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30

Evander and Curamanta.

"Caramanta, with an aching heart, gave me an account of the whole tranfaction." My father loves you, faid the, for he did not fo niuch as hint that he blamed me for my attachment to Evander." "Not withstanding, Madani, may he not offer you up a victim on the altar of what he calls the titular god of the state?" "And what if he did-Hear me, Evander; I feel for you as much love as I am capable of: the noble tentiments you have ever difplayed from your earliest youth, intitle you to this extraordinary inftance of female fincerity: but mark nie!--I have duties to fulfil from which I fhall never fwerve; I fhall always remain a paflive flave to my father's will; and were he to bid his daughter to marry Evander's bittereft foe, Caramanta would obey." "How! not even Palans excepted?"-" No; none." Judge, my dear Simas, what muft have been the tortures of thy friend; I was hurt, and yet could not help adınıring her for that generous relignation to her father's plealure.

"The return of the ipring fummoned all the youth of Argos to the field. The King, at his arrival in the camp, feil dangeroully ill; but the attention and filial care of his beloved daughter reitored nim in a few days to his health and our wifhes. A bloody battle was fought near the river Inacus, and had not Providence fent me to his refcue, Carainanta's father mult have loft either his, life or freedom. "How much am 1 indebted to you! exclaimed he; but be aflured, that in laving me you have preferved not a friend only, but a father; I muit and will be your's; and if you really love Caramanta, her hand will be the reward of the eminent fervice you have done me."

"Teflander, forgetful of what he owed to the King both as his father and fovereign, inveighed in the bittereft terms against, what he called, a mean and difgraceful condefcention; blamed his father's gratitude towards me, as the act of an imprudent dotard; and, in fhort, carried his infolence to far, that the good old King could not bear it any longer; but loling all patience-"Go to, faid he to him one day, cruel and degenate fon! Go; nor let me fee thee more: learn to thy utter confufion, that I not only give thy fifter's hand to Evander, whole al liance is an honour to us, but I alfo appoint him in thy ftead, to fway after me a fceptre which thou art too unworthy to hold." The Prince's anfwer dekrved immediate death; but mercy more than juftice ever influenced -the decrees of my royal patron. Tellander left the camp inftantly, threatening to carry his revenge to the moft criminal ex

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Jan.

which greatly alarmed us. His phyficians prefcribed his return to Argos, where I was not permitted to follow till a month after his departure. I counted each moment, and every minute of that time was to be a tedious hour; at laft I had leave to repair to court. The fair city of Argos, the only one I valued fince it contained all that I held dear and lovely, already ftood before me, and my impatient eye gladdened at the profpect; my faithful fteed, as if sharing in my eagerness, had brought me within a few yards of the gate, where they were bufy in doubling the guards. Janxi oufly inquired into the motives of this extraordinary caution. Alas! my friend, that more than father to me, the only man on earth who could make me relish this troublefome life, the good King of Argos, was no more. I flew to the palace; the firft perion I met was my Caramanta in tears, whom her women had in a manner dragged out of her father's apartment.-——“ An, Prince, cried the, as the paffed by me, we are undone!"-She then told me that her father died in fuch convullions as gave but too much caufe to fufpect that fome deftructive means had been employed to hatten the end of a Prince, who had lived too long for fome deligning villains, and too little for the honett and worthy part of his fubjects. The Princels added, that a few minutes before he expired, he had made his principal minifters and courtiers engage themselves by oath to forward our union, even at the risk of their lives. I was further informed, that the King had hardly breathed his lait, when Teliander gave strict orders to guard all the avenues that led to the palace. I thought it my duty to wait on, and condole with him on to heavy a lofs. He received me in a manner that thewed me what I was to expect from the barbarous Prince. My father is dead, faid he to me; I now am King and will be obeyed. My firit command is, that you for ever give up all thoughts of an alliance with me."-" King of Argos, anfwered I, the lawful heir to the throne of Arcadia is above fubmitting to the caprice of any man. Fortune, its true, hath placed us at fuch a difiance; but our birth is at leaft equal, and my fword would this inftant punith your proud and contemptuous treat ment, were you not Caramanta's brother.” The new King was fo incenied at my bold, but delerved reply, that he ordered his guards to feize upon me inftantly. He was but too well obeyed. They put me on a carr, and, driving to the confines of the kingdom of Argos, they enjoined me, as I tendered my life, never to appear again in Teilander's dominions.

"Detpair was now my only guide. I retired into Latium, whofe inhabitants had

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1789.

Evander and Caramanta.

ever fhewn the moft favourable partiality for my unfortunate and deceased father. As they were then at war with the Aborigines, they welcomed me as a Prince who could be of fome fervice to them. I was fo fuccessful, that in less than three months I was, by their unanimous choice, invefted with the command of their army. One day I was told that a ftranger, who faid he was bearer of a moft important meffage, defired to fee me. He was brought to my tent, and I inflantly knew him again for one of Caramanta's confidential fervants. He gave me a letter, which was to the following purport:

31

you loved Evander, fure you will not give your hand to his worst enemy. Never, no never fhall Caramanta be the confort of a tyrant."--" You talk of preventing this union, Evander, as if you had thousands under your command at the gates of Argos. Is Palans in your power, or befieged by your armies? Have you fecured the avenues that lead to this capital? In fine, are you in force fufficient to give laws to Teflander in his own palace, and compel him to give you my hand? Alas! my dearest Evander, we have no hopes left, and for ever we muft part. That chafte and tender paffion which was to have been the fource of our mutual felicity, will be the torment of our lives. If there is any comfort left for the "If fame ferve you as faithfully as it forlorn Caramanta, it is the thought that has done me fince your departure, you must you will live to cherish and preserve the me. have heard of my prefent fituation, as I mory of a Princefs, who loved you too have of your exploits. Yet I doubt much well." I offered to carry her off. She startwhether the advantages which you daily ed; but after befitating a few minutes, gain in Latium will fufficiently compenfate" Be it fo, faid fhe; lofe no time to have for the lofs which you are about to fuftain here. There is but one Caramanta, and it is not in the power of the inhabitants of Latium to reftore her to your arms, when fhe once is wedded to Palans."

Caramanta to Evander.

"How is this? cried I; will the traitor Palans rob me of my love?"-" Prince, replied the messenger, it is but too true. The two Kings have made a peace, and the marriage of my miftrefs with Palans is the fir condition of the treaty." He alfo informed me of Telander's voyage to Arcadia before his father's death. It was apprehended that he had then engaged to beftow en the vile ufurper the hand of Caramanta, and great rumour prevailed of the barbarous fon having haftened, by poison, the death of the late King his father. As the governor of this place owed his fortune to me, he engaged, in cafe I could carry off the Prinecis, to let me have a free paffage in our way to Latimus.

This promife revived my hopes and fpirits, and, without contidering the dangers which I was about to court, by daring to appear in Argos, where a few days before I had been outlawed and declared an enemy to the ftate, I fet out for that city. That very fame night, having ftole into the pabce without being perceived, I was introduced to the Princefs; giving her woman to underftand, that I was the meffenger whom the had difpatched to Latium. But how great was her surprise, when, inftead of the fervant, whofe return fhe expected, he law me on my knees by her bedfide. "Evander here! faid fhe; why will you thus expofe your life, and add to my affliction, by bringing the unfortunate Prince of Arcadia before the wretched wife of Palam" You a traitor's wife!-if ever

me in your power, before I am intirely in that of Palans; for if I am once his, remember, Prince, that the husband of Caramanta, be he who he may, muft be facred for Evander, and his life refpected as you tender my esteem and love." Having thus faid, the bade me retire. I inftantly mounted my horfe, and hafted with all speed to the place where I had left Turnus. He affifted me in making every neceffary preparation, and my plan would have fucceeded, had I not been stayed by a fit of illness, when every thing was prepared for its execution.Alas! whilft a lingering fever wafted my ftrength, the ambaladors of Palans arrived at Argos, and Caramanta was married by proxy. She paffed under my very window, and the fhouting of the inhabitants warned me that I was completely undone, and I have outlived that fatal day! The angry gods did not in pity to my woes take from me a life which muft henceforth be an infupportable burthen, fince Caramanta is the wife of a man who has wrefted from my hands a fceptre, which I cannot attempt to recover, without depriving the Princess of Argos of her crown and kingdom."

Theocritus having informed the Queen, that among the fhepherds and fhepherdeffes affembled by her command, there was the moft accomplished man he ever met with; "And pray what is he called?"—" He goes, madam, by the name of Cleophilus, a Grecian by birth, who fome fecret ditpleasure has brought to this retreat: I cannot fay too much in his praife; and as to his perfon, judge if it is exceptionable, when I tell your Majefty, that he bears the greatest refemblance to Prince Evander, and were not the latter dead, I fhould conclude him to be the real Prince of Arcadia, under th

32

Evander and Caramanta.

affumed garb of a fhepherd." "Oh! The critus, what a painful recollection! Alas! it is long fince death has freed the unfortunate Evander from the pains which you tell me Cleophilus endures. But were he alive, the respect he ever entertained for me, would not permit him to take a step fo detrimental to Caramanta's reputation, as that of fettling in Arcadia.""Love," ma dam, would plead his caufe; and, were the death of Prince Evander"- "No more of him, I beseech you, Theocritus; and, if you would oblige me, let me never hear you mention the name of that ill-fated Prince."

Theocritus was about to reply, that a meffenger came to acquaint Caramanta, that the fhepherds waited only for her Majefty's prefence to begin the games in honour of Pan and the nymph Sirinx. The Queen followed her guide to a flowery mead, fituated on the banks of the river Alpheus; in the meadow flood the ftatues of the god and nymph, caft in brafs, and fupported on a pedestal of white marble. They had erected, on the oppofite fide, an amphitheatre, where the Queen and her retinue took their places. Caramanta was delighted with the manner in which the inhabitants of Legæum vied with each other to contribute to the entertainment of their beloved Sovereign. Theocritus, ftanding behind the Queen, whispered to her that this was Cleophilus. From that inftant, and as long as the games lafted, Caramanta did not lose fight of him. When the games were over, the ordered him to be called, and afked him what adventure had brought him to Legæum. "The fortunes of a fimple fhepherd, faid Cleophilus, in a trembling accent, are little worthy of the attention of fo great a Queen. The lofs of a favourite lamb or an ewe, devoured by a wolf, are the greateft accidents that can befal a man in my humble station; and what might be thought by me an infupportable misfortune, would appear to you in a very different light."

This converfation might have been fupported for fome time longer, had not the Queen, whose mind was tortured by the moft diftracting reflections, retired to her apartment, where, being left alone-"Is this Evander? faid the to herfelf; furely it is. I he propitious gods have reftored him to life, that I might fee him once more What thought is this I dare to indulge? How! Evander in difguife in the fame place where Caramanta is! Evander in the dominions of Palans! Impoffible! No, no; this was only a fhadow come to make me feel more fenfibly the wretchedness of my prefent fituation, and the confequences of a barbarous brother having tyrannized over my affections." In these melancholy thoughts

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Jan.

did Caramanta fpend the fleepless night; and, rifing at day-break, went into the foreft of Diana, with one of her ladies in waiting. To the fame fpot Cleophilus had by chance directed his wandering fteps, and met Caramanta at the turning of a walk. —“ Evander, faid fhe in an angry tone, is this the care you have for Caramanta's reputation? If you love me, be gone." The Prince was fo affected to think that he had given offence to her whom he had valued above himself, that he remained motionless, and, leaning against a tree that prevented his fall, could not for fome time recover the power of utterance: at laft, however, they began a converfation, in which the Queen displayed the moft various fentiments, and Evander all the love that fired his breaft. Caramanta, left they should be furprized, put an end to it in thefe words: My honour, Prince, must be dearer to you than your own. Leave this country where we are both expoled to the moft imminent danger: do not remain an inflant after this interview, if you would have me believe that you have for my commands the respect which you promifed ever to preferve. Adieu: and let this be our laft farewel." So faying, fhe rofe, and seeing that the Prince was on his knees before her, the gently preffed his head between her hands, and leaning towards him, kiffed his cheek, and inftantly difappeared; as if the shame of having granted fuch a favour to any man but her husband, had rendered the fight of Evander odious and infupportable.

Whilft the Prince was loft in raptures, which lovers only can feel or account for, a ftranger paffing by, afked him if he had feen the Queen: his anfwer was in the negative, but delivered with so much inattention and indifference, that the ftranger, not ufed to be treated fo cavalierly, faid to him

"Who art thou, difcourteous thepherd, that dareft to answer me fo bluntly? Art thou fo little acquainted with this country, as not to know me for the reigning King of Arcadia? Never did a harsher found grate the ear of Evander. Rage and indignation were fo viñible in his countenance, that Palans muft have perceived the alteration, had he not left Evander abruptly to go in fearch of the Queen. Petrified, as it were, with horror, Cleophilus ftood fome time motionlefs, at last he broke into the following foliloquy: And is this my happy rival! This Caramanta's hufband, and the ufurper of my crown! He shall die—Die !—Hive I then forgot the commands of Caramanta ? and do they not forbid all attempts that courage or hatred could fuggeft to me against the tyrant's life?" Thus a prey to defpair, the Prince refolved to quit inftantly the foreft, and in a few hours to fly from Arcadia

A

1789.

Vulgar Errors.

33

To the Editor of the Hibernian Magazine.
SIR,

Give me leave to fend you the following vul

gar errors, which I hope to fee inferted in your next.

S
RATIONEM, DEFENSOR MALI SUI, PO-
PULUS.

ANABIMUR, SI MODO SEPAREMUS A
COETU; NUNC VERO STAT CONTRA

occafionally-If dull, it will always be fort;
This little article is meant to be continued
and lefs time and pains will be required to
read it, than have been employed in writing
it. The DESIGN will unfold itfelf.

ERROR FIRST.

for they keep their coach."
"They are very rich (or great) people;

is judged of from appearances, people usu-
This Error is very general; for as a man
ally fancy that they difcover three per cents
in his dress-an independent fortune in his
entertainments—bonds in every piece of fur-
niture-government debentures in his live-
ries-Bank flock in his borfes-and a landed-
eftate in his coach.

As he was following a path which led him a principality belonging to the family of the shortest way to the high road, the faw a Palans. ftream of blood iffuing from a bush, and (To be continued.) making towards the fpot, difcovered a dead body mangled in a fhocking manner, and not yet cold. But, readers, conceive if ye can his amazement, when, on a nearer infpection, he knew it to be the body of the ftranger who called himself Palans! He started back at the fight; and had not yet recovered from his furprize when the King's guards arrived on the fpot. They fet up the moft piteous groans at feeing their mafter lifeless, and fo inhumanly butchered. Then obferving Cleophilus, his wild looks, and fome marks of blood on his clothes, they concluded he must be the murderer; feized upon him, and dragged him in chains to the palace. The Queen was with Theocritus when the guards entered with their prifoners, whom they charged as the principal, or at leaft accomplice in the murder of Palans. The Queen was so rapt up in the attention the gave to the fad account, that he did not take at firft any particular notice of the culprit who stood before her. But a ftranger, whom curiofity had brought into the prefence chamber, no fooner caft his eyes on the pretended affaffin, than he exclaimed aloud, "Heavens! 'tis Evander!" The dreadful found was death to Caramanta's every sense-She fainted away; and, whilft her attendants were adminifter. ing to her the neceffary affiftanée, Teffander, Her brother, and King of Argos, gave orders to fecure the prifoner, and bring to the palace the remains of Palans. Theocritus and Simas retired to confult together on the means of faving their friend from death and infamy; for although the appearances were fo ftrong against him, as to amount almoft to a proof, yet they knew Evander too well not to believe him incapable of fo atrocious a deed. The world did not think fo favourably of the Prince. His rooted antipathy against Palans his avowed love for Caramanta-his connections and intimacy with Simas, the open and greateft enemy to the tyrant; all to his very disguise depofed against him. Theocritus, nevertheless, re-. turned to Legæum in order to perfuade the thepherds of Evander's innocence; whilft Simas hafted to Megara to folicit the inhabitants to take up arms in defence of the lawful Prince of Arcadia. Nicoflrates, who heard of it, and faw the fceptre within his grafp, refolved to make fure of it by facri ing Evander to his ambition and fafety; bat the fhepherds being informed of his wicked intention, furrounded the palace, routed the guards, and so terrified Nicoftrates, that he went out at a back door, and retired to the province of Tymphale, Hib. Mag. Jan. 1789.'.

frequently fet up a coach, as women paint, But experience tells us, that men moft to conceal defects-give entertainments to hide their poverty-drefs gaily to preferve their credit-and keep horfes to deceive their creditors;-the coach is an additional blind on fuch occafions-and the fideboard of plate is the only fund where his money is kept.Bonds he has which will never be redeemed

and unpaid bills, handfomely bound, sufficient to make a library of curious MSS.

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truft in chariots, because they are many,'
"Woe unto them that flay on borjes, and
fays the wife prophet-and fo fay I, who
am not a prophet-let men not truff to ap
pearances, efpecially the appearance of
wealth, for that is an appearance which
who endeavours to dazzle
men of real worth never have. Sufpect him
you with his grand
ditor under every dish--a dividend in the
living--Think that you fee a craving cre-
bottom of your glas-a bailiff in every foot-
man--and a commiffion in his coach.

acquired honefly) never feek to difplay it.
Men of hereditary or acquired wealth (if
They may keep a coach to please their wives
-they walk on foot to please themselves,
and tranfact bufinefs-Their table is decent

their food plain-and their manners, like
their wealth, folid.

man may keep his coach-BUT-A man is
The maxim then thould be this- A rich
not rich BECAUSE he keeps his coach.

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34

The Advantages of the Art of Printing.

Nota bene. My readers are not to expect that I fhall be witty. I will give them notice when I intend to be fo. My chief defign is, "A word to the wife.

On the various Modes that have prevailed
of communicating Ideas to the Public, par-
ticularly on the Art of Printing.
(Continued from our Appendix p. 691.)

Jan.

fometimes illegibly written, and often mu-
tilated or corrupted, a number of men arose
whofe knowledge and fagacity enabled them
to ascertain and exhibit, by the newly disco-
vered art, the genuine reading. Such men
were greater benefactors to mankind than
many who have been celebrated; nor is it
a vain glory which Italy derives from her
Manuttii, Germany from her Frokas,
France from her Stephani, the Netherlands

Caxton,

Every ftudent looks back with regret on
Erafmus corrected
thofe times when an
what an Aldus printed; when, like a
painter of antiquity, a printer expofed his
production to the paffenger, and folicited
cenfure; and when the legislature of a great
nation, provided by a ftature, with a penal-
ty for the incorrectness of publications.

THOUGH the hiftory offtories, is if from their Plantin, and England from her
printing, all in
fome degree obfcure and doubtful at its ear-
Jieft period; though Strasburg has boafted
Mentel, and Haerlem Cofter, as the inven-
tor; yet is there great reafon to conclude,
that the few arguments advanced in their fa-
vour are fupported only by forgery and
fallehood: and. we may fafely affert, with
the majority of writers, and with the gene-
ral voice of Europe, that the time of the
invention was about the year 1440; the
place Mentz, and the perfons Gutenberg
and Fauftus and Schaffer, in conjunction.

He who wishes to trace the art in its gradual progrefs from the wooded and immovable letter to the moveable and metal type, and to the completion of the whole contrivance, will receive fatisfactory information from the annals of the elaborate Mattaire. In the mean time, the effayiff will avoid the repetition of facts already too well known and established to admit additional illuftration, and will think himself more properly employed in making reflections on the lite rary, the moral, the political, and the religious effects which have refulted from the

invention.

It is, indeed, generally true, that the hiftory of a mechanical art affords but infi pid entertainment to minds once tinctured with the liberality of philofophy, and the It often elegance of claffic literature. exhibits manual excellence united with a meanness of fentiment and vulgarity of manners, which unavoidably mingles difguft with admiration: but to the truth of this general remark the annals of typography are a fingular exception. Many are recorded to have laboured at the prefs, whofe literary attainments would have done honour to a profeffional chair. By their annotations, they illuftrated the fenfe and fpirit of those authors, the letter of whofe writings they embellished by beautiful and accurate impreffions.

The names of the Aldi, of Robert and Henry Stephens, of Turnebus, and of many more who united mechanical ingenuity with profound erudition, will ever be remembered with respect and gratitude by the votary of ancient learning. Happily for letters, at a time when the valuable works of quity were contained in manufcripts

To prefer with implicit attachment all the earlier productions of the art, to the more recent, were to be actuated with the narrow fpirit of a typographical virtuofo; yet the truth is, what indeed was to be expected from, the fuperior learning of thofe who were formerly concerned in the process, they furpass the more fplendid editions of later times, in the one great excellence of correctness. It is true, indeed, that the fungous production of the modern fribbler, appears with a splendour of paper, and brilliancy of type, unknown in the fifteenth century, and, if the work is written in the vernacular language and on a familiar object, is perhaps fufficiently correct. It is true likewife, that, confidering the expedition of the artifan, the degree of correctness with which the common papers of intelligence appear, is really wonderful, and affords a ftriking inftance how much industry can effect, when ftimulated to exertion by the hope of that abundant gain, which our more than Athenian love of political information conftantly fupplies, Of fuch dispatch a Plantin would, perhaps, have denied the poffibility. Books of learning, however, especially when written in the dead languages, are indeed more flowly brought forth, but hardly, with equal perfection. The mistaken avarice, and the grofs ignorance of the modern editor, often frustrates all the paft labour of printers, correctors, and commentators, who have toiled with aching eyes in the revifal of proof-fheets, and in the collation of manufcripts. Amid this lamentable degeneracy, it is happy for

N O T E.

*Scaliger in his Refut. Cic. objects to Erafimus, that he was corrector of the prefs to Aldus the elder at Venice. Erafmus denies the charge in general, confeffing, however, that he did correct the prefs when his own works were printed.

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