214 
managers, who found in them too much 
merit to refufe them a reprefentation. 
Year pafled over year, and the lait al- 
ways promifed her a crowded audience, 
and-an anaual fame. I was favoured 
with a reading of her “ Debt of Ho- 
nour,”. the comedy from which the 
greateft expectations: had been formed. 
it had been bandied from one houfe to 
another; Covent-garden and Drury- 
Jane, had both approved it; but want 
of patronage, perhaps, had retarded 
their acceptance of it. - ‘* I. feel (faid 
Mifs Ryves) the neceffity of fome pow- 
erful patronage, to bring them forward 
to the world with é/at, and fecure them 
anadmiration, which, fhould it even be 
deferved, is {<ldom beftowed, unlefs fome 
leading judge of literary merit gives the 
fanéiion of his applaufe; and then the — 
world will chime in with his opinion, 
without taking the trouble to inform 
themfelves whether it be founded in juf- 
tice or parviality.” 
of importance to literary perfons. It is 
aftonifhing, how many fine pieces of com- 
pofition are written by fome men of let- 
ters who, are now neglected, and whefe 
talents are perhaps equal to the firft hi- 
terary works, which they will never 
undertake, becaufe they have not the 
fkill of flavering the face of patronage, 
and refolutely refufe to praétife the arti- 
fices of fome favourites of literary fafhion, 
who enjoy an ufurped reputation. 
Of this comedy, I can now recolleét 
little. There was alfo prefent a beauti- 
ful woman, whofe penetrating eyes, ex- 
piefiive manners, and interefting charac- 
ter, made me all eye. I liftened but 
hittle to the five long aéts. What an er- 
Yor in tie authorefs, to place me near a 
form, diffefing all the enchantment of 
beauty! A man placed between two 
females, is but an indifferent auditor, at 
the recitation of a play. This notice may 
be of ufe to future recitators. In this 
comedy there certainly was no vs camzica. 
Itwas, I fear, deficient ina vigorous 
conception of charaéter, and diverfifica- 
tion of incident; it might be elegant, 
but not pointed and brilliant: fentimen- 
tal it certainly was; but there was a mo- 
notony, which was not interrupted by 
galety that exhilarates, and humour that 
provokes our laughter. Alas! the au- 
there{s, whatever might be her talents, 
had never an opportunity to perfect them. 
it was in forrow fhe compofed comedies, 
and her fine tafte difdamed to employ 
that flage artifice, and thofe temporary 
circumftances which now difgrace our 
Tribute to the Memory of Mifs Ryves. 
Here is much truth, © 
[Sept 
modern theatre. To the credit of the. 
manager of one of the theatres, when he 
returned her comedy, fhe was prefented 
with a bank-note of a hundred pounds. 
Like a perfume that has been-crufhed 
and bruifed, fhe now breathed forrh her 
laft {weets in a work of imagination. It 
is a little volume entitled, **° Tae Her- 
mit of Snowden.’’ A -tale formed on 2 
very delicate, and not unfrequent act of 
the mind of a man of great refinement in 
love. Albert, the hermit, having felt, 
when opulent and fafhionable, a paffion 
for Lavinia, meets from her the kindeft 
return. But having imbibed amill opi- 
nion of women, from his licentious con- 
nections, he conceived they were flaves of 
‘paifion or of avarice. He wrongs the ge- 
nerous nature of Lavinia, by fufpedting 
her of mercenary views. Hence arifes 
the ingenuous perplexities of the hearts 
of both. Lavinia is reduced to poverty, 
and Albert affects to be alike ruined, 
and {preads a report of an advantageous ~ 
match. Lavinia feels all the delicacy of 
her fituation, fhe loves, but * fhe never 
told her love.” She feeks her exiftence 
from her literary labours, and dies the 
victim of her fenfibility, and the fufpi- 
cions of Albert. ‘The danger of trifling 
with a fecliag heart is admirably mo- 
ralized. ; 
This little volume is well written, and 
curiofity is interefted to the laft page. 
But a new intereft arifes, when we know 
that the hiftory of Lavinia muft be the 
hiftory of Eliza Ryves.— Whether the- 
paion of Albert or Lavinia was veri- 
fied in the perfon of the authorefs, J 
know not ; Mifs Ryves yas not beauti- 
ful or interefting in her perfon; and 
when there is no perfonal beauty or ele- 
gance, it is difficult to conceive how a 
romantic paffion can be felt, with all its 
enthuhafm, by any man. Love‘us a 
mingled defire of fenfual gratification and 
intelle€tual fyrhpathy ; any other love 
never racks and rends the heart; sit may 
breathe itfelf in funnets, it may. play 
about the head, but the heart remains 
cold and inert. 
{f we except the paffion and events of 
ibert, all the reft defcribes the fitua- 
tion and purfuits of this amiable and un- 
happy woman. ‘The dreadful {elitude to 
which fhe was latterly condemned, when 
in the laft flages of her poverty; her 
frugal mode of life; her acute feniations ; 
her defrauded hopes, and her exalted~ 
fortitude. 
She has here formed a re=— 
giiter of all that occurred to her folitary 
exiftence. Not without a tear, could 
ae 2 UE 2 pead 
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