The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-11-04 00:00:00

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COMM:GARDEN THEATRE.

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f Bs MR, al tr'e aB T fsahosar
the
revived at <
an adult
purl
• before
The Tragedy
Theatre yesterday evening
ent eoffntelrwl.).;s:f,
of intrOtincing Mr. &Int
iirs:
fresh inn
mPuulbtliitcudoef,tahnisdCilinty.the knowtslehtml
tGheenutlnewmiasne,etrie tgedreatth,eaandstotnh•e
insgiepoififtaaill- t
h e yearsw was
since,
almost
wohneinv universally lwas
hailed
tude and science of his manner and matter, y the
lation of the lours: Roscius ; when he
honoured by the solicitude of the do" "
beauty, but Statesmen quitted the cares otti'
ment, Philosophy his lamp, and the Ch *,
crucible, to behold a scenic phenomenon, whoen"'
'•
nearly, monopolise all the triumphs of the "We'
lint
proud
scene
mereerbey boy,
the
ad:
though a SIDDONI, a KEMILE, and a Coosa
then blazing around him in the full • *
meridian of
power !
As we never saw this Gentleman perform until
night, we have no prejudices to support' nor last
any
opinion to retract; and, in consequence
we shall
offer such a report upon this essay, as truth' or ca
n.
dour might
expect, without any reference to
the
panegyric, or cavilling, of antecedent criticism
There is an evident indication of both modesty
and discretion, exhibited by Mr. BITTY in his choice
of Achmet for this occasion, as he, thereby, eludes
the manifold disadvantages that might arise f°in r
competition, as the brightness of Mr. GARILICK, and
the lesser luminousness of Mr. SA • VIGNY, in the
same pert, are now forgotten.
This Tragedy was written by Dr. neowee. The
design of it is evidently bestowed from the Tragedy
of blerope ; and_ though the unities of time and
place are strictly presereid, the characters naturally
drawn, the accidents impressive, and the catastrophe
just, yet it never was, not ever will be, eminently
1 attractive, 'because the language is unilluminated
with those sparks and --coruscations of the fancy,
torpor, a ic
which serve to rescue us from that t 'h' is
incidental to the recital of elegant dulness.
Mr. Bern', coneiderectas an actor, doth not, nGr
*ll ke ever, possess those rare qualifications that can
lead an actor to professional greatness ; although he
is so still studied in the histrionic art, that a liberal
auditor must approve him, where the mere oPerations
!of study can be intuential. His figure is tolerably
well proportioned, but his countenance is too rotund
to be completely obedient to the varying' interests of
expression. There were scenes in which he elicited
some original fire, particularly in the fourth act,
when 'he enters, abruptly, upon the shrieks of his
!mother, Taira, and exclaims--
• e Who calls on Achilles,
Barbarossa r Attire ate?" •
In the art of public speaking (and a truly important
art it is) Mr. Baur is certainty a greater adept than a
very great majority of those Performers.who are ger.
milted to lead the van, in tragic parts, without
being
properly qualified for the due utterance of their ea-
tive language ; and as even those very few who are
qualified, have vainly endeavoured to gain a species
of notoriety, by a hardihood in verbal errors, for
' which they merit open castigetion ; we must, on be-
flail' of the much-injured prosody of the laud, beer
Our testimony in favour of this Gentleman, who dotb
eot annoy the general ear wiliest vile and vulgar sub-
, stitution of sounds, that are equally hestile to the
demands of usage, politeness, and the irou injunetious
of grammar.
As we have laboured much, and with some effect,
in opposing this modish abuse of 'words, it is our
earnest desire to chain down the public attention to
any prominent instance of propriety that may oc-
cur ; and we do it more especially on the part of
Mr. Bern, as we perceived a sort of spirit work-
ing, both secretly and openly, against him, in that
fiery auditory, where a silent acquiescence was given
to Mr. &MU, when he was most ridiculously
(and he must pardon us for the epithet) mispro.
nouncing room, for Rome ; cliches, for aches;
birds, for beards, etc. &c. arc. Now, shall a want
of common indulgence be manifested towards Mr.
Barry, within the walls of that Theatre, where
i such an uncommon portion of it was allowed in
favour of a Gentleman, whose erudition forbids us
to believe in any other way than that he was singe-
; tarty false to his own knowledge, and most porting.:
I•ciously wrong,
It is a sort of admitted maxim, which the web of
society take up, without examination, that taste is a
principle of thought, which cannot be disputed ; yet
them is nothing more clear, than that there is a good
and's< bad taste, and: we conceive that it would be
rendering the world a great and essential service to
make it sensible of this distinction. That Author,
who hath penetrated more deeply than all others into
thiresessesof tholsessan heart, lath said, that there
Is a point of perfection to be attained in works of
art, 'es of goodness or maturity in the, operations
of nature, and that he who cannot perceive that
distinction, or who esteems or applauds what is be-
low it, may be said to have a vitiated taste, and that
Ms intellectual faculties are not to be envied. Mt
there not deplorable instances exhibited every day,
in our Metropolitan Theatres, of the prevalence of
a false taste, by the indulgence of which mankind
seem to concur, as ifthey were predermined to cnan•
teract the purest designs of science and polite art I
;'Do not the public, nightly, forego the finely acted,
' and classically decorated Drama of The Tempest.
(which virtue and wisdom might hear and behold
with ecstacy though. mortals cannot), to. see the
dishevelled Neil flanked with flaming tripods (like e
maudlin PlaCatonoPrellearsing imposture in hexameter
verse) while the coarser Jobson is squatting upon the
basis o a column, to heel-piece -ss shoe, or guzzle
lamb's wool
B it's madm mutters,
" a wand. y
And every thing if getting net of joust !"
Mr. Ftscaza„ the tete bars singer from St. Peters.:
burgh, bad not his due'' portion of praise, in th"
• been
country, because his professional reputationhad
raised too eztravogantly before his arrival in had;
don : and it is somewhat similar in the fate of Mr.
observers
inclined to deny him
so pi/mit°
it is P^s' i
14, which is

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• 146. k. 4

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