The Anti-Union

To the Editors of the Anti-UnionAuthor(s): SpectatorSource: The Anti-Union, No. 17 (Feb. 2, 1799), pp. 66-67Published by: The Anti-UnionStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30025136 .

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66

flandecr r:r charn'cr; anli our fiOtuer kingdjom willbe1) awade fc-.ilble that it is infinitely better to fecure the heart of a generous f.iend, than to: have the relu'aant fiibmifiiorl of a difcontenened.'flave. ;In the awful crifis of her affairs, we have taken our-fland by her fide, wil-

ling to fhare witlr her the danger-and glory of the. con-

t:'i. Let us acquit ourfelves with that fpirit which is, the -charaderiflic of our nation, Let us fhew- our .com- mon eneimy, that his attempts upon this country mull be more :vain than ever.; for-we have.now additional niotives to- maintain our rights.and liberties, in the.con- fcious pofflefion of avirtuous, independent parliament. Let our union be ..the uriionof intere'ls.an'd honor. -- And may the conneaion .upon thefe grounds, lailt for .ever - may it prove a common, benefit to both -- and ne- ver be a flain or reproach to. either:

BHAMPDEN.

TO THE

iEDITORS OF THE ANTI-UNION,

-All the WCORLDt's a Stage! SAKS.PEARE.

Caffigat & redendo mores.'

HAVING been .one of the audience allured by the variety of :furprizing-entertainments advertized in hand- bills to be prefented -on Tuefday Evening laft, the 22d in,. at the Royal Circus in .Fofier Place, and finding.no perfon has yet given.anycritique on the performances exhibited that night, 'I take up my-pen to gratify the

publicecuriofity, and fatisfy thofe who could not pro- cure places on that occafion.

Being an admirer-of dramatic entertainments, and anxious for-a good feat, I went at an early hour, and

fqueezed myfelf amidfl the throng into the gallery, and found :the- houfe, what is dramatically called, a bum- per : many beautiful women, equally excited by pa- triotifmi and the curiofity fo peculiar to the charming fex, oceupied the front rows of the boxes, kindly al-.

lowing the gentlemen .(as there was hardly tfanding room) to prefs upon them, without complaining of any inconvenience, as all the ladies were interefbd about a Union that was to have.Irifh. performers.

After a pro!ogue, very well adapted :to the occafion, (faid to be written by an author famous for, and long in, the habits of that kind of compofition) was recited by a moi venerable and refpecablperformer The celt'- brated piece, called the Union; or, Ireland divided, was then brought forward. I cannot fay the plot was criti- cally correR, but the incidents were admirably adapted

for fage ffilal; - fomnc of the dialogue breathed a fip rit of animated eloquence, brilliancy of fancy, and fire of patriotifm, that kould have done honour to Greece land Rome in their meridian fplendor! As to the uni- ties of time and p!ace, the author, like Shalfpeari, feems to have fcorned'the rules of-the Stagyriter ; for, during the reprefentation, he not only tranfported the imagi- nation, but the performers, from Ireland to Englbnd, and then back again, for purpofes bell known to him- felf, of which I muff confers, I could neither fee the propriety or neceflity, as the interefl .of the piece was certaifily confined to ireland Where the fcebne of ac'ion lay ;-thefre abfurditics, anid the difmifhl of fome old excellent performers for reftiling fome difagrecable parts allotted them, "they being much in favourof the public, damned the piece 'completely, though 'the managers were duped into 'a belief of its fuicefs, having 'had frequent rehearfals, and engaged more performers at a great fa-. lary, who affured them, as did the prompter, 'the.piece would do; bit it was received by the public witlh fuch marks of contempt and 'indignation,that when the curtain dropped, the author begged td withdraw-it, pro- mniling not to hazard a fecond rep;efentation; .thus, like the tragedy of Vortigern, pplmed on the world as the prodduCion of our immortal bard, the 'Union was difinif- fed from the Iriflh fage for ever, unlefs 'the public cal- -led for another reprcflntation.

'The after-piece, entitled Patriot:f, met with the fuccefs and approbation it deferved, and was highly gra- tifying to-the public.

The tricks and deceptions which promired fo -much en- tertainment were unworthy of the perfons concerned, and too vifible :for legerdemain, to excite either fur- prife or admiration.

'As to the performance of the flark and tight 'rope, the fpc-Eators were equally difappointed, from the +puffs of the play-bill, (which was purchaled with fulch -avidity by the public). The next time fuch exhibitions are -at- tempted, the managers ought to remove the preponderat- ing weight f 'lead which evidently-.appeared at one end of the pole during the exhibition of the perform.- ers on the balance, and which occaj7ned fJ many falling to the ground.

But they' kindly made us amends by the unexpected introdution of animal magneti/;., which by the- opera.- tion of the longue and'motion of the hands, produced an irrefiflible impulfe on the audience, throwing j;me into a profound Jleep, fetting others a oughingg, and wh]at is more furprifing, gave fuch a voracious appetite to many, as to breed a famine in the coffee rooms, to which numbers adjourned during fomepart of the per- formance.

The young alor who was expected to leap through a

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67 gBe on fIre, in the ch7zofraser of the' Cafle rftee7re, failed iii the attempt, and fluck in the middle, like .1Makbmct fufpended between two loadflones; and though he was not precipitated like Pilatre-de-Rofier, in a blaze from his baloon, and burnt to death, yet every one faw that he was moft compleatly roafled.

The equej/rian exercife at the UPPER END OF' rItC i4ouse concluded as was generally'expe&ed, the mafjor part of that troop being well trained and thoroughl paced, particularly the black and white robed conjurors, who as high flyers and riding upo0n two or three faddles at a time, are at eafe in every motion, knowing by expe- rience the harder they gallop in the circle, the fafer their

pofition, and they can more eafily tranflate theinfelves from one feat to another--one of that body, however, was deficient in Lich dexterity and wzis confequently Down. As to the other part of the troop they wvent round on one fide with confiderlable velocity and leaped ever garters-while their eyes weic fixed on the fiats.

Signor.Parneii, though difmiffed from the Orchetlra, was too fond of antient Irith mufic. not to be in the body of the houfe, and novw and then during the chdrus, gave a tune with his counter tenor, that drowned the belt bafe voicei.

I forgot to obferve the introdu&ion of' St. Geotrge, as tlhechampionfor England, in the drama called the Union, was appofite enough, and in this infancee, flhewed a con- catenation of ideas in the author, though it feemed very ingallant in the performer (which for old family reafonss ought not to have happened) to turn tail on the heroine of the piece, called Hibe"nia, and to ferve her as his name fake did the dragon; St. Dennis would not have behaved fo. As to the chara&er of Caladonia khe was merely introduced as an attendant on Britania to carry* on a counterplot, but like the gentle Norak in Sheridan's critic (he only created derifion.

Much moe entertainmcnt was given than the play- bill announced: A provincial performer moved Mar- tini's minute arofs the fl-age with rather an ill grace; however, he poffeffes the neceffary affurance for the theatre, but we recommend it to the manager to be more attentive to coflume and not to drefa his firft figu- rantes in Cunnemara flockings.

The-young man who performed the CaCle Specrd, after the failure we have already mentioned, endeavoured to regain his charater hy trying various feats of flrength much beyond his prowefs; and in an attempt to pitch the bar he hurt his fingers forelv and begged pardon of the houfe for his aukwardnefs: He even 'atrempted ai long and tried a parody compofed by himfelf upon the popular air of Sweet Robin ;-Round Robiti was the burthen of this produlion, but it failed too, and he made a firmilar apology. The unfortunate boy .was greatly mortified,

but ho one pited himn--whben a new, perforo'mer kn the chara&er of a magician (and who feemed to bewhtch the whole houfe) transformed the lucklefs youth into a green and limber twig, in which charalcr he waved and flourithed for the rell of the evening. The magician was performed by a MR. Plunket who feemed to be a a great favourite with the galleries, from its being fup- pofed that he was a relation of their old friend Peg, but this we underfiatnd is a mniftake. iThe genius of Ireland was done the greate-t juftice to' by that fleady and valua- ble performer Mr. Ponfonby--Mr. Egan whlo was ex- petaed to fing Poor faick gave Paddy Whack- without variations in a high f'ile--Mr. Callan we find has retired from the fIage.. In the new pantomine of Avarice Punifhed or the Golden Dream, the po- pular fcene of the heavens at midnight was given ---A young lad from Kerry acted the Night-with afew twinklings, he was dark enough, refpedably gloomy, and decoroufl' noturnal. The allegorical" perfonage of Silence, accompanied him, reptefented by a Dutch performer (his firia performance in that charaCter) Mr. Van de Lure-he fuflained the'part tolerably welt, having uttered but' one monyfylable, and that very badly.- O'd Tcoler was lung by the performer who ufed to do

jufiice to it; but he feemed out of tune, and ill at eafe, and cbmplained bitterly of the accompanirment.-A per- former from Woodlawn, altonithed the houfe by a pa; de deux ; he xwas great in the entrechange, and the more lie danced, the more lhe could do. If the entertainment had lated long enough, it is thought he would have cut fix. If there remarks on the performance are liked, you fihall have more hereafter, from a

SPECTATOR.

P. S. i find the performer who played St. George, tho' his cndeavours could not fave the piece, has been re- warded as the prime inflrumeit in fiupporting it.

The followtsg Note wits found on the Black-Rock road; it is fuppofed to lhave dropped from the wri- ter's pocket, during a certain tottaring in that quarter, lafd Tuefday fe'nhright.

To Mr. John Bult. SIR,

Give me ieave to tell you, that your coachman .Bi. ly, gets fo tipJfy, and drives tfuch miferable and viciour hacksin this town, that the Royal George is' in danger of being overfet. A calamity which all honeft men would deeply lament. His .drag chain is fo badly temptred, it

muft Loon break--and he can't get any Bar Iron here

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