THEATRE AT PARIS* 21$ 



I now fallied forth on a frefh expedition. I proceeded 

 for upwards of an hour and a half through all forts of 

 ftreets, little and large, crooked and ftrait. I had no 

 other compafs than the fentiment of wearinefs, that at 

 length brought me to the haven where I wanted to be. 

 My place of reft was to be a box in the theatre des pe- 

 tits comediens de monfeigneur le comte de Beaujolois. 



It was a curious idea to revive the famous pantomimic 

 of the antients in the midft of Paris, where it is cufto- 

 mary to talk fo much and fo fluently. But they talk 

 even in thefe pantomimical fpectacles ; only the perfon 

 feen upon the ftage does not fpeak, but another for 

 him behind a lattice on the ftde. Thefe petits come- 

 diens are however great enough, and among thofe I faw 

 acting to-day, none could be lefs than feventeen years 

 of age. The actrefTes would take it very ill of their 

 lovers, if they ufed the word petite of them. 



Here too I found the fame vivacity of acting that is 

 no where to be expected but among french performers. 

 It was only by means of my opera-glafs that I could 

 diftingmlh that the perfon on the ftage did no more 

 than gefticulate, and neither fung nor fpolce. The 

 movement of the eyes, the mouth, the hands, per- 

 fectly exprefTed the words which another pronounced 

 from within the couliffe. In regard to two or three of 

 the more elderly actors, I was doubtful, notwithftanding 

 my fpy-glafs, whether they did not really fpeak. 



This mode of playing is far more difficult than the 

 ufual acting of the theatre. It is requilite that the 

 actor learn his part thoroughly word for word ; that he 

 ftudy the airs exactly according to the notes, and that 

 he have accurately by heart the tact, the paufes, and 



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