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angel of mercy fat befides him on the fopha-his heart glow'd with fire and had he been worth a thoufand, he had lokk every heart of them to Mrs. Wadman.

And whereabouts, dear Sir, quoth Mrs. Wadman, a little categorically, did you receive this fad blow?In asking this queftion, Mrs. Wadman gave a flight glance towards the waistband of my uncle Toby's red plush breeches, expecting naturally, as the shortest reply to it, that my uncle Toby would lay his fore-finger upon the place. It fell out otherwife for my uncle Toby having got his wound before the gate of St. Nicolas, in one of the traverses of the trench, oppofite to the falient angle of the demi-baftion of St. Roch, he could at any time stick a pin upon the identical spot of ground where he was ftanding when the stone struck him: this ftruck inftantly upon my uncle Toby's cenforium-and with it, ftruck his large map of the town and citadel of Namur and its enviIons, which he had purchafed and pafted down upon a board by the corporal's aid; during his long illness—it had lain with other military lumber in the garret ever fince, and accordingly the corporal was detached into the garret to fetch it.

My uncle Toby measured off thirty toifes, with Mrs. Wadman's fciffars, from the returning angle before the gate of St. Nicolas; and with fuch a virgin modefty laid her finger upon the place, that the goddess of decency, if then in being-if not, 'twas her fhade-shook her head, and with a finger wavering across her eyes-forbid her to explain the mistake.

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Unhappy Mrs. Wadman!

For nothing can make this chapter go off with spirit but an apostrophe to thee-but my heart tells me, that in fuch a erifis an apoftrophe is but an infult in disguise, and ere I would offer one to a woman in diftrefs-let the chapter go to the devil; provided any damn'd critic in keeping will be but at the trouble to take it with him.

A critic would prove himself as extravagant as the author affects to be, should he pretend to give a character of this work, whose wit may be termed generical. We with, however, that it had been a little better accommodated to the ear of innocence, virginibus puerifque; but, perhaps, of all the authors who have exifted fince the days of Rabelais, none can with more justice than Trißram put his arms a-kimbo, strut through his room, and fay,

None but myself can be my parallel.

MONTHLY

MONTHLY CATALOGUE.

Art. 8. The Perplexities. A Comedy. As it is Performed at the Theatre Royal in Covent-Garden. 8vo. Pr. Is. 6d. Griffin.

HIS piece is nothing more than an alteration of one of the old plays in Dodfley's Collection, written by Sir Samuel Tuke, and called The Adventures of Five Hours. The Adventures of Five Hours is a translation from the Spanish of Calderon; and the plot, like the intrigo of other Spanish pieces, depends fo much on efcapes and purfuits, balconies, fedan-. chairs, private keys, and back-doors, that comedy is converted into fpeaking pantomime. It was hardly worth while, therefore, to brush off the duft of antiquity from this piece, for the fake of a few noble fentiments, not fufficiently brilliant to atone for the extravagance of the adventures that occasion them and we can only speak of the labours of the modern editor by applying to them the old French proverb, Le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle ; "The play is not worth the candle.” 9. The Fairy Favour. As it is performed at the Theatre-Royal in Covent Garden. 8vo. Pr. 1s. Griffin.

A puerile imitation of the Midfummer Night's Dream of Shakespeare, and intended as a compliment to his royal highnefs the prince of Wales, the first time of his appearance at the theatre.

10. Love in the City. A Comic Opera. As it is performed at the Theatre-Royal in Covent-Garden. Written by the Author of Love in a Village. 800. Pr. s. 6d. Griffin.

The city has long been the favourite scene of comedy. Shakespeare has infpired us with a kind of veneration for the very name of Eaft-cheap, and Ben Jonfon has immortalized Moor-fields and Coleman-freet. Our prefent mufical dramatift has, however, wooed the coy mufes with most fuccefs by making Love in a Village. With his innocent Maid of the Mill he was successful: but in the City, like true town coquettes, they have jilted him. We would advise him, therefore, to follow the example of Sir Francis Wronghead; and having made an unfuccessful journey to London, to take a journey into the country again.

11. The Conaught Wife. A Comedy of two Acts. As it is performed at the Theatre in Smock-Alley, Dublin. 8vo. Pr. 15. Williams.

Mrs. Fretfull, after marrying a man who loves, but at the fame time is jealous of her, is followed to Dublin by Vainlove,

a coxcomb whom the defpifes, and who had endeavoured to debauch her previous to her marriage. Vainlove finds means to get into her house, where he is difcovered by the blunders of Terry, an Irish fervant, who enters with the watch and conftable: these alarm Frétfull, who is not able, however, to prevent Vainlove's efcaping over the garden-wall. Being purfued, he creeps into a hogfhead, where he is fluiced by a water woman, and taken prifoner by the conftable. Mrs. Fretfull and her maid Katty deny that he is the fame person who had broke into their houfe, and who had ungenerously fworn, that if Mrs. Fretfull alarmed the family, he would fwear he came there by her appointment. Mrs. Fretfull has her rea'fons for contributing to Vainlove's deliverance; and he is accordingly discharged by the conftable. Thus ends the first act.

In the fecond act we find Fretfull, upon recollecting circumftances, grown almoft horn-mad; but his wife refolves to difabufe him by taking a fingular revenge upon Vainlove. Through Katty's management a fresh affignation is made, and Vainlove agrees to pay another private vifit to Mrs. Fretfull. On his arrival at the outfide of her house, he is perfuaded to truft himself to a rope which depends from a crane fixed in the upper ftory; and when he mounts a little way, Katty pretends the can neither draw him up nor let him down; and thus he is left ridiculously fufpended in the air, while the fervants belabour him with their fticks. This contrivance of Mrs. Fretfull cures her husband of his jealoufy, and fhe becomes as happy as fhe was before miferable.

Such, with the ufual humours of blundering Irish fervants, is the plan of this drama, which is entirely adapted to the upper galleries. We fhall therefore difmifs it with obferving, that Mrs. Fretfull is a good kind of woman, and, confidering her circumftances, behaves very prudently.

12. The She-Gallant: or, Square Toes Outwitted. A New Comedy of two Acts. As now performing, with great Applause, at the Theatre in Smock Alley, Dublin. 8vo. Price is. Lowndes.

This is a very filly performance, made up of common-place incidents equally improbable as uninterefting. Emily, a beautiful young lady, is beloved by Delamour, who, on his return from Paris, is told by her brother that her father had promifed her in marriage to Sir Geofry Ginkle, a gouty, unamiable old knight, who offered to take her without any fortune. Florimel, another young lady, and friend to Emily, undertakes her deliverance, by getting herfelf introduced into Emily's apartment in a well-known fuit of her brother's cloaths. Mean

time she takes care that the old knight fhould receive intelligence of the appointment, which is to be in the night-time; upon which Sir Geofry difguifes himfelf as a watchman, and fees the fuppofed lover ftep into Emily's apartment, tho' not before he drops a paper, which the knight takes up, and which proves to be an invitation fuppofed to be fent to Delamour by Emily. Sir Geofry, upon this, vifits Emily's father, Sir Anthony Woodville, and breaks off the match. The two old gentlemen, however, very prudently agree to conceal Emily's fhame, and Sir Anthony offers her with a portion, double of what he intended to Delamour in marriage, who accepts her with raptures. Florimel is married at the fame time to young Woodville; and all parties are made happy. The under character of the blundering Irifh fervant is nearly the fame in this as in the last play, and seems to be a never-failing fource of humour upon the Irish theatre.

13. A Poem on Winter, being a Verfification of Mr. Hervey's WinterPiece: with Part of his Contemplations on the Night. To which is added a Poem addreffed to Mr. Sutton, on Inoculation. By T. Baker. The Second Edition, with large Additions and Alterations. 4.10. Pr. Is. Hawes.

This writer is one of thofe geniuses, who in the treatise of the Bathos are compared to " flying fishes, that now and then rife upon their fins, and fly out of the profund; but their wings are foon dry, and they drop down to the bottom." The defcription of a storm.

Thick vapours gather;-clouds involve the day,
And fadd'ning glooms expel each fhining ray.
Hark! how the doubling storm, the flying floods
Whiz in the air, and rattle thro' the woods.
See! the vast fluices of the sky are rent,
Down rush the rains from th' op'ning firmament!
The low-hung clouds in rapid torrents pour,
From bursting skies their congregated store;
On fhelving roofs the rattling waters bound,
And rushing streams from lofty fpouts refound.
Down channel'd pavements foaming currents meet,
And muddy fhallows whelm the village street,
Th' induftrious plowman dripping like the eaves,
Reluctant, vex'd his half-till'd acre leaves.
The feather'd poultry of the storm afraid,
Crowd into shelter,. fhiv'ring and difmay'd.
Silent, the wand'ring tenants of the grove,
Fold up their pinions; none attempt to rove.

Joylefs

Joylefs the beafts all shake their dripping hides.
Roads fwim, and fwelling brooks encreafe the tides.
Rivers that deftin'd banks could long reftrain,
Now burft their bounds and rufh into the plain,
With rage impetuous spreading wide and far,
Stopping the trav'ller and his rattling car ;
New currents join; the foaming stream invades,
And with a foaking deluge drowns the meads.'

This defcription is corrupted and debased by vulgar images s and rendered contemptible and ridiculous by an affected ap pearance of pomp and grandeur.

The following lines are tolerably harmonious and poetical

The fober eve fhuts up the fhort-liv'd day,
And heav'n's blue arches fhine in bright array.
Pendent in glory, fee the moon arise,

And tinge with filver rays the azure skies;
High-thron'd in majefty, the radiant queen,
All grand, yet fully'd at first rife is feen;
But fee, fhe brightens, as fhe climbs on high,
And reigns fair emprefs of the fpangled fky;
Around her throne, the ftars unnumbered shine,
And filent fing, their maker is divine.’

The author in this paffage feems to have had Homer's celebrated night-piece in his view; and it must be allowed, that with a little correction, and fome additional touches, it would be no bad imitation of the fame beautiful defcription in Mr. Pope's tranflation of the Iliad.

In feveral parts of this poem the author attempts to rife above mediocrity; but he frequently finks into the lowest degree of the bathos. What can be more defpicable than the following couplet ?

That with the Pfalmift I'll with joy rehearse,
From pfalm the fifty-firft, and feventh verfe.'
Or this?

• Our paths conceal'd by driven fnows so deep,
That in our houses we're obliged to keep.'

Thefe lines remind us of the following burlefque upon thofe writers who affect to be fublime, while they are grovelling in

the other extreme:

"The princefs ftept by chance into the mire,
And dries her ftockings by the kitchen fire."

Mr. Baker does not feem fo much to want abilities, as judgment; which, poffibly, time and experience may improve.

13. Prom

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