REMARKS. FARCE is that sort of "ad libitum" writing, to which no "O'Keefe appears-gay Humour's fav'rite son, Ilis well-wrought scenes, his quaint amusing style, Be grateful for the merriment he gave, And smooth his cheerless passage to the grave !"* What author ever carried Farce to greater lengths than O'Keefe, and, at the same time, succeeded so admirably? He is the very genius of the grotesque, who has bequeathed to the stage a rich legacy of fun and comicality, that entitles him to the lasting gratitude of every admirer of the drama. That such a man should have endured privation in a season of age and infirmity, is deeply to be lamented; it is, however, a gratifying reflection, that his forlorn situation should have awakened the munificence of the Sovereign of these realms, who, with that fine feeling which stamps an additional value on a favour conferred, appointed a high dignitary of the church to be his almoner. The Bishop of Chichester was the bearer of the royal bounty; and we can easily conceive what were the feelings of that amiable "The Modern Dunciad." prelate when he entered the abode of genius, and (shame to the age!) of blindness and destitution. "Total eclipse! no sun, no moon All dark beneath the blaze of noon !" The record of such an act is of itself an epitaph. Deeds such as these shall bring him true renown, And prove the richest jewel in his crown; And dim the brightness of the diamond's blaze ! It was said by our excellent friend, Doctor Johnson, "that a man who would make a pun, would pick a pocket!" Were this extraordinary declaration to be generally received, and acted upon, the very merriest portion of his majesty's subjects would be banished from honest society, and your dull heavy fellows (for be it known that your revilers of puns are those only who cannot make them) would be reduced to the wretched alternative of losing either their money, or their mirth. We are, however, inclined to believe that this was a portion of the "lax talk," that our great moralist, by his own coufession, sometimes indulged in; and we are confirmed in the belief, by a knowledge that there are puns extant for which the worthy Doctor is himself responsible. We all know how highly he was diverted by the quibbling sallies of that inveterate punster, Sam Foote; thereby, to all intents and purposes, aiding, abetting, and encouraging the said Sam in this licentious practice. It is wisely said, that if there were no receivers, there would be no thieves; and, by the same rule, we may reasonably infer, that if there were no laughers, there would be no punsters! We have been led to these remarks, by the numerous puns that occur in "The Disagreeable Surprise," charitably hoping that they may not operate against the author, with your graver sort of folk, by whom the Doctor's dictum would be received as gospel. To play upon any instrument is reckoned an accomplishment; and experience gives us proof that "title, knee, and approbation," are gained by one half of mankind playing upon the other! Whence, therefore, this mighty objection to a harmless play upon words? For the extent of punning "hath this offence, no more. What a marvellous proper punster was that inimitable master of humour, the Dean of St. Patrick's ' "Who relish'd a joke, and rejoic'd in a pun!" Yet we have good reason to believe that the eleven thou sand pounds, which he charitably bequeathed towards building an hospital for lunatics, were honestly come by. Equally illustrious examples might be adduced in favour of punning; let us hope then, that a man may sit in company, and hear his neighbour discharge a pun, without instinctively clapping his hands to his pockets, to discover whether he has lost any thing. The characters in this farce are, a military captain, an intriguing corporal, a retired city knight, and a college beau; a young lady who prefers a lover in a red coat, to one in a brown one; an old lady who prefers a lover in any coat, to no lover at all; and, what, from time immemorial, has been considered an indispensable appendage to a love-plot-a pert abigail. Then we have a talkative inn-keeper and wife, Paul and Penelope Prig, who are continually ringing the changes of matrimonial felicity: a learned Theban, one Davy Dumpling "Whose wit would hardly serve at most, To guard his nose against a post ;" and a batch of strolling players, Peregrine Truncheon, Jack Spangle, and Billy Bombast, who, in the words of Hamlet to Horatio, "No revenue have, but their good spirits, To feed and clothe them!" Such a Dramatis Persona, when fairly put in motion, cannot fail to excite merriment; and the plot, without laying any particular claim to novelty, is wound up by an incident which, we believe, is new to the Stage, and which is, certainly, both ludicrous and original. As, in the moral world, good is said to arise out of evil; so, in the dramatic, tragic circumstances are made to produce comic results. The character of Billy Bombast belongs to Farce, and consequently to Mr. Harley. His performance was the very perfection of the "vis comica:" it would be impossible to imagine, either in dress, or manner, a more whimsical figure. The peculiarity of his chapeau bras, the exquisite tie of his cravat, the amplitude of his ruffles, and the "most admired disorder" of his wig, are characteristically represented in the speaking portrait that illustrates this Farce-" I became acquainted with Mr. Peregrine Truncheon!" exclaims Billy Bombust, as he recounts his adventures to Captain Wing'em -"And what came out of this new acquaintance" inquires the Captain; when Billy, extending his arms, rising upon his toes, and with that ludicrous bobbing buoyancy, which distinguishes Mr. Harley, replies, as if he were just discharged from a pop-gun-" I came out, Sir!”Corporal Jeremy and Paul Prig (Knight and Oxberry,) are no more; a loss, which the stage, in it's most prosperous days, could not but severely feel, but which, in its present decline, seems almost irreparable. Mrs. Edwin as Maria, and Miss Kelly as Flora, were excellent. The air in the 2nd Act," The knight when he a wooing came," was sung by Miss Kelly with such enchanting effect, that it was twice encored. It would be unjust to omit Mrs. Harlowe, who did ample justice to Mrs. Dorothy Dunstable: her deaf scene, with Mr. Harley, was ludicrous in the ex treme. D-G. MEMOIR OF MR. J. P. HARLEY. MR. JOHN PRITT HARLEY is the son of the late Mr. John Harley, who, fo many years, was a respectable silk-mercer inSt. Martin in the Fields. He was born in the month of February, 1790. Having received a liberal education, he was destined by his father for business; but an early and (fortunately for the drama) an unconquerable predilection for the stage determined him to make it his profession, and, in the year 1807, he renounced the drudgery of trade, and joined the company of the late Mr. Jerrold, at Cranbrook, in Kent, and successively appeared, with great applause, at the Theatres at Southend, Rochester, Stamford, York, Worthing, Brighton, &c. After a few years of provincial probation, he was recommended by Mr. Michael Kelly to Mr. Arnold, the Manager of the English Opera House, by whom he was immediately engaged; and, on the 15th July, 1815, he made his first appearance in London, in the character of Marcelli, in the "Devil's Bridge," and of Peter Fidget, in the "Boarding House." His success was complete and so popular did his subsequent performances render him, particularly his Mingle, Leatherhead, and Pedrillo, that the committee of Drury Lane Theatre lost no time in securing, on very liberal terms, the advantage of his talents, and, on the 16th September following, he appeared, for the first time, on the boards of Old Drury, in the character of Lissardo, in the" Wonder." Mr. Bannister was at that time one of the chief ornaments of the Theatre; it was, therefore, no inconsiderable achievement for Mr. Harley to establish himself as a first-rate actor, in the very characters, which, in the hands of Bannister, had delighted the public for so many years. The veteran has retired, and Mr. Harley is the only performer that reminds us of the peculiar manner of that inimitable comedian. Mr. Harley is one of the most general comic actors that ever trod the stage: Comedy, Farce, Opera, and (Silvester Daggerwood, to wit,) Pantomime; nothing comes |