The Statesman.
London, England, 1819-05-13 00:00:00

iIIE STATESMAN:

COVENT-GARDEN 111EATRR.

'Alit Wight was prodeced the long. promised
Tragedy of Fredolfo, front the pen of the 1t.,. Mr.
Mem Mtn, as report says.
A short Prologue promised es a story intereellog
to the lovers of freedom, which title of costae in.
eluded all Forglishmen. Accordingly the Devoe was
laid iu Uri, • province of Switzerland, end the hero,
whose name gives Ike play its title, is reported in the
Ilialspe In harridan* good service for the liberties of
his country in the wars against the Auesrians. le
the engem tent of the Play, Freddre'r dumb.
ter, Utilda ( Miss O'Ntizz),(in called by her father
freer his having brought her ep among the mnun.
tains of the proviece.) is in danger of perishing
among the cliffs and felling waters. in consequence
of a terrible storm then raging. She is left sense.
less, in ■ position of greet peril, by ilarfold (Mr.
Y kris). • dlorizied and sivil.spirited I of
Predate's, bet is rescued by Addams (Mr. C.
knsatr), a handsome enterprising yeah, who hes
the mitfortune to have incurred, unronselnes of the
cease, the deadly hatred of Fredoiro ; he is there-
fere rather loath to approach Fredelp's threshold,
even to receive the lady's thanks after her recovery.
lie does so, however, and in the interview relates an
accident Of his boyhood :—lie was in a lone pass of
the mountains at midnight, and found two men dn.
ing death's work upon a third, which he discovered,
after watching the body till dawn, In be that of
Count Wallenberg, the Austrian Governor. Shortly
stair this he was kidnapped and carried to • distant
part of Italy, bet sighing for his native mountains he
returned home again, though obstructed or pursued
In the undertaking, and after it, by the power of
IFredolp. While this con lion is going an,
word is brought that Fredolfo himself bar fallen into
the danger from which his daughter hes just escaped,
and Adilosan, at her command, goes nut and per•
forms the services of sslvaiinn for she father also..—
Fredulfo (Mr. Yourai) is very elision to know his
deliverer while they ere groping a way out of the I
danger in the cloak, but when lights are brought, end
lie finds him to be .eldi/surn, he ord.), him to a dun.
gene. While he is there, Predolfo and his croaked
villain, !torpid, base a private ecloircirrrinent. from
which it appear., that Fredulfo's hatred of Addams
is ceased by the latter•s having been accidentally pre-
sent when Freddie end his servant were assassinating
' COOSII Wallenberg. Borfold, in the vide of mis-
chief and rivalry (Wag • declared lover of Urilda),
proposes to kill Adilaran in his confinement, which
Fredolfo indignantly rejects. This pets the fiend
•pon his mettle, and he rails malignantly on ;
Fredolfo's initialises. Ile asks for his discharge. '
and on Fredalp reminding him that he is (educed,
and iimapable of satisfying kiln with money, he asks
far Urilda. This produces another storm of rage, in
the midst of which eaters Cord Wallenberg (Mr.'
illsczcsnY), the present Austrian Governor. -Fre-
delft receives him coldly, notwithstanding which he
asks for Urrldu in marriage; Fredo/fo refers him to
his daughter, oho, en being celled and consulted,
very unequivocally refines the Count's offer. which
Wesel is more bitterly prompted from the Count's
haling professed, some lime before, a licentious pea.
, @inn ter her. The father and daughter withdraw,
, and Barfold advancing, is jest about to reveal to the
Count the murderers of his father, when Frrdolfo re-
turns anti offers the Count guidance across the moun.
, fain. The Coma is, however, so mach interested with
Burfold'e deposition, that he demands him of Fre- I
, dolfu for his guide, which Fredolfo reluctantly se-
, cedes to. Wallenberg having gained the secret, of
coarse imprisons Fredolp, whose rescue is Wee-
, distely attempted by didiloran, he heing Induced
, thereto by a thick plot, which, in the manner of Oliver
and his colleagues, norfold persuades Urilda to is.
vita him tot he enterrrise, which is as bad as frustrated,
jberme, while the Swiss are carrying off Freddie),
1 Waikrberg's troops seize Adilman and Urilda.
, mays is again rescued by the mountaineers, but Urilda,
Ilvitorr to the sanctuary of a convent, is surrounded by
WalknberT and his forms, and when her father sr-
, rites to succour her, the tyrant hes a chigger bran.
dished over her, which enables him to dictate condi-
, lions. In the mean time Adair:an arrives, but his
aid, from the same cause, is rendered useless. The
catastrophe their hem/ over the three, and the first
t death was that of Adilatan, who gate his sword le
the Austria'', end received it back again in his breast.
, This decree of she poet's imagination was en cruelly
severe, that the house instantly espioderl ; not
another word mould be heard ; Fredolfo retaliated
r:pidly on Wollenberg; Urilda made haste to es.
pine by the side of her Inver, and the certain fell
, amidst terrific uproar. This was the more 'orris-
ing, as no angry eympionis were observable bailie;
, a little hissing and laughter were heard in nee poi-
, lion of the hoz circles previously, but this appeared
to he the effect of wine arid ill.manner,, rather than
of judgment, as it took place sometimes IN passages
, of considerable beauty.

Here will he another instsnee for the admirers of
the DOtir, of the " ins's" to quor• splint the
pretensions of us moderns. Certainly we shall be
obliged to own that we have loot the spirit of that
dramatic writing which has given plac►te more acute,
bet Ins p►rsonal delineation, as the days of good
archery are superseded by the more terrible, bet less
delicate levelling of muskets. The sentiments of mn.
Bern ploys are encreased in shrewdness by the spoils
of the interv►ning retied ; bet the force of novelty,
and the obsolete identiti►s of the old plays are, for
the same end simil aaaaaa ono, unattainable. There is
yet, however, room to do much in the way of natural
interest and poetic composition. This the Author
Purred in the first half of his piece ; be seemed tabs,.
given reins to his Pegasus, and the audience were led
over fields perfectly exuberant with the gifts of imagery
and sensibility. In the latter part he was as
Golly ; he was led astray, either by pureeing effect
ton glaringly, or else by a degrading accommodation
of his plot and &alms* to some supposed excellencies
in the performers. The latter Is the most likely ; and
if se, the Ladles and Gentlemen of the Theatre melt
muse es, Welt say it is easy to guess who is to blame.
The fact it, the play evidently failed from this destrec-
tive temporising with its plot and characters. The
natural net of incidents was thwarted in order to
display the favourite passions of the actors ; the lan-
gunge avoid not but follow this degradation, and that
which might have beep vigorous chancier and poetry,

slink into the common bathos and personalities of
the ectom

Min n one, was kept in an uninter-
rupted stretch of sunny ; rn this elly ma not hen
mach objection, hut the nedience has; in truth,
there is ton raw+ rue mod oightsbade in the wreath
with which •h. &rho el.. *mom.

• .
Mr. MaCuZADT% part we.. necerdieg en eattnin. tereharr
ed l'hh "evil? and los% M.. YuTe..b pan not•rnilened. or
rather mildleviled the Ivied. rrew of AlmAeth't niorltel. and in
doing It I.* inerposed Moro is the witistnint vf malice. We
nh.erve n are ley which Ike liner author. see in the Wadi
at applying the sittlestie eloculine of Mr. VOCIrG. In glee te-
al... whia;tiitt esenottertion this. we bre quite cf•t•
tale. i. neither t.• hit own thole nae that at the Publics
so that It I. evident. amidst ell the ass iety shirts Antlers are
placed ander of Itsbag characters In the pennies of the dra•
magic ewer. tbl. Clentleman. who Is the owly tow 'teeth can.
**loin upon each a salsjeet enjoys as share of ihdli It
woos dimatorthip. Woolly between the Chamberlaires =
owl the esarbit .nt caprice of lir platen. rent allowance
aught in he made for the writers at our tragedies. We onal4
wo. however. a Illits.4d she center,. which V. Interred. and
which. on this weetheas ha. been se figment!, wilt/wed.
when an Angkor en basely miens the refill of Ilig item/hut-
Sinn to the &name.= of the ererw.nenn when Is, rOlkllerltll
wake the pentanes., of ht. roe... sAn otionW be object. far the
emulation .4 all entwine. took presesti and In came. the mere
referents nf 1111•40' Mit. s IltrOaW/Ipll.lll/44.911,111r. Mr. MAC•
ltrAnT'll lewd frierit‘.und Mr. It Ft v's •15,5 Artiliwn. Thee
is not the way in • turh es siareana wrier: end for the knower
.4 the past whnnl .4 Netort. it it ens a wilts's. which they ever
teepees, Is drsinnel from the hand, of essieinrwars authors. Il
it wily evident Nob from the truivtlie• thesevelvi amt gram
sheer as which the tare of the Kaftflul was ehlety (minded.
that the. arriutunce WIN ire•y Mae in githinet. and that few plays
were written for their nerowimedntiott. To eir puny siweestion
ratoold en,. therefore. se impertinently lutist an a prerattadve
*lbich can do them wit rind. and leads the anther away front
natures purpose. taut night, we hope. put a-eveve sad seems
airy teresdamies in their astowaral dominion. And thourt this
was likely will oat be sufbeimat allerenent torevlve the im-
mortal rabic of the Hlsahelltion
We reel roloe lIIIIIIISPICARIOII4II his boar?,
?ler bid the owl of Oswalt sine:"
It II ratifying to see any rheas of thraldom broken and Mr.
Mavens* mow centrist himself an tilt aeration. like hit here,
with beruning a Jost victim to the nfraded rains of poetry,
new Jammed hag Ilectauny ?smiles* claims which he Itaa beret.-
' fore made good upon the lenient" of Panora&