is well varied by Richard's fudden transition to a state of ambitious exultation, and from thence to a struggle with confcience, which appears to lodge a conftant thorn in his breast.

In the beginning of the fourth act, our feellings are turned upon objects of real strong pity; our tears which have ceafed fince the firft, are here called forth again judiciously in behalf of an unhappy mother and her helpless infants; the characters introduced to furnish fresh matter for concern are well brought forward, and the Queen's grief is wrought up in an affecting manner; however, I must be of opinion, that the scene is not near fo interefting as it might have been made; that lady Ann and the dutchefs of York are here mere non-effentials, that the children do not affect us as they ought, and that all the Queen's speeches, except the last three, are far too unimportant for her heart-rending fituation.

Richard, now discovered as King, works upon Buckingham, by diftant infinuation, to effect his main purpose, that of destroying the children; his cautious earneftnefs, and the duke's confciencious diffidence, are extremely well contrafted; the King's impatience at Buckingham's coldness, his indifference at the news brought by lord Stanley, his enquiry after, and remarks on his wife Ann, with his fubfequent contemptuous treatment of his lukewarm coufin, exhibit great and masterly diverfification of action.

The

The scene between Tirrel, Dighton and Foreft, fhould for two reafons have been made longer; firft to have raised our pity more, even by the immediate murderers; next, to have given Richard more time for his appearance at the Tower: there are but ten lines from going to meet Tirrel in his closet, before that impious tool comes on with his followers quite prepared: had he mentioned the premium and the King's favour to lull their fcruples, the business would have been conducted more confiftently.

The King's foliloquy is mafterly; anxious hope and guilty ambition quiver in every fyllable; nor is the fucceeding fcene less characteriftic; Catesby's entrance is well contrived, and gives a good opportunity for that fiery spirit breaking out, which fo much animates the remainder of the piece; Richard's interview with the ladies, tho' not effential, in fome measure deferves its place, as in it the tyrant is devoted to destruction by a mother's curfe: the following part of this act is as rapid, and as well a conducted feries of interefting events as ever was exhibited in any drama, and it concludes with a very bold, ftriking climax of paffion.

The three firft fcenes of the fifth act are merely preparatory to what follows, and therefore judiciously fhort; Richmond fhews himfelf fufficiently, and ftands well contrafted to his antagonift. Richard's fcene in the tent is as well imagined, to engage the feelings of fpectators and to fhew the power of action as poffible; nor

could

could ghosts ever be more juftifiable than here; however we must offer a doubt whether fuch false creations of the brain; fhould ever be called to view; fince it is most certain that they play upon our paffions in flat and abfurd contradiction to our reafon; let this point be determined as it may, Cibber fhewed just critical judgment in rejecting the second introduction of thofe imaginary existences; which we find in Shakespear's Richard; because in reprefentation one would have flattened the other, and both must have confequently palled: after many martial excurfions, in which the leading character is very happily exhibited; the catastrophe is wrought up to a most pleasing event in his death; a circumftance as confonant to ftrict poetical juftice, as it is to historical truth: Richmond's conclusive scene

displays a generous, patriotic difpofition, and is as agreeable as the place it stands in will admit.

;

Having thus given a general delineation of the plot and arrangement of scenes it becomes neceffary to enquire for the moral, without which no dramatic piece can have intrinfic worth; in hiftorical plays we cannot expect much focial inftruction, as they chiefly appeal to national transactions however from Richard the Third we may draw this useful conclufion, that no degree of fuccefs and grandeur; no gratification of lawless ambition, however splendid; can ftill the voice of confcience; which though unheard by the world, speaks in thunder to the guilty wretch, who bears fuch a painful monitor in his bofom, C

The

The characters of this piece are many in number, yet exhibit no great variety of contraft: after Richard, Henry, Richmond, the Queen and Children; all the reft are of a fimilar complexion: Richard is truly in point of figure, fentiments, language and conduct-himself alone; however hiftorical relation admits doubts of that monarch's perfonal deformity, it was certainly well judged to make his external appearance, on the ftage, emblematic of his mind; and for fake of fingularity dreffing him only in the habit of the times may be defenfible; but what excuse can be made for fhewing him, at his first entrance, in as elegant a dress, as when king, I am at a loss to suggest; does he not after his scene with Lady Ann, profess a design of ornamenting his perfon more advantageously? Macbeth when king is always diftinguifhed by a fecond drefs, why not Richard? a still greater breach of propriety appears in putting mourning upon none of the perfons at court but the ladies and the children; though Richard pays all other external respect to the circumftance of his brother's death.

Through three acts Richard appears the close diffembling politician, and affords no great variety of action; indeed his foliloquys are so long and fo frequent; that very few who attempt to reprefent him avoid falling into an infipid fameness,

In the fourth and fifth acts he breaks out like a flame which has been long smothered ; and through the impetuofity of agitating circumftances betrays many performers into the error of out Heroding Herod.

The

The Public have fet up Mr. GARRICK as a ftandard of perfection in this laborious, difficult part; and if we confider the effentials, his claim to fuch diftinction will immediately appear indifputable; a very deformed perfon never rises above, and feldom up to the middle ftature; it is generally attended with an acuteness of features and fprightlinefs of eyes; in these three natural points our Rofcius ftands unexceptionable; variations of voice, and climax of expreffion, in both which he ftands without an equal; graceful attitudes, nervous action, with a well-regulated fpirit, to animate within natural bounds every paffage, even from the coldest up to the most inflamed.

Mr. GARRICK alfo preferves a happy medium, and dwindles neither into the buffoon or brute; one, or both of which this character is made by most other performers: 'tis true, there are many paffages which have a ludicrous turn, yet we may reft affured, that he who occafions leaft laughter is most right; in refpect of marking particular places with ресиliar emphasis, fome exceptions may be taken, or doubts raised against every person I have ever seen in the part; however, tracing minute lapfes of this kind, which after all may be mere matter of opinion, would occafion too great a digreffion; I fhall therefore only mention three which strike me most; the firft is, I am myself alone-which words I have heard expreffed in a tone of confident exultation, as if he was fingularly above the rest of mankind whereas adverting to his own unhappy compofition, it should be uttered with heart-felt discontent; and