affwage; and being willing to live as long as he could without pain, he difcontinued taking any medicines for upwards of a week before his death, and during this period he was in very good spirits. The day before he died he drank a bottle of claret, and being fenfible of his approaching end, he faid, "He could wish that the laft tragic fcene were over, though he was in hopes he should be able to go through it with becoming dignity." He was not mistaken, and departed this life on Tuefday the 21st of January 1766, about four o'clock in the morning, in the feventy-third year of his age.'

We fhould have expected, from a man of Mr. Quin's difpo fition, fomething whimfical and humorous in the form and expreffions of his will, as he made it whilft he was in good health, and enjoyed his usual spirits; yet in the testament annexed to this performance, and which we believe to be authentic, the following item is the only one out of the common road. " Item, I give and bequeath, as by a very foolish promife, to Daniel Leckie, my gold repeating watch, chain and feals."

We cannot dismiss this article without reproving the author for his feverity upon the late Mr. Rich, and think he might have been more fparing of his ill-natured reflections upon Mr. D. master of the ceremonies at Bath, and some other living perfons whom he treats very cavalierly.

XII. The Faithful Fugitives or Adventures of Mifs Terefa In a Series of Letters to a Friend, 12mo. Pr. 35.

M

Vernor.

VERY modern novel that is published seems to threaten

s;

devoid of the utile or the dulci.-We either travel through a barbarous uncultivated foil, where the unpolished inhabitants are so ignorant and uncivilized, that they compel every accidental paffenger to blush at their indecency and folly; or else we are whirled into the regions of improbability and extravagance, where every incident is fupernatural, and every character ridiculous.

The performance before us partakes more of the latter than the former fpecies. The heroine of the ftory is the daughter of a clergyman, defcended from an honourable and ancient, thought not a wealthy family in Wales; her mother was the daughter of a rich Weft India merchant, who was so disobliged with her choice of a confort, that from the day they were joined he would never confent to fee his child. Mifs Terefa's education was the principal care of her parents; but before this could be

far

far advanced, her mother died, and her father did not long furvive her, configning his daughter to the care of his fifter, who behaved very well to her till she was about fixteen, when the heir of Sir James Lovell, a neighbouring baronet of great eftate, fecretly pays his addresses to her coufin; but finding Teresa more to his mind, he changes the object of his passion, and our heroine's heart is fympathetically affected with Mr. Lovell. Her aunt having discovered the reason of her daughter's being flighted, avenges her cause upon Teresa, and at length thinking there can be no practicability of effectually deftroying this rivalship but by Terefa's deftruction; introduces a lover to her niece, who upon the second vifit attempts her virtue, which is most critically preferved by Mr. Lovell's appearance. She is now perfuaded to quit her aunt, and places fo much confidence in her lover, as to elope with him; he very generously offers her his hand, which, notwithstanding the violence of her paffion, the most heroically refuses, though the has no other fubfiftence than what he procures her, and is entirely at his mercy. Mr. Lovell, nevertheless, places her with lady Sewel, one of his acquaintances, who becomes jealous of her, and turns her out of doors: fhe is hired as a fervant by a dowager, who proves to be lord Clarey's mother, the very perfon who had declared a paffion for her at lady Sewel's, and thereby given her ladyship umbrage. He contrives to get her to his country retreat, where his fervants are fubfervient to his defigns, lord Clarey being depicted a moft infamous and profligate rake, who sticks at nothing to gratify his brutal passions. Here he makes a thoufand proteftations of his fincerity and love; but she rejecting all his propofals, he ftabs himself, is given over, and she waits upon him at his request when he is just expiring-but, ftrange to tell, the wound was imaginary, and his lordship having got her in his poffeffion, he is upon the very brink of ravishing her, when the house takes fire, and her honour is once more miraculously preferved. Having escaped out of the window from his lordfhip and the flames, she travels on foot, and meets with a gentleman who is well acquainted with her lover, and gets into very good company again, upon a genteel footing. Her lover, in the mean while, ferves a campaign in Germany, is taken prifoner, carried to France, fights a duel, his antagonist kills himself, after being disarmed, and comes alive again; and now the lovers meet, but then it is only to part, or else the story would end: for when they are going to be very happy, Terefa is informed that Mr. Lovell is betrothed to another, and that she has a child by him; whereupon, without having any eclairciffement from him, fhe flies away to the Eaft Indies; has a fond admirer killed at Bombay

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by an imaginary rival; meets Mr. Lovell at the Cape of Good Hope amongst the Hottentots; returns to England without being married, though his father is now reconciled to the match, and she has a fortune left her that puts her upon a level with Mr. Lovell. The evening before their intended nuptials, he meets with Lord Clarey; they fight, his lordship is wounded, and away flies Lovell to France; the ship is caft away; he is taken up by a Portuguese trader, and carried to Lisbon, when a lady falls in love with him, and because he will not marry her, the lady's coufin calls him to account; the kinfman is wounded, and Lovel thrown into prifon, from whence he is releafed only to be conveyed to a dungeon for speaking ill of the holy office; however, he at length obtains his liberty, comes to England and they are married,-which perhaps the reader may imagine might have been as well performed at firft fetting off, without either of the lovers having travelled fo far and met with so many perplexities,- -but then what would have become of the author and his two hundred and thirtyLeven pages?

To point out all the extravagant improbabilities of this narration, would require almost as many pages as the author has taken to relate it; we cannot, however, help asking him, how could he venture his heroine to vifit lord Clarey, when he was poisoned by mistake, after the marvellous escape she had from him, when nothing but the conflagration of his houfe could fave her? Such miracles are not wrought every day, and the story of the poison might have been equally an impofition with that of the wound.

We muft, however, acknowledge that this furprising narrative is written in a better ftile than the generality of modern novels, though we think it by far too inflated to flow from a female pen in an epiftolary correfpondence.

XIII. The Clandeftine Marriage, a Comedy. As it is acted at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane. By George Colman and David Garrick. 8vo. Pr. 4s. 6d. Baldwin.

T

HE plan of this play is very simple; and the fable, we have reafon to believe, has been really acted in more private families than one. A young gentleman (Lovewell) bred to trade under a city merchant (Sterling), falls in love with, and fecretly marries, an amiable young lady (Fanny), Sterling's youngest daughter, while a treaty of marriage is on foot, and on the point of being confummated, between her elder fifter and Sir John Melvil, a near relation to Lord Ogleby, a nobleman

I

nobleman whose natural parts and virtues are obfcured by fashionable affectation and felf-conceit, kept alive by the breath of adulation. The intended union between Sir John Melvil and Mifs Sterling is profeffedly a match of intereft, old Sterling engaging to give her eighty thousand pounds for her portion, that his blood might be inoculated into a noble family; and three lawyers arrive at his country-feat in order to fettle the writings. Affection was the only inducement of Fanny and Lovewell for entering into the connubial bond: and, on the opening of the piece, certain reasons are hinted for divulging their marriage, left confequences fhould unfeasonably difcover it. Lovewell refolves to impart the fecret to his friend Sir John Melvil; which that gentleman prevents by previously acquainting him, in confidence, that he is in love with Miss Fanny, and infinuating that she does not think unfavourably of his perfon; at the fame time he defires Lovewell to acquaint her with his paffion, and tell her that he is determined to ask her in marriage from her father, inftead of her elder fifter. Mifs Fanny and Sir John have an interview, in which they are furprized by Mifs Sterling, juft as the inamorato is kiffing Fanny's hand, fhe endeavouring to break from him. Confequences, eafily imagined, attend this discovery. Sir John, in the mean time, at a conference with Sterling, folicits to have Fanny in marriage, on condition of taking her with thirty thousand pounds less than had been stipulated for her elder fifter: to this Sterling confents, provided the change is agreed to by his fifter (Mrs. Heidelberg), a widow lady, upon whofe vaft fortune he has great dependance; but when the matter is opened to her, The obftinately refufes her affent to Sir John's defire. Upon this, he and old Sterling agree to apply to lord Ogleby, (for whofe high quality Mrs. Heidelberg entertains a profound refpect) for his intereft in favour of their scheme; but Mrs. Heidelberg, to over-turn it entirely, refolves to fend Fanny to town next morning. Lord Ogleby protefts against that measure, and is flattered by a Swifs dependant that Fanny is in love with him.

In fine, Lovewell and Fanny resolve that, if poffible, fhe shall make lord Ogleby their friend, and engage him to divulge the fecret. In confequence of this refolution, Fanny accofts him; but her difcourfe and manner are fo ambiguous, that they confirm his lordship in the opinion that she is in love with him; and, as fhe is not fufficiently explicit, but refers him to Lovewell, this ftrengthens his belief into certainty; he accordingly proposes himself as a match for Fanny, to which her father agrees. The diftrefs and confufion occafioned by this miftake and propofal of lord Ogleby, is confiderably heightened

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by his lordship's acquainting Lovewell with his intended marriage, just at the time when Sir John Melvil applies to him for leave to pay his addresses to Fanny, and to engage Mrs. Heidełberg to favour them.

The last act discovers Mrs. Heidelberg and Mifs Sterling fe creted in a gallery that leads to feveral rooms, particularly that of Miss Fanny, with whom they are very positive Sir John is shut up. Several complicated scenes follow, and old Sterling is called out of bed, that he may be witness to his daughter's fhame. The uproar brings lord Ogleby and the lawyers into the fame gal lery; and, whilft they are preparing to unlock Fanny's door, Sir John Melvil joins their company. Soon after, Fanny and Lovewell come out of the fuspected chamber, to the amazement of the whole company, and declare that they have been married four months. His lordship, who is poffeffed of a good heart, notwithstanding he has many failings, efpouses their cause, and perfuades the father to forgive them; which Mrs. Heidelberg likewife does, because the girl is ruined.

The characters in this play are as common (and therefore juft) as its plan is fimple. The authors have stuck to living manners, which, excepting, perhaps, in the character of lord Ogleby, they have not attempted to heighten. The Swiss toadeater, Canton, is admirably well drawn. His fycophantry is of an uncommon fpecies, and but lately imported. We vifit few country-houses of merchants grown rich by trade, without either native or acquired elegance of manners, but we meet with a Sterling, who mistakes fashion for taste and expence for magnificence. Mrs. Heidelberg's affectation, purse-pride, and paffion for nobility, are familiar to our eyes; but we think the authors might have exhibited them to much more advantage in a race of mortals on the other fide of the Atlantic, than in the perfon of a Dutch merchant's widow. Sir John Melvil is one of thofe beings we are daily converfant with, and who, by having no character at all but what is attached to their fortune and title, are welcome companions and easy friends among the pofite and great. We have not seen in modern comedy a more juft exhibition of real manners than in the scene where Sir John perfuades Sterling to give him his younger daughter. It is one of thofe Terentian converfation-pieces which is indebted neither to wit, humour, or accident, but to a clofe obfervation of human nature. Mifs Sterling is at once indifferent, proud, paffonate, and vindictive. Fanny is an amiable, and Lovewell a worthy, character, but without any ftrong markings. All the inferior characters are drawn with great truth, but efpecially that of Betty, Fanny's maid. As to the lawyers, they fhall fpeak for themselves in the following detached fcene :

A ball.