not chufing to arraign publicly, he fent ruffian with this ring, as with authority from Maxentius to dispatch him. The general returning fooner than was expected, heard something of thefe circumftances, but knowing the power and fubtlety of Verres, he diffembled his rage, though his wife had flain herself before his arrival. He endeavoured, however, to ftir up the foldiery, and fucceeded fo far, that a great party were ready to rife in his favour, when the plot was difcovered by Balienus, and the principal confpirators feized and executed, Maxentius himself with difficulty escaping in difguife. Thus difappointed of an intended open revenge, he fought and fucceeded in obtaining a covert one. He was well acquainted with a fervant of the governor, who would facrifice any thing for gold. This man he bribed to adminifter to his mafter, and Balienus, a corrofive poifon, promising to provide for the fafety of the criminal, as well as to prefent him with a large fum of money, and ftand the ilue of the matter himself, which he was the more ready to do, as he had refolved not to out-live his misfortunes. Artemon, the eunuch, accordingly poifon ed Verres in his wine, and then receiving his reward, fled for his life, which Maxentius having fwallowed a like dose, suffered him felf to be feized and carried into the prefence of the governor, whoni he found like himself already in agonies. He profefled himself the poifoner, and when he was threatened with the torture, bade Verres from his tribunal, obferve what torments he fuffered already, and while he acknowledged he must feel more, threatened the tyrant with the fame, which muft neceffarily be felt before his diffolution. The felf devoted victim upbraided him with his erimes, expired after he had feen the wicked Balienus molt grievoufly tormented. Verres lived but a few minutes after the death of his favourite and of Maxentius, and yielded up his breath amidst the double tortures occafioned by corrofive poifon, and the equal corroding pangs of a wounded confcience; and the Emperor having by this time fent a new governor at the head of a confiderable force to reclaim the provinces, they were yielded by fubjects who were now truly forry that they had ever acted as rebels in the fupport of an ufurping tyrant and all was reftored to peace and tranquility. On the prevailing Practice of acting Plays by provide tenkemen and Ladies, writing and speaking Truiornes and Epilogues, and building private Nutres, Fall the various imitations of life and manners which the heart exhibit, none freqcha to nearly in resemblance to nature, as the poetry of the drama, embellished by the actors utterance, and by all the ornaments of the ftage. Beautiful indeed are the images excited by the pencil; for colour and truth of figure, and of attitude, almost vivify the canvafs. But what Parrhafius or Apelles can paint motion? Here their admirable art is found to fail: but dramatic poetry, accompanied with action, moft amply fupplies the defect, and gives to imitation the air of reality. Arts fo delightful, it might juftly be expected, would be univerfally purfued. The fact correfponds with the theory: there is fcarce an age recorded, or a nation described, in which traces of dramatic exhibition are undifcernable; but in no country has the drama been more ardently cultivated than in England, where poetry has had her Shakefpeare, and the hiftrionic art her Garrick. So great have been the charms of the stage, that many in the genteeleft walks of life, not fatisfied with being fpectator only, have burned with an ambition to wear the fock and buskin, and to court the plaudits of a private audience. The profeffion of a player was once unreasonably degraded. It was an illiberal idea which claffed thofe that are able to exprefs the fineft fenfibility of human nature with the refufe of faciety. Garrick was once, I think, mistaken for a shewman in the country, and treated in confequence of that idea with no great refpect. He contributed greatly to add that dignity to the profeffion, which, when it is fupported by an excellence fimilar to his own, it undoubtedly defervés. The fashion of acting plays, which prevails in families exalted by rank and fortune, adds still more respect to the art of acting, and renders a let of men, whom the law has considered as little fup rior to vaga, bonds, objects of wonder and of imitation. The fineft ladies are eager to emulate the graces and powers of an Abington or a Siddons; and the lords and baronets have condefcended to be the disciples of each modern Rofcius. Nothing can enliven a rural refidence more effectually than the prevailing practice of reprefenting plays in a neighbourly way, by friends and relations. Mufic, poetry, painting, fine dreffes, perfonal beauty, and polifhed eloquence, combine to pleale all who are admitted to partake of the entertainment, No rudenefs or vulgarity interrupts the actors. The fpectators or audience bring with thould at any time feel difpleasure, they have then a refolution to be pleafed; and if they too much gratitude for the invitation, toomuch friendship for the proprietor of the theatre and the performers, and too much natural and acquired politeneis, to expr.fs their difguft. Thus all proceeds fmoothly: good humour reigns; and if vanity wishes to be gratified, why why fhould it be disappointed, fince the gratification is fo harmless and inoffensive ? But now enters fome serious obferver, and, with a cynical air, ventures to queftion the innocence of thefe diverfions. "O!" exclaims the audience, "he is a methodist, a puritan, a faint-hifs him out of the house, and let us shut the door, and enjoy ourfelves without intrufion." It must be acknowledged, that his obfervations would be ill-timed and ill-placed in the theatre during the reprefentation: but let us hear whether he has any thing to fay on the subject, which one may liften to at fome leifure quarter of an hour, while under the hair-dreffer's hands, or while one is painting one's cheeks for an evening exhibition or performance. Since there are public theatres, magnificently fupported for the public amufement, it is certain that the pleafure and improve ment to be derived from the drama may be obtained without the trouble and expence of fupporting and supplying a private theatre; a trouble which often engrofles fo much time as to infringe upon important duties; an expence which leads to injuftice, embarraffment, and ruin. Thofe who might other wife have bestowed their money and their time, for the public benefit, or in works of charity, have found themselves unable, and not inclined to do either, when their thoughts and incomes have been devoted to the expenfive, vanities of acting, and maintaining with fplendour the numerous requifites of a private theatre. It may perhaps admit a doubt, whether the various attitudes and fituations in which impaffioned lovers on the ftage are unavoidably, drawn, be favourable to thofe virtues which tend to preserve the tranquillity of dos meftic life. Beautiful drefs, enraptured fpeeches, tender embraces, infpire ideas of love in the bofoms of thofe who cannot har bour them without criminality. It is a further circumstance unfavourable to morals, that most of the English comedies in the greatest repute are lo fhatefully iminoral, as to recommend vicewith all the embellishments of wit and fhining qualities, and to discountenance the most important and ariable virtues, by rendering the poffeffors of them fubjects of ridicule. To hear fuch dialogue as that of Congreve and Farquhar, is fufiiciently injurious; but to comniit it to memory, and recommend and force it by all the ftudied graces of acting, muft produce no good effect on the morals of the performer. They whofe profeffion it is, are lefs likely to be hurt by fuch dialogue, because they are labouring in their vocation for fubfiftence, and often perform their part with reluctance, and as a painful tafk; but the ladies and gentlemen actors are volunteers, and are fuppofed to adopt whatever character or fentiments they exhibit from the deliberate act of their own choice. The love of the drama is by no means confined to the charms of the poetry, or the propriety of the action. The difplay of the perfon to advantage, in fancied dreffes, in captivating attitudes, induces many o defcend to the flage. Paint and gaudy drefs, difplayed by candle-light, appear with peculiar luftre. To have the eyes of a large affembly fixed upon him, at a time when they are decorated to the greatest advantage, is a circumftance very delightful to those who live but to difplay themselves, and to court admiration. I fear I muft affirm, that the tafte for acting contributes much to the increafe of vanity and folly, the transition from which to vice and mifery is too eafy. What fhall I fay of the plain duties of domeftic life! They appear mean, vulgar, and trifling to the parent who labours under the theatrical mania. She who melts into tears on the ftage at the fight of woe, can neglect her children, becaufe her attention to them must be in the retirements of the nursery, where there is no audience to fee the tears of fenfibility, and reward them with applaufe. The time, as well as attention, employed in the preparation for and performance of a play, preclude the due degree of parental attention to a family: unfeeling parents! who hypocritically weep to gratify your own vanity, and fend your own fweet babes from your bofoms to feel the pangs of real woe under the harsh and careless treatment of a mercenary alien! While you are kneeling in all the affected pathos of tragedy, there is one whom you have brought into a wretched world, and who is calling for you in the language of forrow; but ye will not hear. They who are the moft apt to act fenfibility, are often the most deftitute of it. Let us fee no more your black velvet train, your difhevelled hair, and your white handkerchief. Be no longer defirous of perfonating the afflicted parent on the ftage; but go home, and be the good mother in the nursery, and at the family fire-fide. But not only the babes are neglected: the tender charities of man and wife are loft by the rage of acting in private theatres. The lady performs the part of a wife or beloved heroine with fome libertine beau, who fails not to recommend himself by the charms of his dress, perfon, and elocution; and the gentleman is the lover of fome lovely object, to whom it is difficult to pretend a paffion without feeling it. It must be allowed that fuch fituations are dangerous; and the low ftate of conjugal fidelity in the prefent age may perhaps juftify the friends of virtue and good order, in the endeavour to difcourage any prevailing practices, which appear in the leaft degree likely to diminish them. I will not attempt to exaggerate my defcription of the evils which may poffibly arife from the prevailing tafte for feveral amulements in private life. Perhaps the apprehenfions may be merely imaginary. A caution can, however, do no harm, and may planbly prevent it. As the fineft compofitions of the drama may be feen exhibited in the greateft perfection, it may be wifhed, without offence, that the lovers of it would be contented with the excellent amufements of the public theatres If, indeed, they are lovers of dramatic.poetry, and poffefs tafte and fenfe enough to be delighted with fine compofition, independently of drefs, ftage trick, and fcenery, why will they not acquiefce in reading the beft plays in their clofet, or in the family circle? Pleafure and improvement would be the certain refult of fuch a mode of fpending time, without the poflibility of danger, provided the pieces were felected with due judgment and delicacy of choice. Expence, and a thousand vanities and follies to which the practice of acting in private theatres gives rife, would thus be avoided. The fashionable prologue and epilogue writers and fpeakers, and the whole tribe of gentlemen and lady actors, whatever they may pretend of tafe for poetry and a love of harinlefs amufement, are probably actuated by a fecret vanity, one of the most powerful notives of the human heart. They unhappily purfue a conduct which is likely to increafe rather than to leffen a foible, which, if not vice, is the fruitful parent of it. The Generous Sailor. A FEW weeks ago, I remember it was on a rainy morning, as I was walking along one of the back ftres of this city, I was very much ftruck with the melancholy figure of blind man, who was endeavour4 ing to excite charity, by finging a love-fick ballad. Mifery could not have found, among the numbers of diftreffed mortals, a form more fuited to her nature. Whilft I was contemplating the wretchednels of the object, and comparing it with the ftrain which neceffity compelled him to chaunt, a failor, who came whifting along the fireet, with a flick under his arm, ftopped and purchased a ballad from him. God preferve you cried the blind man, for I have not tafted bread this bleffed day when the failor, looking round him for a moment, Torung up four fteps into a baker's fhop, near which he flood, and returning immediately, thruit a fmall loaf quietly into the poor man's hand, and went off whittling as he came. I was fo affected with this fingular act of generolity, that I called the honeft feaman back to me, taking the little filver I had a bout it, which I think was no more than four fhillings; thy nobleness of foul, faid I, and the goodness of thy heart, my lad, which I have feen fo bright an inftance of, makes me forry that I cannot reward thee as thou doft deferve. I muft, however, beg your acceptance of this trifle, as a small teftimony how much I admire thy generous nature. God bless your noble honour! faid the failor, and thank you; but we will divide the prize-money fairly, fo, ftepping back to the blind man, he gave him half of it; and, clawing him upon the fhoulder at the fame time, he added withal, here are two fhillings' for thee, my blind Cupid, for which you are not obliged to me, but a noble gentleman' who ftands within five yards of you; fo get into harbour and make thyfelf warm, and keep thy hum-ftrum for fairer weather. Then giving his hat a quick wave over his head, he thanked me again, and went nimbly down the street. Would the money-loving man have observed this blind fongfter? If he had, would his eyes have been open, or fenfes awaked to the noble act of the honeft feaman? Or if he had, would he not have fheltered himself in the old obfervation, that failors get their mo ney like horfes, and fpend it like affes-If this be fo, I thank my propitious ftars that I am not a money-loving man. It is, I believe, pretty generally agreed, that, in the eye of mankind, the chemes and defigns of men derive their principal merit and eclat from their fuccefs alone; while individuals are difpofed to estimate things according to the labour and pains which they have bestowed in acquiring them. We can, therefore, no longer wonder that they, whose lives have been one continued fcene of toil and trouble in acquiring money, fhould be tenacious of poffeffing it, and derive their importance from it. But be that as it may, poor as I am, and poor as I am like to be, I would not forego the difpofition of mind, to which I owe the honeft pleasure I received from the generous deed of the failor, for all the riches which have been acquired by money loving men, from the time of Tyre and Sidon to the prefent hour. I do not affect to defpife riches; on the contrary, I wish to be rich. But God, who reads my heart, knows that it is not from a fordid motive, or from any fuperiority that wealth may give me; but that I might extend the circuit of benevolence, and practise the duties, as well as feel the fentiments of charity. The rich have no real advantage over others, but this delightful employment of exerting their wealth for the purposes of beneficence. The fecret figh which I heave for the wretched, and the filent tear which I fhed over the miferable, however unaccompanied they may be with actual almfgiving, are e qually qually recorded in the volume of heaven, with the most bountiful act of charity; and we well know, that in a future world, the contents of that volume will determine our final ftate and unalterable allotment. be fcrupulous in their choice of books, they will find in them manifold refources againit ennui, and a plentiful fund of information. Life, to a perfon that would be loved and honoured, is a continual ftudy. By frequenting the company of thofe, whofe con A Tribute of Senfibility, from Frances to verfation is inftructive, and whofe example Giorgiana Cbrifiana. On feeing her fuckling ber Child. OW ardent foever the lover may be pre"HOW and more closely cement his affection. A beautiful girl muft ever kindle emotions of defire in a man of fenfibility.-But a chafte and tender wife with an infant fmiling at her breaft, mu be to her husband the most exquifite enchanting object upon earth. She muft alfo be the moft flattering; for every endearment beftowed upon the child, will find credit in his heart, as a proof of affection bestowed upon himself. The wife then, who fuckles her own in. fant, evinces her wildo:n as well as her tenderness; the lays both her husband and her child under an obligation of kindness that can never be abfolved. Women should recollect, there is a time when the charms of beauty muft ceafe, and the paffions of youth give way to the intellectual pleasures of age. It is then good nature and good fenfe, with that effential ingredient a chearful difpofition, complete the conqueft of female influence. Reflections on the Method of Reading aad Study. THE ftudies that occupy the attention of people in active life" are of two forts; the first respects the public, and the functions which every one is obliged to perform: thus the magiftrate ftudies the general principles of jurisprudence, and bends his chief attention to the causes that come before him. The Minifter, whatever be the nature of the bufinefs with which he is entrusted, ftudies the principles of that bufinefs, and makes the application of thofe principles as occasion offers. The father of a family is obliged to ftudy the means of preferving or increasing his fortune, and of keeping juft accounts with himfelf and with others. Thele ftudies are neceflary occupations, which no one is permitted to neglect. But there is another kind of study, that of mere amusement, which is free in its choice, and ferves as relaxation from the labours of the other. There are fome people fortunate enough to have nothing elfe to occupy them felyes with but thefe laft ftudies. The La..dies particularly, when they have a turn for reading, cannot indulge in this fort too much: if they will conform to feme method, and it is laudable to imitate, we receive manifeft advantage: we learn to detect and to fhan the follies of certain perfons whom we too often meet, but with whom it is improper fides pany, however, muft neceffarily be limited: they often luffer violent interruptions, which are often of longer duration than we would wish. We muft then have recourse to study in folitude, that is to reading: but it is of importance to know how to read with advantage: for defultory reading, without choice or tafte, is lofs labour with regard to the mind; it ferves at belt but to fill up a few vacant moments, and to relieve the irkfomenels of inoccupation. When we read in this way, though we have an excellent memory, we neither learn or retain any thing. The following is my 'method of reading all forts of books that are not fuch as it is my duty to ftudy: in the first place, I reflect on the information I received in my youth on all the fciences; then I confider with which of thofe fciences I wish to have a more extended acquaintance: this I do not feek in dactic books, or in treatifes written exprefsly to teach it; fuch reading would form too laborious a Itudy, it would require too much application, and would not ferve the purpose of recreation to fuch as quitted for it more ferious Itudies: But I inquire for those books that contain the hiftory of the fcience, the progrefs it has made in different ages, and the fyftematic feries of authors and artifts to whom it is indebted for its perfection. I am perfuaded, that merely with this hiftorical fludy of arts and sciences, a man engaged in public life may learn all with regard to them that it is neceflary for him to know; and that an excellent Encyclopedia might be made by cc.lecting the hiitory of each art and each fcience, and fhewing their mutual relations and dependencies. My cufton is, after the first reading of a book on an interefting fubject, to endeavour to form a general judgment of the work; then, if I find it worth the while, I read it again with the pen in my hand. I extract from it what appears to me to be new and impɔrtant, and I criticife the principal errors into which I think the author has fallen. This is my method with regard to books of science and hiftory: as to thole of literature, poetry, romances, facetiæ, &c. a fort of reading which must not be altogether prohibited, i do not make extracts from then; but I con ten tent myself, after having read them, with writing down, in a few words, what I think of each, that I may fave fuch as might be tempted to read them after me the trouble of engaging with an author, neither able to amute or intereft them. There are books very frivolous on the whole, in which I fometimes find fentiments worthy of being particularly taken down; this I do, and although the harveft may not be abundant, it is fometimes precious. Nothing, in my opinion, is fo infupportable as the continued reading of a collection of poems; but by reading them at intervals, by taking them up and laying them down again as humour directs, we get through them, and generally find fomething to reward us for our pains. I judge of theatrical performances by the effect they have on me, and I am not folicitous about their being conformable to the rules of the drama: if there is an appearance of probability in the plot and in the characters, if the first is interesting, and the latter are well drawn, then I fet down the piece for good. If it is well written in profe, or in verfe, fo much the better, but I do not confider that as of chief importante. He who has never read, and never reads, is certainly a dunce, whofe ignorance muft make him be laughed at. Neither mixing with the world, nor in good company, will ever fhield fuch a man from ridicule: but at the fame time, he who does nothing but read and ftudy, and has never engaged in active life, or frequented good company, becomes a dull unpolifhed pedant, and talks as abfurdly as the other, though in another ftyle. For as there are fome things that can't be learned without books, fo books will not teach the manners of polifhed life. Hugo Grotius, one of the most learned men at the beginning of the laft century, and who was Ambaffador at our court about a hundred years ago, made a moft wretched figure at it. As he was unacquainted with our man ners, he knew nothing of what was paffing at court: he kept company with none but the pedants of the univerfity, from whom he received valuable instruction: they were incapable of informing him how he fhould behave before kings and queens, princes and minifters. He drew his intelligence from impure fources, he wrote it to the States General in pure Latin, for he could not write the French language, nor even the Dutch. The court laughed at him and his wife, and no body read his book, which has, however, been much admired, as it contains excellent rules with regard to the law of nature and nations; but it will never teach the art of negociating. The Letters of the Prefident Jeannin, who was a man of a gentle and infinuating difpofitiou; thofe of the Cardinal d'Offat, who was prudent, and who had wifdom enough to make good his point without fetting himself against the prejudices of any body; and thofe of the Compte d'Entrades, whofe difpatches are fo elegantly and fo fenfibly writ ten, are true models for imitation. Indeed, it is better for an ambaflador to imitate no body, but to make a style for himself fuitable to the character he has to maintain, to the fpirits of the court he comes from, and to that of the court he is fent to. He should beware of affecting wit in his difpatches, but be particularly careful to explain occurrences to his court with clearnefs and precifion. As to the memorials prefented to the court he treats with, there are fometimes reafons for drawing them up with studied obfcurity and reserve. But I am wandering from my purpose. I meant to obferve, that knowledge of the world is preferable to learning, in an author that would please as well as inform. To this St Evremont and Fontenelle owed their fuccefs. The laft acknowledged to me the other day, that he had given over reading. "It is long fince I have compleated my stock, faid he, and now I am difpofing of my goods." But to arrive at this point, three things are neceflary; we must study and read with method and judgment, we must have a good memory, and we must have talents joined with a knowledge of the world. We have been told, however, that Bayle wanted this knowledge; but he had fo much learning and wit, that, when we read him, we do not perceive what he wanted. What exquifite pleasure muft this author have enjoyed, when he was compofing his Dictionary, and writing his Nouvelles de la Republique des Lettres! He went from one thing to another, and gave his opinion on all with freedom, fuperiority, and cafe. His Journal is the beft that ever was, or perhaps ever will be published. The judgments we there find of books are thofe of a mafter. If we could ever hope to fee fuch another Journal, it would be the work of a well-regulated fociety, under the direction of a man of fuperior abilities. Whoever fhall establish such a one, will do an effential service to science and literature. I have a pretty large library, but it is compofed folely of books for use: it is a luxury, blameable in some degree, to have more books that one can read or confult; yet it is the moft elegant, the nobleft, and confequently the moft excufeable of all luxuries. acknowledge, that if I were to indulge in any, it would be in this. It is not eafy to imagine of what ufe books can be to others which we do not use ourselves, and it is abfurd and ridiculous to value ourselves on fuch as have no other merit but their being rare. Thofe that are valuable merely because they are |