The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1823-04-15

f.iihil.s are The heroes oI The 1lraiIia. 81
itat hasc oiien been tempted 10 cry eli
With the excellent mayor Of Quihbo ougl,
" Give me play without beast, charge
,oa.
These exhibitions of quadrlpeds take
precedence over al others, aud command
the most outrageous plaiidifs of the dlscri-
minating audience. The next IN public at
teni1on IS the melo drama, where the pas
siona are expressed by the iddlrA aud
the author Is saved the trouble of attend
lns To such low matters. All he has IN do
Is 10 produce striking situations, nj all la.
hafds, al every risk Of probability, aud in
defence of common sense After ihrse
comes the Legitimate comedy, as the ~.
eelient critics call il, which owes all III
eject u u drunken lrshtnan ar sniur Two
or three descript and original monsters
not I" he iohnd On earth, nor III the waters
nnder Tn earth a snHrrhrrp, ealnponn-
ded ui The opposite extremes OF harem-
sedfoin nnpradncc aud profound sentiment,
tnsethfr VITA sentimental Young lady
always ready Ia make u fool uf her parrnts
lhc dialogue must consist IN eanl phrases.
gaosslang, offensive double cneinlre, aud
Inflated sentiment on the part Of the Young
lad. --as also her logrr, Whenever he has
time 10 be in love. A further class of plays,
very much approved OF by John Bull at
present, are these not ahaolutrly written
by any body. They consist OF The united
laoors OIL seenr- painters, the mechanics,
the scene-sf1llers, and the Great I'm
known whose works are regularly dfa.
natiscd by an industrious innrnpyman
playwright. They are made up of All The
most striking incidents ri the novel or
poem, crowded ~ thick rs hops and Jun.
bled together pretty much At random
The whole machinery of these larasoes is
held together by the fddlers, who whene
yer the playwright is at his wi,s' ends, or
on the verge of ahsnrdily or impo.sbilIly,
flourish Their bows, aud thunder away IN
the very niek of time, while the lurky
wight escapes under their cover 10 the
next incongraity. The audience, which IN
London always goes 10 sleep while the
music ~ playing, iorgcts what came last,
anu the next Scene commences with MI the
advantages oi an utter oblivion Of the
past. The nee taste of the mob is thus
perfectly satisfied, in witnessing n quick
succession of striking incidents, without
the necessity of those lfaiiguing efforts TO
inrke them appear probable, that have
thrown such obstacles in the way of many
dramatic authors.
!" Bnl the most popular of all those in
spircd writers, who have lately assisted at
the resurrection oitragody. ~ Mr.. Matfin,
an ir'sl clergyman, who is, in the region
oi notion, what Counsellor Philips Is in that
III law. There Is certainly some of the
smoke of genius IN this writer, aud where
there Is smoke, they say, there must be
fire. But it seems to be- sort of clumsy
unpurpoeed, aud indiscrlminaf, faculty
eosendercd in horrors, and nestled IN t6.
same cradle with the great "raw head aud
plo"uy bones oi the nursery. II seems
always 'aborlhg with some mighty god
head, and yet produces nothing but shape
i,sas monsters. Devoted To mere arcu-
mutation OF horror upon horror, cxtraya
Sance upon extravaganza, his efforts seem
those OF the cyclops, Polypllelnus, the result
ai energy 4 blindness combined. His re-
mus appears, III fact, entirely devoted To
the sHlnlary purpose Of exciting people,
like the citizens Of London, the genterlcr
portion of whom are so used To boxing
matches, aud the lower classes 10 execu.
uons, that their blunted sympalllrs can on.
lybe awakened on the stage By the most
disgusting exhibition of extrmagant hor-
rors.' -aSo-
Tie following fact, Says the Londol
afJbe1 among lLe singular events Of the
present. day, deserves especial notice.
One al the Missionaries, from the Amer.
eau Board OF Missions, WAS ut Jerusalem
III january last, distributing the holy
Scriptures, and useful tracts. A Christian
hlsaIonary, from part of the world un-
known to exist by the first preachers oi
tho Gosp', Is now rc-kiudlinb the light of
Their holy doctrines in the very place liom
which It first cmanaicd This is news ii-
deed. ...s......
1t is stated in New York paper, ON the
authority of letters from Paterson, N. J.
that "A duel WAS fought near that place. ON
account Of some trivial affair, by Mr..
-, Of New York, and Young Scotch
man OF respectable connections, In which
the latter had his head grazed by ballet
IL Is added that the whole OF the parties
concerned, both principals and seconds,
were immediately apprehendrd aud com.
United to RockIand county jail.
900
EXTRACT FROM BELSHAZZAR
a ncW Did1lattc POEM, by Inc Rto H. .kibuan.
fHE sIlu.L1s OF BABYLoE IN rIAmls
Bel can neither fight nor fly where err
move,
On shadowy baitlemen,, or cloud of smoke.
That dark unboded hand waves 10 and iro.
And ndrshas me tie way 10 doath--to denth
That still eIudes nc. Every blazing wall
Breaks out in those red characters of fate;
And when raised my sword TO war, me
thought
That dark stolcd prophet stoed between, and
SeruI'd
Rehnkine Heaven for It's slow consummation
OF his dire words