and cities, and to wander from hall to hall amongst the rural manfions of the gentry and nobility.

It is very probable that previous to the period now under confideration, dramatic entertainments were not numbered with the elegant amufements of the court; though Mr. Chetwood afferts, on the authority of a wax-chandler's bill, that GORBUDUC, and several other plays, had been performed in the caftle of Dublin, during the adminiftration of Blount, lord Mountjoy, in the reign of Elizabeth. Now, had there really been fuch exhibitions, the expenfes would certainly have been defrayed by an order of the lord deputy or privy council, on the deputy vice treasurer: yet no fuch order appears either in the treasury office, or in the archives of the office of the auditor general-at least, if fuch an order does exift, it has escaped my researches. The theatre in Werburgh-ftreet

Gen. Hift. of the Stage, page 51.

continued to be opened, occafionally, under the fanction of government, till the year 1641, when it clofed for ever.+

From Werburgh-ftreet the fcene of the drama was fhifted to Orangeftreet (now Smock-alley) in 1661. But during the civil wars that foon after broke out, the whole company were difperfed; fo that when the people of Dublin, on the defeat of king James's army, at the battle of the Boyne, amongst other expreffions of joy, fays Cibber, had a mind to have a play, they could find no actor to affift, and fome private perfons agreed to give one, at their own expenfe, to the public at the theatre.

From this time every event of the Irish ftage has been so faithfully and fo minutely recorded, that nothing is left for me to add to its hiftory.§ Here, therefore, I fhall difmifs the fubject.

JOSEPH C. WALKER."

Apology, page 136.

MISCELLA

On the Art of Pleasing.-From the Effays of the Marquis D'Argenjon.

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MONCRIF, who is atONCRIF, who is attached to my brother, came to communicate to me his project of printing a book, intituled: De la neceffité et des moyens de plaire. My dear Moncrif," faid I to him, "nothing is fo eafy as to treat upon the first head of thy dif"courfe; all the world feels it; "all the world has a defire to please, "but the means are extremely dif"ficult to be found: it is a difficult, and a very delicate matter "to indicate the true ones; they depend upon a great number of "circumftances, which make them vary ad infinitum." From this I entered with him into particulars, of which I have fince committed a part to paper. After hearkening to me attentively, "Sir," answered he, humbly, "I will make ufe of the sage reflections you have juft "communicated to me; but the plan of my work is not laid ex"actly in the manner you propose." "Thy work! is it already fi nished?" replied I. "Yes, Sir, "it is in the prefs." In fact, in a very little time afterwards, he brought it to me, printed and well bound: I have read it, and this reading has recalled to my mind

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what a man of wit, a friend of mine, once faid to me, as we were walking in a great library, where there were a multitude of books upon fpeculative philofophy, metaphyfics, and morality: "Here are, "Here ure," faid he, "thousands of volumes, pf which the greatest number ought to be fup"preffed, and the reft new modelled:" -that of Moncrif is so much more of the latter defcription, on account of its being very unanimatedly written: it is, therefore, tiresome, although a small volume: he finishes with fairy tales, above the capacity of children, and not interesting enough to men.

Moncrif faid himself that the marvellous could not be agreeable, but by the manner of reprefenting it; that otherwife improbability dif gufted and fatigued. His tales are the best proofs of this truth.

Moncrif's mother was the widow of a procureur, called Paradis. She was a woman of wit, and knew how to use it to advantage, and to bring up two children, which her husband had left her. By the protection of my brother one of them became a fubaltern officer, and, at length, commander of a small place; the eldest had the greater share of his mother's affection, who, to intro duce him into the world, made the laft efforts to clothe him well: the fent him to the theatres, to the

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places fet apart for the moft diftinguifhed people, where he might make ufeful acquaintances. Moncrif, following his mother's counfels, became acquainted with me and my brother, amongst others. This has been beneficial to him: our relations were in place; my brother made him his private friend and fecretary, upon the moft genteel footing: fome years afterwards he attached himself to the Compte de Clermont, prince of the blood, and he had the flattering title of fecretary to his commanderies; he had even a lift of vacant benefices depending upon this prince-abby; but he propofed none to fill them but with the approbation of certain women of the opera. He quarrelled with this little court; but my brother repaired all by making him reader to the queen, and fecretary general of the pofts. It is faid he had learned to fence, and that he was even received as a fencing-malter; what makes this probable is, that when Moncrif became reader to the queen, and confequently at court, his age was inquired after: his friends wifhed to prove him older than he appeared to be, and quoted the epocha of his reception in the corps of fencing-mafters. M. de Maurepas would affure himself of it; and, having had occafion to read the lift of the members of this community, who prayed a renewal of their privileges, he found, in fact, the name of Paradis at the head. He afked the Syndics what was become of this mafter: the aufwer was, that he had disappeared for fome time, and confequently renounced the profeflion. The minifier, who, as every body knows, loves a little waggery, related this anecdote to the king, According to this account, Moncrif

was eighty years of age. Lewis XV. having laughed at it a good deal, finding Moncrif one day with the queen, faid to him, Do you know, Moncrif, that there are people who give you eighty years of age? Yes, Sire, anfwered he, but I do not take them. For my part, I do not be lieve that Moncrif has been a fenc ing-mafter; it must rather have been his brother, in whom his mother could not find other talents for fociety than fencing, which is not a very focial one.

I return to Madame Paradis. With wit, reading, an agreeable manner, and addrefs, the procured herself a good income. Towards the end of the reign of Lewis XIV. there was more pretenfion to wit in intrigues than at prefent: it was the cuftom to write gallant notes, which required anfwers of the fame kind, and the ardour of the cavalier was judged of by the energy of the letters which he got fecretly delivered: the lover, in the fame manner, calculated his hopes according to the anfwer Madame Paradis devoted herfelf to the epiftolary ftyle; being known to feveral ladies of the gallant court of Lewis XIV. fhe affified them with her pen to make agrecable advances, or give tender anfwers; and this was no real injury to her fortune, nor to the advancement of her fon. Moncrif appeared to inherit the talent of his mother. My brother having made a journey into Touraine, became intimately and particularly ac quainted with a lady of this pro vince. After his return to Paris, he received from her fome letters of gallantry, to which, in politenefs, he could not but return answers. He charged Moncrif to write them, who acquitted himfelf like a worthy fon

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of Madame Paradis, and fpared my brother the trouble of even copying them. But the moft whimsical confequence of this correfpondence was, my brother having become minifter, and the young lady a wife, he had occafion to write about fome affair to her old lover, and was much furprifed at not finding, in his anfwers, either the ftyle of the letters fhe had preferved, or even the fame handwriting: we may learn by this, that minifters and thofe who are deftined to become fo, do not always do that of themselves, from which they gain the most honour.

As I faid to Moncrif, there is nobody but is convinced of the neceffity of pleasing, and who has not, more or lefs, the defire of doing it; but this is not all; talents are moreover neceffary. Every actor upon a theatre carries with him the defire of being applauded; yet there are many who come off with being hiffed and hooted. To facceed, two kinds of talents are neceflary; thofe which nature gives, and cannot otherwife be acquired, ftature, figure, and an agreeable voice; natural, eafy, gay, and amiable wit; thofe who poffefs not thefe advantages, thould procure to themfelves a fictitious amiability; though it is never worth that which is real, and what may properly be called innate: but ftill it is of fome value; it is ftudied, but it must appear natural; is infenfibly gained by habitude; and the occupation of improving acquired advantages becomes agreeable.

The defire of excelling cannot be too much concealed; on the contrary, what ought to be most remarked, or fuppofed in you, is the defire of making others appear to advantage. Affection, or at leaft

the appearance of it; admiration, real or pretended; flattery, delicately managed, never fail to fucceed. When you perceive that any particular vice is difpleafing, affect the oppofite virtue. This contrast is the art of pleafing in fociety, what the claro obfcuro is in painting: the colouring must be heightened by contrafts; the colours must be laid on thick, and the pencils managed with delicacy. Good-nature, fincerity, and complaifance, must be affected, yet tinctured with a little criticifm.

A fatirical character is frightful and difpleafing in itself; but, as able phyficians transform poifons into remedies, men of great wit manage criticism and irony fo as to amufe fome perfons, and correc others, without faying any thing offenfive; and what else is fable and good comedy?

Let us acknowledge that we strive not to pleafe others but from a motive of felf-love; but it is necessary to veil it fo as to prevent its being even fufpected. Let us go ftill farther, and add, that we must not be too anxious about people whom we wish toplease: they are embarrafled by being fpoken well of in their prefence; they would often prefer being criticifed, provided it did not exceed what they could defend with advantage.

Compliance is the laft fpring to put in motion, and which acts well in fecret only; fuch as are known to be of an accommodating charac ter are fufpecied: we are inclined to look upon them as deceitful, and even treacherous.

We eafily perfuade those who are in affliction, that we ourselves are affected by it, because whoever partakes of trouble cannot be fufpected of interefted views; but nothing is

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more difficult than to perfuade those who are happy, and arrive at great employs, that we rejoice fincerely at their good fortune; they think, and with reafon, that we should trouble ourfelves but little about it, if our perfonal intereft were not concerned therein. Men, in a fubordinate fituation, are not thanked for their complaifance; it is looked upon as one of their obligations; it is even, fometimes, by this they get their bread; but it is very valuable in fuperiors, provided it be not fufpected to take its fource from weaknefs or fimplicity.

Indulgence for faults, which is founded upon indifference only, humiliates him who experiences it, and renders odious the perfon by whom it is exerciled.

A difdainful air, a contemptible tone, make great men hated; but a low and cringing manner, make them difpifed, which is ftill worse. A noble politenefs is what they ought to be ambitious of, and which they often poffefs; but that which is equally rare and precious in all ranks, is equability. Unhappily its oppofite is not difcovered till after a certain time of probation; we are frequently feduced into ftrong connexions, before we difcover that thole with whom we have formed them are unworthy of our efteem, because they have for fome time impofed upon themfelves the neceffity of pleafing; on the first neglect, their defects, and infupportable humour appear; the beginning of the acquaintance was ferene and agreeable; the end of it becomes clouded, and fometimes tempeftuous; but when an engagement is formed, life paffes in regretting the first moments; they return but feldom, and it is neceflary to confole ourselves

for an attachment to a perfon of a capricious and unequal character, by recollecting the agreeable moments we have paffed together, and by enjoying the hope of finding others like them.

The reflection with which Moncrif finishes his book, appears to me to be the most fenfible thing in it, and is as follows: "A man, on "entering the world, fhould expec "to find two judges of all his ac"tions-reafon, and felf-love, or "the intereft of others. The firft "of thefe judges is always equit "able and impartial; the fecond, " fevere and frequently unjuft; it "is the child of jealoufy; let us "ftrive not to allure it: this is "the means of pleasing and fuc "ceeding."

I have related, in a few pages, all the maxims worth quoting from Moncrif's book, de la neceffité et des moyens de plaire, in which there are three hundred.

The Effects of Love on different Cha racters. From the fame.

FTER treating in this volume

of fo many different matters and objects, I am now going to fpeak of love and women: but I will not dwell long upon either of them; for I think, like Madame Cornuel, who faid, We cannot be long in love without doing foolih things, nor fpeak much of it, without laying filly ones.

It is difficult, in every period of life, to infpire a real paffion; but it is eafy to make moft women conceive a momentary one; many things contribute to this; a fine figure, the appearance of ftrength and vigour, the graces, wit, or the

reputation