Iambick, Phaleutick, Adonick, Oliconick, Hexamiter, Tetramitrer, Pentamiter, Asclepediack, Choriambick, nor any other measured verse used amongst the Greeks, Latines, Italians, French, Dutch, or Spanish writers, but may be exprest in English, be it in blanck verse or meeter, in Distichon or Hexastichon, or in what form or feet, or what number you can desire. Thus you see to what excellency our refined English is brought, that in these days we are ashamed of that Euphony & eloquence which, within these 60 years, the best tongues in the land were proud to pronounce." The uses of tragedies, histories, comedies, and pastorals, next occupy his attention, referring to Dr. Leg's Richard III., as we observed in our last article upon Meres' Palladis Tamia. In this discussion, nothing particularly relating to the English stage is introduced, but what immediately follows is interesting, not only on that account, but on several others; of which our readers will be aware after perusal. As the extract is long, we forbear comment. "To end, in a word. Art thou addicted to prodigality, envy, cruelty, perjury, flattery, or rage? our Scenes afford thee store of men to shape your lives by, who be frugall, loving, gentle, trusty, without soothing, and in all things temperate. Wouldst thou be honourable? just, friendly, moderate, devout, merciful, and loving concord? thou mayest see many of their fates and ruines, who have been dishonourable, unjust, fals, gluttenous, sacrilegious, bloudyminded, and brochers of dissention. Women likewise that are chaste, are by us extolled, & encouraged in their vertues, being instanced by Diana, Belpheby, Matilda, Lucrece, and the Countess of Salisbury. The unchaste are by us shewed their errors, in the persons of Phrinc, Lais, Thais, Flora: and amongst us Rosamond and Mistress Shore. What can sooner print modesty in the souls of the wanton, than by discovering unto them the monstrousness of their sin? It followes that we prove these exercises to have been the discoverers of many notorious murders, long concealed from the eyes of the world. To omit all far-fetcht instances, we will prove it by a domestick and home-born truth, which within these few years hap pened. At Lin in Norfolk, the then Earle of Sussex Players acting the old History of Fryer Francis, & presenting a woman, who insatiately doting on a young gentleman, had (the more securely to enjoy his affection) mischievously and secretly murdered her husband, whose ghost haunted her, and at diverse times, in her most solitary and private contemplations, in most horrid and fearful shapes appeared and stood before her. As this was acted, a towns-woman (till then of good estimation and report) finding her conscience (at this presentment) extreamly troubled, suddenly skritched & cry'd out, Oh, my husband, my husband!-I see the ghost of my husband fiercely threatning and menacing me. At which shrill and unexpected out-cry, the people about her, mov'd to a strang amaze ment, inquired the reason of her clamor, when presently, unurged, she told them, that seven years ago, she, to be possest of such a Gentleman (meaning him) had poisoned her husband, whose fearfull image personated it self in the shape of that ghost: whereupon the murdress was apprehended, before the Justices further examined, and by her voluntary confession after condemned. That this is true, as well by the report of the Actors as the records of the Town, there are many ey-witnesses of this accident of late years living, who did confirm it. "As strange an accident happened to a company of the same quality 60. years ago, or thereabout, who playing late in the night at a place called Perin, in Cornwal, certain Spaniards were landed the same night, unsuspected and undiscovered, with intent to take in the town, spoil and burn it, when suddenly, even upon their entrance, the players (ignorant as the towns men of any such attempt) presenting a battle on the stage, with their drum and trumpets strook up a loud alarum: which the enemy hearing, and fearing they were discovered, amazedly retired, made some few idle shot in a bravado, and so in a hurly-burly fled disorderly to their boats. At the report of this tumult, the towns men were immediately armed, and pursued them to the sea, praysing God for their happy deliverance from so great a danger, who by his providence made these strangers the instrument and secondary means of their escape from such imminent mischief, and the tyranny of so remorselesse an enemy. "Another of the like wonder happened at Amsterdam in Holland, a Company of our English Comedians (well known) travelling those Countries, as they were before the Burgers and other the chief inhabitants, acting the last part of the 4 sons of Amon, towards the last act of the history, where penitent Renaldo, like a common labourer, lived in disguise, vowing, as his last pennance, to labor & carry burdens to the structure of a goodly Church there to be erected: whose diligence the labourers envying, since by reason of his stature and strength, he did usually perfect more work in a day than a dozen of the best, (he working for his conscience, they for their lucres.) Whereupon by reason his industry had so much disparaged their living, conspired among themselves to kill him, waiting some opportunity to finde him asleep, which they might easily do, since the sorest labours are the soundest sleepers, & industry is the best preparative to rest. Having spi'd their opportunity, they drave a nail into his temples, of which wound immediately he died. As the Actors handled this, the audience might on a suddain understand an out-cry, and loud shreek in a remote galery, & pressing about the place, they might perceive a woman of great gravity, strangely amazed, who, with a distracted and troubled brain, oft sigh'd out these words, Oh, my husband, my husband! The play, without further interruption, proceeded: the woman was to her own house conducted, without any apparant suspition, every one conjecturing as their fancies led them. In this agony she some of these few dayes languished; and on a time, as certain of her well disposed neighbours came to comfort her, one amongst the rest being Churchwarden, to him the Sexton posts, to tell him of a strange thing happening him in the ripping up of a grave. See here (quoth he) what I have found! and shews them a fare skull, with a great nail pierc'd quite through the braine-pan; but we cannot conjecture to whom it should belong, nor how long it hath lain in the earth, the grave being confused, and the flesh consumed. At the report of this accident, the woman, out of the trouble of her afflicted conscience, discovered a former murther. For 12. years ago, by driving that naile into that skull, being the head of her husband, she hath trecherously slain him. This being publickly confest, she was arraigned, condemned, adjudged, and burned. But I draw my subject to greater length than I purposed: these therefore, out of other infinities, I have collected both for their familiarness and latenesse of memory.' " Thus Heywood repels the accusations of the Puritans; and he winds up his tract by a remark or two upon an abuse then lately introduced into theatrical representations, which had been complained of by adversaries of a different kind, and for different reasons. "Now to speak of some abuse lately crept into the quality, as an inveighing against the State, the Court, the Law, the City, and their governments, with the particularizing of private mens humors yet alive, Noble men and others. I know it distates many; neither do I any way approve it, nor dare I by any means excuse it. The liberty which some arrogate to themselves, committing their bitterness and liberall invectives against all estates, to the mouths of Children, supposing their juniority to be a priviledge for any rayling, be it never so violent: I could advise all such, to curbe and limit this presumed liberty within the bands of discretion and government. But wise and judicial Censurers, before whom such complaints shall at any time hereafter come, will not (I hope) impute these abuses to any transgression in us, who have ever been carefull and provident to shun the like. I surcease to prosecute this any further, lest my good meaning be (by some) misconstrued: and fearing likewise lest, with tediousness, I tire the patience of the favourable Reader, here (though abruptly) I conclude my third and last Treatise. Stultitiam patiuntur opes, mihi parvula res est." Upon the whole, this is a very ingenious and entertaining production: as it is directly opposed in statement and argument to the enemies of stage-plays, so it is equally opposed to them in the manner in which that statement is made, and that argument is conducted. Heywood was certainly a man of considerable learning, more especially in the Latin classics, to whom, it must be allowed, he is frequently indebted. The wonder is, even with that assist ance, that he was not sooner exhausted. He seems to give a summary of his labours, as well as others, for the stage, in the prologue to "The Royall King and Loyall Subject," 1637, in these lines: "To give content to this most curious age, The Gods themselves we've brought down to the stage, (Saving the Muses rapture): further we This passage well points out the endless variety of theatrical performances about that time. C. P. J. MONTHLY CATALOGUE. . AGRICULTURE. ART. 14.-The Agricultural State of the Kingdom, in February, March, and April, 1816, being the substance of the replies of many of the most opulent and intelligent landholders to a Circular Letter sent by the Board of Agricul ture to many parts of England, Wales, and Scotland. London, Clement, 8vo. pp. 436. 1816. THE Board of Agriculture, on meeting after the Christmas vacation, thought it a duty it owed to the public, to ascertain the real state of the kingdom with regard to its agricultural resources, and to further this design, a circular letter was written to all their correspondents. In this communication questions were proposed as to farms unoccupied, or intended to be surrendered, as to the abatements of rent, as to the distress on arable and grass farms, as to flock-farms, as to the paper-circulation, the labouring poor, CRIT. REV. VOL. 1V. Sept. 1816. 2 S and finally, with regard to the remedies for relieving the difficulties. To these letters three hundred and twenty-six answers were returned, supplying an account of the state of things in forty different countries, and also in North and South Wales, and in Scotland, and the particulars are given in the present publication. It will be naturally expected, and the expectation will not be disappointed, that a great body of useful information from most respectable authority is given in this work. It has been complained that it has been withholden for some months, and no reason has been assigned for the delay. We trust that the Board, at a future time, will remove some unworthy suspicions that have been, in consequence, entertained, and will, on this and every subsequent occasion, shew itself worthy of the public regard and confidence, which it has so long enjoyed, and so justly deserved. EDUCATION.“ ART. 15.-A practical English Grammar, or an easy introduction to the beauties of the English Language, by Question and Answer, principally designed for the use of Schools, &c. By WINDHAM RAWLINSON, 1816, 18mo. p. 132. THE mode of instructing by question and answer has been very generally adapted on the recommendation of Rosseau, whose happy illustration from the story of Alexander and his physician, is sufficiently known. The present work is by a gentleman who has a school near Bristol, and is intended for the use of his junior classes, previous to their studying the Latin and French languages. Orthographical Exercises are added, and a list purporting to be of all the French and Latin words in common use, among the higher classes of society. In the last we observe pro re nata, when the circumflex should be on the last, not on the first syllable, sui generis is improperly rendered singular or unparalleled: ad volorem should be ad valorem,; in Dei gratiá durante vitá, pro formá, sine quâ non, viâ, vice versa, the marks of the ablative are omitted, and there are many other inaccuracies which we trust, in a future edition, will be corrected. |