T.Devics Or, GENTLEMAN's Monthly Intelligencer. For FEBRUARY, 1775. With the following Embellishments, viz.. 1. The THISTLE REEL, a HUMOROUS PRINT. 2. A NEW INVENTION for delivering Perfons from HOUSES on FIRE. And 3. No. XXXIX. of NEW MUSIC. LONDON, printed for R. BALDWIN, at No. 47, in Pater-nofter-Row. Of whom may be had complete Sets, from the Year 1732 to the prefent Time, ready bound and ftitched, or any fingle Volume to complete Sets. Days Stock. Stock 31 PRICES of STOCKS, &c. in FEBRUARY, 1775. India Sou. Sea. Old S. S. New S. S., 3 per C. | 3 per C., 3 per C. 3 per C.13 per C.B. 4 P. C3 B. |Lo.. Ann. reduced confols In Ann. B. 1726. 1751 Stock Ann. In. B. NavyB. Lottery Prem. 144 153 I 144 153 85 1278 87 87 Conf. 1758 88 92 Difc. Tick. Wind Weath. Deal. London 53 2 S Fair 92 8 88 54. SW Rain 79 874 54 Sunday SE SW 85 92 8825 57 N 23 345 157 87 87 85 80 4 92 89 57 SW 24 143 154 85 85 85 92 88 25 86 85 85 91 87 147 26 Sunday W Fine 27 S 28 AVERAGE PRICES of GRAIN, by the Standard WINCHESTER Bufhel. HORNSBY and PEARCE, Stock Brokers, No. 19, Pope's-Head Alley, Chornhill, London. THE LONDON MAGAZINE, FOR FEBRUARY, 1775. For the LONDON MAGAZINE. HARLEQUIN, Quid Rome faciam? mentiri nescio. AS I nothing more than the common, vulgar, patched-coated pantomimical Harlequin, I hould afford but little entertainment to my readers; and, indeed, were I to follow the rule of our theatres, I should not fay one word-at leaft to the purpose. Mr. Garrick, in fmall conjunction with little Coley, hath attempted to open Harlequin's mouth, in the motley nonfenfe of the INVASION: wherein they are more indebted to the Babylonifo change of tongues in Tom King, than to their wit, humour, or ingenuity for in that fcene Harlequin affumes many dialects-but appears as ridiculous as we could with him, when placed before the countenance of the immortal Shakespeare. Pantomimes, operas, burlettas, farces, and interludes, muft vanish before that great matter of the drama-as mifts before the all-powerful and difpelling rays of the animating fun. But, facetious readers, it is not this Harlequin of the English theatre that I mean to follow, nor is there aught about him but his agility that I with to adopt. My pattern is the Signor Harlequino of the Italian Stage-the hero and wit of the Fantoccini:-for fince all claffic fenfe, wit, and humour hath been banished thence, fince Plautus, Menander, Terence, and Sophocles have fled Greece and the Latin hore, Signor Harlequino has been Feb. 1775. No. XX. Juv. III. 41. HARLEQUIN. the chief dramatic wit-and when I am allowed to be only a reprefentative of this literary caftrato, it is not faying much for myfelf, or even difplaying any large fhare of vanity-as he is but the fhadow of those former wits; and though he hath patched his garment, from a piece of each of their garments, yet it is but of a piece with his wit; a terrible piece of variegated linfey woolfey. Nor is the external appearance a tittle better than the mental furniture; thus, tho' the Italian Harlequino-I am little better than a low droll, but quick in the change of fituation and fentiment-which may be confiderations with those kind of readers, who are only amufed with literary trifles. Trifles, however, are the taste and pursuits of the age-and it is immaterial, when maturely weighed, whether it is more abfurd for youth to purfue butterflies in London, or grave philofophers to follow them round the world: life is itself a foolish frisk of an hour and he is as much attended to who follows the butterfly, as he who purfues the elephant: it is a purfuit and both may equally answer to different minds and difpofitions. I fhall now convince my fair readers, that I have not been inattentive to their amufement, for I have visited every place, that could conduce to the information of those who are so removed as not to have an ocular demonstration of it. I went to the firft mafqued ball in the Haymarket-where there was no Har lequin but myself and I was in the character of a clown, for it was neceffary to change clothes more than once→→→→ as the people grew crude and crusty. The manners of a rustic were beft oppofed to the frippery of the age, and the garb gave me a license of faying feverely whatever I pleafed. I lafhed the coxcomb-fatirized the pedantcenfured the dull-abufed the vicious -railed at painted cheeks, and attacked every thing to the right and left. I met for once a frothy member of parliament a flippant, tawdry thing of the court that had fome fhame. It fo happened, that this very night there was a long debate on the state of America in the Houfe of Commons--and as the thing knew he was doing a hameful thing-he never took his mafk from his face, till I called him by name, and tickled him up for his patriot virtue. He did not like fuch language-he flounced and huff. ed, fwelled like a fiog, and bubbled Jike a turkey cock- however no threats moved me, nor did I quit his fide till I had finished his lesson-and God fend the thing may improve from it! for there is much room for much amendment. Amongst this motley collection of queer creatures, the wit of the men was not to be admired-but agreat fare fell to the part of the ladies, who really feemed to vie in wit, vivacity, and beauty. There were fome beyond the defcription of my pencil, or the brush of Apellesnor were they lefs distinguished for virtue than for charms: yet no place is now fo facred to chastity, but vice and bloated concubinage can enter: and indeed every procurefs in town had brought her faces to marketwhich though fallen from the perch of virtue, were lovely in their ruin. As nothing can fhame and put fome out of countenance, fo lady G-or appeared without a blush, without a mak; and fo thinly clad, that the very fair skin of her debauched form was plainly discovered through the gauzy veil. But what he had affu rance to appear in, young Twitcher had impudence to fupport; and indeed no father's fon ever did fo much credit to his fire, by a ftrict imitation, as this youth to his begetter-if imitation can be admired when it refts in defects and no field can be fo extenfive as the pattern he has to follow, A man fo various, that he feems to be All vice and folly in epitome. Bach and Abel's Feftino in Hanover Square, I have yet in view.-Signora Agufari I have feen-alfo her filver embonpoint-and I heard her filver voice: and I am forry to inform the public, that miniftry is fo driven, and money is fo fcarce, that Mr. S―tz of the Exchequer hath infifted on this fweet fignora paying duty for her fide-board of plate. I tumbled into Barthelemon's concert in the Haymarket I was ravished with the concerto of Tacet's flute, and charmed to hear the little mufical hufband accompany his fpofa's voice fo inimitably on the violin, that, when fhe had ceased to fing, it was difficult to diftinguish between her tones, and thofe of his inftrument: indeed the little fairy fidler hath a charming fiddlestick! Mr. Shroter's harpfichord was a good jingle, but I never felt rapture from the tingling inftrument, it is not a John Bull's tafte-I had rather trip over Lambeth ferry with Barthe lemon, than fit attentive to the founds of Shroter. Here I observed an indelicacy of the man and maid of the oaks, She a loud blouzabella, he a finical, fluttering fop-and as foon as Tacet had concluded his concerto, they abruptly retired in a loud horfe laugh. This is an indelicacy, which the great may be guilty of but it is fhocking to the understanding and feeling of modeft merit. To Chudley court I next bent my fteps, to vifit the dead alive, and the living dead, at Mrs. Wright's. A lady with the moft piercing eye, and the foundest understanding: who, with an art peculiar to herself, makes men and women as natural as natureand indeed there are many, if her time would allow her, that he would make better than nature hath already made them: her faces I will anfwer for, and if he had the gift of mending hearts, he would be alone employed on the prefent parliament-for furely St. Stephen's market had never fuch a fhambles of putrid and contagi, ous flesh. The pencil and chiffel were defigned for the artifts of Rome and Athens, and they, in the early hour of the world, brought them ra pidly pidly to perfection: but this peculiar excellence of forming men and women in wax, was referved by the goddefs of nature for the fuperior genius of America ; and when we confider to what an amazing perfection the has brought this art, it rather perplexes our understanding to fee compofitions fo immediately like ourfelves. I mixed with a variety of fashionable people, who frequent this repofitory of curiofities, and I could not help fmiling to hear and fee her at work; for while the head lies upon her knee, it hath fo ftrongly a human appearance, that, at the first fight, it looks like a fresh head fevered from the body. But the manner of her working up the featares is wonderful; he always covers the wax with a cloth, and while the wax is warm and foft, and equal to any impreffion, the raifes or depreffes it at pleasure; and fome of the ftrongeft likenesses the hath done from memory only. The time I did myself the pleasure to attend her, it was whimfical to hear her call for her ingredients: the was then upon a warrior's face, which was rather weather-beaten-and every minute he was afking for tobacco fpittle to darken the complexion, or for vermilion for the cheeks: then calling to the fervant for an eye, or enquiring for the laft fhoulders and ears the made. It was fo extraordinary to fee this new Promethean compofer, that I was lost in admiration and amazement. I often lamented, that fhe had not the gift of giving fenfes to her figures, for then he would be a patriot in the true fense of the word for the might retain the likeness of the king, lords, and parliament, and yet fend them all new and better heads in exchange for thofe which are the wrong heads of thefe wrong times. The Roft ftriking likeneffes which I obferved in the room, and they were perfect as life, were the king, queen, Lord Chatham, Mrs. Macaulay, Col. Barre, Lord North, Capt. Edward Thompfon, Mr. Sharp, Gov. Pownal, Mr. Hanway, Mr. Dingley, and the had Wilkes's head on her lap indeed he looked fo like our patriot beheaded, that I made a bow, leaped out of the window, jumped down the chimney of the prefence - chamber, and there I faw the fupple Commons of England advance with their addrefs to flatter his m― that he was right in his American meafures. I fhook my head at him, and faid, this is the first time you have been steady-but in a moft palpable and unconftitutional error. I then peeped about for my Lord Mansfield's blue box, and I met a niming page with it under his arm; I gave the court doll a flap on the delicate fingers; he dropped the box, I picked it up, but for fear the contents may be as fatal as thofe of Pandora's, I have not yet been bold enough to open it, but whenever I do you thall know its contents.-So adieu. * Mrs. Wright is an American. Q. For the LONDON MAGAZINE. THE BRITISH THEATRE. Jan. A Medley Pantomime was pret to 2. fented at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, called, Harlequin's Facket, or A New Year's Gift; which, like most other medleys, is a compo. fition of the good, bad, and indifferent. The first scene is striking, that of a church-yard by moon-light, containing the tombs of Pierrot, Pantaloon, Columbine, &c. which changes the light temples of Momus, Chrift mas, Gambol, Mummery, &c. where the God of Fun, attended by his revel rout, prefents his favourite, Harlequin, with his magic lath as a new years gift, and makes his merry attendants do him homage. The prin cipal fhifts of the others are, an inn yard, into the Royal Exchange; a room of a tavern, into a barber's fhop and |