Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1803-08-20

liz la " >~t7i its Alsos @SciuCUleS DIX
among the earlieltdIamasic works: tho
Elealns wasthe manager Of alrablic flag
many hundred years before the time O
ference, bur no record remains OF the
merits of his plays.
! The Roman hiilory informs US ,!a,
| when Terence had hnilhcd his hdt play,
be brought it to the Eait for a iicenie.
He WAS ordered to read il before Cceilius,
the moa approved Judge in Rome. The
poets garb, Tin which he has been imi-
tated, BY mary modern authors Of great
merit was none OF TIC bca, aid he was
therefore ordered 10 be featea 10 anotdi-
nary place and begin, Whit Ceciljus was
at upper. Vie hrit few linesof his fine
verfss, csufed his judge 10 fart from the
table, and TO order the poet to approach
and fit down by his fde.
Terence received 5000 ieferces for
one playa reward, though not exceed
ing three hundeed dollars, yet greater
10 thofe days than ever Par had been
given. Il was acted twice in one day
tho plays were then made TO be perform
ed only two or three times in all.
After the decline cS the Roman EN-
pire, Europe was diareGcd by civil wars,
and rude attacks from neighboring natl
ons, until about the time that Shsk &
peare -four ihed, whole abilities, {" We,
ne'ef lha1l look uponihe like again." be
gan to reicue rhr Engi.ih drama from the
ihackies of tyranny. Fsom this time,
its progrefive advances in England have
carried il far beyond Roman gfandeur--
and in this, the different nations Of Eu-
rope have endeavoured TO keep pace.
The oppoGtior the Stage met with, in
this new world, and the feeble fupport TOO
often extended towards thsle who Iabour
for both our amuiement and information,
can not only be accounted for, but, per
hsps, in fome meaiurc, jutiihed.
When Harper, the Comedian, fra at
tempted to ipcak the lines Of Shakespeare,
before Bottom audience, the fauaties
pulled down his fage-declared his COM
rany were imps from, he'll, and purified
them with all the mercilcis ierocity OF
fuperfition. We are, at this time, proud
to afcrt that the American i1sge, is emu
lating that of England, and that Mr..
Harper, few months ego, came down
from the back ground of his boards 10
Bottom, inythe character of COLUMBUS,
to an admiring and applauding audience.
In Alexandria, Till younger in thea.
tricals, we require little more attenti.
on, atleat to the rules Of fociety, if not
relpeet TO the law--eiie why llould the
Manager be compelled TO complain of
foreibie entry into the Thestre, and an
offer Of reward for experimenting the
intruderS.
We truf that in the obiervations we
may from time 10 time make, on the per-
formances which may be offered On the
Alexandra Stage, that we fha!l nos be
compelled to complain Of !" lack of
Induitry" in its performers, and though
we mean !" nothiag to extenuafe or lce
down aught in malice, = yet, claiming
right coeval with the Sage iiirIf, We
mean to "lafh the auggard and to caTb
the boundleis.' =
By the brig Hunter, lately arrived at
Baltimore from Gibraltar, we learn that
Toulon is blocked up BY Nielsen.
Buonaparte blocked u, III Calais BY
!" his evil genus" Sir Sidney Smith.
That the Emperor of Morocco bad SIX
cruizers ready for sea-and twas suspect
ed they were intended to p'under the A.
merican commerce.
The Resolution, British ffigare, had
cut out two French ships from under the
batteries of AlgszIras.
The French have made demand Of
"A sail of the line from Spain. and, that
Lucian Bonaparte was at Madrid to ne
gociate for the assistance OF the Dams.
u