Question with caution and polite- | ed into his chamber a young lady

nets, if obliged to it, from a juft defire of information: an habitual queftioner rarely waits for an an.fwer.

When you discover a fludied intention to conceal events and their caufes from you, be affured it proceeds from a fufpicion of your inclination.

The hours you can steal from the idle, muft fecure your fuperiority over them; and in rifing early, you will find you have been able to Leflow a due portion of time on religion, worldly bufinefs, and the cultivation of your mind.

THE

CONTINENCE

OF

LEWIS THE EIGHT H.

A TALE OF DISTANT TIMES,
Anno 1226.

of exquifite beauty, who, on his awaking, frankly confeffed to him what brought her thither. "No, my child," faid the king, "I had rather die than prolong my life by committing a deadly fin" On this he called his chamberlain, and ordered him to beftow the young lady in honourable wedlock, and foon after, perceiving his death approaching, he appointed his queen Blanche of Caftille regent of the kingdom during the minority of his children, and expired.

ACCOUNT of EUDORA,
A NEW TRAGEDY.

Written by Mr. HAYLEY.
Performed at Covent-garden Theatre,
Friday, Jan. 29.

DRAMATIS PERSONA.

The King of Sicily, Mr. Hull,
Birino,

Embellished with a beautiful En- Raymond,

graving.]

MAURI de Montfort, fon of · A Simon, not being able to fup. port his claim to the poffeffion of the county of Thouloufe, which was by Raymond defined to make an exchange with the king of France, giving him this principality in return for the office of high-conftable. Lewis the Eighth, being urged by the pope to go and take poffeffion of Thouloufe, marched at the head of a numerous army, re. duced the town of Avignon, and the greatest part of Languedoc; but in the midst of his conquests was feized with a diforder for which his phyficians could prescribe no other remedy than that he should contract an intimacy with a woman. His queen remained of neceffity at Paris to go. vern the flate in his abfence. While he was afleep, his officers introduc

Mr. Harley,

Mr. Holman. Mr. Farren,

Mr. Macready,

Mr. Davies,

Mrs. Pope.

HE on the plot EUDORA is founded is fort shortly this,- Sicily has been invaded by the Moors, against whom the prince is fent by his father, accompanied by lord Raymond, the valiant fon of old Birino, who had spent his life in the fervice of his fovereign, and had ceased to weild the faulchion, only on account of his weight of years, which rendered him him unfit any longer to brave the hardships of the field. Just as the play opens news has arrived at Palermo (where the fcene lies) that the two chieftains had repelled the invaders, and were on their return in triumph. This naturally excites the most grate

ful

Account of Eudora, a new Tragedy.

97

ful tokens of exultation in the kingfions, and the virtuous efforts of and his faithful counfellor Birino, Eudora, to chear her husband, and his daughter-in-law Eudora, ftrengthen his mind, and preferve the wife of Raymond; their joy, his life. Being threatened with the however, is fuddenly damped by the rack, and affured that he must abanprefence of Siccardi, who brings the don all hopes of existence, to avoid unwelcome tidings of the prince hav- a difgraceful death, Raymond foing been feized with the most pain- licits the favour of the dagger's point ful fymptoms of approaching death, from the kind hand of his father; immediately after his arrival at the but Birino's arm is enervated by the caftle of lord Raymond. Siccardi agony of his feelings, and he cannot is followed by another meffenger, bear the inftrument of death to the who fpeedily announces the prince's breaft of his fon: he confents, how death, and Siccardi ftates, that the ever, to fend him a friendly dofe, prince was carried off by poison, and that fhall defeat the malice of his enethat fufpicion was entertained, that mies, and refcue him from the shame Raymond, prompted by ambitious of an ignominious end. The poifon views, had been his murderer. This is received, and would have been news throws all parties into the ut- fwallowed by the unfortunate Raymoft confternation; the king, di- mond, but for the timely admonivided between his parental feelings tions of Eudora, which awaken him and his high opinion of Raymond's from defpair, and make him place a honour, hesitates to decide upon his firm reliance on protecting Proviguilt, and retires, filled with doubt dence. At length, by means of and diftrefs. Birino, confcious of fraud and forgery, Maoni has fo his fon's fuperior virtue, gives way wrought upon the king, that he to the most empaffioned rage, and procures an order for the instant accufes Siccardi of the vileft flander, death of Raymond, and he is led in terms of vehemence and indigna- forth to public execution at the intion, while Eudora tries to foothe ftant that Huberto enters Palermo, her father's wrath, and bids him find with a proceffion introducing a litter, comfort in the furety of her husband's whereon the body of the poifoned honour. Matters thus circumftanced, prince is placed. On Huberto's arthe first act concludes, and in the rival at the place of execution, which next we learn from a converfation Raymond had afcended, the procefbetween Maoni and Siccardi, that fion paufes, and the priest demands Huberto, a monk, placed about.the justice on the prince's murderer ; perfon of the prince, as the inftru- Eudora, however, calls for momen ment of Maoni's ambitious defigns, tary delay, and feeling infpired by has administered the fatal dofe, and truth and equity, charges the priest and that their fettled purpose was to with fraudulently combining to ac impute the guilt of the deed to Ray- cufe her husband of a crime his foul mond, a purpofe which appearances abhorred; having heard that in have been artfully prepared to coun- cafes of blood the corpfe at the pretenance. They retire to work upon fenfe of its murderer would shew the wavering mind of the king, and fome fymptoms that have impreffed through their practices, Raymond, the guilty with the irrefiftible im as foon as he arrives, is feized and pulfe of felf-condemnation, the feizes carried to prifon. The rest of the the prince's hand, and invokes his tragedy is occupied in exhibiting aid to refcue dying innocence; feelthe effect of the machinations of ing a warmth in his palm, the ac Maoni to procure the death of Ray- cufes the priest, who, confcience. mond, the conflicts of Berino's paf- ftruck, confeffes all, and bids the VOL. XXI,

execu

executioner forbear, fince he alone is guilty. The body is conducted to the baths, where the prince furvives, the drugs administered to him having counteracted each other, and only produced that femblance of death, a temporary trance. The populace hearing that Maoni and Siccardi had treacherously endeavoured to destroy their favourite Raymond, put the traitors to death, and the rest of the characters are left in poffeffion of all that happiness to which innocence and virtue are amply entitled.

This tragedy clearly inculcates a forcible moral, and is calculated to benefit mankind. As a dramatic compofition, it is by no means deftitute of merit, although it is liable to objection; and it must be confeffed that its plot, exclufive of the refemblances it calls to the mind of an

EUDORA.

Spoken by Mrs. POPE.

OH, what a fubject's here for modern fpleen !

[scene! The curtain drops, upon a bloodlefs No scatter'd daggers here appal the fight,

rant,

No heroes, the undufted carpet bite,
No broken groans, eke out the dying
And leave the speaker, when stone-dead,
[to pant!
The Heroine too! how fpiritlefs and
poor!
[floor!
Cut from her wonted graces-on the
'Twas her's "in airy threads to spin her
breath,
[death.
And like the filk-worm fpin herself to
on lap of confidant, her eye-lids clofed."
In fatin-folds, her rage-tired limbs com-
posed;

Till,

in her trance prepar'd, with change of feature, ftarts again to life, a new-form'd

creature:

attentive theatrical obferver, is too meagre for the modern tafte, which demands almost as much pantomime as poetry in a tragedy, aud expects incident closely to follow incident, and that there fhould be a confiderable share of bustle and bulinefs in every act. The circumstances introduced in the last act of Eudora are certainly new to the ftage, and, from their extreme fingularity, were hazardous for a dramatic writer to venture upon. Bating the violence done to probability, which the li-She cence of the stage may pardon, Mr. Hayley has managed the incidents rather adroitly, but ftill that of the Prince's revival taggers credibility, and, in a ferious play, borders upon Behold the butterfly-an Epiloguethe ridiculous. Indeed, we know See how on Fancy's wing the flits away, not a writer face the days of Shak- And culls the opening humours of the fpeare, who could have enfured fuch day! [fupplies! an incident from provoking a smile. Heav'ns! what a growth this rich parterre In the diction of Eudora there are How fashion shoots! how whim diverfifeveral juft fentiments, and many fies! [fon! noble thoughts elegantly and poetic- What buds of folly, on the ftem of reaally expreffed. The defcription of 'Tis all unnatural bloom this open feathe effect of breaking the chain of And nature, bartled in her plaftic power; order by destroying neceffary fubor-The extract mocks, the promife of the dination, and the definition of truc

[kind, Each look, each gefture of a former Left, with the skin of Tragedy, behind; Pert, flippant, playful, pat for Comic

vogue,

fon,

flower,

Thus

Enigmatical Solutions and Questions.

An Enigmatical Lift of COUNTIES vowel, a numeral letter, and a pro

POETICAL ESSAY S.

Irregular ODE on the Death of This country foon her murder'd hero