The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-26 00:00:00

DRURY-LANE THEATRE.

A new play, in five acts, from the pen of the late Mr. Ge-
rald Grilin, entitled Gisippus, was brought out on Wednesday
at this theatre. It was highly succes.ful, and deservedly so, for
it abounds in passages of sweet and graceful poetry ; and the
majority of the incidents are dramatic, without being forced or
exaggerated, in order to produce effect. Gisippus, we un-
derstand, was writtsn by Mr. Griffin before he had completed
his twentieth year, and was shown to two judges, both of
whom pronounced unfavourably of it as an acting play ; fortu-
nately, however, it was afterwards submitted to Mr. Macready,
who reversed this decision, and the reception the piece met
with on Wednesday has proved the soundness of his judgment.
Before detailing the plot we may as well give the east of the
characters. It is as follow :—Titus Quintius Fulvius. Mr.
Anderson ; Gisippus, his friend, Mr. Macready ; Medon, the
brother of Sophronia, Mr. Graham ; Pheax and Chimes,
Athenian youths, Mr. Elton and Mr. Hudson; Ljcius, a
Phcenician and freedman of Fulvis, Mr. G. Bennett ; Davus,
an usurer, Mr. W. Bennett ; Sophronia, betrothed to Gisippus,
Miss Helen Faucit ; and Hero, her friend, Miss Turpin.
Gisippus, in the opening of the first act, is presented
buoyant and j, yous in the extreme ; he is on the eve of
his nuptials with Sophronia ; indeed, the scene repre-
sents the Parthenon, or temple of Minerva, on the Acro-
polis, with the hymeneal altar, whose sacred fire already
blazes, preparatory to the ceremony. Fulvius, it appears, has
loved Sophronia, who, however, has p. omised her hand
to Gisippus. Fulvius and Sophronia meet ; they have neither
of them understood each other ; Fulvius is all passion, but
Sophronia tells him that it is too late, that she is not her own
mistress—that, in short, she is betrothed to Gissippus, his
friend. Mutual regret is expressed, but Sophronia, overflow-
ing with the highest regard for Gisippus, declares her attach-
ment to him unalterable. Gisippus has overheard this, and,
after many and severe struggles, gives up his bride to his friend,
her first lo7e, and their marriage is immediately solemnized.
Meantime Davus, the usurer, pi esses certain pecuniary claims
upon Gisippus; he cannot meet them, and in his exigency he
applies to his richer friend Fulvius. Athens is up against
c,isippus, the popular clamour is, that he has sold his
peerless bride for pelf. The usurer is inexorable, Fulvius
is summoned by the Emperor to Rome; Gisippus, in
agony, has made an appointment with him on the subject of
his pecuniary embarrassment; but Full ins departs without
keeping it, leaving Gisippus to deprecate the hollowness of his
friendship. The claims of Davus are pressed; Gisippus, the
scoff and scorn of Athens, is sold as a slave and sent to Rome.
Fulvius has returned, covered with honour from his conquests
in At menia ; an oration is awarded to him, and he is made
a Praetor. in the sordid garb of a slave, Gisippus meets the
Praetor, is struck down by his lictors, and seeks refuge in an
adjacent burying-ground. Here Chremes is assassinated by
Lycius, the freedman of Fulvius, between whom there had
been anything but goodwill. Gisippus flies to the rescue;
it is too late, however. Weary of life, he gives himself up
as the murderer, and is condemned to death. Fulvius just
arrives in time to stay the execution, Lycius having ad-
mitted himself to be the criminal. The result may be
easily anticipated. The friends, convinced of their ino..