anfwerable. Her health, by this time, was fo much impaired, that the physicians in Scotland had advised a tour to the south of France, as the only means of recovery. This advice was now adopted. The re-establishment of her health may, in some measure, be attributed to her distance from him, by whom her peace had been invaded; but more especially to the tenderness of a man, who, ftruck with the generofity of her fentiments, and lamenting the languishing and declining state, to which she was reduced, repaid that generofity, and became, instead of a jealous husband, the faithful confidant, the careful adviser, the affectionate comforter; who not only pitied her weakness, but alleged every thing in her favour that could poffibly extenuate it, and reconcile her to herself. He even urged the disparity of their years; he affured her of his perfect forgiveness; and confoled her with the hope, that abfence would effectually eradi cate those fatal impreffions, which had proved fo injurious to her health and her peace. Nor was the hope vain: our heroine conquered thofe impreffions, and recovered her tranquil lity.

After ftaying abroad about a year, Mr. and Mrs. Inchbald returned to England, from whence they had been abfent near five years. They conftantly avoided the gentleman who had nearly proved fatal to their happiness, and continued to live in the most perfect harmony near two years, when Mr. Inchbald's death gave our heroine a new occafion of testifying how much fhe had "ever thought herself obliged to him," by an unaffect who ed concern for his memory, and by a firm regard to a stric vow which she had taken, never again to behold the man, had once defigned the ruin of her peace, and the injury of her husband.

Once more left to herself, her former wishes and her former curiosity returned; and, notwithstanding all the difficulties the had heretofore encountered, the again refolved "to fee a little more of the world,” and again turned her attention to London; and though upon her arrival, fhe immediately obtained a fituation in one of the theatres, fhe, for four long years, experienced little more than poverty, aggravated by perfecution. For fome trifling inattention, or a rejection of fome peculiar ar

ticle required by the manager, but repugnant to her feelings, fhe was one winter expelled the theatre, and obliged to take refuge, under fome hard terms, in Ireland.

Thus oppreffed and unhappy, and living in the most retired manner, our heroine, probably to divert the mind from a too frequent recollection of thefe circumftances, directed her attention to dramatic compofition, in which fhe has fo happily fucceeded, that, whatever cause induced her to 66 woo the mufe," the public have reafon to rejoice in the effect.

It was in the fourth year of Mrs. Inchbald's engagement at Covent-Garden Theatre, that the Mogul Tale was fent to Mr. Colman. This was the first piece which fhe brought upon the tage; though the comedy of I'll tell you what, was written near three years before, and had lain all that time unread, in Mr. Colman's poffeffion. Appearing in a female hand, and fent by an anonymous author, that gentleman probably concluded it unworthy of his perufal. The Mogul Tale was fent in the fame manner; its brevity feems to have been its recommendation for speedy attention; and its fuccefs induced Mrs. Inchbald to remind the manager of her comedy: his reply was, "I'll go home and read it."-He read; he approved; and in the following fummer the town was delighted with the popular piece, to which Mr. Colman gave the name of " I'll tell you what."

Success, they fay, makes people vain; but Mrs. Inchbald's fuccefs feems to have had no other effect, than that of stimulating her to new exertions: and fhe moves in the dramatic hemisphere with the rapidity and the brilliancy of those fascinating fires," that charm, but hurt not." The comedy of I'll tell you what, has been fucceeded by Appearance is against them; The Widow's Vow; Such things are; the Midnight Hour, &c. &c. It is needless to defcant on the merits of compofitions fo well known to the public, and from which they will yet derive much profitable pleasure; for it is the almoft exclufive property of all Mrs. Inchbald's dramatic productions, that their merits rank them in the lift of what are called "ftock plays :" plays which are likely to amufe fucceeding generations. To these works of genius we may also add feveral novels, the fuperior excellence of which over most of such productions, has added fresh laurels to her fame.

The comedy of I'll tell you what, was written at the age of twenty four, and the remainder of the pieces at periods of life. fo remarkably early, that we are naturally reminded of the praise bestowed by Dr. Johnson, on one of the poets: "When it is remembered," he fays, "that this author produced thefe four plays before he had paffed his twenty-fifth year; before other men, even such as are, fome time, to fhine in eminence, have passed their probation of literature, or prefume for any other notice than fuch as is bestowed on diligence and inquiry; I doubt whether any one can be produced, that more surpassed the common limits of nature than he."-The appropriation to Mrs. Inchbald of this striking sentence, and we think that appropriation but mere juftice, redounds more to her honour, than any praise immediately directed to herfelf. And were we even to diveft her writings of all that popularity and fashion, which have fo fortunately attended them, still it must. be acknowledged, and her works evidently prove, that she has more than accomplished the defire which firft led her from home fhe has not only "feen the world," but largely contributed to its entertainment and instruction.

We cannot conclude, without obferving, that the heroine of thefe memoirs continues, as far as the bufinefs of the theatre will permit, to live much retired; her friends are few, and felected. To ftrangers, indeed, her deportment is by no means conciliating; and the feems very cautious in adding to the lift of her acquaintance. Afperity, or ill-will in others, she never endeavours to footh by gentleness; ridicule and pointed fatire are the weapons, with which fhe retaliates, and fometimes ren, ders "falfe friends" implacable enemies. But her attachments being once formed, her friendship is unreferved, fincere and constant; and though her heart and her purfe are ever open to the complaints and the wants of the unfortunate, yet amongst the first of her virtues, is that of a refined delicacy to avoid making connexions, which might lay her under a neceffity of receiving obligations: laudably preferring to every other mode of acquifition the emoluments arifing from the exertions of that genius, which is calculated to delight and to instruct mankind.

FOR THE MONTHLY ANTHOLOGY.

THE following Romance is from the Latin original of J. BARCLAY, who, at the beginning of the seventeenth century, was accounted one of the most eminent poets and miscellaneous writers in France. The tranflator, after diligent and repeated inquiries, has not yet learned, that it has ever before appeared in the English language. He confidently hopes, that they, who can be pleafed by profpects of human nature in the luminous fcenes of fiction, without strictly referring to the manners and fentiments of the prefent day, will here find much valuable amufement. That he may escape the imputation of arrogance, or vanity, in recommending a work, which has been fo long neglected, he would direct the reader to the remarks of a late and venerated author. "I lately," fays Cowper in a letter to one of his learned friends, " finished the perufal of a book, which in former years I have more than once attacked, but never till now conquered; fome other book always interfered, before I could finish it. The work I mean is Barclay's Argenis, and if ever you allow yourself to read for mere amusement, I can recommend it to you (provided you have not already perused it) as the most amufing romance that ever was written. It is the only one indeed of an old date that I ever had the patience to go through with. It is interefting in a high degree; richer in incident than can be imagined, full of furprises, which the reader never foreftalls, and yet free from all entanglement and confufion."

ARGENIS:

A MORAL AND POLITICAL ROMANCE.

BOOK I.

BEFORE Rome had gained the reverence of the world, ere the Tyber had become fovereign of the ocean, at the coast of Sicily, where the feas embofom the Gela, a foreign fhip difembarked a young man of majestic form and demeanour. While fer

vants, aided by failors, were conveying to the shore the horses and military habiliments of their mafter; he, unaccustomed to failing, had reclined on the beach, and by a deep fleep fought to compofe his head, which ftill repeated the giddy motions of the water.

He had not remained long in reft, before his imagination was affrighted by a loud fhriek, which, prefently advancing, diffipated his oblivious repofe with horror. In fight was a thin, but extenfive foreft, in which, under the obfcurity of fhrubs and brambles, numerous hillocks had been raised, that seemingly dif covered fome infidious defign. Hence a woman fuddenly rushed into the plain: her vifage was yet eminently beautiful; though her eyes were reddened with weeping, and her long, dishevelled hair, waving in the wind, gave her a terrific appearance. Her horfe, though prompted both with blows and her fhrieking, which was scarcely more gentle than that of a Theban fury, could not gain fufficient fpeed in his flight. The regard, due to her fex, and the vehemence of her exclamations at once excited in the mind of the young man, something more, than a defire to favour the diftreffed; this incident occurring at his first arrival in this ifland, he likewife viewed as a fignificant omen.

When her speech became intelligible, fhe thus boldly address ed him: "If your heart glows with valiant ardour, whoever you be, come forth the defender of Sicily, whose bravest hero is now furrounded by lawless villains. The inftant danger does not allow me a long fupplication; nor can I easily suffer your denial of affistance to Poliarchus, whom, not far hence, a fierce troop of banditti have unexpectedly affaulted. Amid their tumult I fled, and have firft found you, opportunely perhaps both for his fafety and your own glory. Them alfo," fhe continnes, pointing at her attendants, who had just come up, "either by command, or perfuafion, call forth to deeds of confpicuous fidelity." While fhe uttered this addrefs with frantic attitudes and interrupting fighs, he gave a heedful look to his fword and helmet; and having ordered for preparation, he thus replied; "I, O lady, have lately come as a stranger into Sicily. I muft confefs, that even the name of Poliarchus has to me been hitherto unknown. But I will attribute the benefit to aufpicious