nd engageing in Masinessa shines out in Mr. Wilks's action. Mrs.
Oldfield, in the character of Sophonisba, has excelled what even in the
fondness of an author I could either wish or imagine. The grace, dignity
and happy variety of her action, have been universally applauded, and
are truly admirable.'

Before we quit this play, we must not omit two anecdotes which happened
the first night of the representation. Mr. Thomson makes one of his
characters address Sophonisba in a line, which some critics reckoned the
false pathetic.

O! Sophonisba, Sophonisba Oh!

Upon which a smart from the pit cried out,

Oh! Jamey Thomson, Jamey Thomson Oh!

However ill-natured this critic might be in interrupting the action of
the play for sake of a joke; yet it is certain that the line ridiculed
does partake of the false pathetic, and should be a warning to tragic
poets to guard against the swelling stile; for by aiming at the sublime,
they are often betrayed into the bombast.--Mr. Thomson who could not but
feel all the emotions and sollicitudes of a young author the first night
of his play, wanted to place himself in some obscure part of the house,
in order to see the representation to the best advantage, without being
known as the poet.--He accordingly placed himself in the upper gallery;
but such was the power of nature in him, that he could not help
repeating the parts along with the players, and would sometimes whisper
to himself, 'now such a scene is to open,' by which he was soon
discovered to be the author, by some gentlemen who could not, on account
of the great crowd, be situated in any other part of the house.

After an interval of four years, Mr. Thomson exhibited to the public his
second Tragedy called Agamemnon. Mr. Pope gave an instance of his great
affection to Mr. Thomson on this occasion: he wrote two letters in its
favour to the managers, and honoured the representation on the first
night with his presence. As he had not been for some time at a play,
this was considered as a very great instance of esteem. Mr. Thomson
submitted to have this play considerably shortened in the action, as
some parts were too long, other unnecessary, in which not the character
but the poet spoke; and though not brought on the stage till the month
of April, it continued to be acted with applause for several nights.

Many have remark'd that his characters in his plays are more frequently
descriptive, than expressive, of the passions