THEATRE AT PARIS. 



element, and afterwards the coming on <tf the ftorm, 

 the train of the black clouds, the thunder, lightning, 

 and rain : all was exhibited with fo much nature and 

 grandeur, as to do honour to the powers of art, in 

 union v/ith the fineil tafte. 



The piece reprefented was, Ariadne at Naxos. Ari^ 

 adne is here called Ariane, as the french are unable to 

 pronounce the dn. Ariadne is afleep when the curtain 

 draws up ; The feus enters, furveys her earneftly, con- 

 tends and ftruggles v/ith his pafiion, abandons her, at 

 the perfuaiion of his fellow-travellers. I cannot fay, 

 whether the french piece was made upon the model of 

 the ge t man , or whether the famenefs of the materials 

 led both the poets to the fame ideas. Ariadne dreams 

 likewife here, though not in broken accents, as in the 

 german, but in a very artificial recitative. It is always 

 tacitly agreed not to find any thing unnatural in per- 

 formances of the opera ; accordingly I mail take care 

 how I animadvert on a dream let to mulic. 



The actrefs, who played the part of Ariadne, was 

 Mademoifelle Maillard, a little, round figure, and in 

 that refpeci not fitted for the part of a heroine of anti- 

 quity; but, for the fake of her fine voice, and the 

 livelinefs of her acting, I very foon forgot the fhortnefs 

 of her flature, and the enormous protuberance of her 

 handkerchief before and her cloaths behind # . 



Thefeus, M. Lainez, a middling "figure, v/ith a voice 

 too weak for parts of this nature. The deeper he went, 

 the wider he opened his mouth, till he prefled his chin 



* My correfpond^^ fays roundly in French ; de fon fein et de 

 ion cui, 



quite 



