ftand my cue in the Recruiting Sergeant; but Macheath I choose for my debut. This is my plan, which I humbly offer to the two theatres and the public. I am for no violence; but, if we must have gentlemen performers, let us fee which fhall have the preference, thofe on the public theatre, or those who wish to rear their heads in private. I thall conclude with saying, that if my friends Captain M--and Captain Afhould confent to appear with me, it must not be objected that they will not make very delicate women. That is true; but I don't think they will be more prepofterous, either in fize, or fhape, or features, than fome of the most applauded heroines of modern times, both on the public and private theatres. The British, Feb. 24. MR. EDITOR, I am truly yours GEORGE HANGER. MORE ABOUT IT. [From the fame.] RECEIVED a day or two ago the enclofed letter by the penny-poft: I fend it to you, together with my anfwer. I with the whole world to know, that I have taken up the ftage upon principle, and I am not a man to be moved from my purpose. Yours, GEORGE HAnger. "To the Honourable Colonel Hanger. "For God's fake, my dear George, what are you about? You will blow up our fcheme if you perfift in your refolution to act against us. I thought that as ours was a fervice of danger, you would have ftood forth in defence of the ladies. Do, my brave Colonel, come over to us. You fhall have the poft of honour; you fhall command the advanced guard of the theatre; ' and and it fhall be for your intereft as well as your glory. We have a thousand means to gratify a man of your 'None but the brave deserve the fair.' taste. "Yours, A PIC-NIC." To the Honourable Colonel Hanger, British. SIR, OR MADAM, I have already declared my opinion of your new theatrical coterie, and my refolution is fixed. I am for the established drama; and I do it with the fame fervour as I would stand by the established church, in oppofition to all Methodistical fects, who, like you, pretend to propagate midnight morality by nocturnal love-feafts. I rejoice to fee that the clergy have taken a hint from me (I have taken many a hint from them), and have pioufly oppofed you from the pulpit. As to your fly infinuation, I know not what you mean; but I am not to be taken in. I pretend to no more virtue than my neighbours. Thefe times have fhewn the truth of the old intriguing maxim, "that every man has his price," and I may have mine. I do not know what dollars and doxies may do for me, if they fell in my way. But I will fly temptation; I will not truft myfelf in your fociety. What! truft myfelf to play Macheath with your buxom Pollies and Lucies of fashion! Egad, I fhould be apt to realize the fictions of the poet. I am not an illiberal man. I love the ftage for its morals; and I cannot agree with the fentiment of a great Judge, who once faid from the bench, that however they might prate about virtue on the ftage, yet, when the curtain drops, every Romeo may form a tolerable eftimate of the virtue of his Juliet." No, I think no fuch thing; but I think with Charles, in the School for Scandal, that if a pretty woman will fling, herfelf in my way, I fhould have occafion for all that fage lawyer's morality, and alfo for his years, to refift the temptation. Egad! it K2 would would be pleafant paftime enough; `an enchanting Cowflip of quality finging to me, “You rogue, fays I, you'll ftop my breath, Ye bells ring out my knell, O; With fuch a charming fellow!” But my love of decorum, my love of the laws, forbid my indulgence; and fo, My Lord, my Lady, or Mr. Pic-Nic, I am for the old ftage, and a ftraight head of hair. 6th March 1802. P. S. If it had been your intention to do good by your coterie, I know not what I might have done. Charity covereth a multitude of fins. If you had clothed the naked (though, by the by, as fome belles of the highest ton are of the party, that may be your defign), or fed the hungry, or that you meant to fit out young heroes and heroines in the world, it would have been a laudable object. I remember a thing of this kind when I went first to America. A young hero was equipped by a ball and a raffle. I was prefent. I have the poetical card of invitation now before me. It was a jeu d' efprit of the firft water. I fend it to you as a curiofity. It may give you an idea for your play-bill. INVITATION CARD. The King in his wifdom, it makes me quite frantic, Has order'd my nephew to cross the Atlantic: 'T will therefore coft money to equip him for fea, High bred, or no nephew of mine fhould beftride them; N. B. N. B. The hotfes have follow'd a pack, MOTHER MACK. INQUIRY INTO THE ORIGIN OF THE SIR, NEVER PIC-NICS. [From the Morning Post:] EVER was public curiofity more actively employed than in watching the motions of this new fpecies of animals, with a view to learn their history, their origin, their numbers, and why they were fent into the world. Nearly half a year has been however confumed in a fruitlefs fearch. They still remain a mystery; and, probably, future ages, finding our accounts involved in mazes and contradictions, may folve all difficulties by denying their existence. The vulgar, that is, the plain and unlettered part of mankind, could make nothing of their name; they fearched dictionaries in vain: Nathan Bailey, Philologus, was filent, and fo was Samuel Johnfo. Our modern authors of Supplements to Johnson may indeed infert the word, but where will they find a meaning? Words fomewhat alike in found were examined, but no one relished them. Pic-poc was found, and fo was Pic-loc; but from thefe no judgment could be formed that was not as obvious to a Bow-street officer as to a lexicographer. At length it was announced, that Pic-Nic, like Quoz, which was chalked fome years ago on windows and doors, really meant nothing, and was intended only to make folks ftare. The conclufion was, that, as the name had no meaning, the entertainments muft of courfe be infignificant. One famous Pic-Nic indeed, who appeared to be either a king, or a conful, or a prefident among them, K 3 them, came forward and faid, they were "a harmless and inoffenfive fociety of perfons of fafhion." This only made confufion to be worfe confounded. "A harmlefs fociety of perfons of fashion" was a phenomenon fo rare, fo unintelligible, to every man who knew what it was to be harmless, or to be a perfon of fashion, that a fresh perplexity arofe, and every one afked his neighbour what it could poffibly mean, and every one anfwered his neighbour, that he really could not tell. Nor was the public amazement leffened, when they were informed, that Pic-Nics were men who acted plays and wrote plays for their own amusement, and who took great care that they fhould be for the amufement of no one elfe. For this purpofe, fome played the character of actors, and fonie that of fpectators; and it was obferved that the latter were always very perfect in their parts. But here too was fome perplexity; for, as in all plays there are characters of women, and the Pic-Nics had no aftreffes, they boldly refolved that all their women fhould be men, or their men women; a transformation which, it is well known, never happened before, except in the cafe of fome judges, the benchers of the inns of court, a bishop or two, and fundry juftices of peace, who, at a particular period of life, are allowed to change their fex, and become old women by courtesy ! Their origin is involved in deep obfcurity. That they are of foreign growth feems highly probable, for no breed of the kind has ever been difcovered among the genuine English. But, as every foreign country has difowned them, and as we are now at peace with the countries moft likely to have produced them, it would not be proper or decent to provoke hoftilities by any furmifes of ours on this perplexing fubject. In point of religion they feem to differ from all known opinions. They cannot be Jews, for they hald |