The LONDON MAGAZINE:

Or GENTLEMAN's Monthly Intelligencer.

For FEBRUARY,

To be Continued. (Price Six-Pence each Month.)

Containing, (Greater Variety, and more in quantity, than any Monthly Book of the Jame Price.

With a New and Beautiful MAPO HAMPSHIRE; and the Effigies of Mr. BRIGHT,

the furprizingly fat MAN, on a curious Copper Plate.

MULTUM IN PARV 0.

LONDON: Printed for R. BALDWIN, jun. at the Rofe in Pater-Nofter-Row. Of whom may be had, compleat Sets from the Beginning to this Time, neatly Bound, or Stitch'd, or any fingle Month to compleat Sets.

The boroughs and market towns ibid. &c.

Winchester and Southampton described 55

Portsmouth

to Sir Richard Lloyd

ibid.

Gin drinking destructive of the human

56

fpecies

83

POETRY. The forsaken maid's complaint,

a new fong, fet to musick

84

A country dance

85

ibid.

A defcription of the Isle of Wight ibid. A

The JOURNAL of a learned and political

57-64

CLUB, &c. continued

SPEECH OF M. Ogulnius in favour of the

motion for an amendment to the oath

of fecrecy contained in the mutiny bill 57

Treason against the constitution, as well as

ibid.

against the crown

SPEECH Of C. Trebonius in favour of the

motion for adding a clause to the mutiny

bill to prevent any non-commiffion offi-

cer's being broke, or reduced into the

ranks, or any officer or foldier's be ng

punished, but by the fentence of a court

martial

SPEECH OF Q. Confidius against the moti-

on

62

Extracts from Mr. Fielding's Enquiry into

the causes of the late increase of robbers,

&c.

Prologue and epilogue to Gil Blas

An invitation to dinner, from a discharg'd

Epitaph on a gin-drinker, with other

59

verses against gin-drinking

ibid.

To Ardelia

89-

A rebus

ibid..

Solution of a rebus in Dec. last

ibid.

On the frequent repetition of devil and de-

vilish in Gil Blas

ibid.

To Mr. R

and his followers

64

Two shocking inftances of vagabonds 65

Of the apprehenfion, profecution, convic-

tion and execution of felons

66

Remarks on a bull of pope Clement VI.

The fun and cloud, a fable

The MONTHLY CHRONOLOGER

South-Sea directors chofen

Earthquake at Fiume

Gamblers and gamesters apprehended ibid.

67-74

What the heathens, &c. thought of an

oath

68

An excellent paffage from the abbé de

Guet

69

General courts and ballot at the South-Sea

houfe

91,92

Character of K. John of France

71

Important refolutions of the court of cem

Character of pope Clement VI.

73

mon council

91

Pleasant story of a poet

ibid. D

Malefactors executed

ibid.

Of the height to which rockets afcend 74

Fate of the Westminster petition

ibid.

The polarity of the compass destroyed by

Tradefcant's garden at Lambeth

Character of a young lady

Rules for a man of wit and learning to

make himself a difagreeble companion

Farther remarks on chanting

Anfwers to mathematical questions

Declaration of the empress queen to the

dyet of the empire, concerning the

election of a king of the Romans ibid.

Syllogifms proposed to the learned of both

univerfities

80

Infernal rites at the death of an Indian

The surveying and arithmetical questions shall be in our next. The Latin inscription is too

obscene to be inferted, but shall be returned, of defired. We bave received the poems figned Y,

which shall bave a place; as likewise feveral other pieces our correspondents bave favoured us

Riot of failors

ibid.

Resolution of a general court of the

Bank

92

1

A

THE

LONDON MAGAZINE.

FEBRUARY, 1751.

new Comedy, intitled, GIL BLAS, wrote by Mr. MOORE, having been lately brought upon the Stage at Drury-Lane, we shall, as usual, give our Readers some Account of it. (See p. 85, 88.) A The Scene is laid at Salamanca in Spain, and the Persons of the

:

Drama are :

MEN.

Don Lewis Pacheco, a young Spanish nobleman, of great courage, and rakish, but of natural good quali. B ties; acted by Mr. Woodward.

Don Felix de Mendoza, a young Spanish nobleman, of fierce courage and ftrict honour, brother to Aurora; acted by Mr. Palmer.

Don Gabriel de Pedros, a reduced nobleman, supported by Don Lewis, C but falfe and treacherous to him; acted by Mr. Sowdon.

Gil Blas, fervant to Aurora, a fellow of fome humour, and so vain as to fancy every woman in love with him; acted by Mr. Garrick

Melchior, servant to Don Lewis; D
by Mr. Yates.

Pedro, fervant to Don Felix, by
Mr. Shuter.

WOMEN.

Aurora, a young lady of great spirit and strict virtue, but deeply in love with Don Lewis; acted by Mrs. Pritchard.

Isabella, an abandoned young lady, mistress to Don Lewis, and in. triguing with Don Grabriel; acted by Mrs. Bennet.

February, 1751.

Laura, woman to Aurora, a pert, witty chamber-maid; by Mifs Mi

nors.

Beatrice, woman to Ifabella, a treacherous chamber-maid; by Mrs. Cross.

Bernarda, one who lets lodgings at Salamanca, a goffipping, parafitical landlady; by Mifs Pitt.

A

CT I. opens the plot
of the play, and a
little of the feveral
characters that are to
appear in it, as fol-
lows: Aurora having

seen Don Lewis at Madrid, and
fallen deeply in love with him, re-
folves to try what effect her beauty
may have upon him at a perfonal
interview. For this purpose she sets
out privately for Salamanca, attended
by her two fervants; for which
place Don Lewis had but juft fet out,
in order to prosecute his studies at
that univerfity. At Salamanca she
hires two lodgings, in one of which
she appears in her own dress and
character, and in the other she af-
fumed the dress and character of her
brother Don Felix. At this last,
which was Bernarda's, she is inform-
ed by her landlady, of Don Lewis's
being a great rake, and having an
intrigue with Habella; and likewife
receives a hint of Ifabella's being
false to him, by intriguing with his
friend Don Gabriel. As Don Lewis
had his lodgings in the fame house,
and arrived soon after, their two
fervants meet and know one another,
G2
which

52

Account of the PLAY of GIL BLAS.

Feb.

business, upon receiving an express
from Madrid, but that he had de-
fired his fifter Aurora to entertain
him till his return. Upon this there is
a very natural scene between Don
Lewis and Aurora, who puts him in
a flutter, by telling him that the ex-
pected a vifit from a lady called Ifa-
bella, an advocate's daughter; but
she at last relieves him, by giving
orders to be denied to her, and in
the mean time. Gil Blas brings her a
billet doux directed to Don Felix at

which ends the first act, in which
there are several diverting scenes
between "Aurora, Laura, and Gil
Blas, who began to fancy, that his
lady was in love with him, and had
made her escape from Madrid on
purpose to marry him, and in the A
fait scene between Melchior and Gil
Blas, the former gives an account of
his having been in England with a
tharper, who, by being a gamester,
had free access to all people of rank
in that kingdom; and that his master
and he had there married several B her other lodgings, defiring her to

wives, but did not stay long enough with any of them to know their

tempers.

C

meet a lady that night at 8 o' clock
in a close walk behind St. Anne's,
which letter she throws upon the
floor, Gil Blas takes it up, and re-
folves to keep the appointment in her
stead, which he does in another dress
of an officer, meets there Isabella,
follows her to her house, but is in-
terrupted by Don Gabriel; and the
lady appoints him to be with her
next day at four in the afternoon.

Bernarda having made Aurora, in the character of Don Felix, acquainted with Don Lewis, they dine together; and the Ild act opens with Gil Blas's giving Laura, in boy's clothes, an account of their conversation at dinner, in which he fays, Aurora seemed the greater rake of the two, so that he was forced to give her a nod now and then to hold her hand, left Don D the character of Don Felix, expects

Act IV. opens next morning at
Bernarda's, where Aurora, again in

a vifit from Don Lewis, who enters
after Gil Blas had finished the ac-
count of his adventure with Isabel-
la; and after Don Felix had made
his excuse for not returning to Don
Lewis the night before, the latter
declares his passion for Aurora.
Upon this Don Felix says, " I wish
you had kept this declaration from
I had news for you that
friendship required me to tell; and
now it will look like an officious
concern for my fifter." She then

Lewis should smoke the woman by
her want of confcience. In this act
there are feveral diverting scenes
about liabella, who in a private
conversation with Don Gabriel
thews herself to be an abandoned
woman of a most violent temper; E
and Aurora, in the character of
Don Felix, having informed Don
Lewis, that Aurora was come to
town, invites him to sup at her
lodgings, after his having been to
pay a vifit to Isabella, to whom, he
had fent Gil Blas with a letter, who F. informs him of Isabella's inconti

by that means having seen Isabella, the act ends with his giving Aurora an account of her being extremely handsome, which makes her extremely uneasy.

me.

nency, which is confirmed in a ludi-
crous manner by Gil Blas, who in
forms him of her appointment with
her lover that afternoon at four;
whereupon Don Gabriel enters, who
fancying that he had feen Isabella

Act III. opens with a fcene at
Aurora's other lodgings, where she G burn all the love-letters he had

and Laura appear in their true characters: Don Lewis calls according to appointment, and is told that Don Felix was just gone out about

wrote to her, gives an account of
his discovering a gallant with her
the night before; and that her
maid had told him he was to be as

1 (

1751. Account of the PLAY
gain with her that day at four, and
that if they came thither she would
open the door for them. Upon this,
Don Lewis resolves to go thither at
the time appointed; and Don Ga-
briel being retired to wait for Don
Lewis at his own apartment, Don
Felix tells him he must defer his in-
tended vifit to his fifter Aurora till
next morning; which surprises him,
but at last he agrees to put it off.
There is then a very busy and en-
tertaining scene at Isabella's, where
her maid, contrary to her orders, let B scene then changes to Aurora's,

of GIL BLAS. 53 morning to Don Lewis, which he supposes to be from the Don Felix who lodged in the same house with him; and as he was his friend, and brother to Aurora, he sends Gil Blas to tell him, that he would meet him Ano where but at his fister's. Gil Blas having accordingly gone to the place appointed in the letter, finds there the true Don Felix, and being surprised at his calling himself so, is frightned, and forced to promise to lead him to Aurora's lodgings, The

Don Lewis and Don Gabriel into
her apartment while she was alone
with Gil Blas, in the dress and clia-
racter of an officer, who discovers
himself, and Habella, after having
endeavoured to stab him with Don
Lewis's sword, discovers the trea-
chery of Don Gabriel, confirming it
by some of his letters, which, un-
known to him, she had preserved,
on which Don Lewis orders him
never to fee his face again, and re-
tires with Gil Blas; and Isabella be-

where Don Lewis is told by Laura, that Aurora had that night been forced into a coach by her brother, and fent away to Madrid. Aurora then appears in the dress and character of Don Felix, in which chaCracter Don Lewis provokes her to fight: She at last draws; and that instant her brother, the true Don Felix, enters, conducted by Gil Blas in a terrible fright; upon which a difcovery of the whole is made: Don Felix is convinced of his filter's in

ing thus left alone with Don Gabri- D nocence, Don Lewis of her love,

el, she puts him upon getting Don
Lewis assassinated. The scene then
changes to Aurora's lodging, where,
at her defire, Gil Blas had enticed
Don Lewis to make a visit, contra-
ry to the promise he had made to
her in the character of Don Felix'; E
after which the scene changing to
the street, discovers the true Don Fe-
lix in a riding dress with his man
Pedro, fearching for Bernarda's, on
a fufpicion that his sister had af-
fumed his name and dress, and lived
in infamy with Don Lewis, who
enters the street drunk, and is at-
tacked by Don Gabriel wish three
or four affaffins; but being affifted by
Don Felix, they are driven off, and
then Don Felix finds that it was
Don Lewis he had thus relieved,
but fufpends his revenge till next G To all my follies bere I bid adieu,

and the of his, by his declaring that it was his only wish to marry her. Then Bernarda comes in, and informs them of Don Gabriel's having last night been wounded in several places, in his attempt to get Don Lewis assassinated at the defire. of Isabella, who had that morning robbed her father, and was gone off, leaving Don Gabriel to his fate. After which the play ends by Aurora's defiring them to follow Bernarda to her other lodgings, whither Fshe, after being again a woman, would follow them in a few minutes; and Don Lewis answers, To give me that happiness, which a false friend and falser mistress promised me in vain,

day, as Don Lewis was then drunk.

Act V. opens with the true

Don Felix's fending a challenge next

Reclaim'd and fix'd by wirtue, and

by you.