The Statesman. — 1812-09-22 (London, England)

VENT-GA/WEN TI I &lift& • • The admirable hilt belletteyed Tragedy of Richard the Third was brongiLforward last night, for the JIM time this sessoni-aall Mr. C. REMBLII was in. diced (as We Isreitintel' Orepersonify that ruthlessMonarch. ~e;•• • Of all the Osys,l4lltat tee now enacted in the saw round of the aritish*Diama, thOl‘e.ii not one that 10 popular with • the vulgar as this, and notirith. standing its scenes are more tinctured with blood and brutality, in fact and in detail, than any other Tragedy that is now brought forward, yet it coati..., lines to be eminently attractive, though we Nave much reason to believe that the portraiture of Richard Li, in a degree, * posthumous libel upon his person and character, • and written by Shnkspeare to gratify, the spleen of Queen Elizabeth, whose re.;/ gal father *as morts naturally sanguinary, though' his features have been delineated with so mueb. forbearance, by the very Bard who deemed it• expedient to fashion such a caricature of Richard Plantagenet. But all departed greatness is so partially and unduly handled by the historian, who often writes from a spirit ef servility rather than truth, that a thoughtful and just man should hesitate before he fulls in with the swelling tide of pr6udice, as it is very probable that neither Richard nor Catatisse were half so villainous as they have been represented, though the aims of the !louse of Tudor, and the traitorous ambition of some Roman Patricians, might render it as necessary to begrime either, for purposes rather sinister than virtuous! But all that is merely ea parinnt. .In the representation of this Character, .Mr. C. KEstat.e did what he generally does, that is, he eahi. bited many traits of merit, some discrimination, some inaccuracies of conception, and much.energy. When he bath murdered King Henry, in the first act, and utters  " See hnw my sword weeps At the 40. d King's death. 1w evidently misunderstood his duty, by directing his discourse to tile Pit, who are certainly no parties in the affair, and not the instrument which is the medium of his sarcasm; and this is a failing that is too common Kith our Tragedians, who should recollect, that it is their bounden obligation, as actors, to play before the audience, and not to them. In the love scene with Lady Anne, he was not eqsal to his great brother, who was not equal to Mr. Graze; but the talent of uttering soft insinuations to the Ladies, on the stage, does not seem to he one of the most perfect qualifications that the Kcsint.c family possess. In the fourth act he appeared to us to be more meritorious than in any other, though he, occasionally, was too hUd ; hut the callow part of the audience encourage tdis propensity, so lamentably, that ,carcely nny performer can excite applause who doth not violate his judgment on this head. _ .  In the fifth act, we thought Mr. C. ICtstittit was comewhnt too dispirited; fur though Richard is dis. comfited by the ghosts, who make him a midnight visit, yet it should be remembered that he was ne►er an absolute dastard.  After these objections, we must in candour allow, that, on taking the whole exertion together, it stirpassed our expectations; and while the legitimate Riaard is incline to remain on the other side of the Atlantic, and Mr. KEstaLE to secede from dramatic admiration, we know of no other person who could manage so dilbcnit a part so ably. Mr. Assetr put on the bins of Richmond, but they did not precisely fit him. In the Barletta of Miles, we were happy to per. ceive that Mr. SINCIAIR paid some attention to our advice; but he bath even now something, in method, to unlearn. Mr. It'er.tv understood the devices of this sylvan Apollo more perfectly than any other person that we have seen in the character..  All the Battalions in England are to send detachments to the Peninsula, so as to leave themselves skeletons to be filled up by recruiting. This is certainly the best mode of reinforcing Lord