Another incidental Reason, why I prefs for fome Regulation in this Affair, is in order to prevent the Frauds, the Lies, and even Perjuries arifing from this Profeffion of Brief-procurers, as will appear from the few Inftances annexed to this Letter.

Sufferers, Sir, are not under Difficulties, how to obtain a Brief; but by thofe, who make indirect Advantages of it, they are even courted to get one, where their own Modefty, arifing from the Sense of the Smallness of their Loffes, would difcourage any Attempts of that Kind.

From hence it comes to pass, that we are fo crouded with Briefs, that the best-difpofed are almoft tired out with giving; and the Grant, or Publication of the Briefs is poftponed for 3, 4 or 5 Years, notwithstanding they set forth in the Body of them, that the Sufferers must inevitably perish, unless speedily relieved by the Charity of others.

This would not be the Cafe, if fome exorbitant Fees did not attend the procuring of them.

Upon a proper Regulation, we fhould have fewer Briefs, greater Collections, a more early Relief, and lefs, I hope no, Frauds, Lies, or Perjuries attending them.

If I am not fo happy as to think with you, Sir, upon this Occafion, my next Defire is to have my Notions rectified by your better Judgment, in order to influence my own Practice in particular, that I may contribute fomething myself, and encourage others to do so too,

Who am, SIR, with all due Refpe&t,

Your most obedient bumble Servant, A. B.

Mr Edward Byrd and Company, Creditors on Napton

Brief, 1728.

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Inftances of Frauds, Lies, Perjuries, &c.

A Brief was obtained for a Fire. The real Lofs amounted to but one hundred Pounds The Hon. Mr Wrio. D-by, Voucher.

Another for re-building a Church. The Repairs amounted to but fourfcore Pounds. Tho. W -d, of C—p—n, V.

Another for a Fire, which left the Sufferers worth at least 10,000 l.
Tho. Lh, Rector of Hd, V.

each.

By

By a Suit against the Collectors, in favour of the Sufferers, upon the Infpection of the particular Briefs, was recovered double the Sum that was paid them as the Sum Total. Ditto V.

Mr Juftice Pe ordered a Profecution against Brief-gatherers, for not giving up their whole Collection. They compromised the Matter with the Sufferers, by adding 500 . to their firft Payment. A Compromise very much resented by the Judge.

B-ne, Efq; of An Hall, V. Sir Tho. L-tt-n offered to rebuild his Parish Church for 200 l.The Offer was rejected, and a Brief laid the Damage at 1100l.

Omb-ley Fire-Part was Parish Houfes, the other were burnt had Land in Proportion belonging to them. of the Whole (Land and Houses too) not worth 400/. was laid at 800 /. for the Houses only.

Ditto V.

Houfes that But the Fee The Damage

Ditto V.

N. B. This laft was a joint Brief, which I fuppofe (for I never faw the Particulars of any but Napton Brief) is attended with more Advantage to the Procurers, and confequently is of lefs to the Sufferers. From hence it comes to pass that there is a notorious Falfehood inferted in this Kind of Briefs, wherein we are told, that 'tis to fave the Expence of feparate Collections, that the Sufferers have joined together; whereas it is well known, that no Brief is granted for lefs Damage than a thousand Pounds; to make up which Sum (when the Collectors happen to be over-modeft) they do, by an unnatural Conjunction, bring fometimes the four Corners of England together, tho' they meet no where else but in a Brief, nor ever heard of each other before: The separate Loffes of whom, fairly stated (which I am afraid is feldom or never the Cafe) would be beneath the Notice of the Publick, and might be made up in the Neighbourhood, at least as far as is reasonably to be expected: For, very good Reasons there are, why the whole Lofs fhould not be made up to the immediate Sufferers. They ought to be very thankful, as well as fatisfied, if half of the Damage fuftained be removed by the Contributions of the Charitable, efpecially if their Loffes are really rated at the highest, contrary to what is pretended to be, at the lowest Computation.

The Reformation of the STAGE; a fmall Treatife lately published in French, by LEWIS RICCOBONI.

UR Author modeftly declares, in his Preface, "that he is not a Man of Genius or Letters; but that having been a Comedian for thirty five Years, he has had an Opportunity of being convinced that the Stage, upon its prefent Footing, greatly corrupts Good Manners; and that he thought himself obliged to publish his Sentiments upon this Subject, together with a Plan which he had form'd for rendering it, if poffible, fuch as Good Manners and the Regard due to Society require". In this View we are to confider M. Riccoboni's Work, without which we may fail of perceiving its Merit. This Treatife is divided into fix Parts: In the first the Author gives his Reasons for

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a Reformation of the Stage. The fecond contains his Plan for that Purpose. The third, a List of the Tragedies which he would retain on the Stage thus reformed. The fourth, a Lift of fuch Tragedies as may always be acted after making fome neceffary Alterations. The fifth, a Lift of the Tragedies he would abfolutely reject. The fixth relates to Comedies only, in which he regulates those that may be retained, thofe to be corrected, and those that ought to be rejected.

Part I, The Author declares fincerely, "that he perceives, in its full Extent, the great Good that would be produced, by the entire Suppreffion of the Stage:" And he readily agrees with all that fo many Perfons of Learning and Genius have already written upon that Subject: But as there is little Hope of a total Suppreffion, he contents himself with propofing a Plan for its Reformation; for thefe Reasons.

1. Because Comedies turn all upon Love, which, tho' it generally tend to Marriage, yet the Inconveniences which arife from the Reprefentation of indecent and irregular Amours on the Stage are not fufficiently guarded againft; for, as fome think, People do not con- ' fider that thefe Amours, which are pretended to be honourable, are always treated without Decorum, and in contempt of all Obligations to Parents and Guardians. The young People, even the Females, are reprefented as contriving nothing elfe but to deceive their Parents, and turn them into Ridicule. And their Maid-Servants and Valets, who always favour Licentioufnefs, continually advise them to Irregularities.

2. It is certain alfo that the Expreffions of Lovers, which upon the Stage are always ftrained too far, confirm the Libertine in his Licentioufnefs, awaken the dulleft Minds, and cannot fail to inftruct in Vice, and to give Admittance to a dangerous Paffion into the Heart of the most innocent Youth.

3. The Manner in which the Paffion of Love is treated in Tragedies, is no lefs apt to corrupt and enervate the Heart. It is always the favourite Paffion of the Heroe, for which he does and facrifices every Thing, and which almoft always carries him to Vice, and rarely to Virtue; fo that the ordinary Effects of Love in Tragedies are Murders, Ufurpations, Treachery, Treason, and a Contempt of the Laws. 4. M. Riccoboni dwells next upon the indecent Manner in which the Women appear upon the Stage. What seems to him to be still more dangerous. is to fee them fing and dance, and excite Defires not only by their Geftures, Drefs and Tone of Voice, but by the pernicious Maxims which they commonly utter. How dangerous, fays be, are fuch Objects to young People! How deftructive to their Innocence ! Part II. contains the Regulations for his Reformed Stage.

"After a Reformation of the Stage, fays be, by any Sovereign or Republick, a Council of the following Perfons ought to be appointed:

A Head, or Prefident, for the King or Senate, a Subftitute of the Lieutenant General of the Police, or of the Magiftrate who has the Government within a City, two Doctors of the Faculty of Divinity, two of the fenior Poets of the Theatre, able to judge of Theatrical Performances, and one or two old Actors. At their first Meeting they fhould establish the following, or the like Articles.

1. That no Actor fhall be received, but one who is known to be a Man of Honour, and avouched as fuch by his Family For this

purpose

purpose he shall be obliged to bring Certificates in due Form, and hall fubmit to all the Regulations of the new Theatre, &c.

II. That inall the new Pieces which shall be written for the Theatre thus reformed, whether Tragedies, Comedies, or of what kind foever, the Paffion of Love, fuch as it is ufually reprefented now-a-days, fhall be entirely laid afide: Yet with this Exception, that if any Author fhould hit on the Secret of giving useful Inftructions on this Paffion, fo that the Spectators may thereby become better, his Performance fhall be admitted as well as thofe in which Hatred, Wrath, &c. are represented fo as to excite in the Spectators a virtuous Horror.

III. All old Pieces fhall be examined, to fee which are capable of being corrected, by cutting out all Scenes of Love, incompatible with that Purity of Manners which is proposed to be inculcated,

IV. There shall be no Women in this Company of Comedians bat fuch as are married, and whofe Husbands live with them, whether they be Comedians or not: And, as to Actreffes, the Method in Holland hould be observed, to difmifs them upon the least Offence.

V. Girls and Women, not excepting even Actreffes, fhall not for the future be allowed to dance upon the Stage.

VI. Every new Piece, before it can be prefented to the Council, which alone has the Right of receiving it, muft pafs four Examinations.

1. The Substitute of the Police fhall judge whether or not the Work be contrary to the Laws of the Kingdom.

2. The Piece fhall be remitted to one of the Divines of the Council, who shall decide whether or not it wounds Religion and Good Manners. 3. It fhall be read by one of the Poets of the Council, who shall give his Opinion upon the Style, the Verfification, the Plot, and the Conduct of it, and who fhall make all the Objections which his own Genius may fuggeft, and which are cognizable by Rules of Art. 4. Examination fhall be made by one of the Comedians of the Council, as to what concerns the Execution of the Work.

VII. All the Money which is taken fhall be lodged in a publick Box; and at the Year's End, whatever Balance shall remain, after all Charges are cleared, fhall be laid out in charitable Ufes.

VIII. The Company of Comedians fhall be regulated in the fame Manner as the French Stage is at prefent; but, in order to render little Pieces the more diverting, among the ufual Actors, fhall be introduced Harlequin masked, in the fame manner as on the Italian Stage.

IX. It fhall not be allow'd to open the Theatre, or to exhibit Shows of any kind foever on Feftivals, Sundays, and all the Time of Lent. As to the Opera, it appearing to our Author incapable of being reform'd, he modeftly infinuates that it must be entirely fuppreffed.

Part III. The Tragedies to be retained on the Reformed Stage are Athalie, Iphigenie en Aulide, Heraclius, Stilicon, Andromaque, Dom Sanche d'Arragon, Polieude, Manlius Capitolinus, La Thebaide, Efther, Ines de Caftro, Atree et Thyefte, Radamifte et Zenobie, La mort de Cefar, Orefte et Pylade, and Brutus.

M. Riccoboni treats of each of thefe Pieces in particular; and he does the fame with regard to those he speaks of afterwards, and all along affigns Reasons for his Opinion. Some Readers, perhaps, will think that, in this third Part, M. Riccoboni is not fufficiently fteady and

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confiftent upon his own Principles: And indeed after all he has faid about theatrical Love, and in what follows, there is Reason to be furprifed at the Indulgence he fhews to many Tragedies in which this Paffion is fo ftrongly represented.

Par. IV. The Tragedies to be corrected are Britannicus, Cinna, Oedipe, Les Horaces, Sertorius, Geta, Penelope, Medee, Agrippa, Romulus, Jugurtha, and Amafis.

Thus M. Riccoboni speaks in particular of Britannicus: "The Amours of Junia, Britannicus and Nero, intermixed with the grand Sentiments which Agrippina, Burrbus, and even Nero exprefs in this Tragedy, diffigure it entirely. For my part, I would altogether fupprefs the Part of Junia: Much might be faid of it; every Thing else might be referr'd to it, but it should never be brought upon the Stage. Then would the great Action be no longer difgraced, or weaken'd by the Verfes and illy Scenes of Love, which spoil all the Grandeur of this Piece.

I cannot bear, for inftance, that Nero fhould hide himself in order to over-hear the Conversation of his Rival there is nothing more trivial, nor less agreeable to a grand Subject. I repeat it again, all Junia does and fays might be faid and done by the Perfons concerned in the Action. Britannicus might make Narciffus his Confident, and Narcissus might tell it Nero; and fo the Piece would lofe nothing.

Should any one take the Pleasure of attempting it, he would, perhaps, find, with furprise, what Addition might be made to the Action, which would ftill remain in its full Force and Majefty. On the other hand, fhould any one be fo hardy as to cut off altogether the Episode of Funia (which indeed Racine had no Occafion for) fo as to retain nothing of Love, but only the Policy of Nero, who would willingly get rid of Britannicus that he might have no Rival in the Empire, the Trouble might be greater, but the Advantage would be more confiderable, and the Representation more natural. The Tragedy of Britannicus, thus reformed, might be reckoned among the best and most valuable Pieces of the Stage, and fuit very well the new Theatre."

Part V. The Tragedies to be rejected are Le Cid, Berenice, Pompee, Mithridate, Comte d'Effex, Phædrus, Alexandre le Grand, Wenceslas, Bajazet, Aftrate, Roi de Tyr.

Part VI. The Comedies to be retained are Le Mifanthrope, M. Du Frefney's Chevalier Joueur, les Femmes Sçavantes, les Precieufes ridicules, les Facheux.

Comedies to be corrected are Moliere's l'Avare, la Mere coquette, les Plaideurs, Reconciliation, M. Du Frefney's Normande, le Cocu Imaginaires. The Comedies to be rejected, Ecole des Maris, Ecole des Femmes, George Dandin.

Our Author not only criticifès each of thefe Pieces, and affigns Reasons for retaining fome, correcting others, and rejecting the rest, but he goes farther, and proposes a Plan of a new Theatre, to be built for the Reprefentation of the Performances in his new Tafte, according to which a feparate Place is appointed for the Spectators of each Sex.

Tho' this Author disclaims all Pretences to Genius, his Reflections on the bad Effects of theatrical Representations are of great Weight, as long Experience had enabled him to determine better than any Body elfe upon fuch Matters. His good Intentions ought certainly to be commended, and his Book may be very ferviceable to fuch as would either Speak or write against the Stage.

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