the mild fhades of clofing day invite the mind to contemplation, I retire, for awhile, from the confideration of the tumultuous world to the lively reveries of domefric joy; and here, taking a grateful retrospect of past comforts, on the altar of focial love-I offer up my daily facrifices to the household-deities of my fathers. The purring of this happy quadruped, is the fole mufic which I choose to accompany my devoirs; while the recurring harmony of my kettle founds like the horn of attendant plenty." Thus was Placidus the joy of all who knew him. Nor imagine this pleafing equanimity the product of a lifeless difpofition. Once he was dif treffed; and as it is but once that I remember him to have been fo, I will record it. I faw him, fome way advanced in a path direct with myfelf: he paused attention to a poor woman, with some ragged girls, who folicited his charity. He was earnest in difcourfe with them, and did not perceive me. He gave them fome money, I could not diftinguish the fum: they left him; when, on drawing nearer, I just heard him exclaim, "'Tis diftreffing to give fo little where mifery demanded fo much." T. IN THE PHILOSOPHER. A TALE. Na remote part of Northumberland, our hero first attracted the curiofity of his neighbours, by the uncommonnefs of his dress, and the oddity of his deportment. He generally rofe about fix in the afternoon, and retired to reft at ten in the morning. Nor did he thus oppose the regulations of cuftom merely to excite remark. But, from the age of fixteen, he had uniformly acted from certain rules known only to himfelf; and being now advanced to his three-and-twentieth year, they had acquired an undeviating ftability. Situated Situated in a village, it was not to be expected that fuch a conduct would efcape notice. When he went abroad, it was in the night, at the breaking in of twilight, or juft as lufty Phoebus threw afide the curtains of the dawn; and fuch a fingular propenfity, when known, did not fail to rouse observation. Many agreed to watch, by turns, the motions of Mr. Acid; who found his mufings fo interrupted by these inquifitive companions, that he was not feen from home during feveral fucceeding months; at the conclufion of which, he found it abfolutely neceffary either to change his refidence, or his manner of refiding. What paffed in the philofopher's breaft on this grand debate with himself, he never divulged, except by concurring with the accustomed modes of life, which he thought proper to do. Of those who had worried him into this compliance, there was one (and the chief organ in the bufinefs) who acted from fome other incitement than the love of ridicule. The perfon of Acid had fomething of intereft; and there was an expeffion in his eyes which indicated genius; thefe, added to his eccentric qualities, had engaged the attention of a young lady in the vicinity. Females are feldom incommunicative; never when they have occafion to be otherwife. Euphemia, (fo we shall diftinguish this heroine) folicitous to acquire a full account of Mr. Acid, did not forget the neceffary route: She had recourfe to his fervant. The old woman knew nothing of her master's hiftory, "faving, fhe knew him to be a gentleman, though rather a whimfical one, 'twas true. But, young lady," continued Margaret, "as you are more larned than I can pretend to; if you will take the trouble to go up ftairs, as you feem to take much intereft in the matter, I will fhew you my mafter's papers; he has gone out, and, for a wonder, indeed! left them open: though, as I fuppofe, as how he thinks I cannot read them, and he is right in that, he mayn't be fo afraid VOL. I. F of of me. Well, I will leave you to rummage them, for the prefent."-"Stop Margaret: if Mr. Acid should return!" Why if he fhould ma'am, take my word, he would'nt take umbrage; for he's not fuch an outlandish creature, not so much of a philosopher, as some folks think him, and fo"-" But my reputation, my character. To be found in the room of a bachelor !" "As for that, I can only fay evil be to them that evil thinks. Befides, ma'am, do you think I have no character? and how have I lived here fo long, and preferved my vartue ?"-" You are fure then, my good Margaret, that no mischief will enfue from this adventure, nor"-Here Acid made his appearance. He had been fo long unufed to the prefence of any woman, except Margaret, that he ftood fome moments neither apologizing for his entrance, nor making a fingle enquiry concerning Euphemia. "Sir," faid the latter, recovering her confidence, and giving a look to Margaret, which was well interpreted, "coming by here, this morning, and feeing your fervant at the door, I enquired for you know, (with a smile of the moft fafcinating archnefs) that my fex is inclined to be talkative-I enquired of her fome account refpe&ting her mafter's manners, health, &c. for I have heard you so much fcandalized in this neighbourhood-if I may judge from your countenance and Lavator, it must be fcandal; that I were determined, if poffible, to know the truth, and oppose these calumniators of your fame. One ftep leads to another, and from hearing of its mafter, I was invited to fee this manfion; for which perhaps unwelcome intrufion, I muft now, fir, beg your pardon, and expiate my offence by immediately departing."-Madam," replied the philofopher, "and"-it is impoffible to account for it by any mathematical procefs-he could fay no more. Curtfeying, and defiring the honour of an early vifit from Mr. Acid, Euphemia retired. (To be continued.) THE [63] THE DRAMA. Some ne'er advance a judgment of their own, A POPE. T no time have the public Theatres been more fpiritedly conducted, the writers received with lefs candour, nor the public fupport more fteady-than during the years which fucceeded Mr. Garrick's afcendancy, and the prefent moment; with, however, the exception of fome cloudy overcafts, which, when they happen, fhade the horizon of the profperity of every nation. To criticism, the Dramatic, as well as every other art, owes the degree of improvement to which, in our day, we fee it arrived; but, that it has reached perfection, or gone on progreffively to this point, no one will fay, fince nothing can more differ from fact. How, and when, this has taken place, are queftions we are not equally difpofed to canvafs: the latter would be another "Hiftory of the Theatres," not ftrictly coincident with our plan; a glance at the former, exhibits the fide we have taken, and must remain our apology for efpoufing no party, but that of our own understandings. No one will deny, that the Drama has a much higher tendency than mere amufement. Whoever has seen a play performed, with proper intereft, will feel, that the Theatre is a fchool where manners may be polished, and every thing learnt which diftinguishes us from the barbarian. Public reprefentations are recognized as the tone of a nation: As thefe are high or low; as they are fupported, canvaffed, criticifed, or difregarded, a people's genius and propenfities may be estimated; and its tafte, and even learning, appreciated according to their F 2 just juft value. For inftance, if we were told of a nation where pofture-dancing, exhibitions on the rope and wire, and pantomimical entertainments are held in high efteem, we fhould not hesitate to pronounce them lovers of Jack Pudding, and the patrons of Jugglers. A proper fenfe of the importance of the Theatre, regulated the inftruction of the Grecian youth. That nation, renowned through the earth for its philofophy, made the exhibition of plays contribute to the extenfion of morals; even the wife Socrates affifted Euripides in the compofition of Tragedy, and deduced arguments for his difciples from fome well-known characters of the Athenian fstage. Athens imparted to Rome her learning, and her modes of inftruction; her Stagyrite became the criterion of just compofition; and every performance, not confonant to the Grecian rule, was denied the palm of excellence in the capital of the world. On the revival of literature and the arts, the rude productions of the first dramatists perfectly agreed with the general tafte; nor, until the retreat of puritanifm, in the latter part of the last century, did Britain evince any thing like juft modes of writing, of acting, or of judging plays. If, indeed, at an earlier period, nature produced her Shakespeare, if fome refort to the Playhouses then eftablished itself, we fhould afcribe this to his fuperior genius, and to that of his colleagues and immediate fucceffors, rather than to the difcernment or taste of the times. In a more aufpicious era awoke the lambent flame of Britain's mufe, enlightening the murky fhelves on which our immortal bard had, for ages, lain neglected; at that moment, the stage, deluged with productions the improving ftate of knowledge refufed to own, fent forth Iparingly thofe claffic pieces, which rank fecond in merit to Shakespeare alone. The Cenfor's voice was refpectfully heard in this difcrimination; and although the clamorous cynic, and the fordidly interested, fome |