in its turn, melt us to pity, roufe us to glory, strike us with terror, fire us with indignation; in a word they prepare us for the drama, and the drama for

us.

A new poet now comes upon the stage; heftands in perfon before us: He no longer appears as a blind and wandering bard chaunting his rhapfodies to a throng of villagers collected in a group about him, but erects a fplendid theatre, gathers together a whole city as his audience, prepares a striking fpectacle, provides a chorus of actors, brings mufic, dance and dress to his aid, realizes the thunder, burfts open the tombs of the dead, calls forth their apparitions, defcends to the very regions of the damned and drags the Furies from their flames to present themselves perfonally to the terrified spectators: Such are the powers of the drama; here the poet reigns and triumphs in his highest glory.

The fifth denomination gives us the lyric poet chaunting his ode at the public games and festivals, crowned with olive and encompaffed by all the wits and nobles of his age and country: Here we contemplate Stefichorus, Alcaus, Pindar, Calliftratus; fublime, abrupt, impetuous they strike us with the fhock of their electric genius; they dart from earth to heaven: there is no following them in their flights; we ftand gazing with furprize, their boldnefs awes us, their brevity confounds us; their fudden tranfitions and ellipfes efcape our apprehenfion; we are charmed we not why, we are pleafed with being puzzled, and applaud although we cannot comprehend. In the lighter lyric we meet Anacreon, Sappho, and the votaries of Bacchus and Venus; in the grave, didactic, folemn clafs we have the venerable names of a Solon, a Tyrtaus

and

and thofe, who may be ftiled the demagogues in poetry Is liberty to be afferted, licentioufnefs to be repreffed? Is the spirit of a nation to be roused? It is the poet not the orator muft give the foul its energy and fpring: Is Salamis to be recovered? It is the elegy of Solon muft found the march to its attack. Are the Lacedæmonians to be awakened from their lethargy? It is Tyrtaus, who must fing the war-fong and revive their languid courage.

Poetry next appears in its paftoral character; it affects the garb of fhepherds and the language of the ruftic: It represents to our view the rural landscape and the peaceful cottage, it records the labours, the amufements, the loves of the village nymphs and fwains, and exhibits nature in its fimpleft ftate: It is no longer the harp or the lyre, but the pipe of the poet, which now invites our attention: Theocritus, leaning on his crook in his ruffet mantle and clouted brogues, appears more perfectly in character than the courtly Maro, who seems more the fhepherd of the theatre than of the field. I have yet one other clafs in referve for the epigrammatift, but I will fhut up my lift without him, not being willing that poetry, which commences with a prayer, fhould conclude with a pun.

No CLII.

N° CLII.

Neque lex eft juftior ulla

Quam necis artifices arte perire suâ.

WE have heard fo much of the tragical effects of jealousy, that I was not a little pleased with an account lately given me of a gentleman, who has been happily cured of his jealousy without any of those melancholy circumftances, which too frequently refult from that fatal paffion, even when it is groundless: As this gentleman's jealousy was of that defcription, I am the rather tempted to relate the ftory (under proper caution as to names and perfons) because there is a moral justice in its catastrophe, which is pleafing even in fiction, but more particularly fo when we meet it in the real occurrences of life.

Sir Paul Tefty in his forty-eighth year married the beautiful Louifa in her eighteenth; there are fome parents, who, feem to think a good settlement can atone for any disparity of age, and Louifa's were of this fort. Sir Paul had a maiden fister several years younger than himself, who had kept his houfe for fome time before his marriage with Louifa, and as this lady was in fact an admirable œconomist and alfo in poffeffion of a very confiderable independent fortune, the prudent baronet took his meafures for her continuance in his family, where under pretence of affifting the inexperience of his young bride she still maintained her government in as abfolute authority as ever: As Mifs Rachel would have been better pleafed with her brother, had he chosen

a wife with lefs beauty and more fortune than Louifa brought into the family, it may well be doubted if fhe would have remained with him after his marriage, had the not been pretty far advanced in an affair of the heart with a certain young gentleman, whofe attentions, though in fact directed to her purfe, fhe was willing to believe had been honourably addreffed to her perfon: This young gentleman, whom I fhall call Lionel, was undoubtedly an object well deferving the regards of any lady in Mifs Rachel's predicament; with a fine perfon and engaging addrefs he had the recommendation of high birth, being a younger fon of the Lord Mortimer, a venerable old peer, who refided at his family manfion within a few miles of Sir Paul, and lived upon the most friendly terms with him in a frequent intercourfe of vifits: Lionel had given this worthy father great uneafinefs from his early diffipation and extravagance; confiderable fums had been paid for him to clear his debts, but the old lord's eftate being a moderate one and entailed upon his eldest fon, Lionel had been obliged to fell out of the army, and was now living at home upon the bounty of his father on a reduced and flender allowance.

It is not to be wondered at that Lionel, who felt his own embarraffments too fenfibly to neglect any fair means of getting rid of them, fhould be wil ling to repair his fhattered fortunes by an advantageous match; and though Mifs Rachel was not exactly the lady he would have chofen, yet he very juftly confidered that his circumftances did not entitle him to chufe for himfelf; he was alfo ftrongly urged to the measure by his father, to whose wishes he held himself bound to conform not only on the

fcore

score of duty but of atonement likewife: At this time the affair was in fo promifing a train, that there is little doubt but it would have been brought to a conclufion between the parties, had not Sir Paul's marriage taken place as it did, but as Mifs Rachel for reafons, which are fufficiently explained, determined upon remaining with her brother, the intercourfe between the lovers was renewed, as soon as Sir Peter had brought home his bride, and was fufficiently fettled to receive the vifits of his friends and neighbours on the occafion.

Now it was that the unhappy Rachel became a victim to the moft tormenting of all human paffions: her filter-in-law had a thousand charms, and the foon difcovered, or fancied the discovered that Lionel's attentions were directed towards a fairer object than herself: She had now the strongeft of all motives for keeping a watchful eye upon Louifa's behaviour, and it is the property of jealousy to magnify and difcolour every thing it looks upon; for fome time however fhe kept herself under prudent reftraint; a hint now and then, cautiously introduced in the way of advice, was all fhe ventured upon: but these hints were fo little attended to by Louisa, whose innocent gaiety lent no ear to such remonstrances, that they were occafionally repeated in a graver tone; as thefe grew more and more peevish, Louifa began to take a little mifchievous pleafure in teazing, and was piqued into a behaviour, which probably fhe would never have indulged herfelf in towards Lionel, had not Rachel's jealousy provoked her to it; ftill it was innocent, but fo far imprudent, as it gave a handle to Rachel's malice, who now began to fow the feeds