66 any mifery, he usually called it seeing life. If his head was broke by a chairman, or his pocket picked by a fharper, he comforted himself by imitating the Hibernian dialect of the one, or the more fashionable cant of the other. Nothing came amifs to Dick. His inattention to money matters had incenfed his father to fuch a degree, that all the interceffion of friends in his favour was fruitlefs. The old gentleman was on his death-bed. The whole family, and Dick among the number, gathered round him. I leave my fecond fon Andrew, faid the expiring mifer, my whole eftate, and defire him to be frugal. Andrew, in a forrowful tone, as is ufual on thefe occafions, Prayed heaven to prolong his life and "health to enjoy it himself." I recommend Simon, my third fon, to the care of his elder brother, and leave him befide four thoufand pounds. Ah! father, cried Simon, (in great affliction to be fure) May heaven give you life and health to enjoy it "yourfelf!" At laft, turning to poor Dick; as for you, you have always been a fad dog, you'll never come to good, you'll never be rich, I'll leave you a fhilling to buy an halter. Ah! father, cries Dick, without any emotion, “ May heaven give you life and health to enjoy it yourself!" This was all the trouble the lofs of fortune gave this thoughtless imprudent creature. However, the tendernefs of an uncle recompenced the neglect of a father; and Dick is not only exceffively good-humoured, but competently rich. 66 The world, in fhort, may cry out at a bankrupt who appears at a ball; at an author who laughs at the public which pronounces him a dunce; at a general who fmiles at the reproach of the vulgar, or the lady who keeps her good-humour in fpite of fcandal; but fuch is the wifeft behaviour they can poffibly affume; it is certainly a better way to oppose calamity by diffi pation, pation, than to take up the arms of reafon or refolution to oppofe it: by the firft method we forget our miferies, by the laft we only conceal them from others; by struggling with misfortunes, we are fure to receive fome wounds in the conflict. The only method to come off victorious, is by running away. ON OUR THEATRES. MADEMOISELLE CLAIRON, a celebrated actress at Paris, feems to me the most perfect female figure I have ever feen upon any ftage. Not, perhaps, that Nature has been more liberal of perfonal beauty to her, than fome to be feen upon our theatres at home. There are actreffes here who have as much of what connoiffeurs call ftatuary grace, by which is meant elegance unconnected with motion, as fhe; but they all fall infinitely fhort of her, when the foul comes to give expreffion to the limbs, and animates every feature. Her first appearance is exceffively engaging; the never comes in ftaring round upon the company, as if the intended to count the benefits of the house, or at leaft to fee, as well as be feen. Her eyes are always, at firft, intently fixed upon the perfons of the drama, and the lifts them by degrees, with enchanting diffidence, upon the fpectators. Her first speech, or at least the firft part of it, is delivered with scarcely any motion of the arm; her hands and her tongue never fet out together; but the one prepares us for the other. She fometimes begins with a mute eloquent attitude; but never goes forward all at once with hands, eyes, head, and voice. This obfervation, though it may appear of no importance, fhould certainly 6 certainly be adverted to; nor do I fee any one pers former (Garrick only excepted) among us, that is not in this particular apt to offend. By this fimple beginning the gives herfelf a power of rifing in the paffion of the fcene. As the proceeds, every gefture, every look acquires new violence, till at laft tranfported, fhe fills the whole vehemence of the part, and all the idea of the poet. Her hands are not alternately ftretched out, and then drawn in again, as with the finging women at Sadler's Wells; they are employed with graceful va→ riety, and every moment please with new and unexpected eloquence. Add to this, that their motion is generally from the fhoulder; fhe never flourishes her hands while the upper part of her arm is motionlefs, nor has fhe the ridiculous appearance, as if her elbows were pinned to her hips. But of all the cautions to be given to our rifing actreffes, I would particularly recommend it to them never to take notice of the audience, upon any occafion whatsoever; let the fpectators applaud never fo loudly, their praifes fhould pafs, except at the end of the epilogue, with feeming inattention. I can never pardon a lady on the ftage who, when she draws the admiration of the whole audience, turns about to make them a low courtfey for their applaufe. Such a figure no longer continues Belvidera, but at once drops into Mrs. Cibber. Suppose a fober tradefiman, who once a year takes his fhilling's worth at Drury-lane, in order to be delighted with the figure of a queen, the queen of Sheba for inftance, or any other queen: this honeft man has no other idea of the great but from their fuperior pride and impertinence: fuppofe fuch a man placed among the fpectators, the firft figure that appears on the ftage is the queen herself, courtefying and cringing to all the company; how can he fancy her the the haughty favourite of king Solomon the wife, who appears actually more fubmiffive than the wife of his bofom. We are all tradesmen of a nicer relish in this refpcct, and fuch conduct muft difguft every fpectator who loves to have the illufion of Nature ftrong upon him. Yet, while I recommend to our actreffes a fkilful attention to gefture, I would not have them study it in the looking-glafs. This, without fome precaution, will render their action formal; by too great an intimacy with this they become ftiff and affected. People feldom improve, when they have no other model but themselves to copy after. I remember to have known a notable performer of the other fex, who made great ufe of this flattering monitor, and yet was one of the stiffest figures I ever faw. I am told his appartment was hung round with lookingglafs, that he might fee his person twenty times reflected upon entering the room; and I will make bold to fay, he faw twenty very ugly fellows whenever he did fo. VOL. IV. N THE THE BE E, No III. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1759. ON THE USE OF LANGUAGE. THE manner in which moft writers begin their treatises on the Ufe of Language is generally thus: "Language has been granted to man, in order to "difcover his wants and neceffities, fo as to have "them relieved by fociety. Whatever we defire, "whatever we wifh, it is but to cloath those de"fires or wishes in words, in order to fruition; the principal ufe of language, therefore, fay they, "is to exprefs our wants, fo as to receive a speedy "redrefs.' Such an account as this may ferve to fatisfy grammarians and rhetoricians well enough, but men who know the world maintain very contrary maxims; they hold, and I think with fome fhew of reafon, that he who best knows how to conceal his ne ceffity and defires, is the moft likely perfon to find redress and that the true ufe of fpeech is not fo much to express our wants as to conceal them. When we reflect on the manner in which mankind generally confer their favours, we fhall find that they who feem to want them leaft, are the very perfons who moft liberally fhare them. There is fomething fo attractive in riches, that the large, heap generally collects from the fmaller; and the poor find as much pleasure in increafing the enormous mafs, as the mifer, who owns it, fees happi |