Star.
London, England, 1809-01-13 00:00:00

AN OCCASIONAL PROLOGUE, •
YOE THE OPEWING of
THE %ILICENNY THEATRICALS, OCTObER 10, 1110(.,
WEITTEN EY JOSEPH ATKINSON, sig. 414 a stoma/ IT
RICHARD P.Owilt,

With sime ambition for Dramatic fame,
Once more we come, yoni.iind support-to Chita-.
Happy if Ws our recreation tends
To social objects, and to moral ends.
Audis we thus the safes
Approv'd by you, and cheer'd by friendship's stalk.
With such an audience, and in such a can't,
We dread no censure—the we miss applause.
Permit our fancy then to Dramatise,
. And paint the living Characters that rise ;
-..1‘9 prove Theatricals are all the fashion,
'Vie 11 give examples of our ruling passion—
" The times are out ofjoint—ind fraught with cares,
" And all the Men and Women merely players."
See BONAPARTE, with proud aspiring rage,
To snatch renown makes all the World sus .stage;
And like us Monarchs of the stage you'll own, •
Commands that World to bow before his throne.
With Sa A ssrigmt les fancy; blending false-and true;
" Exhausting plots, and then inventing new."
Like Gatitiee, master of the Thespian art,
He sports the Tragic or the Comic part.
Rul'd by no laws—he shifts his boundless scenes,
Casting new walks for Princes, Kings, and Queens.
Italian Operas, and Germanic Plays,
Conspire his fortunes and his pride to raise—
Europe has wept beneath his tragic powers,
And every State coniese.d his sway-ebut ouas.
His Melo-Dranes--which first appear'd in France—
Spread North and South, thro' regions of romance.
A grand spectacle of embattl'd hosts,
Of Castle Spectre', and of bleeding Ghosts!
Macbeth and Richard, he too well combines,
Nonthis superior in the Tyrant shines!
And mourning I)enice all in tears can tell,
That none performs her bravo half so well.
While Rome once more by Gothic fury sack'd,
!inhales the bloody deeds he pants to act
In comic charaetters—he's quite the dash,
New Filch—now k•badil—now Captain Flash!
Nay more, to raise is reputation higher,
There's not a 'better Puff, or greater Liar.
lie more in Pantomime, commands surprise,
From Camps to Courts like Harlequin be Mel.
From Egypt's desert to the Baltic shore,
You trace his wonders and his tricks explore.
O'er seas and mountains this Magician springs,
Transforms his Minions into Queens and'Kings.
He waves his sword—contrives some new design,
yotdrenes himself and crowns his Columbine.
And then like Blue Beard—in fantastic state,
He claims the homage due a Chief so great!
Bat may the fates which have his powers ernplord,
Soon give the world the Libertine destrord I
, His Brother Actor to Iberia came,
* To shine at Court and take a Monarch's name.
Deserting Naples, on new plays to fix. •
And pin by honours what he lost by tricks.
Madrid enrag'd to see Usurpers come,
Tcoay the Robbers, and proclaim Tom Thumb,
Call'd forth the nation's patriotic rage,
To hiss this mummer from the public stage.
Thus forc'd to end this tragi-comie play,
He just rehears'd his part—and ran away.
But to console himself for lost renown—
" This cut-purse of the Empire" stole the Crown.
Although in mimic life we thus engage,
•
" To fret like him our hour upon the stage"—
Tho' you behold us here in battle slain,
Unlike his heroes—we ;Lail rise again;
And soon from tragic death restor'd to life,
Tir'd of heroic pomp and regal strife,
We'll ey to n,ingle with the comic throng, •
Blending with native mirth the dance and song.
--- Bit when the curtain drops and fiction's over,
And we return to social scenes once more—
This constant object we shall still pursue,
The wish to please and be approv'd by you !

Yesterday morning as the workmen were clearing
• away the ruins of Covent-Garden Theatre, at the
Piazzawdoor, under she place where the Phoenix en-
gine was so unfortunately destroyed, with the firemen
attending it, by the falling in of the arch, when they
curie to the ci3tern, they found the body of a man,
not burnt, but much bruised.—Mr. Webb, of Totten.
ham-Court Road, had missed his only son since the
unfortunate catastrophe of the fire. As soon as the
body was found, word was sent to Mr. Webb, who al,
rived in about ten minutes on horseback, and exclaimed,
" if he be my son, he has laced boots on, and a silver
watch, chain, and seal in his pocket." This descrip.
tion was correct, and the parerit appeared lost in af-
fliction. The body was removed in a shell, at twelve
o'clock, to Covent-Garden watch-house, where it now
lies.
The following daring robbery was committed on
Wednesday se'nnight, between the Old Bridge, at
Bath, and the turnpike house on the Bristol road.—
Hitchings, returning from Bristol to Devises,
got out of the coach at the said turnpike house, being
acquainted with the keeper of the gate. He spent
the afternoon there, in company with William Few
end James Nichols. At six o'clock, Hitchings quit-
ted the house to seek for lodgings in Bath, accompa-
nied by Few and Nichols ; when they had proceeded
100 yards, Nichols struck up the heels of Hitchings,
fell upon him, and seized him by the throat, whilst
Few took from his pocket a purse, containing eight
guineas and a.half in gold, and two r€l. Bristol Rotes,
with 'Which they decamped. Hitchings ran to the
Angel Inn, at Old Bridge, and told what- had hap-
pened : and the offenders were apprenhended, and on
Thursday they were committed to Ilchester gaol, for
trial at the next Asizes for the County of Somerset.
Anlace TO. YOUTH.—" Observations on Seduction
and on the Fatal Effects arising from it," by MARY
SMITH, a Penitent late of the Magdalen Hospital,
second edition, to which are perfixed " Preliminary
Observations, and an Address to the Legislature,"
containing some proposed measures for the Suppres-
sion of Seduction and Female Prostitutior., price
/s. 6d. The following is the opinion of the Reviewer,
'extracted from the " Orthodox Churchman's Maga-
zine and Review," for December, 1808.-... a. We re-
commend this interesting little work to the notice of all
our readers, as highlydeserving their perusal, indepen.
dently of the satisfaction which they will receive from
giving encouragement to a female penitent, who
aims to make herself useful to the world. The Ad-
dress to the Legislature, written, we believe, by one
of the brightest 'ornaments of the law, is truly excel-
lent and of peculiar importance. This pamphlet will
be found a proper present to young females, particu-
lar.ly in the lower ranks'of life, and it ought to have
a place in every kitchen and servants' hall, which
should always contain a suitable selection of books on
motal and religious subjects."—Those who are in-
clined to -give them away, may have them at one
pound four shillings per dozen. It may be had of E.
• witscrs, booksolierp N 9. SI, Paternoster-sow, St.

pap's.

/

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AN OCCY'