the dialogue proceeds thus between the captive and his conqueror : Muley Moluch. What fhall I do to conquer thee? Souls know no conquerors. M. Mol. I'll fhew thee for a monfter thro' my Africk. Seb. No, thou canst only fhew me for a man: Africk is ftor'd with monsters; man's a prodigy. Thy fubjects have not seen. M. Mol. Thou talk'ft as if Still at the head of battle. Seb. Thou miftak'ft, For there I would not talk. Benducar, the Minifter. Sure he would fleep. This converfation, with the fly remark of the minifter, can only be found not to be comick, because it wants the probability neceffary to reprefentations of common life, and degenerates too much towards buffoonry and farce. The fame play affords a fmart return of the general to the emperor, who, enforcing his orders for the death of Sebastian, vents his impatience in this abrupt threat: -No more replies, But fee thou doft it: Or To which Dorax anfwers, Choak in that threat: I can fay Or as loud. A thousand inftances of fuch impropriety might be produced, were not one scene in Aureng-Zebe fufficient to exemplify it. Indamora, a captive queen, having Aureng-Zebe for her lover, employs Arimant, to to whose charge fhe had been intrusted, and whom she had made fenfible of her charms, to carry a mef fage to his rival. ARIMANT, with a letter in his hand: INDAMORA. Arim. And I the meffenger to him from you? You lay commands, both cruel and unjust, Ind. You first betray'd your truft in loving me: Arim. I'll to the king, and ftrait my trust refign. If 'tis indited, as I meant it, kind. Arim. I afk not heav'n my freedom to restore,- [Reading. But only for your sake· And yet I must. -I'll read no more. Lefs for my own, than for your forrow fad— [Reading. Another line, like this, would make me mad Heav'n! The goes on—yet more————and yet more kind ' Each fentence is a dagger to my mind. See me this night Thank fortune, who did fuch a friend provide ; [As Reading. [Reading, Ind. Unknown t'engage you, ftill augments my store, And gives you scope of meriting the more. Arim. The best of men Some int'reft in their actions must confefs; None merit, but in hope they may poffefs: Than, like Bellerophon, my own fentence bear. Ind. You may; but 'twill not be your best advice: Why should you vainly struggle with your fate? Why am I thus to flavery defign'd, And yet am cheated with a freeborn mind! [She frowns. In this fcene, every circumftance concurs to turn tragedy to farce. The wild abfurdity of the expedient; the contemptible fubjection of the lover; the folly of obliging him to read the letter, only be cause it ought to have been concealed from him; the frequent interruptions of amorous impatience; the faint expoftulations of a voluntary flave; the imperious haughtiness of a tyrant without power; the deep reflection of the yielding rebel upon fate and freewill; and his wife wish to lofe his reafon as foon as he finds himself about to do what he cannot perfuade his reason to approve, are furely fufficient to awaken the moft torpid rifibility. There is fcarce a tragedy of the laft century which has not debased its moft important incidents, and pol luted its most serious interlocutions with buffoonry and meannefs; but though perhaps it cannot be pretended that the prefent age has added much to the force and efficacy of the drama, it has at least been able to escape many faults, which either ignorance had overlooked, or indulgence had licenfed. The later tragedies indeed have faults of another kind, perhaps more deftructive to delight, though less open to cenfure. That perpetual tumour of phrafe with which every thought is now expreffed by every perfonage, the paucity of adventures which regularity admits, and the unvaried equality of flowing dialogue, has taken away from our prefent writers almoft all that dominion over the paffions which was the boast of their predeceffors. Yet they may at leaft claim this commendation, that they avoid grois faults, and that if they cannot often move terror or pity, they are always careful not to provoke laughter. NUMB. 126. SATURDAY, June 1, 1751. -Nihil eft aliud magnum quam multa minuta. VET. AUCT. year. YOUNG. Sands form the mountain, moments make the SIR, A To the RAMBLER. MONG other topicks of converfation which your papers fupply, I was lately engaged in a difcuffion of the character given by Tranquilla of her lover Venuftulus, whom, notwithstanding the severity of his miftrefs, the greater number feemed inclined to acquit of unmanly or culpable timidity. One of the company remarked, that prudence ought to be diftinguished from fear; and that if Ve nuftulus was afraid of nocturnal adventures, no man who confidered how much every avenue of the town was infested with robbers could think him blameable; for why should life be hazarded without profpect of honour or advantage? Another was of opinion, that a brave man might be afraid of croffing the river in the calmeft weather; and declared, that, for his part, while there were coaches and a bridge, he would never be seen tottering in a wooden cafe, out of which he might be thrown by any irregular agitation, or which might be overfet by accident, or negligence, or by the force of a fudden guft, or the rush of a larger veffel. It was his cuftom, he said, to keep the fecurity of day-light, and dry ground, |