Mr. Shee's Tragedy.
The Times, 1824-03-29T00:00:00

.- TIM !WTIOU4( o has-beon pub%hed *utbot Our radem. .rswac that such ii tht name gr. heej damt, which thelicinse, MIr. Colman, hba drivi,n from the tbhetre, sad sat which the Duke Of r1t ntrosN the Lord Cihambetlahi, 'aa confirmed the sen) cepro. nounced by Ihs subeltern oficer. Mr. Shte havigag pro. teted &aSInIt the decision of the deputy, int, a req iectful but manly and powerf ltter to the Chief, hisGri e Was pleased to disrad the'protest,and uithoutreadinr 4 word of the trigewy, as we col1ect fromb Ms orn wordi, dsclared hi, satir n with t ijdgment of Mr. Colrnan, ssainse whose abuse of hi discret pri beit oPs,edb [tht apll of tbeauthar wss'&irected. raeBtt quousttion we , ieke is that of the Duke of qu ontr os Ivt- in reply to Mr. t5ec's complaint, to the end that yery. one may see, ft4u the gowing and classic elegane of his Gmae's lanpgage, in what sort of hands the absoltte c*n- trol of the taste, and spirit, and literary genius of the zng. lish nation has been deposited:- "Sir,-ThInkin* . T. u57enor-4uar Feb. 19, IaO ' Sir,-Thbilring Mr. Colman a vfery sufficient judg, of h duty, and s I agee In his conclusion (fromtheaccoDtih 'V me afthe trey cdaied1asco), I do conclude, that at sS tne without osdermble omissions, the trxeedy should not be ,W and, whist I am persudeda that your intentions are upright, I, D: ceiretha it is sreiely for this reaon (though it may *ot strik author that it ha. been the wadono f the LeKislature to ha,, , examiner appointed, and power girento the clamberleai ofthL Houehold to judge whether certain plays should be acted at ll, r not acted at paruticular times. " I do not meai to enter into an argument with you, Sir, on the. subject; but think that your letter. conceived in polite terms to me, alls upon me to return an answer, showing that your tragedy bi. been rell cousidered. I am, Sir, with eSteem, "Your obledient setvant, " MONTROSE .n "Martin Arcb.rShee.,Eaq., cc We new proceed to three or four other extracts, taker from the play iteslf, amd comsprisng a few of the wannest. of those pasages which incu;rred the anathema of the Licenser. From these It is demonstrated, that no English. man ha a right to indulge one general sentiment favour., able to liberty, or expressive of enmity to tyrants, on paini of being considered a partisan of rebellion against the laws of hi own country, and wa oblique caluimiatorof his owL' gracous Sovereign, seated hy virtue of liberty itself on the~ throne of this free Tealm ! It is not very 1o0g, little more than half a century, 4ince that precious exotic, a licenser of plays, was engraftea on the British Constitution. The office has been tolerated by the people of England, because of the mildness with which- its powers were hbitually exer- cised; but it wasneveranytbingbetter in itself than an odious and humiliating office. It embraced a class of prerIatives Nwhich ought to be abolished here, if it were only Mause they are upheld and cherished in countries the wholeefforts of whose legisktion are given to the fencing rourd of despotian by every aid, no matter how circuitous and unnatural The functions, we agpin fTirm, of a dra- matic licenser in England au at open variance with the cause of letters, of genius, and of freedom-they are capable of the most insidious and oppresiive peryersion- they have a tendency, by one instance of abuse, to cramp the hopes and labours of 2 thousand poets-to stifle in its birth the noblest olfspring of the mind, and to rob the national glory of England of what might prove its brightust and most enduring monuments. Aloco is the hero of the drama which bears his name. He is a Pole, at the head of an insurrection undertaken by his countrymen to rescue themselves from foreign bondage; but oven a Pole, in this loyal age, must not dare, as it seems to oar Courtly Licenser, to speak the language of a patriot:- Alaico-" Ay, Sir, slsnde;'s abroad4 'iAnd busy, few escape her-.she can take All shapes-and sometimes, from the blistered lips " Of galled authority, will pour her slime On all whe dare diipute the claims of pride, "Or gustiort the high privilcye of oppressioa." Ahm-." 1 Tyr-nf, proud Lord, are 7ever safe, nor sholtf be; " The ground is mitc bencath them as the1 tread; Rfacnted by plots, cabali, consphracies, " Their fives arc long conwtnlsions, and they sake, "Ssrrou,ided by theirguardi and farrisosN.." Alsco.- - "Authority i " Show me autlhority in honour's garb, " And I will down upon the bumblest knee "I Th2t ever homage bent to sovereign swry; " But hal I reverencepride, anad lst and rapine? "No. When opprentolt xtaiSs the rooc o fstate, "And' power': a wrhip of scorpros in thehcnds "Of hcart leas knaves, to trh the o'erburden'd back " Of hoetc t ndustry, the loyal blood Wll turn to btterest gal, and th' o'crcharged heart " Esp7Wc in execration." Jlascoa " When Romwn crimes prewai, -nethinks 't-were well " Should Roman virtue still be fosnd to punish them. "IMa ervcry Tarqrtin meet a Bru2tsa still Jtevery fyra Jeel one !" _" Sir, what course, "What proces or of honour, or of law, "Shall take usurped athority to task, "And bid hii ansswerit P Brfore what bar "ILSW hapless wretches cit the porer thst grinds "And cscXAes them to earh 9i 0 J no, -so ?io! " When tyrants t-ramplk or all rights und uts, '4nd law becomes the accomplice of oppression, " There is &ut one appeal" The play abounds, we think it right to add, in loyal sen- timent and character; so that the antidote is never far dim.- tant from the bane. MRX S*'juabyW 1