have originated with the lady, although Mafkwell was privy to it, and ready for a cue to come in and confirm all, had there been occafion; he proposes to her to say that he was privy to Mellafont's defign, but that he used his utmost endeavours to diffuade him from it; and on the credit he thinks to establish by this proof of his honour and honefty, he grounds another plot, which he keeps as his ultimate and moft fecret resource, that of cheating her [Lady Touchwood] as well as the reft. He now reveals to Mellafont a criminal affignation with Lady Touchwood in her chamber at eight, and proposes to him to come and furprize them together, and then, fays he, it will be hard if you cannot bring her to any conditions.

This appears to me to be a very dangerous experiment, and fcarce within the bounds of nature and probability. If Mafkwell, under cover of the proposal, had in view nothing more than the introduction of Mellafont into Lady Touchwood's bedchamber, there to put them together, and then to bring Lord Touchwood fecretly upon them in the moment of their interview, his contrivance could not have been

better

better laid for the purpose of confirming the impreffion, which that lord had received against his nephew; in which Maskwell had nothing more to do than to apprise the lady of his defign, and the of courfe could have managed the interview to the purposes of the plot, and effectually have compleated the ruin of Mellafont: This, it should feem, would have answered his object compleatly, for he would have rifen upon the ruin of Mellafont, poffeffed himself of Lord Touchwood's favour, bound Lady Touchwood to concealment of his villainy, and been as able to lay his train for the poffef fion of Cynthia, as by any other mode he could chufe for obtaining her; but if he put it to the iffue of a furprize upon Lady Touchwood, when she was not prepared for the management of that furprize, what was he to expect from the introduction of Lord Touchwood, but difcovery and defeat Was it not natural to fuppofe Mellafont would feize the opportunity of reproaching her with her criminality with Maskwell? It was for that very purpofe he brings him thither; he tells him it will be hard if he cannot then bring her to any conditions; and if

this was to pass under the terror of his reproaches, how could Mafkwell fet Lord Touchwood upon liftening to their converfation, and not apprehend for a confequence apparently fo unavoidable? He puts every thing to rifque by propofing to Mellafont to conceal himfelf in Lady Touchwood's bed-chamber, whilst she is in the closet; he then meets Lord Touchwood, appoints him to come to the lobby by the bed-chamber in a quarter of an hour's time; he keeps his affignation with the lady, Mellafont starts from his hiding-place, and Maskwell escapes, but foon returns, fecretly introducing Lord Touchwood to liften to the dialogue be tween his lady and nephew: She accidentally discovers him without his being feen by Mellafont, and turns that accidental difcovery against Mellafont. What a combination of improbabilities is here fortuitoufly thrown together to produce this lucky incident! Could Mafkwell reasonably prefume upon a chance fo beyond expectation? Every thing is made to turn upon the precarious point of a minute: If Lord Touchwood, who was appointed for a quarter of an hour, had anticipated that appointment,

pointment, if Lady Touchwood had been lefs punctual to her affignation, if Mellafont had happened to have dropt one word in his uncle's hearing, charging her with his difcovery, as had been agreed, or if either The had happened not to have seen Lord Touchwood, or Mellafont had feen him; in short, if any one thing had turned up, which ought to have come to pass, or otherwise than it was made to come to pafs by the greatest violence to probability, Mafkwell was inevitably undone: It must be owned he laid, a train for his own deftruction, but ftage incident rescued him; and this, with the lady's adroitnefs, effaces the improbability, when it paffes in reprefentation, and keeps nature out of fight. Had Mellafont told the plain story to hist uncle, after Lady Touchwood had fo unexpectedly turned it against him, it would at leaft have put the plot to rifque, and of this the author feems fo conscious, that he does not fuffer him to attempt a fingle word in his defence; to fave his villain, he is compelled to facrifice his hero.

It is not fufficient to fay that a poet has his characters in his power, and can fashion incidents

VOL. III.

M

incidents according to his own discretion ; he must do no violence to nature and probability for the purposes of his plot.

Maskwell having in this manner escaped with fuccefs, begins next to put in execution his plot for obtaining Cynthia, and this conftitutes the intrigue and catastrophe of the fifth act: His plan is as followsHaving imparted to Lord Touchwood his love for Cynthia by the vehicle of a foliloquy, which is to be overheard by his lordfhip, he propofes to himself to carry off Cynthia to St. Albans with the chaplain in the coach, there to be married; this fhe is to be trepanned into by perfuading her that the chaplain is Mellafont, and Mellafont is brought to co-operate, by a promise that he fhall elope with Cynthia under that disguife, and that the chaplain fhall be made to follow on the day after and then marry him to Cynthia; with this view Mellafont is appointed to meet Maskwell in one chamber, and Cynthia in another; the real chaplain is to be paffed upon the lady for Mellafont, and Mellafont is to be left in the lurch; this plot upon Cynthia Maskwell confides to Lord Touchwood, telling him

there