Commiffary: pears, that the honeft attorney, knowing Mrs. Mechlin's abilities to find provifion and employment for both fexes, has brought Loveit for her affiftance, which the promises, and immediately points out the means, a rich widow, of fixty, who wants a husband; this propofition proving agreeable to all, the young adventurer and Harpy go off, to make room for the Commiffary and his riding-mafter, who now advance upon us-Fungus, full of his matrimonial tranfaction, and no doubt to give Mr. Bridoun a more exalted idea of his approaching confequence, queftions Mrs. Mechlin, in a whimsical manner, about his intended bride, whom he touches up with ladyship in every fhort sentence; having promised to improve his drefs, after a fhort leffon, he and Mr. Bridoun proceed to business.

His ambition of riding a long-tail'd horfe in Hyde Park, or in clouds of fümmer-duft on the King's Road, his asking if the carpenters have brought home his new horse, his fuggeftion of natural-born gentlemen, and the introduction of his palfrey, are a fund of fatiric drollery; his preparation for mounting, taking his position, and falling off, are extravagantly laughable; it has been objected by fome over-nice critics, that this scene is too pantomimical for comedy, but we think not; if every man, as Triftram Shandy obferves, has his natural hobbyhorfe, why fhould a wooden-headed Commiffary be denied his artificial one? befides, the whin is not at all inconfiftent with other parts of the character, which keep within the bounds of probability -Mrs.

Rr 2

Commissary Mrs. Mechlin's announcing the approach of Lady Sachariffa, terminates this fcene, and makes room for the amorous widow, who comes to know how her matrimonial expectations are likely to fucceed, when the receives intelligence, much to her fatisfaction, this fhort interview is not without confiderable pleasantry.

Dolly, as Lady Sachariffa, and Jenny the maid, have a fhort tete-a-tete previous to Fungus's entrance, in which the latter folicits employment, as fervant to the former, when married, but is refused on account of their knowing each other too well; this repulfe fuggests a resentment, which Jenny hints just as the Commiffary appears new rigged.

The following fcene of courtship is excellently wrought up, the lady's Caledonian precifion, Fungus's aukward fervility, his studied address, and the artful conduct of Mrs. Mechlin, all co-operate, like lights and fhades in painting, to render the picture expreffive and pleasing: when our Commiffary's grand nuptial concern is fettled, young Loveit comes according to appointment, and prepares to encounter his gilded unknown bride-but lo, to dash their mutual hopes, his mother steps forward; he sustains the shock with fome pleasantry, but the old lady diffolves into tears; a circumstance which furprizes Mrs. Mechlin, and occafions fome confufion, till the match-making lady promises to settle matters fome other way; for this purpose, when Fungus and Dolly appear, the attributes Mrs. Lo

veit's

Commiffary. veit's agitation of fpirits to the ill behaviour of her fon.

Matters being brought now to the grand crifis, unluckily, both for Mrs. Mechlin and her neice, Dr. Catgut comes in abruptly, accofts his intimate acquaintance Dolly, with great freedom; at which, Fungus naturally pricks up his ears, but with great confidence ftill afferts his lady's nobility of blood, and richness of pedigree, till the Doctor's perfeverance, and his brother Ifaac's appearance more awaken him, and neceffitate Mrs. Mechlin to acknowledge the impofture, which she does with more affurance, having Zachary bound in a penal obligation to confummate the propofed marriage; this occafions him to make a fharp reflection upon her harpy-like difpofition, which fhe answers with a fatirical ftroke of great keennefs and general tendency; intimating-we wish the rhimes had been omitted that the only preys on the follies of mankind, while the Commiffary tribe devour the vitals of a whole nation with unrelenting rapacity.

Ariftotle himself, could not have defired a ftricter preservation of time and place than is maintained in this comedy; the plot is regular, and the scenes intermingled well; but we think there is a lapfe of poetical justice at the catastrophe, in suffering fuch a woman as Mrs. Mechlin to go off triumphant, though at the expence of a fool : Ifaac Fungus might have been furnished with fome difcovery relative to her, that might have given him an opportunity of retaliation; we think also, that making the Com

miffary

Commiffary miffary himself renounce his childish pursuits, would have sustained the part better at last, and fhewn a conclufive effect from the dilemma he has. efcaped, and the penalty he has brought himself under.

We do not remember to have perused or heard any dramatic author, whofe dialogue fhews a greater degree of fpontaneous, entertaining spirit than Mr. Foote's; if it is not enriched with abfolute wit, there are nevertheless many peculiar emanations of fentiments, and much pregnancy of expreffion; his characters are always alive, his incidents nouvelle, his fatire poignant, and all his fcenes free from that languor which most writers occafionally fall into; his perfonages, at least the ftriking ones, are all drawn from life, and with fuch a happy degree of execution that they are not more generally feen than known; and this, we are bold to affirm, is the true way to make the ftage a falutary school of manners.

Zachary Fungus and his brother, are most excellently contrafted; the one a dupe to extravagant notions of gay life, the other pent up in the narrow compass of mechanical ideas; the former a coxcomical fool, the latter a rational, though unpolished trader Mr. Foote's performers being as tranfient as fwallows, who appear only in fummer, and almost every year change their station, we cannot pretend to enquire into the merit of any but those most known.

The author of this piece has not a greater flow of imagination in writing, than he has of force and rapidity

Commissary. pidity in representation; as no man can compcfe, fo no performer can act in his ftile, except by very faint and inadequate imitation; his features and utterance are equally well calculated to tickle the livelier, fportive feelings; which is evident from the laughable effect he works upon numbers of spectators, who frequently cannot comprehend the allufive meaning couched in what he fays; but admire it, as Boniface does Greek, for the facility with which it is spoken.

In the Commiffary he manifefts indefcribable ease and vivacity; literally obferving Shakefpeare's rule of fuiting the action to the word, the word to the action; particularly in the riding fcene, where it is hard to fay which excels moft, his gefture, his looks, or his utterance; in fhort, though chiefly confin'd to his own productions at prefent, we will venture to affert, that if natural difpofition had not bent this gentleman to write in a peculiar manner, and to fupport that peculiarity by his own performance, he would have done many characters much more juftice than they have met from other hands; as it is, both as author and actor, he may justly cry out with Ri chard, though upon a far more comfortable principle, "I am myfelf alone."

Ifaac Fungus, it is true, requires no very material talents in representation; however, Mr. SowDon deserves praise for fupporting him in a characteristic manner; and of this gentleman we muft add, that when in Drury Lane theatre, as well as on the Dublin ftage, he fustained many characters of capital importanee, much better than the prefent poffeffors of them do in any of the houses.

Mr.