taking advantage of his good faith, he made a fudden attack upon him, and took him prifoner. The exaction of an immense ranfom from Atabalipa, yet, afterwards, detaining him for trial and execution, and, together with the infults fuperadded by bigotry, to make him die a Chriftian, contribute to accumulate difgrace upon the head of the treacherous and unfeeling conqueror.

In 1537 Pizarro found a new enemy in his original affociate Amalgro, who claiming Cuzco, the ancient capital of Peru, got poffeffion of it. They came to an engagement, in which Amalgro was defeated and taken prifoner, and, after an interval of confinement, tried and executed. This, however, was the last of Pizarro's fucceffes, for the fons and friends of Almagro conspired against him, and on June 26, 1541, he was affaffinated in his palace, advanced in years, though his exact age is not known. The glory he justly acquired by miliJary talents, courage, and fagacity, would have placed him in the ranks of heroes, had not his character been difgraced by the indelible ftains of perfidy and cruelty.

Such is the real Pizarro in hiftory, after whofe name this tragedy is denominated. Now we proceed to the plot.

Many of the Spaniards difgufted by the vices of Pizarro, abandon him and unite themselves to Alonzo, who efpoufes the caufe of the Peruvians. Rolla is a Peruvian hero of the most heroic caft; his fentiments and conduct being worthy of the highest admiration. Admiring Kora, a Peruvian lady, he nobly gives her up to his friend Alonzo, to both of whom he always behaves with the utmost kindness and attention. Pizarro, it must be here remembered, was attended to America by a Spanish lady of great beauty, whofe name is Elvira, and who is attached to him purely from the contemplation of his adventurous genius, braving every danger and difficulty.

Soon after the play opens, Alonzo, through the fortune of war, falls into the hands of the Spaniards, and the

infamous

infamous Pizarro intends to glut his vengeance by put ting him to death at fun-rife next morning. From this bafe and cruel act Elvira tries every means of diffuading him, but in vain. He is bent on his diabolical purpose, and fhe, in confequence, refolves upon Pizarro's deftruction! Kora, the wife of Alonzo, is torn by fufpence and anguish, but Rolla tells her he is taken, and expecting to die, fends her his laft words-defiring that he would become her husband, and the father to her fon. Kora fuggefts, in the agony of her distress, that he might have put him to death, in order to poffefs her! recollecting his former paffion. Rolla recoiling at this most unjust fufpicion, haftens to release Alonzo from his prison, and remains in his ftead; this is accomplished by affuming a friar's habit, and the guard having rejected jewels and gold, is bribed by the feelings of humanity. Alonzo now escaped, and Rolla occupying his dungeon, Elvira enters to release Alonzo, but meeting Rolla tempts him to ftab Pizarro, fleeping in his tent. Rolla difdains becoming his affaffin, though Elvira hints that affaffinating a man in his fleep is not more base, than putting a man to death who is already a captive and in chains! He awakes Pizarro from his fleep, after having obferved the interrupted flumbers of guilt. The tyrant, ftruck with the generofity of the man, who, having an opportunity of taking away his life, did not avail himself of it, affures Rolla that he fhall not be injured. Elvira, furprized to fee Pizarro still alive and enraged, confeffes that he meant to have him affaffinated. She is doomed to die, but Rolla goes back to his countrymen.

The next scene introduces us to Kora, with her child, in a forest, amidst the complicated horrors of thunder and lightning! Here the voice of Alonzo reaches the car of Kora, and flying to find him, the leaves behind her the child, sleeping under the cover of her veil; but two Spanish foldiers ftrolling that way, take the child along with them. Upon her return fhe goes in rapture to fhew the child to Alonzo, whom he has found, but

upon

upon lifting up the veil fhe obferves the child gone, and is diftracted at the fight. The child is carried to Pizarro, the wretch, told by Rolla to whom he belongs, triumphs with malignity. Rolla entreats moft pathetically to bear the child to its difconfolate parents, but Pizarro refuses to give it up, he, therefore, fnatches it away. Rolla, running with the child across a bridge in the mountains, is fhot, but ftaggering along befmeared with blood, bears the child to the parents, then falls at their feet and yields up the ghost.

In a fubfequent conteft, Alonzo and Pizarro are oppofed to each other, the victory is for fome time dubious, but Elvira entering puts a fword into the hands of Alonzo, with which the deteftable tyrant, Pizarro, is flain. The piece concludes with Rolla's funeral.

Such are the general outlines of this enchanting piece, which in the celebrity of its characters, the elevation of its fentiments, the fimplicity of its language, and the splendour of its scenes, exceeds all defcrip. tion.

Pizarro
Alonzo

The principal characters were,

Mr. Barrymore
Mr. C. Kemble

Mr. Kemble

Rolla

Atalipa, or Atabalipa

Mr. Powell

We will not pretend to enter into all the beauties of this play. But we muft fay that we never beheld a tragedy which interefted our feelings in fo great a degree, and which, at the fame time, did not fatigue us by its length. Every act poffeffes its appropriate excellencies, and the fcenes fhift with a pleafing rapidity. The audience find their attention kept alive, and the whole leaves behind it some very advantageous impref, fions.

We particularly admire in this drama the character

of

of Rolla, uniformly great and impreffive; even to the laft the fpectator is enamoured of him-he dies, fealing the laft act of his benevolence with his blood! The acting of Kemble exceeds all praife. Elvira, likewife, demands our admiration. She bears an invariable teftimony against the infatiable cruelty and brutal inhumanity of Pizarro, the Spanish conqueror. Mrs. Siddons, in this character, is truly interefting, and acquits herfelf with unusual ability. Kora difplays all the powerful feelings of a wife and a mother. In particular, the agonies of maternal grief are affectingly depicted, and Mrs. Jordan here merits high commendation.

The Temple of the Sun pours upon the fenfes an enchanting fplendour. The venerable prieft-the delicate virgins-the blazing fun-the rich enfigus-the highly ornamented pillars, and the fire darting down from heaven and confuming the offering upon the altar, are well calculated to fill and diftend the imagination.

The character of Pizarro is ably delineated, and fhews the evil effects of an unbridled ambition trampling upon the deareft rights of humanity. Loving our country, we are here taught to hold every species of tyranny in detestation! Indeed the pureft fentiments of loyalty and patriotism are blended together, and recommended to univerfal imitation.

COVENT GARDEN.

JUNE 10. After a feafon of fuccefs, variety, and exertion, on the part of Mr. HARRIS, the Manager, this theatre closed this evening with Ramah Droog, and the Birth Day. The audience was full and refpectable. MR. LEWIS came forward and addreffed them in thefe words:

"Ladies and Gentlemen,

"I have the honour to addrefs you from the Proprietor and Performers of this theatre, to speak, in the fulleft manner, their thanks for the unbounded patronage and indulgence throughout the feafon. No part of

my

my public duty would be fo pleafing, could I find words equal to express their fenfe of gratitude, but that is impoffible. Our future exertions will beft fpeak our thanks, and gives us hope to retain that protection with which you have fo highly honoured us; and feeling, as we do, the gratification of your good opinion, I am to affure you no efforts fhall be untried to merit its continuance.

HAYMARKET THEATRE.

JUNE 15. The Little Theatre opened this evening for the fummer feafon, with a new play, in three acts, entitled FAMILY DISTRESS, tranflated from the German of Kotzebue, by Mr. Newman, under the title of Self Immolation.

The HERO of this piece is an amiable merchant, fubjected to pecuniary embarrassments, whofe anguifh is augmented by the tender relations in which he ftands, of a father, a fon, and a husband. The plot confifts in the variety of the means which prefent themfelves of retrieving his affairs, fome of which are rejected for their bafenefs, and others from a high fenfe of honour and delicacy, when at length he plunges into the river in defpair, but is reftored to life and fortune by a wealthy philanthropist, who becomes acquainted with his melancholy ftory. In the fentiments are to be found much truth and unaffected fimplicity. All the little domeftic wants that follow deranged circumftances, particularly fuch as relate to the child, are aptly introduced. We muft, however, confefs, that the arrangement of the incidents might have been made with greater felicity. Our intereft in a tragedy should rife upon the fpe&tator and engage all the paffions of the foul !

Mr. Pope, Mifs Chapman, Mifs Leferve, Mr. and Mrs. Davenport, and Mr. H. Johnstone, all performed with ability. Mr. Swindall, from Edinburgh, made his first appearance in the character of HARRINGTON, the philanthropist; he difplayed a correct judgment and an eafy deportment.

The theatre has been recently decorated, and this new play, with which it opened, was well received.