1646.-Jan. 1. Paid for a ftanding piece of beef, a quarter of mutton, and a fat pig; and for carrying them to Tudbury Jan. 16. for 2 horfes, and our charges, to carry 141. 135. 8d. by reason of the army that was quartered at Tutbury Feb. 8. Paid general Egerton at Tudbury "Note. Sir George Wharton, in his chronology, called Gefta Britannorum, has the following paffages. 1646.-Feb. 15. A sharp encounter betwixt a party of the king's troops from Tudbury caftle, and a party of the parliament's from Barton House, in Derbyshire. Feb. 29. Paid for a bay mare, taken by the cavaliers, going to Tudbury with oats 1. S. d. 2 Alfo paid to Gilbert Gerrard, in lieu of 6 horses, and furniture for them - March 14. For 2 horses and a man, to carry bread and leefe to Tudbury, being in great want Paid for provifions for Tudbury, upon col. Bowyer's warrant, and carrying them 0 15 7 22. For bread, beer, and theefe, for major Smith and captain Hemmerfley's fouldiers marching to Tudbury 30. For provifions to the leaguer at Tudbury April 8. For Ditto 21. For bread, beer, cheese, and drink, for Leeks fouldiers marching to Tudbury May 4. Paid to Sir William Brereton, for gaining Tudbury, and marching against Dudley May 20. Paid captain John Cloyd, for pulling down the bulwarks at Tudbury October. For a fack loft, going to Tudbury with oats 1647. To 15 men, for pulling down Tudbury caftle 1648-June. Paid to free us from going to pull down Tudbury caftle 16 3 O 544 7 2 10 4 "From the above it appears that this noble caftle, after a long and ftout refiftance, being at length much battered, was forced to be furrendered into the hands of colonel Brereton, and was then greatly demolished by the rebels; though the final deftruction of it was delayed till the event of the war was more fully determined; when, by order of Parliament, it was foon after attacked with all the favage ferocity their agents could exert. Their demolition, and the mouldering hand of Time, have reduced this once noble edifice to the picturefque ruin exhibited in the annexed views; the largeft of which (Pl. IV.), though it does not difplay fo much of thefe noble ruins, yet it fhews to great advantage the fine commanding fituation, on a bold rocky eminence; beneath which, like another Nile, the beautiful river Dove pours its fertilizing ftreams. "Erdefwick gives the following description: **The «The hill is, as it were, thrown out of the foreft (a great woodland, and an high ground), into the meadows and brave pafture grounds, upon the Dove. It hath a large and brave profpect, both to it, in it, and from it. North-weft and North, it looks up the goodly meadows and patures to Utcefter, Rowcefter, Ashburne, and Derby. Eaftward, it looks down the rivers Dove and Trent, even to Nottingham; South-eaft towards Burton, Drakelow, Grefeley-caftle, and Afhby-de-la-Zouch. Upon the South-eaft and South, it is fhadowed, as it were, with the woodland, where is a goodly foreft, and a great number of parks, (I think) a dozen at the least, whereof a great many belongs to the faid caftle and honour." "Dr. Plot alfo praifes this cattle, both for its lofty and healthy firu ation. He likewise mentions a curious large bridge ftanding (within memory of a perfon there, who faw it pulled down) over the cattle ditch, that was made of pieces of timber, whereof none were much above a yard in length, and yet was not supported underneath with pillars or arch work, or any other prop. Sir Simon Degge fays it was about 30 yards long; but the arches that bore up the bridge and planks were of confiderable length. They affirm that the more weight was upon it, the ftronger it was, and may be, if well loaded, it would not quake fo much as he had made it with his weight. "The fmall plate annexed as a frontispiece to this account exhibits a large portion of the South-eaft fide of thefe magnificent ruins, which remain nearly in the fame deplorable ftate as left by the iron hand of Cromwell and his party, and are principally of hewn free-stone, with admixtures of gypfum. The area of the caftle is about 3 acres, and furrounded with the remains of walls, in which are towers and buildings with hewel-stair-cales, and traces of divifions of rooms, with fireplaces, &c. "The ancient gateway in part remains, and, with the round tower, in imitation of ruins (erected by lord Vernon, the prefent poffeffor of the caftle, by leafe from the crown), on a high mound, the scite of the keep of the ancient caftle, are pleafing objects to all the circumjacent country. Near this is a building, with a large room, partly of brick, and of later date than the cattle, inhabited by a family. Here the steward entertains the tenants occafionally; and at wakes, &c. it is ufed for affemblies. The green or park around the caftle hill is now ufed as a pasture for fheep and cat le. This eminence commands a very extenfive profpect, but none more picturefque and interesting than the adjacent foreft of Needwood." P. 46. The plates are of unequal merit and execution, which muft be invariably the cafe when different artists are employed. For example, Plate 20, of Lichfield Cathedral, is entitled to every praife; and Plate 15, containing a view of Armitage Park, &c. &c. difgraces the work. The defigns are in general good, and are chiefly by the author himself. The account of Lichfield is neceffarily important from various confiderations; not the meaneft of which is, its having given birth to Johnfon. But of this great man, very little is here related which was not already known. The account of Mr. Green's Green's Museum, if we mistake not, has been already publifhed in the Gentleman's Magazine. Mr. Shaw is fully ade quate to his undertaking; and it cannot be at all neceffary for us to introduce any further specimens of his talents, as what we have already given must be highly fatisfactory to the lovers of antiquity, and collectors of topographical publications. ART. II. Hiftorical Memoir on Italian Tragedy, from the earlieft Period to the prefent Time: illuftrated with Specimens and Analyfes of the maft celebrated Tragedies, and interfperfed with occafional Obfervations on the Italian Theatres: and Biographical Notices of the principal Tragic Writers of Italy. By a Member of the Arcadian Academy of Rome*. 4to. 338 pp. and an Appendix of 66 pp. 1. 15. Harding. 1799. ALTHOUGH it may feem an ungrateful return for the pleasure which we enjoyed in perusing the very elegant volume now before us, we shall commence our obfervations by noticing its defects, and fuggefting what, in our opinion, would render it a more finished work. The ingenious author will not, however, have any reason to accufe us of injustice or feverity in this mode of proceeding; for, when a reviewer recommends additions to a quarto volume already of a reasonable bulk, he may well be fuppofed fincere in his approbation of the work. The defects to which we allude, are fuch as he laments who, having enjoyed a favourite luxury, finds it too fuddenly exhaufted. Mr. Walker rather abruptly enters on the hiftory of dramatic compofitions exhibited early in the fourteenth century: we think he might have added to his Introduction a few pages, tracing the Italian drama from the decline of the Roman flage, the vestiges of which cannot have been totally effaced; and we believe that every lover of animated and elegant poetry will regret with us, that the author's obligations to the Rev. Mr. Boyd have not been more frequent. Translations fhould have accompanied all the importint quotations. Having noticed thefe flight objections, we proceed to give Mr. Walker his full tribute of praife, for one of the moft ingenious and entertaining productions that have for a confiderable time been fubmitted to our infpection. Jofeph Cooper Walker, Efq. The name is not printed in the title-page, but fubjoined to the Preface. It appears, from the firft fection of this work, that although attempts were made to exhibit dramatic fpectacles fo early as the year 1304, and in 1502 the Sofonifba of Galeotto del Carretto was prefented by the author to Ifabella d' Efte Gonzaga, Marchionefs of Mantua, yet the Sofonifba of Triffing was the first regular tragedy which appeared in Europe after the ages of Gothic darkness. To this celebrated compofition Pope alludes, in his prologue to the Sophonisba of Thomfon. "When learning, after the long Gothic night, The tragic Mufe returning wept her woes; And to this alfo Voltaire alludes, when he says, "Les Italiens furent les premiers qui élevèrent des grands theatres, et qui donnerent au monde quelque idée de cette fplendeur de l'ancienne Grèce, qui attiroit les nations étrangères a fes folemnités, et qui fut le modele des peuples en tous les genres." This tragedy (p. 16) was reprefented, with great magnificence, in the prefence of Pope Leo X. at Rome, in the year 1515. After his remarks on the Sofonifba, Mr. Walker, in a fhort account of Triffino, gives a very favourable fpecimen of biographical talents. The Sofonifba was foon followed by the Rofunda. "Encouraged by the fuccefs of Triffino, his contemporary and friend Giovanni Rucellai, nephew of Lorenzo de' Medici, and coufin-german of Leo X. entered the dramatic walk. In the year 1516, his Rofmunda was recited in his garden at Florence, in the prefence of Leo. This tragedy is founded upon a ftory of strong intereft in the hiftory of the Lombards, which is related with fimplicity and perfpicuity in the Iftoria Fiorentina of Machiavelli, and fplendidly embellished and minutely detailed in the luminous page of Gibbon. In this drama, Rucellai gave the first proof of his dramatic powers. But he feems to have fucceeded better in his Orefte, in which he is allowed to have fupported the character of that unfortunate prince with ability, and to have painted the paffions with vigour and with truth. It should, however, be obferved, that in the Rofmunda, Rucellai appears an original writer; but in the Orefte he only affects the humble character of an imitator. He conftructed, upon an hiftoric bafis, the fable of the former; but the fable of the latter is borrowed from the Iphigenia in Tauris of Euripides." P. 35. "The tragic Mufe," fays Mr. Walker, "being now roused in Italy, found feveral votaries. Amongft the many pieces as well origi nal as translations which covered her altars, the Edipo tè of Orfatto Giuf Giustiniano, a Venetian nobleman, particularly recommends itfelf to our notice, not only by its intrinfic merit, but from the adventitious circumftance of its having been the firft drama reprefented in the famous Olympic theatre of Palladio in Vicenza, where, fays an Italian author, it was recited in 1585, " con fontuofiffimo apparato." This tragedy becomes attractive alfo, from another anecdote attached to its fcenical hiftory. When it was firft exhibited, the part of Edipus was performed with great ability," foftenuta egregiamente," fays an Italian critic,-by Luigi Groto, commonly called il cieco d'Adria, from the circumftance of his being totally deprived of fight; a misfortune which befel him on the eighth day after he was born. This extraordinary man was not only an actor of merit, but a fruitful and fuccefsful writer." P. 49. This perfon claims particular notice, on account of his tragedy called "Hadriana," which appeared in 1578, and is founded on a story of "infelici amanti", two ill-fated lovers, whofe fate ftrongly refembles, in many refpects, that of the Romeo and Juliet of our immortal Shakspeare. The following paffage from the Hadriana will remind the reader of that celebrated scene in the third act of the English tragedy. Jul. Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day : It was the nightingale, and not the lark," &c. &c. "Lat. S'io non erro, è preffo il far del giorno. Udite il roffignuol, che con noi defto, Ahi laffo, Con noi geme fra i spini, e la rugiada Ecco incomincia a fpuntar l'alba fuori, Portando un' altro fol fopra la terra. Had. Ahimè, ch'io gelo. Ahimè, ch'io tremo tutta. Quefta è quell' hora, ch'ogni mia dolcezza Affatto ftempra. Ahimè, queft' è quell' hora, Che m'infegna a faper, che cosa è affanno, O del mio ben nemica, avara notte, Perche si ratto corri, fuggi, voli, A fommerger te fteffa, e me nel mare? Lat. If I err not, the day approaches fast. Hear'st thou the nightingale that wakes with us, And thro' thefe lone fhades trills her plaintive notes In melancholy concert with our woes? The dew, fat falling with our tears, impearls The beauteous flow'rs that spread their mingled blooms. Ris'n from the oozy caverns of the deep, With rofy fteps advances. In her train Had. Ah, an icy chillness Thrills |