2 Philip prevails on the old man with his dying accents to recommend his daughter to his protection, which, after his death,. Emmera (for fo the lovely maid is called) accepts of, upon the knight promifing folemnly that he would be faithful to his trust, and never attempt to draw her from her beloved folitude into the world. Sir Philip, in fhort, takes up his abode with this American deity, difcharges his two Indians, fends his fervant back with the strongest injunctions of fecrefy, but appoints a place in the woods where he is to leave his letters. The life which Sir Philip leads with Emmera may be relished by fuch readers as are enamoured with ideas of Platonic love and fylvan retirement. Without the affiftance of any fervants : they cultivate their little farm, raise their stock, prune their trees, and perform all agricultural offices, while both are gazing each other's fouls away in love; but Emmera appears always to be difpleafed at the most diftant hint thrown out by Sir Philip to induce her to quit her folitude. While they live.in what we may term this voluptuous delicacy of virtue, one colonel Forrefter, who had been formerly Sir Philip's friend, and had courted his fifter (who by her brother's advice had. rejected his advances) arrives in difguife at the farm-house. where the Chetwyn family lived, and under the name of Mr. Francis makes love to Mifs Chetwyn, and obtains her affections. The author's ridiculous conduct in this part of his novel need not be pointed out to the reader. The colonel, who is reprefented as a very great villain,: having bribed Sir Philip's fervant who was intrufted with the fecret of his retirement, is by him conducted to the farm, where they gallop off with Emmera. Sir Philip in the distraction of his mind recollects a fignal which his mistress's father, ufed to make, by hoifting a flag on a neighbouring tree, when: he had occafion for the alfiftance of fome friendly Indians who lived in the neighbourhood. Accordingly, upon hoifting the fignal, the Indians, in a few hours, are at his elbow. He defcribes his lofs; they purfue and overtake the ravifhers, refcue, Emmera, and kill the two fervants; but Forrefter efcapes. It may be proper to acquaint the reader, that after having gained Mifs Chetwyn's heart he difcovers himself, and infults her, for which he is foundly horseponded by her father. After this difinal adventure, Sir Philip prevails on Emmera to leave her retirement, and introduces her to his fifter and father. The behaviour of Emmera on this fudden change of life is naturally defcribed, and is the most agreeable part of the performance. At laft, Sir Philip perfuades her to go to England with him and his fifter, where, after their arrival, they continue their agricultural and hortulane occupations, the deVOL. XXIII. April, 1767. ག་ lights lights of Emmera's life. Emmera is discovered to be the heirefs of an estate worth forty thousand pounds. The reader already anticipates their marriage, which was accordingly performed, and the happy couple return to their heavenly paradife in America. Such are the outlines of the tolerable fide of this picture. Its contraft is dull, immoral, and improbable; and it would be an affront to the virtue as well as understanding of the reader to give any extracts from it. The language too is. full of pleonafins and tautologies. The character of Emmera, however, is well fupported. If we mistake not, there is a French novel founded on the fame plan. VI Conclufion of the Memoirs of Mifs Sidney Bidulph; as pre-, pared for the Prefs by the late Editor of the former Part. Vals. IV. and V. 12mo. Pr. 6s. 6d. Dodsley. ΤΗ HOUGH we discover nothing in these additional volumes of Mifs Bidulph's Memoirs which can induce us to retract the eulogiums we * formerly beftowed upon the author, yet we cannot think them equal to thofe first published. The itory, it must be confeffed, is plaintive, and fome of the incidents are extremely affecting; but being deftitute of variety, they are apt to become tirefome. Our analysis of the former volumes concluded with Mrs. Arnold's (the heroine of the piece) retiring into the country, and devoting herself entirely to the care of her daughters education, together with that of young Falkland, whofe father made fo confiderable a figure in the first part of this novel. This young gentleman, who was bred up under her own inspection till he went to Oxford, fituated but a few miles from Mrs. Arnold's houfe, was adorned with all the exterior and mental perfections that nature and a virtuous education could bestow. During his refidence at the univerity, he becomes acquainted with a Sir Edward Audley, a youth of the most abandoned principles, who confederates with his mother and fifter in a defign upon one of the Mits Arnolds, each poffeffed of twenty thou fand pounds; a fortune Audley stood in great need of, to repair his own shattered finances. To forward the plot, his fifter, Mifs Audley, of whofe mother, as well as herself, Mrs. Arnold entertained a very favourable opinion, gains admittance into Mrs. Arnold's houfe, where he is left with the eldest Miss Arnold, while the mother and the youngest fifter are paying a * See Vol. XI. p. 186. vifit to a difconfolate lady at fome diftance. In the mean time, Mifs Audley, a fhrewd fenfible girl, discovers, from the concern expreffed by Mifs Arnold at an accident which had happened to young Falkland, that she was in love with him; a circumftance which difconcerts her in the little good offices the was attempting to employ with Mifs Arnold for her brother, whom the therefore perfuades to court her younger fifter Mifs Cecilia. The reader is to obferve, that these two fifters are the Pamela and Philoclea drawn by Sir Philip Sidney, or the two daughters of Saul as described by Cowley: they are finished beauties, but in a different ftile of nature's workmanship; and tho' the difpofitions of both are amiable and virtuous in the fame degree, yet they exist in oppofite manners. Mifs Dorothy, the eldeft, to a fine advantageous fhape and height, joins the most striking attractions of face and figure, tempered by a fober serious caft of behaviour; but the infinuating irresistible charms of her lively fifter Cecilia, render her as general an object of love as Dorothy is of admiration Sir Edward refolving to follow his fifter's plan, contracts an intimacy with Falkland, with a view of debauching his manners, but difcovers that he was fcretly in love with Cecilia; tho' Mrs. Arnold did not intend Falkland should marry either of her daughters. Sir Edward informs Falkland that Mifs Arnold entertains a paffion for him; and after a great deal of management between the brother and fifter, who fans Mifs Arnold's paffion for Falkland, that young gentleman's vanity is fo wrought upon by their arts, that he repairs to Woodberry, Mrs. Arnold's houfe, completes his conqueft, and, in short, mutual vows pafs between him and Mifs Arnold, who folemnly engages never to give her hand to another man in marriage. The thinnefs of the plot, which is unconfcionably fpun. out; renders it impracticable to enter into all the minutenefes which bring about interviews, correfpondences, removals, difappointments, &c. &c. among the parties. Sir Edward goes to Bath to attend Mifs Cecilia, who removes from thence to London with her uncle Sir George Bidulph and his wife, a modish and unamiable lady. Sir Edward follows Cecilia to London likewife. where, among other admirers, the gains the heart of Lord V, who had returned to England at the end of the campaign, one of the moft worthy men of the age, and an unexceptionable match for her. The Bidulphs and Mrs. Arnold herself plead his cause with the utmost earnestnefs; but fhe tells them all, without any referve, that the cannot love, and will not marry him. Mean T 2 Mean time, Falkland informs Sir Edward that he heartily re pents of his engagements with Mifs Arnold; tells him that Cecilia always had his heart; and fhews great compunction for his infidelity and levity, for which he is ridiculed by Sir Edward, who immediately refigns his right in Cecilia, and refolves to court, and even to carry off (fhould he not prove fuccessful) Mifs Arnold.Mifs Cecilia remains unmoved by all courtfhip, especially that of Lord V. Sir Edward and Mr. Falkland pay her a vifit at the houfe of Sir George Bidulph in London, where they are very indifferently received, and where they are indifcreet enough to quarrel with and affront Lord V- at cards, for which they are feverely reprimanded by Sir George. But we ought to have informed the reader, that by this time Mifs Arnold had arrived in London, and received fome mortifying proofs under Falkland's hand, that his paffion for her was upon the decline. Sir Edward Audley, who thought he had now made a complete profelyte of Falkhand to his own principles, courts and is married by his footman to a virtuous young woman, one Mifs Williams, whom he foon after turns adrift, and fhe goes to fervice. Mifs Cecilia, teazed with the importunities of all her friends to marry Lord V, prevails with her mother to fend for her to Woodberry; but Mifs Arnold is left with her uncle, who is very fond of her. When Cecilia arrives at Woodberry, fhe confeffes to Falkland (we think not with all the decorum we could expect from her virtuous education) that for his fake the had refufed Lord V, and all her other fuitors. Falkland informs Sir Edward punctually of all that had paffed on this occafion, tho' not without manifeft indications of remorfe for the part he had acted. Lord V- next arrives at Woodberry, where his fuit to Cecilia is powerfully feconded by her mother and her uncle, tho' without effect. This repulfe, however, only gives Lord V- an opportunity of difplaying his noble qualities; for as Falkland had preferred the profeflion of arms to any other, he immediately gives him a commiffion in his own regiment, which was foon to go abroad, to the great grief of Cecilia. That young lady could not conceal her emotions fo well but that her uncle Sir George fufpected Falkland was not indifferent to her; and the refolves to make Lord V- the confident of her paffion for Falkland. . This is one of the moft judicious paffages in the fifth volume. The noble deportment of his lordship, and the winning fincerity of the lady, are equally captivating. Lord V- even engages, notwithstanding the violence of his paffion, to plead Falkland's caufe with Mrs. Arnold; and this generofity draws tears of gratitude from the eyes of Cecilia. He fucceeds; the good good Mrs. Arnold is brought to approve of the match, and even the haughty uncle, whofe agency through the whole ftory we think unneceffarily multiplied, is compelled not to oppose it. Falkland's compunction for the treacherous part he had acted towards Mifs Arnold returns with double force, tho' he is now at the fummit of his wifhes. He writes a penitential letter to her, who is almoft reduced to the point of death with the thoughts of his infidelity, which fhe anfwers in terms that encrease his remorfe. But Sir Edward Audley now puts the infernal scheme he had meditated, of carrying off Miss Arnold, in execution, and actually decoys her to lodgings he had hired at Brumpton, where fhe is artfully and forcibly detained. We have often expreffed our difapprobation of kidnapping young ladies who cannot otherwife be prevailed upon to gratify their lovers. Notwithstanding their frequency in modern novels, they undoubtedly difcover a poverty of invention, and a want of judgment; neither do we think they are of ENGLISH extraction, because here they are feldom or never carried into execution. After all the neceffary parade of fafting, fwooning, waking, fevering, &c. &c. had been gone through by Mifs Arnold, flie is carried, againft her knowledge and will, to a houfe near Bagshot heath, kept by a broken gamefter, one of Sir Edward's pimps; however, the efcapes from thence by the af fiftance of Mifs Williams, who happened to be a fervant of the house, and was the identical young woman with whom Sir Edward had contracted the mock-marriage. We have abridged this part of the narrative, which we with the author had not unneceffarily and injudiciously lengthened. Mifs Arnold and her conductrefs arrive fafe at Woodberry, where they are affectionately received by Mrs. Arnold. The day now approaches for performing the nuptials of Cecilia and Falkland; but while the ceremony is performing, Mifs Arnold franticly breaks into the room, forbids the banns, and afferts her prior right to Falkland's hand, which fhe feizes. All the preparations are now ftopped, and the matter explained to the mother and fifter, without Falkland being able to difprove the allegations against him. He afterwards challenges Sir Edward, and kills him in a duel: the latter, before his death, owns that Mifs Williams is his wife. Mifs Arnold's brain is affected; Mrs. Arnold falls ill, but at laft prevails with Cecilia to confent to marry Lord V—. Mrs. Arnold's diffolution now draws near; and the account of her death, which is highly finished, cannot be read, we believe, even by profligacy itself, without, at leaft, fome refolutions of amendment. The reader cannot doubt that the hands of Mifs Cecilia and the |