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they would with her. One of these Devils was very ill-natured and fierce to her; the other was of the droll kind, and, for a Devil, I can't say but what he was good-natured enough: though he delighted in vexing the poor lady rather too much.

"In the sixth scene, matters began to mend a little: St. John the Baptist, (who had been with our Saviour, I believe, behind the scenes,) told her, if she would continué her entreaties, there was yet some hope for her. She, on this, again besought our Saviour and the Virgin to have compassion on her: the Virgin was melted with her tears, aad desired her Son to have pity on her; on which it was granted, that she should go into the fire, only for sixteen or seventeen hundred thousand years; and she was very thankful for the mildness of the sentence.

"The seventh (and last) scene was a contest between the two infernal devils above-mentioned, and her guardian angel. They came in again, one grinning, and the other open-mouthed to devour her. The angel told them, that they should get about their business. He, with some difficulty, at last drove them off the stage, and handed off the good lady; in assuring her that

all would be very well, after some hundreds of thousand of years, with her.

"All this while, in spite of the excellence of the actors, the greatest part of the entertainment to me was the countenances of the people in the pit and boxes. When the Devils were like to carry her off, every body was in the utmost consternation; and when St. John spoke so obligingly to her, they were ready to cry out for joy. When the Virgin appeared on the stage, every body looked respectful; and on several words spoke by the actors, they pulled off their hats, and crossed themselves.

"There was but one thing that offended me. All the actors, except the Devils, were women : and the person who represented the most venerable character in the whole play, just after the representation, came into the pit, and fell a kissing a barber of her acquaintance, before she had changed her dress. She did me the honour to speak to me too; but I would have nothing to say to her."

LISTON'S WIT.

THE following smart satire on dramatic puffery appeared in the public papers on the morning of the night fixed for Mr. Liston's benefit,

and is a favourable specimen of his wit and ingenuity.

MR. LISTON TO THE EDITOR.

SIR, My benefit takes place this evening at Covent Garden Theatre, and, I doubt not, will be splendidly attended; several parties in the first circle of fashion were made the moment it was announced. I shall perform Fogrum in "The Slave," and Leporello in "The Libertine ;" and in the delineation of those arduous characters, I shall display much feeling and discrimination, together with much taste in my dresses and elegance in my manner. The audience will be delighted with my exertions, and testify, by rapturous applause, their most decided approbation.

When we consider, in addition to my professional merits, the loveliness of my person, and the fascinations of my face, which are only equalled by the amiability of my private character, having never "pinched my children, nor kicked my wife out of bed," there is no doubt but this puff will not be inserted in vain.

I am, Sir,

Your obedient servant,

J. LISTON.

28, King Street, June 10, 1817.

CHARLES HULET.

CHARLES Hulet was apprentice to the famous Edmund Curl, the bookseller, and learned, very early, the art of stage murders; for, acting the part of Alexander, in the kitchen, with an elbowchair for his Clytus, and a poker for his javelin,

he was so transported with histrionic fury, as to demolish the chair, with such noise and violence, that Curl called from the parlour to know what was the matter. "Nothing, Sir," answered the pprentice," but Alexander has killed Clytus." Such being the turn of his head and the strength of his arm, it is no wonder that, after serving two years of his apprenticeship, his master allowed him to try his fortune on the stage of Lincoln's Inn Fields, where he remained for several years under the patronage of Quin. His income, however, not equalling his expenses, he embraced an offer of a larger salary from Gifford, and acted, at Goodman's Fields, several principal characters, ́as Henry VIII. Falstaff, Othello, Clytus, and Cassius. His performance of Clytus is considered by Davis to have been superior to Quin's representation of the same character.

Hulet was exceedingly corpulent, and this has been attributed to his drinking large quantities of porter and ale. He was a great feeder, and indolent to excess; careless of his dress, not to say sordidly negligent of his person. In conversation he was lively and facetious, extremely good-natured, and a most excellent mimic; but this talent, unlike many of its possessors, he

never exercised to the disadvantage of his fellowcomedians.

This valuable actor was lost to the public in the thirty-fifth year of his age, in rather a singular manner. He was happy, says Davies, in a fine, strong, clear, melodious pipe, and acted Macheath in an admirable style. His being too sensible of the great power of his voice, was the immediate cause of his death; he took an idle pleasure in stealing unperceived on a person, and deafening him with a loud hem, to show the strength and firmness of his lungs. As he was practising this trick one morning, at rehearsal, by an extraordinary effort he broke a blood vessel, of which accident he died at the end of twenty-four hours, his case being judged desperate, and two eminent physicians, who were sent for on the occasion, refusing (it is said) to prescribe.

FARINELLI.

AFTER this celebrated singer had left England, Philip, the then King of Spain, was languishing under a complaint for which there was no cure but music. Farinelli repaired to Madrid without delay, where he ingratiated himself with the Court to such a degree, that in a short time

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