Part 21 (1/2)

CHAPTER II

_The play-house, and an old acquaintance: Satirical portraits: Reception of a new comedy; or, of how much worth are praise and bla the case undeter the scene to the play-house It happened to be the first night of a new comedy, and here in the boxes I perceived an acquaintance, whom I had met at the house of Ellis His name was Glibly, and the moment he saw me enter he advanced and accosted me with that familiarity which was essential to his character

Glad of company, in a city where I was so little known, I freely entered into conversation with him; and the amuse been what is called upon the town, and was acquainted more or less with all orders of men He was intiree; knew their private and public history, could give anecdotes of each, and enuirls and their keepers, musicians and musical dilletanti, connoiseurs and their jackalls, (picture dealers and auctioneers) collectors, shell fossil and fiddle fanciers, in short every class of idlers that I have since found swar his acquaintance

He had long, as I afterward discovered, been a newspaper critic; had written prologues, appeared in poet's corner, abounded in sarcastic remarks, and possessed an Athenian loquacity He had indeed a copious vocabulary, an uncoh not free froue that was incessant

He probably thought my personal appearance creditable, for he did not quitthe performance, but amused me with the satirical portraits of various people, whom he pointed out to me in the house

'Do you see that ; three boxes distant on the right? He is handing two ladies to their seats, and is followed by a youngster who is all pertness and powder They ive an appearance of good co-hter, son, and a kept ood terliness, affectation, and ill breeding He drives about in his chariot, which passing in the street you would suppose belonged to a Neapolitan Count, or a Gerives dinners occasionally of several removes, to which he invites all the fools and fiddlers he can find, treats with French wines, and usually , which he spoils by playing a principal part himself He is nearly two thousand pounds in debt; and, in all things ed to put his affairs to nurse Except the booby his son, he is the norant coxcomb of my acquaintance; and that is a bold word But his i: I will introduce you'

I thanked entleman for his politeness, but declined the offer: and he continued

'Look at that ainst the pillar! He is a painter, and a !'

'How? Of genius, and--!'

'Hear and judge for yourself No man has studied his art with so reater enthusias, by which with half the labour and one tenth of the talent he ht have made a fortune, he devoted all his youth to poverty and starving, and undertook a series of paintings that would have ie of Leo X This task he was years in acco all the while on little better than bread and water, and that procured by robbing his nights of the hours of rest; for his pride, which he calls independence, is as great as his anifies with the title of a love of fame But the most prominent trait in his character is a jealous--'

Herehimself, pressed my arm, and bade , 'is a Mr Migrate; a fainal as any this ure in the world either by his riches, rank, or understanding; but with an effrontery peculiar to hier, ask hiain to give him more the first opportunity By this means he is acquainted with every body, but knows nobody; is always talking, yet never says any thing; is perpetually putting soation, but before it is possible he should understand the answer puts another His desire to be informed torments himself and every man of his acquaintance, which is al, he will die consu and returning nothing but rubbish It is as difficult to affront as to get rid of hione to-day, he will knock at your door,his unconnected fifty times answered queries tomorrow He is the friend and the enemy of all theories and of all parties; and tortures you to decide for hiht to chuse As far as he can be said to have opinions, they are crude and contradictory in the extreme; so that in the same breath he will defend and oppose the same system With all this confusion of intellect, there is no ht to act, and even send hireat traveller, and continually abuses his own countrynorant, depraved, and barbarous nations of Europe and Africa He pretends to be the universal friend of est scale, yet is so selfish that he would willingly see the world perish, if he could but secure paradise to hi; and his child, his canary bird, his cook-maid, or his cat, are the most extraordinary of God's creatures This is the only consistent trait in his character In the same sentence, he frequently joins the most fulsome flattery and some insidious question; that asks the person, whom he addresses, if he do not confess himself to be both knave and fool Delicacy of sentiue is licentious, his language coarse, and he is occasionally seized with fits of the ainst dissily accost the rate! How do you do? Give entlee of knowledge and universal intis, may be useful to him; and his erudite acquisitions, and philosophical research, will be highly gratifying to an inquirer like you An intercourse between youand beneficial, and I a you acquainted'

This, addressed to the ly, was inconceivable! The unabashed facility hich he veered, from calumny to compliment, the very moment too after he had accused the man whom he accosted of dissi like it before, but nothing half so perfect in its kind It doubly increased e; it afforded a new instance of what the world is, and a new incitement to ask how it became so? The inquiry at first was painful, and half convinced ht inate in the perversity of his nature, but of his ignorance

These however were hts, for Glibly did not allow us any long pause

'Yonder, in the green boxes,' said he, 'I perceive Mrs Fishwife, the actress She should have played in the comedy we are come to see, but threw up her part from scruples of conscience It was not sufficiently refined for her exquisite sensibility; it wounded her feelings, offended her ed her modesty Yet in the Green-roo so obscene jests; at every one of which she bursts into a horse laugh, and exclaims--'Oh, you devil! But I don't hear you! I don't understand a word you say!' To heighten the jest, her armours are as public as the ladies on Harris's List'

'But perhaps there is so violently offensive and immoral, in the part she refused?'

'Not a syllable The writer is too dull even for a _double entendre_, as you will hear Mere pretence The author, who happens by some odd accident to have more honesty than wit, and could not in conscience co indiscriminate praise on actors, when no small mixture of blame had been merited by many of them, forbore to write a preface to his last piece; froe dose of flattery This is an offence she can never pardon'

'I have heard,' said Migrate, 'that our actresses are becoly squeamish'

'Oh ridiculous beyond belief I have a letter infriend in a country co up to so fine a tone that he cannot take the tragedy of King Lear for his benefit, because not one of thes are so exquisite in the country, where our wise laws treat players as vagabonds, what ic, and royal dignity of a London theatre?'

This was so incredible that I expressed my doubts of the fact; but they were ill founded, for Glibly produced the letter

A ht his eye