the title of "Miscellanies in Prose and Verse, by Paul Hiffernan M. D."

These Miscellanies are dedicated to the late Lord Tyrawley, and consist of Effays on Taste, Ethics, Character of Polonius, Theory of Acting, Immoderate Drinking, The Virtues of Cock-fighting, a Short View of the Life and Writings of Confucius, The Last Day, LogicoMastix, with a number of Poems on occasional Subjects. In this me lange of odd subjects, there are some foreign anecdotes and remarks, which distinguish the scholar and man of observation. In his " Cha-, racter of Polonius" he particularly rescues that statesman from the imputation of a fool and a driveller, and supports his claim to wisdom and sagacity, both from his advice to his son and daughter, as well as from the following character which the King gives of him to Laertes & "The blood is not more native to the heart,

The hand more instrumental to the mouth,

Than to the Throne of Denmark is thy father."

The opposite character of Polonius, however, has been adopted by all the performers we have ever seen play this part, except one; we mean Munden's late performance of it at Covent Garden Theatre, where indeed the whole of the representation of Hamlet is got up very creditably to the taste of the Manager. Munden shews Polonius free. from all those blemishes of buffoonery with which our best actors, who have gone before him, have loaded him; he is in his hands, though somewhat of a formalist, and attached to the modes of a Court, a wise, a prudent, and upright statesman; and this the audience felt on the first night to be so much the real draught of the character, that, hotwithstanding all their former prejudices, they gave it their univer sal applause.

His Theory on the Art of Acting" is only to be remembered for its eccentricity. In describing the mechanical manner of the players generally dying in the last act, he draws a caricature scene of a man being run through the body with a spit by his landlady, on his incapacity of paying his reckoning; and that our readers may have an opi nion of the vulgar extravagancy which our Author has run into on this occasion, we shall present them with the concluding lines;

—Uph!".

"Here a general contraction of the body, which has nothing violent can last long, is to be succeeded by a gradual evolution of the members, and the two following lines are to be uttered in the farewel, endearing, melancholy tone:

WS1 £0" Farewel ye cauliflowers on the proud tops

Las of brimming tankards, I never more shall see—(a pause)

cemi & Hard--Hard fate!"

to be spoken in a canine and snappish mode, like "Darkness, Darkness," in Richard the Third.

*

Mournful reflection!

But the heavens are just!"

Here he is to look wishfully and repentantly towards heaven, then a stammer," I—I—I.”

As half of the last I-(O has reigned long enough for the other vowels to take their turn) is pronounced, he is to have the rattles in his throat, which are to be accompanied by the wish abrupt, the half screw, two kicks, and the flop supine, equivalent to the sailors phrase ("Good-night, Nicholas !") when they are going to the bottom.

What profit the publication of these Miscellanies might bring him is uncertain; if he depended entirely on the public sale, we should suppose very little ;-but Hiffernan had the art of getting off his books amongst his friends and acquaintances by personal application, and other modes of address not very creditable either to learning or delicacy.

The line of Authorship he took up after the publication of these Miscellanies was, any mode which presented itself to gain a temporary existence; sometimes by writing a pamphlet, and privately subscribing it amongst his friends and acquaintances, and sometimes by becoming the patron or defender of some Novice for the Stage; or some Artist who wanted to make his way into public notice by puffing, or other indirect means. It is said he had several players and painters under contribution for this purpose; and as he was a man of some plausibility, and had a known intimacy with Garrick, Foote, and many of the literati, it is no wonder that he sometimes gained proselytes.

His grand place of rendezvous was the Cyder-Cellar, Maiden-lane; a place he usually resorted to on those evenings, when, to use his own "expression," he was not houfed for the night." Here it was he played the part of patron or preceptor with some dexterity. If any painter found his favourite work excluded a place in the Exhibition, or wanted his piece puffed through the papers, Hiffernan was "the lord of infamy or praise." if any player took dudgeon at his Manager or rival brother, our Author's pen was ready to defend him; and if any person, as a candidate for the Stage, wanted instruction or recommendation, who so fit as Hiffernan, the grave scholar and travelled man, the writer of plays himself, the intimate friend, and occasional scourge, of both managers and actors, to instruct them in the elements of their intended profes ion?

His mode of proceeding in this last instance we were informed of by a late eminent performer of Covent Garden Theatre, who partly from curiosity, and, perhaps, partly from being deceived by some fiend respecting Hiffernan's abilities and patronage, went through the process himself, and who told it with that whim and humour which he was so much master of, on or off the Stage. From him we are enabled to give somewhat of a general description.

ta

When a candidate for the Stage was first announced by the waiter Dr. Hiffernan, the Doctor never rose from his seat, but drawing the

pipe which he smoaked from his mouth, gave a slight inclination of the head, and desired him to sit down. He then listened very attentively to the Novice's account of himself, his studies, and line of pretensions, but then gave no opinion; he reserved himself for a private meeting the next night at the Black Lion Russell-street, or some other favourite ale-house; and if the candidate, wishing to do a civil thing by his preceptor, offered to pay the reckoning, the Doctor was not in the least offended, but, on the contrary, considered it as the perquisite of his own superiority.

When they met on the next night, the preliminaries of business were opened, which first began by the Doctor explaining his terms, which were a guinea entrance, another guinea for instruction, and two guineas more to be paid on his getting an engagement at either of the London Theatres. All this being settled, and the Doctor having pocketed his first guinea, he began by attentively eyeing the height and figure of the performer: and in order to ascertain this with mathematical precision, he pulled out a six-inch rule, which he carried about him on these occasions, and measured him against the wainscot. -If the candidate happened to be very tall," to be sure that was not so well; but then Barry was as tall, and nobody objected to his thePatrical abilities." If he was short, "that was against his being much of a hero; but then, there was Garrick, whom all the world admired." He, therefore, generally consoled his pupil, let him be of what size or figure he might be, with the fuperiority which merit has over all external qualifications; concluding with Churchill upon the same subject, "Before such merit all diftinctions fly,

Prichard's genteel, and Garrick's fix feet high."

In this wretched manner did our, Author while away the greater part of a life which, with becoming industry, and his stores of information, might have been made useful to the world, and respectable to himself. He never, however, wholly gave up the trade of book-making, every now and then producing some original matter or translation from the French. In this latter walk we find him employed in the year 1764, and as the circumstances attending this case go in a great degree to develope the eccentric character of the man, we shall detail them at full length,

Political parties, it is well remembered, ran high much about this time, and much ink was shed upon both sides of the question. In this struggle it was suggested by one of the Heads of Opposition, that the tranilation of a French book called "The Origin of Despotism," would not only scil well, but be of use to the party. A bookseller, since dead, was spoke to for the purpose of procuring a tranflator, and as Hiffernan's knowledge of French was unquestionable, he was fixed upon to be the man. The book was accordingly put into his hands, and in the usual time was finished and prepared for publication. And here it may not be improper to remark on the very material difference there appears to be in the flavour and strength of political writing then and at this present time." The Origin of Despotism"

was written, as the Author declares in his last section, as a kind of introduction to "Montesquieu's Spirit of Laws," and the design of the book is as follows:

The Author first condemns the different opinions hitherto entertained on the origin of despotism, and thinks he has discovered its true source. The Origin of Despotism," says he, “ appears to me to have established itself upon earth, neither through consent nor by. force, but was the dire effect, and almost natural consequence of that kind of Government which men had forged for themselves in very remote ages, when they took for a model the government of the universe, as it is reigned over by the Supreme Being.-Magnificentbut fatal project! which has plunged all the nations into idolatry and thraldom, because a multitude of suppositions that were then expedient to be made, have been since adopted as certain principles, and that mankind then losing sight of what ought to have been the true principles of their conduct here below, went in quest of supernatural ones, which, not being fitted for this earth, not only deceived but rendered them unhappy.' He then attempts to shew the progress of these principles from Theocracy to Despotism, and concludes with some general observations on a Monarchical Government,

In short, the whole of this book appears to us to be a mere metaphysical enquiry, tco refined to be taken up on any active principle, and too general to calumniate or disturb any particular Government; and yet this book in the year 1764 was, upon a consultation of some avowed eminent politicians of that day, thought too dangerous to publish; and notwithstanding the title-page was cautiously worked off as if it had been printed at Amsterdam, it was agreed that the publi cation should be laid aside.

Comparing this with many of the political writings of the present day, we shall make no comment. The real friends of the liberty of the press know and feel the difference.

But to return, the delay of publication was for some time unknown to Hiffernan, when accidentally passing the bookseller's shop, he enquired the cause. The bookseller informed him, and in the course of conversation on that subject proposed to sell him the copies at six months credit, at the trade price. Hiffernan at once closed with the proposal, as it offered a cheap and ready manner of laying his friends and acquaintances under fresh contributions. The account was instantly made out, a note of hand drawn, and every thing ready to accomplish the bargain but the Doctor's signature.

It will be here necessary to state, that it was amongst the peculia rities of this very eccentric man, never to acquaint his most intimate friend with the place of his lodging. Whatever could be the motive, whether pride or whim, let him be drunk or sober, the secret, we believe, never once escaped him. In signing his name, therefore, to this note, the bookseller, very naturally, desised him to put down his place of abode. I am to be heard of at the Bedford Coffee-house," replied the Doctor. But, Sir," says the Bookseller, coffee-house is too loose a place to make a note trans,:

66

ferable,sand therefore it will be necessary to state where you constantly reside." Hiffernan paused for some time, and again repeated, "the Bedford Coffee-house." Being again told that this would not do, he persisted in giving no other address. The bookseller not approv ing of this, the bargain fell to the ground, and the Doctor walked away in great dudgeon, reprobating the inquisitive impertinence of tradesmen."

[To be concluded in our next.]

J

TO THE

EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE.

A

SIR,

LTHOUGH the following Letter of Voltaire was written above thirty years ago, it may not be amiss to revive it at this time, as a proof that there exists such a thing as National Character, and which will be conspicuous to the minute observer, whether the reins of Government be in the hands of a tyrannical Lewis XV. or a Barrere. the Firft.

COPY OF A LETTER OF VOLTAIRE TO D'ALEMBERT.

Caffle de Ferney in Burgundy, June 29, 1762.

MY VERY DEAR AND VERY GREAT PHILOSOPHER,

SO you have finished the reading of that impertinent little libel of that impertinent little rogue of a priest, who has so often been at my country-house, and been there made so much of. The Journal of the Encyclopædia, the best of his works, is what preserves that crackling, frittering morsel from infamy. Thus you see, my dear friend, that the Prefbyterians are not a bit better than the Jesuits; and that these do not deserve to beg their bread more than the Jan

senists.

You have done to the little dirty city of Geneva an honour it did not deserve. They performed Cassandra on my stage at Ferney agreeable to your taste. The grave and austere ministers did not dare to appear there, but they sent their daughters. I saw both men and women melt into tears; and indeed never was a piece so well performed; afterwards a supper for 200 spectators, and a grand ball. This is the manner I have my revenge, as often as I can, of these good people.

At Thoulouse they lately hanged one of their preachers: this rendered them a little more gentle. But one of their brethren is just now broke upon the wheel, being falsely accused of having hanged his son out of spite to our holy religion; to which, as supposed, the good father suspected his son had a secret inclination.

'T'houlouse, more foolish yet more fanatic than Geneva, deemed the hanged youth a martyr. They never thought of examining if he