after a fort modeft walk upon the stage, he would fall at the firft touch of Hydafpes, without grappling with him, and giving him an opportunity of fhewing his variety of Italian trips: it is faid indeed, that he once gave him a rip in his fieth.coloured doublet; but this was only to make work for himself, in his private character of a Taylor. I muft not omit that it was this fecond Lion who treated me with fo much humanity behind the fcenes.

The acting Lion at prefent is, as I am informed, a Country Gentleman, who does it for his diverfion, but defires his name may be concealed. He fays very handfomely, in his own excufe, that he does not act for gain; that he indulges an innocent pleasure in it; and that it is better to pass away an evening in this manner, than in gaming and drinking; but at the fame time fays, with a very agreeable raillery upon himfeif, that if his name fhould be known, the ill-natured world might call him the Afs in the Lion's fkin. This gentleman's temper is made of fuch a happy mixture of the mild and the choleric, that he outdoes both his predeceffors, and has drawn together greater audiences than have been known in the memory of man.

I must not conclude my narrative, without taking notice of a groundlef's report that has been raised, to a gentleman's difadvantage, of whom I muft declare myself an admirer; namely, that Signior Nicolini and the Lion have been feen fitting peaceably by one another, and fimoking a pipe together behind the fcenes; by which their common enemies would infinuate, that it is but a fham combat which they reprefent upon the ftage; but upon enquiry I find, that if any fuch correfpondence has paffed between them, it was not till the combat

was over, when the Lion was to be looked upon as dead, according to the received rules of the drama. Besides, this is what is practifed every day in Weftminster Hall, where nothing is more ufual than to fee a couple of lawyers, who have been tearing each other to pieces in the court, embracing one another as foon as they are out of it.

I would not be thought, in any part of this relation, to reflect upon Signior Nicolini, who in acting this part only complies with the wretched taite of his audience; he knows very well, that the Lion has many more admirers than himself, as they fay of the famous equef trian ftatue on the Pont-Neuf at Paris, that more people go to fee the horse, than the king who fits upon it. On the contrary, it gives me a juft indignation to fee a perfon whofe action gives new majefty to kings, refolution to heroes, and foftnefs to lovers, thus finking from the greatnefs of his behaviour, and degraded into the character of the London 'Prentice. I have often wished, that our tragedians would copy after this great master in action. Could they make the fame ufe of their arms and legs, and inform their faces with as fignificant looks and paffions, how glorious would an English tragedy appear with that action, which is capable of giving a dignity to the forced thoughts, cold conceits, and unnatural expreflions of an Italian opera! In the mean time, I have related this combat of the Lion, to fhew what are at prefent the reigning entertainments of the politer part of Great Britain.

Audiences have often been reproached by writers for the coarseness of their tafte; but our prefent grievance does not feem to be the want of a good taste, but of common sense.

C

OVID. MET. L. 4. VER. 590.

Was reflecting this morning upon the spirit and humour of the public diverfions five and twenty years ago, and thofe of the prefent time; and lamented to myself, that, though in thofe days

they neglected their morality, they kept up their good sense; but that the Beau Monde, at prefent, is only grown more childish, not more innocent, than the former. While I was in this train of thought,

I

SIR,

MARCH 15.

Have read all your papers, and have ftifled my resentment against your reflections upon operas, till that of this day, wherein you plainly infinuate, that Signior Grimaldi and myself have a correfpondence more friendly than is confiftent with the valour of his character, or the fierceness of mine. I defire you would for your own fake forbear fuch intimations for the future; and muft fay it is a great piece of ill-nature in you, to fhew fo great an esteem for a foreigner, and to difcourage a Lion that is your own countryman.

I take notice of your fable of the Lion and Man, but am fo equally concerned in that matter, that I fhall not be offended to whichfoever of the animals the fu

periority is given. You have mifreprefented me, in faying that I am a country gentleman, who act only for my divertion; whereas, had I ftill the fame woods to range in which I once had when I was a fox-hunter, I should not refign my manhood for a maintenance; and affure you, as low as my circumstances are at prefent, I am fo much a man of honour, that I would fcorn to be any beaft for bread but a Lion.

der the Piazzas. By this means, I have not only loft my two cuftomers, whom I ufed to place for fixpence a-piece overagainst Mrs. Rachel Eyebright, but Mrs. Rachel herself is gone thither alfo. There now appear among us none but a few ordinary people, who come to church only to fay their prayers, fo that I have no work worth fpeaking of but on. Sundays. I have placed my fon at the Piazzas, to acquaint the ladies that the bell rings for church, and that it stands on the other fide of the garden; but they only laugh at the child.

I defire you would lay this before all the world, that I may not be made fuch a tool for the future, and that Punchinello may choofe hours lefs canonical. As things are now, Mr. Powell has a full congregation, while we have a very thin houfe; which if you can remedy, you will very much oblige, Sir,

Yours, &c.

The following epiftle I find is from the undertaker of the Mafquerade.

SIR,

I Have obferved the rules of my mafque

fo carefully (in not inquiring into perfons,) that I cannot tell whether you were one of the company or not last Tuesday; but if you were not, and still defign to come, I defire you would, for your own entertainment, please to admonish the town, that all perfons indifferently are not fit for this fort of diverfion. I could with, Sir, you could make them understand, that it is a kind of acting to go in masquerade, and a man fhould be able to fay or do things proper for the dress, in which he appears. We have now and then rakes in the habit of Roman fenators, and grave pol ticians in the drefs of rakes. The misfortune of the thing is, that people dress themselves in what they have a mind to be, and not what they are fit for. There is not a girl in the town, but let her have her will in going to a mafque, and the fhall dress as a fhepherdefs. But let me beg of them to read the Arcadia, or fome other good romance, before they appear in any fuch character at house. The laft day we prefented, every body was fo rafhly habited, that when they came to speak to each other, a nymph with a crook had not a word to say but in the pert ftile of the pit bawdry; and a man in the habit of a philofopher was Ε

my

Speech