the public. Thus fituated, torn with a thoufand pangs for a wife who poffeffed his highett efteem; for a father, whom he almoft worthipped, and a mother, whom he tenderly loved; Frank fallied out one evening into the streets, and ftopping a gentleman, whofe appearance indicated opulence, he demanded his money with fuch a wildness of accent, that the gentleman, terrified out of his wits, immediately gave him a purfe of fifty guineas, and Frank eagerly retreated to his lodgings, depofiting the money with his father, and telling him he had received it from the lord ljeutenant's order, as an earnest only of future obligations. The family at home not doubting the truth of this relation, poured out their whole fouls in acknowledgment of the viceroy's goodnefs, and once more refreshed themselves with a comfortable repaft.

Next morning, however, the robbery became noifed abroad; and, to the great furprize of every body, a merchant of the first character and fortune was apprehended for the fact, and lodged in Newgate. On the earlieft knowledge of this circumftance, Frank immediately wrote to the innocent gentleman, defiring him to be under no apprehenfion; for if he was not honourably acquitted, the perfon actually guilty would, on the day of trial, appear in court, acknowledge his crime, and furrender himself to the violated laws of his country. The gentleman naturally read his letter to every body; but though fuch as were his friends talked of it as a moft extraor dinary affair, the generality of people confidered it as a defpicable artifice, calculated to impofe on the credulity of the public. However, the day of trial at last came; and notwithstanding the merchant's character appeared irreproachable before this unfortunate stain; notwithstanding feveral perfonages of the highest figure proved him a man remarkably nice in his principles, and opulent in his circumstances; the profecutor was so positive in his charge, and a number of circumftances fo furprisingly concurred, that he was actually convicted, and the judge proceeding to fentence; when a loud noife of Make way ran through the court; and young Mr. Leefon, with a manly yet modeft countenance, rushing forward, demanded to be heard, and delivered himself to the following effe&t--

You fee before you, my lord, an unhappy young man, who once little thought of violating the laws of his country, and who wifhed rather to be the friend than the enemy of fociety: but who knows to what he may be urged in the hour of a piercing calamity, to what he may be wrought when deftitute of friends, and deititute of bread! I, my lord, was born a gentleman, and bred one. Six months ago I was mafter of an easy fortune, but an accidental fire in a moment reduced me

to beggary; and, what ftill more dif 'treffed me, reduced alfo an infirm and 'excellent father, an aged and tender

mother, together with the best of wo'men and the best of wives, to the fame lamentable fituation. Encouraged by fome recommendations to the great, we came up to town, and expected a decent means of procuring a fubfiftence: but, alas! my lord, thofe who' want compaffion moft, are thofe who are molt commonly difregarded. Inftead of affistance, we received com-' pliments, and met with the bow of frigid politenefs where we looked for the bounteous hand of relief; to that in a little time our all was totally exhaufted, and my unhappy father, with the venerable partner of his youth, were above a day without any fuftenance whatfoever; when, unable to fee them expiring for food, I rushed forth, and conmmitted the robbery for which this gentleman, now prifoner at the bar, has been condemned.

This was not the whole of my affiction: a fond deferving wife, who had brought me a plentiful fortune, lay alfo perifhing with hunger, and that too in a fituation which demanded the tendereft attention, and the most immediate regard. Such, my lord, were my motives for that unjustifiable action. Had the gentleman condemn=" ed been happily acquitted, I had not made this public acknowledgment of my guilt. Heaven only knows what I have fuffered during his confinement; but the empire of the univerfe would not bribe me to injure him farther; nor tempt me, by an infamous facrifice of his life, to confult the fafety of my own. Here, then, my lord, I claim his fentence, and demand his bonds. Providence will, I doubt not, now take care of my innocent family, who are equally ignorant of my crime,

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character fuffered fo little upon this cccafion, that the lord lieutenant gave him, with his life, a place of leven hundied pounds a year; while the merchant, who had been accufed from refembling him exceffively, dying fome time afte. without iffue, left him his whole fortune, as a reward for fo exemplary an act of justice and generosity.

S the managers of our theatres are, I am fatisfied, gentlemen of too much understanding to be offended with any body for pointing out fuch cafual improprieties as, in the great multiplicity of their bufinefs, may poffibly efcape their own obfervation, I fhall employ the prefent paper in acquainting them with a circunftance or two which may be altered much to the fatisfaction of the public, without expofing themfelves to be finalleft inconvenience, or the minuteft expence.

As I am very fond of a play, and generally take my ftation in the pit, I am frequently offended at the conitant interruptions which the performance meets with from the reftlefs difpofitions of the nuficians, who, the moment an act is begun, always get up, ftare about, perhaps, with an idle gape of ftupidity, and then withdraw, though conscious that their prefence is indifpenfably requifite in half an hour at the fartheft. When the prompter touches his bell towards the clofe of the act, the audience is again disturbed by their entrance; and this entrance is made with fo little cantion, that the a&ors are abfolutely impeted in the profecution of their parts, and the attention of the fpectators very frequently called from the most interefting paffages of the play. Sometimes, thefe confiderate gentlemen will even tune their various inftruments while the performer is actually speaking; and I have more than once heard Lear exclaiming against the unnatural hags his daughters to the disjointed fqueak of a hautboy, the impertinent fharp of a fidd'e, or the drowly hum of a baffoon. In every play we are fure of being di#turbed ten times by the very people who are paid to encrease our entertain

ment; and who furely fhould, from mo tives of intereft, if not from principles of gratitude, feize every opportunity of adding to our fatisfaction."

What kind of corporeal qualities may go to the compofition of a fiddler, I neither know, nor am I very folicitous of being informed. I cannot, however, help thinking but they might fit as quietly in their feats as their paymasters the public. During the course of an evening's entertainment, not one in a hundred of the auditors find it neceflary to go out. Why, therefore, the whole band of mufic fhould have occafion to interrupt us regularly every half hour, is fomewhat extraordinary. A little common fenfe cannot furely prejudice the nicety of their ears, or the expertnefs of their fingers; and if not, what excufe can they poffibly affign for a behaviour fo generally difagreeable to the town, and fo palpably below the practice of any men who pretended in the leaft either to manners or to modefty?

It is a circumftance mentioned highly to the honour of the late Prince of Wales, his majetty's father, that having by fome unavoidable accident outstaid his time one evening when he had com manded a play, he was no fooner informed that the audience had been obliged to wait in confequence of his delay, than he pulled out his watch in the full face of the houfe, as if he had recognized his error, and bowed with fuch an acknowledgment of gracious condefcenfion, as rendered him inconceivably amiable from his little mistake. With all poffible deference to the gentlemen of the catgut, and the profeffors of the pipe, I think the Prince of Wales a perfonage of as much confequence as the best of them; and therefore, if an

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apology was amiable in him for detaining an audience fome minutes from a favourite entertainment, it must be thought a little prefumptuous in them to be perpetually disturbing it. It is not, however, the members of the band to whom I addrefs myfelf, it is to their immediate inafters; and I Batter my felf, after what I have here faid, I fhali have but little occafion to expatiate on the fubje&t for the future, as the managers have good-fenfe, and the public have recollection.

The next abufe which I think wants reformation in our theatres, is the prac tice which some of the capital performers have of raifing the price of the pit at their benefits. This, of all the acts of prefumption which I ever remember in the profeffors of the ftage, is by much the most glaring and unpardonable; and if it should be tolerated but a few feafons longer, there is no knowing to what lengths the temerity may be carried. I am far from being an enemy to the drama; on the contrary, I with parti cularly well to the actors; and am never better pleafed than when I fee their merits properly rewarded by the munificence of the public. But I think there is none of our performers who ought not to be very thankful for a clear benefit of two hundred pounds. This either of the theatres will afford them at the common prices; and one fhould furely imagine that they ought to testify their acknowledgments for the annual company of their friends, rather than make ufe of that very efteem which the town entertains for them to load it with an additional charge. What they may think of the affair, I know not; but of this I am fully perfuaded, that the man who would not think himself highly obliged by a clear benefit of two hundred pounds, never deferves to have a benefit at all.

Let us, however, examine a little into the general excufe which the gentlemen of the theatres think proper to urge in extenuation of this extraordinary behaviour. Whenever they are reprehended on this account, their conftant plea is, that they raife their price in order to oblige their friends; and that as nobody is forced to come, nobody can complain of an injury. This excufe fcarcely merits a reply; yet let me afk the people who urge it, whether the theatre is not

entirely a public entertainment; and whether they can properly difpofe of thofe places to any particular individuals, which are equally appointed for the indifferent reception of all? Custom has for a long time authorized the letting of places in the boxes; but custom has never authorized an addition to the regular price-Why, therefore, the frtquenters of the pit thould be excluded from their ufual feats without the payment of two fhillings extraordinary, is a circumftance which furprifes me much. What have the pit part of the audience done that they fhould be fingled out to bear the impofition of fome arrogant favourite, whom they themselves have probably raised into reputation? If ad addition must be made to the price of tickets on bencfit nights, let the tax hecome general; let the boxes and the galleries come in for their portion of the burden, and let not the people of the pit be the only perfons deltined to bear the fcourge of theatrical avarice and temerity. If an actor's friends want to put a fum of money in his pocket, let them give double or treble the value for their own tickets; but let not the indifferent part of the public be obliged to pay for friendships in which they have no manner of connection. The buildings which formerly difgraced the flage on benefit nights have been judicioully removed by the good fenfe of the managers; it is therefore to be hoped, that they will thew as much readiness in the fuppreffion of a palpable injustice as in the fuppreffion of a mere inconvenience; and that they will not fuffer their performers to take a liberty with the public which they dare not take themielves.

The last thing which I fhall recom. mend to the managers is, to confult the propriety of places, and to pay a little attention to the rank of their characters. What butinefs has a party of the Englifh foot-guards to attend upon a Perfian emperor! Or is it a reason that a prince thould not be habited like a prince, because the actor who appears in the character has but thirty fillings a week? It is inconceivable how thefe little things affect an accurate obferver! Who can bear to fee the Duke of Cornwall's gentleman drefled better than the Duke of Cornwall himself? or endure with patience to fee the perfons of one fingle

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