ORIGINAL POETRY.

PROVIDENCE,

A Sonnet from the Italian of Vincenzo da Filicaia.

As the fond parent o'er her offspring bends,

And feels of mother's love the throbbing beat, Close presses this, that with a kiss befriends,

One on her lap sustains, one at her feet, Yet to each act, look, sigh, her care extends;

And though discordant wills conflicting meet, These a word governs, those a look commends, And if she frown, is still with love replete ;— So guards mankind the Eternal Providence,

So comforts these, of those the wants supplies, Hears all, and does to all her aid dispense,

And though she sometimes harden'd pride chastise, Still grants the prayer of humble penitence,

Or, (blest refusal !) grants when she denies. M. W.

EPIGRAM,

From the Greek of Meleager.

POUR, O pour the sparkling wine,

And let the mantling bowl go round; And while we sip its waves divine,

Let Heliodora's name go round.

The garland bring, which on her brow

Of late display'd its roseate wreaths,
"T will lull this temple's throbbing glow,
For O! of her it speaks, it breathes.
Behold the lov'd rose drops a tear ;—

It mingles its fond stream with mine;
It sees not Helidora here,

Against this love thrill'd heart recline.

M. W.

WITH reason safely arm'd, my dauntless heart
Cupid defies, nor fears his powerful dart;
Nor will he conquer, tho' alone I stand,
And 'gainst a god lift up a mortal hand.
But O! should Bacchus to his aid come on,
Against two such what can I do alone?

M. W.

MONTHLY DRAMATIC REVIEW.

Boston Theatre.

Sept. 28. Exile-Catharine and Petruchio.(1)
30. Honey Moon(2)-Three and Deuce.
Oct. 2. Foundling of the Forest-Constitution and Guerrier.
5. Romeo and Juliet(3)-Constitution and Guerrier.
7. Knight of Snowdoun(4)-Biue Beard.

The per

(1) With these pieces the theatre opened for the season. formers of last season were welcomed with the applauses of the audience, according to custom. Much satisfaction was expressed at the progressive improvement of some of the younger members of the corps, as well as with the novelties, Mr. and Mrs. Young and Mr. Spiller, the two former of whom appeared in Daran and Alexina, and the latter in Baron Alltradoff. The play of the Exile is altogether such wretched trash, that we must see them in something of more importance to do them justice.

(2) The Honey Moon was first played here in the winter of 1805, and was then supported by the brilliant talents of Cooper in Duke Aranza, Bernard in Rolando, and Mrs. Darley in Zamora. It is therefore difficult to speak of the present performance of these characters without making comparisons, which must certainly be to the disadvantage of the present representatives. Mr. Waring (his first appearance in Boston) in the Duke, though in some points comparatively good, was in others superlatively bad, and in the whole fell so far short of expectation, and was so very inferior to Cooper, Fennell, and Duff, in the same character, that we must needs think it but an inferior piece of acting. Anterior criti cism has bestowed its honors in such generous profusion on the Juliana of Mrs. Powell, and the starved apothecary, that “ sketch and outline of a man,” by Mr. Dickenson, that any twig of laurel we might feel disposed to award, would now be thought superfluous. Mrs. Young in Volante fulfilled the highest expectations that could have been formed of her abilities, from her first appearance. Lively and diverting, with a degree of archness suitable to the character, she could not fail to please. Mr. Spiller in the Count was respectable.

(3) Juliet by Mrs. Wheatly, her first appearance in Boston.

(4) The good sense of the public has hitherto prevented the success of this piece. It would not perhaps be easy to conjecture any plausible reason, much less to assign any satisfactory one, why this silly production of Morton, without merit in the dialogue or interest in the fable,

8. Dramatist-Wags of Windsor.

9. Castle Spectre-Constitution and Guerrier.

12. The Kiss(5)--Fortress.

14. The Kiss-Cinderella.

16. Jane Shore-Lodoiska.

19. The Kiss--Critic.

21. The Doubtful Son(6)-Shipwreck.

23. Doubtful Son-Plot and Counterplot.

should have been got up with such a generous display of scenery, in preference to Mr. Eyre's play of the Lady of the Lake which possesses all the interest and much of the poetical language of the original poem.

(5) The Kiss, a new comedy by S. Clarke, is written professedly in imitation of ancient comedy, and partly taken from Beaumont and Fletcher. The story on which it is built may be found in the Polyanthos for June, 1812, p. 13. Mr. Waring is an actor of many accomplishments, derived both from nature and imitation. His Count Olmedo, a kind of Don Felix, bating some verbal inaccuracies, and a little too much of the boisterous, even for a jealous husband, was very good. His powers are by no means cramped through excessive diffidence. Mr. Young was very clever in Leandro. Bartolo, a lawyer, by Mr. Drake; Lopez, a curate, by Mr. Entwisle; and Diego, a sexton, by Mr. Dickenson, were jointly and severally' entitled to commendation. A scene in which Diego is feigned to be sick, to detain Bartolo while Leandro runs away with his ward, is truly laughable. Mrs. Young's Orelia was pretty. In the first interview with her husband, the sarcasm of the following lines was not sufficiently pointed, by which the sense was somewhat obscured, and the general effect weakened and lost

Do I not wander in enchanted groves,
And in triumphal chariots breathe the air?
Do I not taste delicious banquets, music,
Delightful converse, fit society?

And then at night, behold the festive dance,

Led up by youth and beauty? &c.

But what was lost to the ear was perhaps made up to the eye; and who will trouble himself about the sound of words, while gazing on the goddess of beauty?

(6) The Doubtful Son is a play in five acts, by W. Dimond, author of the Foundling of the Forest, to which the present brat is a very near re lation. To detail the plot and incidents would exceed our limits. Those who have seen Mr. Dimond's former plays will be at no loss in estimat

ing the merit of this. They have only to fancy the permutation of a few names and a trifling variation in language-or, as Lear says, ' handy-dandy,' and which is the Doubtful Son, which the Foundling. There is no distinction of character; the personages all speak the same language, which is neither poetry nor prose; and they all talk sentiment, whether princes, robbers, or clowns. It cannot be denied however, notwithstanding our dislike to the style and character of Mr. Dimond's plays, that they sometimes excite powerful interest in the spectator; and this seems to be the chief merit in the Doubtful Son. It was better played than written. Mrs. Powell and Mr. and Mrs. Young, and Mr. Waring, used exertions which would have been better exercised on a better play. The fidelity of an old servant was well portrayed by Mr. Entwisle, and the filial affection of a son by Mr. Spiller. Mr. Robertson in Borachio fully deserved all the applause he received. We take a peculiar pleasure in noticing the rapid improvement this gentleman makes in his profession; and though sometimes he appears rather too mechanical, yet, we know of few young actors, whose general style of acting is less exceptionable.

MONTHLY MISCELLANY,

OF LITERARY INTELLIGENCE, REMARKABLE INCIDENTS, OBITUARY NOTICES, &c. &c.

Literary Intelligence.

DR. Barton, of Lancaster, Penn. has ready for the press, Memoirs of the life of the late Dr. Rittenhouse. The writer trusts that whatever may be the encouragement his work shall receive from a judicious public, its patrons will not be disappointed in the expectations they may have entertained respect. ing its execution: and that an early, as well as liberal patronage of it, will in all probability, remove the only obstacle which might otherwise prevent its publication at the time now contemplated.

L. M. Sargeant, Esq. Boston, has ready for the press, Hubert and Ellen, a tale, with other poems.

J. Belcher, Boston, will publish in a few days, the Works, in prose and verse, of the late Robert Treat Paine, jun. Esq. with notes. To which are prefixed, Sketches of his Life, Character, and Writings.