Before the court I offer up myself A prifoner for it: Load me with thofe irons And choose my dwelling where no fun dares enter, There was yet another incident, which the poet's paffion for business and fpectacle induced him to avail himself of, viz. the funeral of the Marshal; this he displays on the stage, with a train of captains and foldiers following the body of their general: Charalois and Romont, under custody of their jailors, appear as chief mourners, and a party of creditors are concerned in the groupe. After this folemnity is dispatched, the poet proceeds to develop the amiable generofity of old Rochfort, who being touched with the gallant fpirit of Romont, and ftill more penetrated with the filial piety of young Charalois, delivers them both from imprisonment and distress, by difcharging the debts of the Marshal and difmiffing the creditors: This also paffes before the eyes of the fpectators. Before Charalois has given full expreffion to his gratitude for this extraordinary benefaction, Rochfort follows it with a further act of bounty, which he introduces in the stile of a request Call Call in my daughter-Still I have a fuit to you, Would you requite me→→→ This is my only child. Beaumelle, Rochfort's daughter, is presented to Charalois; the fcene is hurried on with a precipitation almoft without example: Charalois afks the lady, Fair Beaumelle, can you love me? Beaumelle. Yes, my lord. Charalois. You need not queflion me if I can you : You are the faire virgin in Dijon, And Rochfort is your father. The match is agreed upon as foon as propofed, and Rochfort haftens away to prepare the cele bration. In this cluster of incidents I must not fail to remark, that the poet introduces young Novall upon the scene, in the very moment when the fhort dialogue above quoted was paffing: This Novall had before been exhibited as a fuitor to Beaumelle, and his vain frivolous character had been displayed in a very ridiculous and contemptible light; he is now again introduced to be a witness of his own difappointment, and his only obfervation upon it is-What's this change?Upon the exit of the father however he addreffes himself to the lady, and her reply gives the alarm ing hint, that makes discovery of the fatal turn which the plot is now about to take; for when Novall turning afide to Beaumelle, by one word -Mistress!-conveys the reproach of inconftancy, the replies, Oh, Servant! Virtue ftrengthen me! Thy prefence blows round my affection's vane : (Exit.) Young Novall is left on the scene with certain followers and dependants, which hang upon his fortune, one of which (Pontalier by name) a. man under deep obligations to him, yet of an ho neft nature, advises him to an honourable renun ciation of all further hopes or attempts to avail himself of the affections of Beaumelle Tho' you have fav'd my life, Refcu'd me often from my wants, I mufi not】 You know my blunt way, and my love to truth: Now you do fee her made another man's. This honourable advice is rejected with contempt: Novall, in whose mean bofom there does not seem a trace of virtue, avows a determined perfeverance; and the poet having in this hafty manner compleated these inauspicious nuptials, clofes the second act of his tragedy. N° LXXXIX. W N. LXXXIX. E have now expended two entire acts of The Fatal Dowry in advancing to that period in the fable, at which the tragedy of The Fair Penitent opens. If the author of this tragedy thought it neceffary to contract Maflinger's plot, and found one upon it of a more regular conftruction, I know not how he could do this any otherwise than by taking up the story at the point where we have now left it, and throwing the antecedent matter into narration; and though these two prefatory acts are full of very affecting incidents, yet the pathos, which properly appertains to the plot and conduces to the catastrophe of the tragedy, does not in strictness take place before the event of the marriage. No critic will say that the pleadings before the judges, the interference of the creditors, the diftreffes of Charalois, or the funeral of the Marshal, are necessary parts of the drama; at the fame time no reader will deny (and neither could Rowe himself overlook) the effect of thefe incidents: He could not fail to foresee that he was to facrifice very much of the intereft of his fable, when he was to throw that upon narration, which his original had given in fpectacle; and the lofs was more enhanced by falling falling upon the hero of the drama; for who that Let this aufpicious day be ever sacred, Let happy lovers ever make it holy, Choose it to bless their hopes and crown their wishes ; The rest of the fcene is employed by him and Horatio alternately in recounting the benefits conferred upon them by the generous Sciolto; and the very fame incident of the feizure of his father's corpfe by the creditors, and his redemption of it, is recited by Horatio VOL. III. T When |