Vestibulum ante ipsum, primisque in faucibus Orci,
Luctus, et ultrices posuere cubilia Cure;
Pallentesque habitant Morbi, triflisque Senectus,
Et Metus, et malesuada Fames, et turpis Egestas,
Terribiles vifu forma; Lethumque, Laborque;
Tum confanguineus Lethi Sopor, et mala mentis
Gaudia, mortiferumque adverso in limine Bellum,
Ferreique Eumenidum thalami, et Difcordia demens
Vipereum crinem vittis innexa cruentis.

(VIRGIL.)

Just in the gates, and in the jaws of Hell,
Revengeful Cares and fullen Sorrows dwell,
And pale Diseases, and repining Age;
Want, Fear, and Famine's unrefified rage;
Here Toils, and Death, and Death's half-brother, Sleep,
Forms terrible to view, their centry keep;

With anxious Pleasures of a guilty mind,
Deep Frauds before, and open Force behind :
The Furies iron beds, and Strife that shakes
Her bissing treffes, and unfolds her snakes.

(DRYDEN.)

Protinus infernas ad limina tetra forores
Concilium deforme vocat ; glomerantur in unum
Innumera peftes Erebi, quascunque finiftro
Nox genuit fæta: Nutrix Difcordia belli ;
Imperiofa Fames; leto vicina Senectus;
Impatiensque fui Morbus; Livorque fecundis
Anxius, et scisso Mærens velamine Luctus,
Et Timor, et caco præceps Audacia vultu ;

Et luxus populator opum; cui femper adhærens
Infelix bumili greffu comitatur Egestas;
Fadaque Avaritiæ complexa pectora matris
Infomnes longo veniunt examine Cura.

:

(CLAUDIAN.)

"The infernal council, at Alecto's call
" Conven'd, assemble in the Stygian hall;
"Myriads of ghaftly plagues, that shun the light,
" Daughters of Erebus and gloomy Night :
"Strife war-compelling; Famine's wasting rage;

" And Death just hovering o'er decrepid Age;

" Restless Disease, and self-dishevell'd Woe,

"Rashness, and Fear, and Poverty, that steal's " Close as his thadow at the Spendthrift's heels; " And Cares, that clinging to the Miser's breast, "Forbid his fordid foul to taste of reff."

The productions of the human genius will borrow their complexion from the times in which they originate. Ben Jonson says, that the players often mentioned it as an honour to Shakespear, that in his writing (whatsoever-be penned) he never blotted out a line. My answer bath been (adds he) Would he had blotted out a thousand! which they thought a malevolent speech. I had not told pofterity this, but for their ignorance, who chose that circumstance to commend their friend by, wherein he most faulted; and to justify mine own candour, for I loved the man, and do honour his memory on this fide idolatry as much as any: He was indeed honest, and of an open and free nature; had an excellent phantasie, brave notions and gentle expreffions, wherein he flowed with that facility, that fometime it was necessary he should be stopped; Sufflaminandus erat, as Augustus faid of Haterius: His wit was in his own power; would the rule of it had been so too!

I think there can be no doubt but this kind of indignant negligence with which Shakespear wrote, was greatly owing to the flight confi deration he had for his audience. Jonfon treated them with the dictatorial haughtiness of a pedant; Shakespear with the careleffness of a gentleman who wrote at his ease, and gave them the first flowings of his fancy with out any dread of their correction. These were times in which the poet indulged his genius without restraint; he stood alone and fupereminent, and wanted no artificial scaffold to raise him above the heads of his contemporaries; he was natural, lofty, careless, and daringly incorrect. Place the same man in other times, amongst a people polished almost into general equality, and he shall begin to hefitate and retract his fallies; for in this respect poetical are like military excursions, and it makes a wide difference

Q4

difference in the movements of a skilful general, whether he is to fally into a country defended by well-disciplined troops, or only by an irregular mob of unarmed barbarians. Shakespear might vault his Pegasus without a rein; mountains might rise and feas roll in vain before him; Nature herself could neither stop nor circumscribe his career.

The modern man of verse mounts with the precaution of a riding-master, and prances round his little circle full-bitted and caparisoned in all the formality of a review. Whilft he is thus pacing and piaffering with every body's eyes upon him, his friends are calling out every now and then - "Seat your"self firm in the faddle! Hold your body "straight! Keep your spurs from his fides for "fear he fets a kicking! Have a care he does "not stumble; there lies a stone, here runs a "ditch; keep your whip still, and depend upon

your bit, if you have not a mind to break your neck!"-On the other quarter his enemies are bawling out - "How like a taylor "that fellow fits on horseback! Look at his "feet, look at his arms! Set the curs upon "him; tie a cracker to his horse's tail, and "make sport for the spectators!" - All this while perhaps the poor devil could have performed paffably well, if it were not for the

mobbing mobbing and hallooing about him: Whereas Shakespear mounts without fear, and starting in the jockey-phrase at score, cries out, " Stand " clear, ye fons of earth! or, by the beams of my "father Apollo, I'll ride over you, and trample "you into dust!"

I

N° LXXXV.

a

WAS in company the other day with young gentleman, who had newly succeeded to a confiderable estate, and was a good deal ftruck with the conversation of an elderly person present, who was very deliberately casting up the several demands that the community at large had upon his property. -" Are you aware," says he, "how small a portion of your revenue will "properly remain to yourself, when you have "satisfied all the claims which you must pay to "society and your country for living amongst us "and supporting the character of what is called "a landed gentleman? Part of your income "will be stopt for the maintenance of them who "have none, under the denomination of poorrates; this may be called a fine upon the par" tiality