On Poverty hobbled, Hope soften'd 'her pain,
Put long did they search for the goddess in vain ;
Towns, cities, and countries, they travers'd around,
For Charity's lately grown hard to be found.

At length at the door of a LODGE they arriv'd,
Where their spirits exhausted the Tyler reviv'd,

Who, when ask'd (as 'twas late) if the dame was gone home,
Said, no; Charity always was last in the room.

The door being open'd, in Poverty came,

Was cherish'd, reliev'd, and caress'd by the dame;
Each votary, likewise, the object to save,

Obey'd his own teelings, and cheerfully gave.

Then shame on the man who the Science derides,
Where this sof -beaming virtue for ever presides.
In this scriptural maxim let's ever accord-

"What we give to the poor, we but lend to the Lord."

THE FOUR CARDINAL VIRTUES.

JUSTICE,

Inferior virtues rise from these,

Affording pleasure, comfort, peace,

And less'ning all our cares;

Here Justice see, at Mercy's word, Conceals her scales, and drops her sword, Appeas'd by her, the guilty victim spares.

FORTITUDE.

Here Fortitude, of Hope the child,
With conscious resignation fill'd,
Displays her dauntless brow;
Sees, fearless, human ills surround,
She views them all with peace profound,
And smiles at threaten'd woe!

TEMPERANCE.

Now ruddy Temperance shews her blooming face,
Replete with health, with ease, and fair content;
Whilst pamper'd Lux'ry mourns her sickly case,
And finds too late a glutton's life mispent,

PRUDENCE,

With cautious step and serious grace,
A form behold with hidden face,

Veil'd o'er with modest fears;
Till Confidence, unus'd to doubt,
Resolves to find the goddess out,
Withdraws the veil, and Prudence, see, appears !
Without thy gifts mankind would savage turn;
Would human nature wantonly disgrace;
Would at all bounds of due restriction spurn;
And all the noblest works of Heav'n deface.

These Moral Virtues are by us ordain'd

Th' unerring pilots to the heavenly shore: By these directed endless joy's obtain'd;

And, having their kind aid, we want no more.

Of all the mental blessings giv'n to man,
These are the choice of each Masonic breast;
By us enroll'd, they form the moral plan
Of this fair science-are supreme confess'd.

DUET AND CHORUS, FINALE.

Then let us all in friendship live,
Endearing and endear'd;

Let Vice her punishment receive,
And virtue be rever'd.

(CHORUS.)

May love, peace, and harmony, ever abound,
And the good man and Mason united be found.

Now let the panting heart rejoice!

The glowing mind expand!
Let echo raise her double voice,
And swell the choral band.

(CHORUS.)

May love, peace, and harmony, ever abound,
And the good man and Mason united be found.

MASONIC INTELLIGENCE.

LODGES OF INSTRUCTION.

NUNDAY.-Globe Tavern, Fleet-street, at 7 o'clock in the evening; Jamaica at 7 in the evening; Three Jolly Butchers, Hoxton, at 3 in the afternoon; Three Jolly Hatters, Bermondsey-street, at 7 in the evening; Sun, Clement's Inn fore gate, at 7 in the evening; King's Head, Walworth, at 3 in the afternoon; Bricklayer's Arms, Duke-street, Grosvenor-square, at 7 in the evening; Black Horse, Tower-hill, at 7 in the evening,

MONDAY.-Crown Tavern, Clerkenwell-green, at 7 in the evening; Edinburgh Castle, near the New Church, Strand, at 7 in the evening; Corner of Leman-street, Goodman's-fields, at 7 in the evening.

TUESDAY.-Peacock, Whitecross-street, at 7 in the evening; Phoenix, Princes-street, Cavendish-square, at 7 in the evening; Black Horse, Lemanstreet, Goodman's-fields, at 7 o'clock in the evening.

WEDNESDAY-York Arms, Curzon-street, May-fair, at 7 in the evening; Star and Punch-bowl, East Smithfield, at 7 in the evening.

FRIDAY.-Joiners' Arms, Joiners-street, Tooley-street, at 7 in the evening; Bell, Mount-street, Grosvenor-square, at 7 in the evening.

From Vienna, we are told, that all books of which FREEMASONRY is the subject, are prohibited throughout the Austrian dominions! Such a prohibition, at the close of the 18th century, appears rather extraordinary. Perhaps this Society, the aim of which is to cement more firmly the best affections of human nature, would be treated with greater lenity in despotic nations, if they were to drop the obnoxious epithet [FREE] prefixed to MASONRY. All the books that we have seen of this celebrated body, tend only to enforce and strengthen the ties of universal love, the bonds of fraternal union; and it reflects honour on the liberality and good sense of this country, that the Society flourishes here, and can name among its members persons the most distinguished for rank and talents.

A

STRICTURES

ON

PUBLIC AMUSEMENTS.

DRAMATIS PERSONE.

FEBRUARY 21.

T Covent-Garden Theatre" ENGLAND PRESERVED," an Historical Play, was produced for the first time.

Is taken from the history of this country at that melancholy period, the termination of King John's, and the inauspicious commencement of his son's, young Henry the Third's, reign. It opens at the time when the greater part of England was in possession of the Prince of France, whom the rebel Barons had called over to protect them against the vengeance of John, but from whom they experience the same tyranny which they had thrown themselves into his power to prevent.

The Earl of Pembroke, a wise, prudent, and resolute nobleman, as Mareschal of England, had charge of young Henry, and with a few steady friends made a stand for their native and lawful sovereign in the west, and maintained the island's independence against the superior force of the barons and France united. Many of the league finding their cause of war terminated by the death of their enemy John, and the oppression of a foreign yoke more severe than the one they had struggled to throw off, went over to Pembroke's party, and among the rest his eldest son, the Earl William Mareschal, and his son-in-law, the Earl of Warsenne and Surrey. Gaining strength by the addition of these barons' troops, the Protector ventured to appear in the North, whither the French had marched from Dover Castle, the siege of which they had relinquished, in hopes of its falling when the rest of the island was subdued. The parties met at Lincoln, where the foreigners received a complete overthrow; but the joy of the conquerors was soon checked, by their hearing accounts of immense reinforcements having arrived from France. Pressed by their critical situation, the Protector, Pembroke, resolved to follow up his victory, and try to strike a decisive blow, before the junction of these succours with the French Prince.

While he was approaching London, with a close siege by land and water, the enemy received the unexpected intelligence of their fleet having been entirely destroyed by the English vessels. Elated at which event, the Protector and his

friends poured down upon the French Prince, who, dispirited at his situation, submitted to the generous terms given him by Pembroke, and retired from the island, leaving it delivered from a foreign yoke, restored to its rights, and its people again united, free, and independent.

A domestic story of the distresses of Lady Surrey, Pembroke's daughter, in consequence of her husband Surrey's being intercepted in his flight from the tyranny of France, and thrown into confinement, is interwoven with the great public business, and exemplifies the horrors and miseries incident to a country in a state of civil war.

The Play comes, we understand, from the pen of a Mr. WATSON, of the Temple, a gentleman hitherto unknown to the public as a dramatic author. The state of the times in which we live, and the laudable object of inspiring Englishmen with confidence, and a love of their country, has evidently been the aim of the author, and so far he is entitled to every praise that can be given. We are not to view this production but as a drama.

The period of our history which is chosen, certainly is the fittest that could have been selected to answer the author's purpose; but he has not made so much of it as the story would admit of. To heighten the effect, and to admit of the incidents flowing with more ease, great latitude has ever been allowed to dramatie writers on historical subjects; but of this Mr. Watson has not sufficiently availed himself; his piece is therefore deficient in interest, and our feelings remain untouched by the recital of woes and sufferings, which make Lady Surrey whine through the piece. The character of Pembroke is certainly drawn with more boldness than the rest; but, though the dialogue is not altogether wanting in richness or elegance, it is, certainly, on the whole, defective in that dignity necessary to tragedy.

There are some very handsome compliments to British valour, and the attachment of Englishmen to that constitution by which their liberties are secured; and the Address to the audience, with which the piece concluded, was deservedly well received, and contributed considerably to its success.

28. At Drury-Lane Theatre, a new Comedy, called, "THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE," was performed for the first time.

Penruddock, after a retirement from the world of twenty years, becomes suddenly acquainted with the decease of a relation, which leaves him master of an immense fortune-and the creditor of a man who, like Alonzo, in Young's Revenge, from the deputed advocate of his friend's attachment, became himself the suitor,

and at length the husband, of Penruddock's mistress. Twenty years had neither effaced the memory of the wrong, nor destroyed his original affection from the breast of Penruddock. To gratify his revenge, therefore, he returns into society, and after many intermediate circumstances of uncommon interest, which we will not relate, he consents to forget his injuries, resumes his natural benevolence, and completes the happiness of a party he had at first designed to ruin.

There is an under plot interwoven with great ingenuity, which consists of the family of the Tempests; it connects very well with the main subject, and takes little or nothing away from the simplicity or perfection of the drama.

Mr. CUMBERLAND is the author of this Comedy; and it does infinite credit to his GENIUS, his JUDGMENT, and his TASTE.

The stile of the composition comes nearest the Jew, but, in our opinion, the comparison between that comedy and the present is infinitely to the disadvantage of the former. Penruddock, like Sheva, is the hero of the piece, to which every thing else is made exactly subservient, and which embraces the whole subject, directs all the business, puts in motion all the agents, and excites all the interest; it is, in short, the central point, which attracts or impels, as suits best, the purposes it designs to fulfil. We know not whether the author has borrowed the plan for this character, or laid it out himself; if an IMITATION, there has been exquisite skill in the conveyance; if an ORIGINAL, no commendation can be too great. Let either be the case, it is a fine bold character, full of strength and energy, designed with amazing ingenuity, pursued with unabating vigour, and completed with masterly effect.

If CUMBERLAND should write no more, he will have ended his labours with the same spirit he began them; let there be no more idle nonsense about the infirmity of his genius, or the imbecility of his faculties; the character of Penruddock will completely refute all general objections that may be made against him on this

score.

It were impossible to give the reader any just notion of the part:-benevolent, misanthropic, sententious, contemplative; now, thirsting for immediate revenge; then, apostrophizing the long-lost object of his affection. Subdued by the SOFT, and agonized by the FIERCER passions; at one time tender, at another unrelenting, just as the presiding disposition directs.

The whole is, however, so finely implicated, and the interest so forcibly applied, that we do not hesitate to say, it deserves to be ranked with the most admired instances of finished and impressive character.

There is nothing very striking in any of the other personages; Governor Tempest has the impatient good humour of Sir Anthony Absolute. Timothy Weazle is a pert attorney, with more than the usual quantum of professional sincerity. Sydenham is a blunt sentimental man, who does not confine his good intentions merely to theory. Sir David Daw is a Monmouthshire baronet, who has more money than wit, and more impudence than good manners. We should imagine the author meant bere some character in life. We do not, however, feel the force of the satire. If a draught from fancy, the humour does not tell; if modelled from nature, the irony is incomplete.

The ladies are purely sentimental, without a taint of frailty-angels upon earth. In life we have none of these perfect beings; of course there should be none upon the stage. The custom of dramatizing novels introduced this absurdity. It may be an EPIC beauty, but it is certainly a DRAMATIC defect.

The language is beautiful throughout; the sentiments are not trite; there is much solid remark, and some useful information; the progress of the scene is simple and interesting, and the moral unexceptionable.