MOLIERE'S TARTUFFE.

THIS comedy, owing to the influence of the Ecclesiastics, was suppressed, after it had been acted a few nights, although, at the same time, a very profane farce was permitted to have a long run.When Louis XIV. expressed to the Prince of Condé his wonder at the different fates of these two pieces, and asked the reason of it, the Prince answered, "In the farce, Religion only is ridiculed; but Moliere, in the Tartuffe,' has attacked even the Priests!"

VOLTAIRE'S ALZIRE.

WHEN the tragedy of" Alzire," by Voltaire, was first performed, it was busily whispered, that it was not his own work. "I wish it may not be," said a man of wit. "Why so?" asked a person present. "Because," answered he, we should then have two good poets, instead of one."

CREBILLON.

WHEN Crebillon was composing his Tragedy of "Catiline," a friend called on him, and was surprised to see four large ravens sitting at his elbows."Walk gently, my good friend," said the Poet, "walk gently, or you will put my conspirators to flight."

WILL OF A SPANISH ACTOR.

A performer of the Theatre Royal of Madrid. left orders in his will, that a vast number of masses should be performed for the repose of his soul.—The will declared, that all that was more than sufficient to deliver him from purgatory, should revert to his comrades. The actors of the Second Theatre laid claim to this eventful succession; but the King's company would not yield a single A law suit was the result. The actresses took up arms, and went about to solicit the judges. Those of the Grand Theatre were both handsomer and more numerous than their opponents; they gained all the votes, doubtless, because they stood much more in need of indulg

mass.

WHIMSICAL PLAY BILL.

AT the Theatre of St. Ferdinand, at Palermo, in 1807, it was announced by bill, that

"Gasper Grifori, a boy of six years old, for his benefit night, shall expose on the stage four languages in mask, to-wit, English, French, Spanish, and Italian, with a hob-goblin lackey, a Greek tragic, a Lappaneo Spanish and French servant."

MOLIERE'S STUDY OF NATURE.

Ir is said, that Moliere read his Comedies to an elderly female servant, named Laforet, and when he perceived that the passages which he intended to be laughable and humourous had no effect on her, he altered them. He also required the players to bring their children to the rehearsals, that he might form his opinion of different passages from the natural expression of their emotions.

SHAKSPEARE'S PLAYS.

SOME literary lounger, with more enthusiasm than common sense, has been at the pains to make the following calculation of Shakspeare's Plays, containing the exact number of lines comprised in each of the admired dramas of our immortal Bard. In this calculation, which is made from Bell's Edition, is not included any of his Poems, which were, however, of considerable length.

COMEDY IN PERFECTION.

AUTHORS are sometimes singularly happy in striking out original ideas, but few have equalled the facetious conceptions of a Mr. Henry Higden, a dramatic writer of the seventeenth century. This humorous gentleman wrote a comedy, called "The Wary Widow," in which he introduced so many drinking scenes, that the actors were completely drunk before the end of the third act, and being therefore unable to proceed with this "Pleasant Comedy," they very properly dismissed the audience, who, if they were not satisfied with this pleasing display, must have been unreasonable indeed.

JOHN KEMBLE AND POWELL.

IN one of John Kemble's visits to Dublin, he was accompanied by Powell, who played what, according to green room technicals, is calledsecond to him. The Play, on the night in question, was "Hamlet."-Hamlet, Mr. Kemble, and Horatio, Mr. Powell. The night was excessively warm, and Powell very thirsty; he requestpoor ed one of the servants to procure him a glass of rum and water, which was immediately complied with, and placed on the prompter's desk, where the thirsty scholar soon found an opportunity of giving his royal companion the slip, and repairing