, for some
of the most witty men, and women too, whom I ever knew, are as
remarkable for their good nature as for their cleverness. That wit
which needs not the spur of malice is certainly the best, and is most
frequently met with at Paris.

Went last evening to see Mademoiselle Marsin _Henri III_. Her acting
was, as usual, inimitable. I was disappointed in the piece, of which I
had heard much praise. It is what the French call _decousue_, but is
interesting as a picture of the manners of the times which it
represents. There is no want of action or bustle in it; on the
contrary, it abounds in incidents: but they are, for the most part,
puerile. As in our own _Othello_, a pocket handkerchief leads to the
_denouement_, reminding one of the truth of the verse,--

"What great events from trivial causes spring!"

The whole court of Henry the Third are brought on the scene, and with
an attention to costume to be found only in a Parisian theatre. The
strict attention to costume, and to all the other accessories
appertaining to the epoch, _mise en scene_, is very advantageous to the
pieces brought out here; but, even should they fail to give or preserve
an illusion, it is always highly interesting as offering a _tableau du
costume, et des moeurs des siecles passes_. The crowd brought on the
stage in _Henri III_, though it adds to the splendour of the scenic
effect, produces a confusion in the plot; as does also the vast number
of names and titles introduced during the scenes, which fatigue the
attention and defy the memory of the spectators.

The fierce "Duc de Guise," the slave at once of two passions, generally
considered to be the most incompatible, Love and Ambition, is made to
commit strange inconsistencies. "Saint-Megrin" excites less interest
than he ought; but the "Duchesse de Guise," whose beautiful arm plays a
_grand role_, must, as played by Mademoiselle Mars, have conquered all
hearts _vi et armis_.

_Henri III_ has the most brilliant success, and, in despite of some
faults, is full of genius, and the language is vigorous. Perhaps its
very faults are to be attributed to an excess, rather than to a want,
of power, and to a mind overflowing with a knowledge of the times he
wished to represent; which led to a dilution of the strength of his
scenes, by crowding into them too much extraneous matter.

A curious incident occurred during the representation. Two
ladies--_gentlewomen_ they could not be correctly s