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The prince, who is the hero both of the comick and tragick part, is a young man of great abilities, and violent paffions, whofe fentiments are right, though his actions are wrong; whofe virtues are obfcured by negligence, and whofe understand. ing is diffipated by levity. In his idle hours he is rather loose than wicked, and when the occafion forces out his latent qualities, he is great without effort, and brave without tumult. The trifier is Foufed into an hero, and the hero again repoles in the trifler. This character is

great, original, and just.

Piercy is a rugged foldier, choleric and quarrellome, and has only the foldier's virtues, generofity and courage.

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The lines given to the chorus have many admirers; but the truth is, that in them a little may be praifed, and much must be forgiven; nor can it be easily difcovered why the intelligence given by the chorus is more necessary in this play than in many others where it is omitted. The great defect of this play is the emptinefs and narrowness of the last act, which a very little diligence might have easily avoided.

[The Remainder of the Account of these Plays in our next.]

2. The elbow-chair, a rhapsody, 116d F. Newbery.

This rhapsody is about every thing but an elbow chair, and owes its title to its being written in an elbow chair in Wales. It is about a library, about a young woman that was overheard finging a loveCfong by her fweetheart; friendship; a country church; a Welch cottage; British George, Hampden, and Wilks, with MagnaCharta in his hand; a young man that died for love; Dr Goldsmith; Plympton hills; the fky in a starry night; fly fishing, fhooting, hunting, and Smoaking tobacco.. - How the author has treated thefe fubjects, the reader may guefs by the following extract :

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But Falfaff! unimitated, unimitable Falfaff! how fhall I describe thee? Thou compound of fenfe and vice; of fenfe which may be admired but not efteemed, of vice which may be defpiled, but hardly detefted. Falloff is a character loaded with faults, and with thofe faults whish naturally produce contempt. He is a thief and a glutton, a coward and a boaster, always ready to cheat the weak, and prey upon the poor; to terrify the timorous, and infuit the defenceless. At once obfequious and malignant, he fatirifes in their abfence thofe whom he lives by flattering. He is familiar with the prince only as an agent of vice, but of this familiarity he is fo proud as not only to be fupercilious and haughty with common men, but to think his intereft of importance to the Duke of Lancafler. Yet the E man thus corrupt, thus defp.cable, makes himself neceffary to the prince that defpifes him, by the most pleating of all qualities perpetual gayety, by an unfailing power of exciting laughter, which is the more freely indulged, as his wit is not of the fplendid or ambitious kind, but confifts in eafy efcapes and fallies of levity, which make F fport, but raife no envy. It must be obfeved that he is ftained with no enormous or fanguinary crimes, fo that his licentiouinefs is not fo offensive but that it may be borne for his mirth.

The moral to be drawn from this reprefentation is, that no man is more danger.

ous than he that with the will to corrupt, hath the power to pleafe; and that nei. ther wit ner honefty ought to think themfelves fafe with fuch a companion, when they lee Henry (educed by Fafoft.

HENRY THE FIFTH.

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This play has many fcenes of high dig nity, and many of eafy merriment. The character of the king is weil fupported, H

except in his courtship, where he has neither the vivacity of Hal, nor the grandeur of Henry. The humour of Pife! is very happily continued; his character bas, perbaps, been the model of all the bodies that ve yet appeared on the English Page.

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The ruftic fwain upon the matted grafs,
Or mould'ring tomb-ftone spreads his liftlefe
length.

The parton's houfe with ewe-trees fhaded
round

Well known, now mark'd by Sol's declining ray
Is feen from far; and foul befail the man
That wishes ill to fuch an honeft foul
As that fame parfon is.

The public is threatened with more fuch elbow-chairs, for the rhapsody now publifhed is called book the first.

3. The addrefs; a fable. 6d Nicol. A wretched catchpenny, alluding to the city addrefs, by fome illiterate fcribbler, who is not only a ftrange to poetry, but grammar: That he is a franger to grammar appears by the following couplet

"Me, in particular, will gain

"What I've long labour'd to obtain."

It is fearce neceffary to make another quotation, as a proof that he is a stranger to petry, yet the following is rather more

in point:

"As to the mixture of th' addrefs
<x -
Half complement, half the

4. The Merry Midnight miftake, or comfortable conclufion; a new comedy. David Ogborne. Is.

In this piece there is neither art nor nature; entertainment nor inftruction; it is all dullness and abfurdity. Let the reader judge from the following account of the A Rory.

A young lady was addreffed by a rake of fortune and married hum; after a short time, his irregularities, and her complaints produced a divorce by confent. The lady, however, found herself with child; a circumftance, which the determined to conceal, though for what reafon cannot be B imagined: and, in order to conceal it continued at home till within a day or two of her time; then the fet out in difguife with two or three trufty attendants, and was taken ill, and delivered upon the road of a daughter. This daughter was left to be brought up, and educated at the inn, under the care of Mrs Fetely, a lady of fortune; an inn being, doubtless, a very proper place for such a purpose.

The mother of the child, foon after her delivery, and return home, was addressed, and married by Lord Lavishnought; her first husband being ftill living, the author fuppofing that a divorce by confent left D the parties at liberty to marry again.

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Her daughter, whofe name was Prifcilla, continuing at this inn till fhe was marriageable, Major Fetely, the fon of the lady to whose care fhe was left, falls in love with her : The landlord having found them together, writes an account of it to Mrs Fetely. Mrs Fetely having promifed Lady Lavifbrought to prevent the girl's marriage, during her ladyship's life, ufes all authority with her fon to break the connection, but without effe&t. He deterHe has mines to have her at all events. afterwards access to her apartment, he confents to marry him, her maid is of their party, and they appear to have had nothing to do but to walk out of doors in order to dispose of themselves as they thought fit, yet a project is formed to steal her in the night by disguiling a fervant of the major like a death hunter that attends a funeral; with no other view than to crowd together a number of abfurd, impoffible, and unneceffary incidents that fill G up the rest of the performance. That Prifcilla might eafily have left the house, appears in the first act, for the is repreSented as waiting alone in the bar-room for breakfast; and that he might have efcaped with the major is alfo equally manifeft for he was almoft within fight of the house, and had a poût-chaife in wait- H ing.

The landlady is in one place reprefented as fixty years old, in another place as big with child; Prifcilla in one place confi

dered her as her mother, and in another as her aunt. But, however, Lady Lavish nought being dead, Prifcilla by her will becomes poffeffed of 5ooo!. a year, Mrs Fate ly being abfolved from her promife confents to the marriage,, and among the guests at the inn appeals Sir Calf Cormorant, who, upon hearing Prifcilla's story, declares that he is Lady Lavishnought's first husband, that Prifcilla is his child, and that having no relation in the world, he will leave her his whole fortune.

That the piece may conclude with the advantage of a double marriage, Sir Calf and Mrs Fetely make a match.

As a fpecimen of the wit and delicacy of the dialogue, the following extract is taken from the conclufion of the first act,

[Mr and Mrs Bounce, the landlord and

Landlady,and Prudence, Prifcilla's Maid.] Bounce.] Prudence you must take more care, and if the major fhould make any farther pretenfions let us know of them di rectly, and as there is no harm done hitherto, let it drop, let it drop.

Mrs Bounce.] It I had not catch'd them at fome of their love tricks myself I shou'd have dropt it long ago.

Prudence.] Nothing immodeft, I hope, ma'am."

Mrs Bounce.] I don't know what you may call immodeft; but I think it is very indecent fight to fee a fellow kiffing and squeezing fuch a girl as the is withoup mercy.

Prudence.] Dear ma'am, thefe young gentlemen will take liberties with a pretty girl whether the will or no.

Mrs Bounce.] Then give me leave to tell you they are filthy tricks, and only unfit young girls for fober husbands, She thall not be fuffered out of my fight-where have you left her?

Prudence.] Safe in the bar-room, ma'am, waiting for breakfast; I came to let you know the tea things are fet, and the rolls already buttered,

Bounce.] My poor pumkin may well look fo pitiful.-Let me put a little mois ture into her mouth, [kiffes ber] one kif's from thee, child, would tempt a king to make a cuckold of me.

Delicious baim those lips that far excell
The turtle's tafte, or burgamot in smell,
How can that fiefh as blood be counted bad
Compos'd of all the dainties to be bad?
Woere fuck varieties together join,
Muft make a difh fit for a king to dine.
Ex. hugging and kiffing,
5. Daphne and Amyntor, a comic o.
pera. Is Newbery.

This piece was written originally in French, by M. St Foix, and is called The Oracle; it was tranflated very elegantly fome years ago by Mrs Cibber, and an ace count of the incident on which it is found.

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ed, is given in our 22d Vol. p. 146-7, to which the reader is referred.

It is not now effentially altered, the incident is the fame; a magician is introduced instead of a fairy, which the author feems to think gives it more importance, though it certainly renders it lefs confonant to the fabulous notions of invisible agency, and the fable as a fable is injured by the introduction of a magician, instead of a fairy.

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The principal alteration, is that of a farce into an opera by the introduction of fongs and mufic, and upon the merit of there the prefent performance certainly de- B pends,

As to the music the author fays in his preface that it has been selected with the greatest attention, both to the beauty of the airs, and its effect upon the theatre.

tion of the principles which he advanced, and powerfully supported in a work, en.titled, An essay on waters.

Dr Lucas affirms that there is no (alphur in the Baib waters: Dr Sutherland and his friend, Dr Linden, that there is. Dr Lucas in his remarks has treated Dr Satherland with that fpirit which so eminently diftinguished his writings, as the last fret cuizen of Dublin; but which is equally inconfiftent with the character of a scholar, and a gentleman. (See bis letter to the Lord Mayor, &c. Vol. xxvi. p. 47.)

As a proof that the Bath waters do not contain fulphur, Dr Lucas afferts that brimstone and acid cannot fubfift together in an aqueous folution. Dr Linden affirms on the contrary, that water, vitrioline, acids, and brimfione, are frequently found in one compound, and the brimstone as much diffolved as filver is in aqua-fortis, and that the brimftone may be precipitaC ted from this compound, as filver is precipitated from aqua-fortis: To fupport this affertion against Dr Lucas, he recites the following process:

We are told alío, that though fome people may be of opinion, that old English or Scots ballads ought to have been chofen, or mufic compofed in the fame tafte, yet that fuch fort of compofitions fcarce deserve the name of mufic at all, at leaft can have little or no merit on the ftage. It is however, unfortunate that he did not recollect fuch a piece as the Beggars Opera which had and ftill has more effect upon the ftage D than any mufical drama, and yet confifts wholly of fuch music as is here laid to have no effect at all,

6. Remarks on the difeafe commonly called a Fistula in Ano. By Percival Pott, F. R. S. 25 6d Harves.

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This is a moft excellent treatife, and written with a moft excellent view; Mr Part obferves in his preface, that the term cutting for a Fiftula, conveys to a patient a terrible idea; and that this terror is not a little increafed by his incapacity of feeing the part difeafed. The ma jority of writers have greatly increafed rather than leffened this dread: And that as the operation is (under their directions) fometimes performed, it is indeed a very fevere one; a great part of this feverity appears to him to be unneceffary; and he cannot help thinking, that a more ferious reflection on the parts concerned in the difeafe, and on its different nature, in different ftates and circumstances, would lead to a more rational method of treating G it, and to a more eafy and expeditious

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"Take one pound of unflacked lime, calcine it in a crucible in a flow degree of fire, then pour it into a warm mortar, and whilft warm mix two or three drams of flower of brimstone with it, pour all into a glafs receiver, with eight quarts of boiling water, wherein half an ounce of spirit of vitriol is mixed; let it stand in warm fand for two or three days, and to be well and often flirred the two first days; when fettled, let him decant the clear liquor, and in this water vehicle he will find to fubfift both brimstone and vitroline acid at one and the fame time."

There are other collateral fubje&s of difpute, between thefe authors, for which the reader is referred to their books.

9. A Review of Mr Philips hiftory of the life of Cardinal Pole; by Glocefier Ridky, L. L. B. dedicated to the king. 55 6d Whifion.

Philips, the authour of the life of cardinal Pole, of which this is a review, is a Pepift, and has made his life of the cardinat a vehicle of arguments in favour of Popish doctrines, particularly of the Pope's fupremacy; the purpole of this review is to controvert thofe doctrines which have been advanced and fubverted a thousand tinies : As a book of controversy, therefore, this book is of little value, and as to the character and exploits of the cardinal, they can be of no importance to religion; for, fuppofing Pole to have been a good man, Popery might be falfe; and fuppofing him to be a bad man, Popery might be true: However the different lights in which the fame character is represented, by the partifans of different opinions, may afford amufement to a curious and speculative mind; to fuch, therefore we recoinmend both: Philips and Ridity.

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8. A vindication of the Whigs against the clamours of a Tory mob. Is Moran. 9. The hiftory of Mifs Clarinda Cathcart, and Miss Fanny Renton, 2 vols. Newbery.

A differtation on the chronological difficulties imputed to the Mofaick history, A from he birth to the death of Jacob; by Wm kinner, M. A, vicar of Bofbery, Herefordshire. 25. Baldwin.

11. Account of the deftruction of the Jefuits in France; by M. d'Alembert, 25 6d Becket. (See p. 385.)

12. Philofophical Tranfactions, Vol. LX. for the year 1764. 123. Davis and Reyme s.

13. Time well fpent; or, instructive amulements for children. 8 d bound, J. Nichols.

15. The female barber; an Irish tale. 6d Williams.

14. The political apology; or candid reafons for not taking part in the prefent Tyflem. Is Wilkie.

-Among the many reafons which the writer, has thought fit to advance, he feems to lay the greateft ftrefs on the 3 following:

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this was one of the numerous inftances in which the Thane had difplayed his pow er at the expence of his policy, his hu manity, and his equity.

Their enemies do not fcruple to fay, that they do not dare to turn out his partizans. Their friends are under the neceffity of conf:ffing that they have not turned them out-Their emillaries indeed, and well inftructed I suppose they are, call it mederation and temper in availing themfelves of a few able perfons, who were furmerly under the favourite's protection.. The word able is uncommonly well chofen, as applicable to the Earls of D—, L-, and P-, as the word formerly is particu larly proper when intended to fignify the time at which Meffrs E-, 0-, and D-, were protected by the Thane. They do not impose upon themíeives by fuch language as this; but however this may be, Clam fore they cannot deceive othersAre we to look for ability from veterans wedded to fhifting momentary expedients, or from noviciates in every preliminary to bufinefs? Are we to expect integrity. from old men hackneyed in corruption, or from young men harraffed by neceffity ? Will independence be the refult of the extravagance, the ambition, and the vanity

I can, fays he, by no means engage to fupport the prefent adminiftration, becaufe I diflike the principle on which they D have accepted of their offices; I dread the defperate hand which diftributed the power among them-I deteft the connection which they neceffarily have with the favourite, whether ftipulated by private compact, or fubmitted to by unavoidable implications. In fhort, I fear the profufron of the D. of N--e, and the unfkilful aukwardness of the noviciates in G-. E -I have had too much experience of the one, and too little of the other, for me to place my confidence in them, and without my confidence, I will freely fay to you," they will never have my vote.

I well know the uncommon industry with which the connexion with the favourite has been endeavoured to be re- F moved. The mutual renunciations of each other, from the favourite of his not having given the power; from the M-rs of their not having accepted it through his channel. The commonnefs and popularity of the charge,has with fome flood as a fort of reason against giving credit to G it, and the frequency with which it is urged, is now conftrued by their doughty champions, as an invincible argument why it cannot be true. Let their condu& fince they have been in office determine the fact.

They have not fince their acceffion to power, difplaced any one man of all that numerous train which are lifted under the H favourite, except a noble lord, who has declared himself fatisfied; and a poor Scotch baroner, who, though his neceffities may not fuffer him to exprefs his fatistaction, yet it was a cafe of justice, as

of our times? I pretend to no great skill
in political aftrology; I will not fcruple
to fay, however, what few will venture to
deny, that the afpect of our prefent Atars
is exceedingly malignThat our face
is fituated in very unfortunate houses, and
that the line of national tranquillity, crof
ed as it is, and interfected by leveral difaf-
trous circumftances, does not promife a
long continuance: In this perfuafion, you
will not wonder that I fhould decline giv-
ing that fanction, incontiderable as it is,
which one well intentioned man can give,
to what it is fashionable to call I fuppofe,
on account of the poverty of our lan-
gvage, a fyflem; and that I fhould con-
tribute as far as an individual's endeavours
can contribute, to free these unhappy king-
doms from being any longer the sport and
infult of a rafh, timid, haughty, and trea-
cherous favourite.

15. The principles of the late changes examined. Is 6d. Amen. (See p. 447) 16. Pfalmodia Germanica; or, the Ger man Pfalmiody, with their proper tunes. 75. Haberkorn,

17. A reply to the defence of the divine right of infant baptifm. 15. Keith.

18. A treatise on the peace of foul and content of mind; from the French, by Dr Scrope, R. of Caftle-combe. 7 s. lewed. Millar.

19. Effays on husbandry (See p. 464.) Frederick at Bath; Johnson, London.

20. Remarks on the difeafe commonly called, a fiftula in ano. By Percival Pott, F. R. 3. 25 6d, flawes, (See p. 484)

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Senfible writer in the papers. cautions the people against the exceffive ufe of hops, which are poifon to a certain degree. A fmall quantity juft enough to be tafted, he says, will preferve beer in moderate weather, and more than this is pernicious. Certain it is, that men of the longest life ufe fparingly the infufion of hops; fome carry their diflike of them to fuch a length, as to brew malt liquor for their own drinking without hops, and take it with them wherever they are to eat.

A writer in favour of the Americans, obferves, that the late fet of minifters were determined to try what oppeffion and despair would drive that brave people to attempt; and, upon that plan, having first cut off all the fources of their wealth by cramping their trade, they then laid on taxes which it was impoffible for them to pay; if this obfervation be juft, it is well for the Americans they were timely discarded.

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A writer, who figns himself a citizen of London, and who by fome writings on the fubje&t, has fhewn himself a perion of abilities, takes upon him to discover the caufe of the high price of bread, and to prefcribe C the remedy. The caufe he afcribes to the engrollers of farms, and the occupiers of mills, and the cure to the regulating the bounty, ftopping exportation, and opening the ports for importation. This caufe may appear fpecious, but it is not the fact. Great farmers tend to produce plenty, and great dealers and occupiers of mills to circulate that plenty. It requires no great knowlege in country af- D fairs, to difcover that great farmers can better afford to improve land, and do improve it better than lile ones, and the confequence follows, that the more the land is improved, the more corn it produces. It is equally obvious that the readier market the farmer has for his corn, the more he will be encouraged to raife it; and the writer knows very well that the miller never buys more than he can fell, and no prudent man in England will E keep much in a forehoufe when it bears a reafonable price at market. Were the cafe otherwife, and the engroflors of farms, and the opulent occupiers of mills did contribute to enhance the price of bread, would this Citizen have it enacted, that no landlord should let his farm to the man that he thinks can best pay him his rent? Or would he have a law made for the farmer to feil his corn to the needy miller that would never pay him the money, or pay him perhaps at a long day? Does not the abfurdity of this glaringly appear? From the year 1742 to the year 1748, there were the fame great farmers, and the fame rich millers that are now complained of, and yet in thole years, corn and every other neceffary of life, were fo cheap, that the people's compassion was then excited for the poor farmers; many ct them broke, fome were feized upon by their needy landlords, many forgiven their ren's by the more humane and opulent, and all were greatly reduced. Years of plenty there have been bace that time, to which the writer is undoubtedly no franger; and years of plenty ere will be again; to which plenty the st farmers will much fooner contribute

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than little farmers can; and when thefe years arrive, which pray heaven may be at no remote diftance, corn, and by confequence every other neceffary of life, will then, and not till then,be cheap in proportion. Till these happy feafons arrive, no law or regulation whatever can make provifions cheap, and the only regulation that can poffibly operate to keep bread at a moderate price is to open the ports of Great Britain for the importation of corn whenever the price of wheat exceccs 40s, a quarter. As the fubject is of importance, let us fhew it another light, and fuppofe that all the lands in England were, as the writer wishes, divided into little farms from thirty to one hundred pounas a year; this, he obferves, would oblige the occupiers to bring forth their corn to market in order to raise money to pay their respect ve rents; it would fo, undoubtedly; and this obligation would be fatal to the people. At one featon of the year, the nation would be glutted, at another, ftarved; and no provifion could then be made according to the prefent conftitution of this country against a single year of scarcity. The men that should buy up a large quantity when corn was cheap would be deemed an engroffer, the former could not keep any quantity by him without ftarving his family; and no public granaries have an exiflence, or ever can have in this tree country? What then would become of the people in years of fcarcity The citizens of London fhould forbear writing upon fubje&ts of which they are certainly not the proper judges. For their fatisfation, and to quiet the minds of the pec ple in general, who on thefe melancholy occafions must always be partial fufferers, let it be known, that it is to the great fames and great millers they now owe their daily fupply of bread; that while there are fuch, no real famine will ever lay wafte this happy country; and that it is to the uniform practice of these farmers and thefe millers that they are at all times furnished with a proportionable supply of what the lands produce be it nore or less, it being impofile for any number of thefe men to combine together to withold their corn from market to any alarming degree without the poor in their respective neighbourhocda being apprized of it; and if any fuch attempt was bu fulpected, the refeatment of the people would foon prevent it.

A late charge against Dr Chandler in the public papers has produced a paper war, by which a confiderable body of well meaning difinterested protestant dillenters feel themfelves greatly hurt. The charge was this, that the doctor, no fooner faw the power departing from the Duke of Neryceftle, to whom G when in power he had f-wningly recommended himself, but he relinquished him at once, and applied to his fucceffor the Earl of Bute for the honour of diûributing the royal bounty to proteftant diffenting minifters. And that when the Duke of Newcastle was again reftored to power, the Do&tor again reH newed his addresses to his Grace in terms the moft fubmiflive, penitent, and fupplicatory, in order to be continued Lord High Almoner of that royal bounty. This charge was at

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