IN our Strictures on the Tragedy of Elvira, we shall not hasten all at once into the midst of Things, according to the Rules of Epic Poe­try; Heroic Poems and Remarks on New Plays, are things so essen­tially different, that they ought not to be written by the same Rules. [Page 8] Had Mr. Malloch been aware of these Distinctions in writing, which surely are not very nice, he probably would have discovered that Scenes admirably adapted for forming a Burlesque Tragedy, would never suc­ceed in forming a serious Drama. In the Prologue the Author informs us, that the Preliminaries of Peace are signed, and the War now over, and he humbly hopes, as we have spared the French, we will spare his Tragedy. But as the Principles of Restitution seem at present strong in this Nation, before we extend our Mercy to him, we insist that in imi­tation of his Superiors, he shall re­store every thing valuable he has plunder'd from the French during the Course of his sad and tedious Composition.

[Page 9] In the first Scene of this Tragedy a Gentleman who has been abroad, during the Wars, requests his Friend to acquaint him with what has past at Court in the time of his Absence. We were equally surprized and de­lighted with this new Method of informing the Spectators of the Transactions prior to the Commence­ment of the Play; nothing can be more natural, for we imagine the Art of conveying Letters by Post was at that time undiscovered. We must indeed acknowledge, that dur­ing the time of the Roman Empire Letters were transmitted with the utmost Celerity from one Part to another of those immense Domin­ions; but we also know, that after [Page 10] the Subversion of that State by the Incursions of the Goths and Vandals, the first Act of Cruelty committed by these Barbarians was murdering all the Post-Boys in cold Blood: In like manner as our inhuman Edward upon his compleating the Conquest of Wales, ordered all the Bards to be put to Death, amongst the Num­ber of which had Mr. Malloch been included we had not now been tor­tured with his execrable Tragedy. Novelty of the same kind with this we have mentioned runs thro' the whole Play, almost every Scene be­ing an Interview and a tête a tête. The King wants to see his Son, the Queen wants to see Elvira, Elvira wants to see the King, and so on thro' the Five Acts.

[Page 11] No new Thoughts or Sentiments are to be found in this Performance, we meet only with old ones absurdly expressed. Dryden said that Ben Johnson was every where to be traced in the Snow of the Ancients. We may say that Malloch is every where to be traced in the Puddle of the Moderns. Instead of selecting the Beauties, he has pick'd out what­ever is despicable in Shakespeare, Ot­way, Dryden, and Rowe, like a Pick-Pocket who dives for Handkerchiefs, not for Gold; and contents himself with what he finds in our Great Coat Pocket, without attempting our Watch or your Purse. Tho' Mr. Malloch may only mean to borrow, yet as he possesses no Fund of Ori­ginal [Page 12] Genius from whence he can pay his Debts, borrowing, we are afraid is an inadequate Expression, the harsher one of stealing we must therefore, tho' reluctantly, substitute in its room. In the Prologue he acknowledges himself a Culprit, but as the Loss of what he has pilfered is insignificant to the Owners, we shall bring him in guilty only of Petty Larcenary: We believe he has been driven, like poor People in this severe Weather by dire Necessity, to such dishonest Shifts.

In this Play the Author has in­troduced a Rebellion unparalleled in any History, Ancient or Modern. He raises his Rebellions as a skilful Gardener does his Mushrooms, in a Moment; and like an artful Nurse, [Page 13] he lulls in a Moment the fretful Child asleep. The Prince enters an Appartment of the Palace with a drawn Sword; this forms the Re­bellion. The King enters the same Appartment without a drawn Sword. This quashes the Rebellion. How to credit this Story, or to pardon this poetical Licence, we are greatly at a Loss; for we know in the Year 1745 three thousand Mountaineers actually appeared at Derby. Cata­line, we are credibly informed, had a Gang of at least a Dozen stout Fellows; and it is pretty certain that Bedemar, when going to inslave Venice, had provided Pistols and Battle Powder for more than fifteen fighting Men. We are almost tempt­ed to think, that Mr. Malloch gets his Rebellions ready made, like his [Page 14] Scotch Tobacco, cut and dry, at the Sign of the Valiant Highlander.

Our great Author possesses, in its utmost Perfection, the happy Art of uniting rival Ladies, and of set­ting at Variance a virtuous Father and Son. How intimate his Ac­quaintance with Human Nature! How deep his Knowledge of the Passions! No less exquisite and re­fined in his Morality, like a true Disciple of Lord Bolingbroke, he unites Vice and Virtue most lovingly together; witness this memorable Line of the King's, addressed to Elvira;

[Page 15] Let us invert this Line,

We heard it once asserted by Da­vid Hume, Esq that Mr. Malloch was destitute of the Pathetic. In this Observation however we beg leave to differ with him. In the fourth Act the whole Board of Por­tuguese Privy Counsellors are melted into Tears. The Trial of the Prince moves the Hearts of those Monsters of Iniquity, those Members of In­quisition, when the less humane Au­dience are in Danger, from the Te­diousness [Page 16] of two insipid Harangues, of falling fast asleep. This majestic Scene is too exactly copied from a Trial at the Old Bailey, to have even the Merit of Originality. And indeed it is to the Lenity of the King of Portugal that we owe by far the greater Part of this amazing Play. The good Man lets his re­bellious Subjects out of Prison to chat with him, when a wiser Mo­narch would have kept them close confined in Newgate. The incom­parable Action of that universal Ge­nius Mr. Garrick alone, saved this Act from the Damnation it deserved. Had not he, like a second Aeneas, carried the old doating and decrepid Father on his Back, he must have lain by the W [...]y. Tho' we must observe another Character in this Play [Page 17] seemed better suited to the Impe­tuosity and Fire of this Actor. We could not but smile at the Humour of a merry Wag in the Pit, who at the Conclusion of one of the most tiresome Pleadings, with some De­gree of Impatience and Emotion called out, Encore, encore.

In the fifth Act we were melted with the Sight of two young Chil­dren which the King embraced, which the Prince embraced, which Elvira embraced. Mr. Addison in the 44th No. of the Spectator, has some Remarks so judicious and lively on the Practice of introducing Chil­dren on the Stage, that we must beg leave to transcribe the Passage.

[Page 18] ‘"A disconsolate Mother with a Child in her Hand, has frequent­ly drawn Compassion from the Audience, and has therefore gain­ed a Place in several Tragedies; a modern Writer who observed how this had taken in other Plays, being resolved to double the Dis­tress, and melt his Audience twice as much as those before him had done, brought a Princess on the Stage with a little Boy in one Hand, and a Girl in the other. A third Poet being resolved to out-write all his Predecessors, a few Years ago introduced three Children with great Success; and as I am informed a young Gentle­man who is sully determined to break the most obdurate Heart, has [Page 19] a Tragedy by him where the first Person that appears on the Stage is an afflicted Widow, in her mourning Weeds, with half a do­zen fatherless Children attending her, like those that usually hang about the Figure of Charity. Thus several Incidents that are beautiful in a good Writer be­come ridiculous by falling into the Hands of a bad one."’

We would suggest to Mr. Malloch the useful Hint of introducing in some of his future Productions, the whole Foundling Hospital, which with a well painted Scene of the Edifice itself would certainly call forth the warmest Tears of Pity, and the bitterest Emotions of Distress; [Page 20] especially when we consider that many of the Parents of these unfor­tunate Babes would probably be Spectators of this interesting Scene.

The Conclusion of the Piece is as abrupt as the other Parts of it are absurd. We should be much at a Loss to guess by whom the Poison is administered to Elvira, were we not aided in our Conjectures by the shrewd Suspicions which the King, tho' otherwise a very loving Hus­band, seems to entertain of his Wife. Upon my regreting that her Majesty, if guilty, should escape without poetical Justice at least, a Gentleman who sat behind me, a Friend as I supposed of the Author, assured me her Punishment was re­served for the Farce, which for that [Page 21] Purpose was, contrary to Custom, added to the Play.

Though in general this Tragedy is colder than the most extreme Parts of Nova Zembla, yet we now and then feel a Warmth, but it is such a Warmth or Glow rath [...], as is sometimes produced by the Hand­ling of Snow.

Bad as this Play is, yet will the Author have the Profits of his Three Nights: Few on the First Night having either Taste or Spirit to ex­press their Disapprobation. Like the Rascals who plundered Lisbon after the Earthquake, Mr. David Malloch will extract Guineas out of Rubbish.

[Page 22] We shall now give, in a few Words, the Quintessence of this Play. Monarchs ought to be just. Heroes are bad Men. Husbands ought to die for their Wives, Wives for their Husbands. We ought to govern our Passions. And the Sun shines on all alike. A few of these new Remarks form the Sum total of this contemptible Piece.

After the Play we were entertain­ed with an Epilogue fraught with Humour, and spoken with Spirit. There was a Simile of a Bundle of Twigs formed into a Rod, which seemed to convey a delicate Allusion to Mr. Malloch's original Profession, and some of the Lines contained an exquisite and severe Criticism on the Play itself.

[Page 23] Amidst all the harshness inspired by a real Feeling of the Dulness of the Composition itself, it would be unjust not to bestow the highest Ap­plause on the principal Performers, by the Energy of whose Action even Dulness was sometimes rendered respectable. We were sorry to find such great Talents so very ill em­ployed. The melting Tones of a Cibber should make every Eye stream with Tears. Pritchard should al­ways elevate. Garrick give Strength and Majesty to the Scene. Let us soften at the keen Distress of a Belvidera; let our Souls rise with the Dignity of an Elizabeth; let us tremble at the wild Madness of a [Page 24] Lear; but let us not Yawn at the Stupidity of uninteresting Cha­racters.