion,
and highly gratified the Illustrious Auditors.
There are no less (ban sixty proseention9 tizai;lst
persons for uttering counterleita of the New Coin
now rending.