principles, to the danger of every respectable man in the community, and who, by poffeffing property, becomes an object for their diabolical depredations. Not, however, to trefpafs any longer on the patience of the Houfe, I fhall conclude by obferving, with the great Latin poet of antiquity, I Quid fit futurum eras, fuge quærere; EXEUNT OMNES. EXTRAORDINARY PHENOMENON. MR. BALDWIN, BEG leave to communicate to you the following very extraordinary phenomenon. It appears on the fouth wall of the parish church of Streatham, in the county of Surry. The monumental infcription runs thus: "Elizabeth, wife of Major-general Hamilton, who was married near forty-seven years, and never did one to difoblige her husband. She died in 1746." If, Sir, we lived in an age of miracles, or where reported miracles were generally believed, I know not but this might pafs in a crowd; but when I confider that we live in an age of great experience and much knowledge in matrimonial affairs, I fcarcely know what to think of it. It crept into the papers within thefe few days, and has excited no fmall degree of conflernation among my acquaintance. Conjecture is generally fruitful; and I must fav fome very ingenious fpecimens have been tried to folve this difficulty. But ftill unbelief prevails; and the term of forty-feven years exceeds all capacity of fwallowing. People buried for a month under the fnowrats eating bank notes a man catching trout by means of a red nofe--the taking up of footpads by the police officers, or taking up of the pavement in Bridge Street: all all thefe, which appear now and then in the papers, may receive fome degree of credit, particularly from weak minds-but a wife that never difobliged her husband for forty-feven years! I am in a maze, and know not how to get out. A lady of my acquaintance has fuggefted, that probably her husband was afflicted with deafness, or deprived of the use of his fight, or his hearing: " yet ftill," adds fhe, "fhe might have difobliged him in many ways." I confider this lady's opinion as of great weight, for fhe is one of the best of wives. A very fagacious gentleman, who has the happiness to poffefs a moft excellent wife, who nevertheless cannot believe a fyllable of this ftory, thinks, that as the husband was a Major-general, he might probably be on foreign fervice all the while. But this is neither confiftent with the duration of our wars, nor with the gallantry of our foldiers. Various other fuppofes have been offered on this occafion, but none that will admit the poffibility of the fact, and only tending to explain the enigma of the infcription. The ladies, for inftance, who must be allowed in such cases to be the best judges, proteft that they cannot conceive fuch a wife to have ever exifted; and likewife declare that an excefs of tamenefs is unbecoming the dignity of the fex, and a direct violation of the rights of woman. Many gentlemen adopt the fame opinion; and although they do not complain that the excefs of tamenefs is a prevailing evil, yet they decide clearly in favour of a woman-that is, a wife-having a fpice of the d-l. It is by a mixture of concords with difcords that mufic and matrimony are most agreeably compofed. For my own part, Mr. Baldwin, I fhall neither decide one way or other, but fhall leave this remarkable relation as I found it; hoping, that, though not literally true, it may produce fome good effect. We are all exhorted to be perfect, which does VOL. 1. not not imply that any of us can ever be perfect, but that it is our duty to approach as nearly as poffible towards it. Í have the honour to be, Sir, Your very humble fervant, DEBORAH DOUBTFUL, Married fix months. BENEFITS. [From the St. James's Chronicle] MR. BALDWIN, S I obferve that many of our eminent performers are greatly at a lofs to draw out a proper bill of fare for their benefits, fuited to the prefent enlightened dramatic tafte, I have taken the liberty to offer the following as a model; and I have no doubt but that he or fhe who follows it, will find it greatly to their advantage, Macbeth-By a Gentieman, being his first appearance on any Stage. In the firft fcene will be introduced A real Hail Storm. End of Act I. (for that night only) the two Kangaroos from Exeter Change, will make their appearance in a dance. End of Act II. A Hornpipe, by the gentleman who performs Macbeth. End of Act III. The real Turkish Ambaffador will walk across the Stage, attended by his fuite. End of Act IV. Lady Macbeth will recite Garrick's Ode to Shakespeare, with John Gilpin's Journey to Ed monton. During the Play, The Witches will fing Poor Jack, the Little Far thing Rushlight, the Jolly Lamplighter, and other Airs, in character. At the end of the Play An entire New Epilogue, By an eminent literary Gentleman; Between the Play and Farce, (Written for this night only,) called Or the Humours of the Guillotine; (In which, by particular defire, Harlequin will take a flying leap through a caldron of burning brimstone, the like never performed in this world.) The characters in the Interlude, (For that night only,) all by Frenchmen. A dance of Murderers, by the principal Performers of this Theatre. To conclude with a proceffion of the Guillotine, (As performed in Paris with univerfal applaufe, for upwards of a twelvemonth paft;) And a real Head, lately imported in an American bottom. End of the Interlude, A Solo on the Violin, A CHILD OF SIX MONTHS OLD.. To conclude with The Cries of London, The Tombs in Westminster Abbey. A FARCE, And other Entertainments, As will be expreffed in the Bills of the Day. VERSES ON THE DEATH OF LIEUTENANTCOLONEL BULLER, MORTALLY WOUNDED ON THE 8TH OF JANUARY 1795, IN AN ACTION WITH THE FRENCH ON THE BANKS OF THE WAAL. (Written by Mr. Sheridan; and addreffed to Mifs H. Ogle, now Mrs. S.) [From the Morning Chronicle.] SCARCE huf'd the figh, fcarce dried the ling'ring tear Which pride maintains 'gainft man's and freedom's life, *Capt. Newton Ogle, aid-de-camp to Sir C. Grey. He perished in the West Ladies-the pride of his family, and delight of all who knew him. Remembrance |