304 ON ENGLISH FLAi's. June 29, 



of his inability to furp3fs other modern dramatic waters. He talks of 

 IMolicre as a pattern of excellence, without any meafure of his happy 

 genius. He damns, and juHly, "nr nmdern dramatic writers, without 

 difcovciing fuperior talents. In place of a pleafant and eafy imitation, 

 he fall?, like other modern comjc writer?, into a ftudied afTedlation of 

 nature. He is asfantaftiral in Jiis inftnidtioiis to the players, as either 

 Mr. Bayes or General Burjroync. Where he means to be either witty 

 or pathetic, he is utterly infipid; and particularly in the abfurdity of in- 

 vented names to his Dramatis Perfon;e, he outdoes even our modern 

 farce writers. Of this 1 {hould fct d-nvn f-.nie inftances for a monument, 

 hut indeed every <ioe of them is remarkably foolilh and atfedled. To 

 do him ji'.fticc, he ha^- not much of rhe quuintnefs and outre which pre- 

 dominate and j)afs for wit and fpirit in 'his age, and perhaps for that 

 reafon, he has failed in the favour of the managers of cur public theatres. 

 Travellers may find amufen-.crt in a tranfient perufal of his novelties. 



Ihe GameJlcTS, a Comedy^ hy Shirley. 



This, upon the whole, is an excellent comedy. Though the charac- 

 ters, in general, are loofe, there is no indeccnc;' in it. The plot is in- 

 tercfting, well wrought, and the cataf r.jihe is highly moral. The di- 

 alogue 16 proper and unaffected. The charafters are judicioufly diftm- 

 guifhed and fupported. There is no forced wit, the bane of modern 

 comedy and rallc ; and the humour is natural, charuifleriftic, and enter-, 

 tainiiig. The evident ialling off in fonie parts, I afcribe to modern al- 

 teration ; but I cannot exactly dettrnine, till I have compared it with 

 the original, which I am very curious and impatient 10 do. 



ON the adjournment of Parliament, it was the Editor's in- 

 tention to have be'^un the account of the proceedings of that 

 au^ufi body, according to the plan he had adopted : — But per- 

 ccivtn;^ that there were only a few numbers v. anting to fi'iifh 

 the prefent volume, it was judged more adiufeab/e to delay it 



I ill the commencement of the next volume /// the frfi number 



of tijat volume, therefore, that account ivill be begun, mnd con- 

 tinued through the fucceeding numbers, till it Jhall be com- 

 pleted. , 



Stnie of the bujincfs that was beirun at a very early period 

 of the Si'fiion hav:ng not concluded till the adjournment, was 

 the reafon why this department could not fooncr be over- 

 tail n. 



