the clofe intercourfe that fucceeds the curate's introduction to the caftle, a mutual paffion takes place betwixt him and the amiable Mifs Southern; which, coming to the knowledge of the aunt, fhe is alarmed at the difgrace the ancient family of the Southerns might suffer by an alliance fo unsuitable to their dignity, and immediately exerts all her intereft to have the object of her implacable refentment ejected from his minifterial charge. Upon this unfortunate event, young Myrtle refolves on going to London, to communicate his diftreffes to a person whose friendship he had formerly experienced, and who had fupplied him with fifty pounds for defraying the neceffary expences of his fettlement at Coventry. When he arrives in town, he has the fresh mortification to find that his friend is dead. The charms of Myrtle's perfon, however, make such an impreffion on the mind of the young widow, that the declares herself difpofed not only to remit the debt which he owed her deceased husband, but even to supply him with a farther fum, upon condition, as fhe intimated pretty plainly, of his becoming her fecond fpoufe. The faithful attachment of Myrtle to his beloved Mifs Southern, not admitting him to accept of this offer, a propofal of a lefs honourable nature is afterwards made by the enamoured lady, which our virtuous hero, like a Jofeph, rejects with ftill greater indignation. The wanton widow, thus grievously disappointed of the prospect of gratifying ber paffion, gives loofe to all the fury of female refentment, and causes him to be immediately arrefted for the debt of fifty pounds. The news of the confinement of Myrtle coming to the ears of a person who practifed the trade of an author, and had accidentally become acquainted with our hero upon his journey from Warwick, the generous ftranger interefts himself fo far in his behalf, as to procure a bookfeller in St. Paul's Church-yard, faid to be the publisher of this History, to advance the fum for which he had been arrested, the author becoming furety for the payment. During the time from Myrtle's leaving Coventry, a fecret correfpondence had ftill been maintained betwixt him and the charming Mifs Southern; and along with one of his letters he had sent her, as a token of his love, a picture, which he had received from a perfon who lived as a hermit, and into whofe fequeftered habitation he happened to deviate likewife on his journey from Warwick. This was a portrait of the hermit himself, who had formerly been remarkable for libertinism, and whofe hiftory forms an episode of the novel. Sir James Baynard, of Baynard Caftle, two hundred miles. from London, alarmed, on his daughter's account, who is brought to the brink of the grave by a violent fever, after many enquiries about a phyfician, hears of one not many miles from the Caftle, lately come to fettle in that part of the country. Dr. Dormer prescribes with fuccefs, and Emily is foon out of danger; but fhe relapfes, and afterwards dies.-Mifs Villers, who had been recommended to take care of her education, falls in love with Dormer; but fhe is too fenfible of her dependent state to think of becoming the wife of a man who has, by the death of his two elder brothers, and the declining health of his third brother, a near prospect of being a baronet with four thousand pounds a year. Dormer is equally ftruck with Mifs Villers, and at first imagines her to be Emily's elder fifter: when he is undeceived he is very unhappy, and endures a fevere conflict between his paffion and his pride. On the death of their darling daughter, Sir James and lady Baynard remove to another part of the country, to change the fcene. Harriet remains at the caftle.-Soon after their departure a fervant is dispatched to Dormer. He hurries to the Caftle, and to his great surprise finds Mifs Villers in a very deplorable ftate; pale, emaciated, fupported by pillows, reduced to extreme weakness by a malignant fever. A tender scene follows between them, at the conclufion of which the begs him to leave her.-Dormer is convinced of Harriet's affection for him, but not being able to bring himself to marry a woman in her sphere of life, determines to fee her no more.-His refolution failing, he makes his appearance again before her, and a ftill more tender interview enfues.-She intreats him not to repeats his visits, and he retires with a mind inexpreffibly difturbed. Uncertain who or what the is, his perplexity is exceffive; especially as he plainly fees that fhe is, with regard to female accomplishments, fuperior to most women.-He opens his heart to an intimate friend of his, an old gentleman,, Mr. Gordon, who endeavours to remove all the objections fuggefted by pride; and tells him that as he has no relation to inherit his large and increafing fortune, he will make Harriet his heir.-Dormer receives a letter from Hare riet, which gives him a still higher opinion of the ftrength of her understanding, and of the goodness of her heart.-In confequence of a refolution to make her his by the most binding ties, he flies to the Caftle: to his extreme aftonishment, as well as difappointment, the first thing he hears is that Mifs Villers went from thence the preceding day; to his additional concern, in a very low, weak condition.- -From Baynard Castle Harriet goes to Rofe-Hill-Farm belonging to Sir James, Dor mer, mer, now Sir Charles by the death of his brother in Germany, during his unhappy fituation on the departure of his Harriet, receives a very friendly letter from Mr. Gordon, who affures him that he will be indefatigable in his enquiries after the placeof her abode. Mr. Gordon promifes himself fuccefs by applying to lady Goodwin, Harriet's moft intimate friend, whom he knew at Paris. He fees her at Ranelagh, but has no opportunity to speak to her. Being told, however, foon afterwards by a gentleman at a coffee-house, that lady Goodwin is gone to spend a few weeks with a young lady, a particular friend of hers, at Rofe-Hill, about ten miles from Baynard Castle; he takes a lodging at an inn in the village nearest to the house in which Mifs Villers refides, in order to facilitate the execution of his generous defign. While he is purfuing his favourite amusement, one day angling, his attention is arrested by the fcreams of a female. Turning round immediately, he fees a lady thrown from her horfe. He haftens to her affiftance, and raifes her from the ground. Lady Goodwin, perceiving Harriet in the arms of Mr. Gordon, is not a little surprised; nor is his aftonishment lefs than hers upon the occafion. When Harriet is remounted, lady Goodwin invites Mr. Gordon-having previously hinted to Harriet that there could be no impropriety in admitting a gentleman of fixty as a vifitant-to return to dinner with them. Mr. Gordon, having fent for his horse, accompanies them to the farm: he is highly pleafed with Harriet's perfon and behaviour, and in a tête à tête with lady Goodwin informs her of the motives which had urged him to take a journey of above an hundred miles to have an interview with her his motives appear to be the nobleft imaginable. - Not fatisfied with the pleasure of letting Sir Charles know that his Harriet is truly attached to him, he repeats his intention to give her a handsome fortune. Harriet, when she hears of Mr. Gordon's uncommon generofity, is utterly unable to exprefs her gratitude to him. The dispatches which Mr. Gordon fends from Rofe HillFarm (at which place an apartment is provided for him) to Sir Charles are, it may be imagined, exceedingly fatisfactory, but he is rendered ftill much happier by finding that his mistress is the daughter of his friend. By a very unexpected difcovery Mr. Gordon proves to be the father of Mifs Villers. After these animating discoveries the happy lovers are, in a short time, indiffolubly united, and their domeftic felicity is not interrupted till Mifs Thornton, to whom Sir Charles had formerly paid fome civilities, on her father's account, upon the renewal of her acquaintance with him, so far infinuates herself in lady Dormer's favour, as to procure an invitation from Sir Charles to fpend woman to be fure," cried the 'fquire," and has taken it into her head, for thefe four years paft, to study romances, and poetry, and books of knight-errantry, till he has almoft turned her poor brains." "Almoft, father," replied Philip," aye, "by geminy, quite; or elfe, what does the fit all day poking in the great room at the top of the castle for? There it is, the neighbours fay, the keeps all her hobgoblins; and like enough, for certain it is, there's con. juration-work going forward fometimes. I went the other day to fee fifter, and finding my aunt was above in her ftudy, I had a mind to fee what he was at; fo I crept foftly up ftairs, and peeped through the key hole, where I could juft difcern her walking about the room with a book in her hand, reading to herfelf; when, all on a fudden, the broke out in a violent manner, calling upon angels and minifters of grace to defend her; fo imagining all the devils were let loose upon her at once, I thought it high time for me to escape with a whole fkin, as fast as I could." Here his tutor burst into a loud laugh, and with a look of approbation, cried out, "There's a lad for you, there's a wag, there's a genius! A chip of the old block, mafter Southern, a chip of the old block, by the lord Harry." "Well, for my part," faid Mrs. Southern, " I wonder you are not afhamed to encourage the boy in fuch wickednefs! Sirrah, how dare you talk of your aunt in this manner; and what do you mean, by conjuration, and devils, and all this stuff?". "No, Phil," cried the 'fquire, " you are a little out there; I don't think your aunt`s a conjurer, any more than myself; to be sure, the does run a-head a little fometimes, about elves and fairies, and giants and geniis; but these are whimfies, mere whimfies, and nothing else." The curate, who had been filent during this conversation, told mafter Philip, he fancied he could explain the caufe of what he had juft mentioned. "From the words you repeated," said he, "It seems very probable, that the lady was reading the tragedy of Hamlet, and, warmed by the fancy of the poet, had given utterance to the speech where Hamlet first fees his father's ghoit. Angels and minifters of grace defend us! Be thou a fpirit of health, or goblin damn'd, Bring with thee airs from heav'n, or blafts from hell, Thou com'ft in fuch a questionable shape, That I will speak to thee." "By Juno," cried the 'fquire, in a rapture," the curate has hit the mark; fo Phil, there's an end to the conjuration. What do you fay to it, doctor?" To this, the tutor replied, with an air of importance, "Verily, I believe the young man's in the right, the conjecture's good, and I approve of it." This novel is, undoubtedly fuperior to the common run of romances. Though the characters are generally trite, and an uniformity prevails among feveral of them, yet they are fupported in an agreeable manner, and the reader's curiofity is kept awake through the whole narration. From the particular regard to virtue and morality, with which it is conducted, the perfons introduced to our obfervation are difmiffed in the end, with the retribution due to their deferts; and we make 2 1 make no doubt but the author and book feller will likewife come fo far in for their fhare of poetical juftice, as to find, from the fale of this novel, a compenfation for their generous interpofition in relieving the diftreffes of the Curate of Coventry. XI. The Plays of William Shakespeare, in Six Volumes. 410. 2d Edit. Oxford, at the Clarendon Prefs. 31. 135. Od. · Payne. THIS HIS is a fplendid and beautiful republication of Hanmer's Shakespeare, with fome valuable acceffions. The motives which induced the delegates of the Clarendon prefs at Oxford to print this edition, and the manner in which it has been conducted, will be beft understood from the following advertisement prefixed to the first volume. The first edition of the following work was published at the Clarendon prefs in the year 1744; an account of which is given by the editor, fir T. H. in the following Preface written by himself. The impreffion, having been small, was fụddenly bought up; and the original price advanced to a very exorbitant fum. The great demand therefore of the public for fo elegant an edition, induced the delegates of the univerfity prefs to fet about this republication in which the inaccuracies of the firft impreffion in punctuation and fpelling are carefully adjusted; and, in order to obviate fuch other objections as have been made to it, at the end of each volume are annexed the various readings of the two moft authentic publishers of our author's plays, Mr. Theobald and Mr. Capell. The Gloffary (to which are prefixed Mr. Upton's rules explaining the anomalies of our author) has received very confiderable additions, not only from the feveral editions of Shakefpear's plays, but likewife from the notes of the editors of Beaumont and Fletcher, Ben. Jonson, and others; from Mr. Urry's Gloffary to Chaucer, and Mr. Upton's to Spenfer; Lye's Etymologicon, Dr. Grey's notes upon Shakespear, &c. Befides which the reader will find fome valuable notes communicated by the rev. Dr. Percy, editor of Reliques of ancient poetry'; the rev. Mr. Warton, late poetry-profeffor in this univerfity; and John Hawkins efquire of Twickenham; to whom was fubmitted the inspection of the additional gloffary: which the editor begs leave thus publickly to acknowledge, with thanks for the many inftances of their obliging attention to this work. All additional notes and explanations are inclofed in brackets; and, if they are not al waye |