careful in future, runs the whole town over next morning for fresh information, and in the evening again enjoys the fatisfaction of being-laughed at for his pains.

This infatiable thirft after foreign intelligence operates with increafed force during a War, when the mind is more heated with political conteft, and when the fluctuating events of war may in fome degree excufe the ferment they create. At fuch a period, when cur brows are "bound with victorious wreaths," and the loyal Englishman fhews his abhorrence of French principles by throwing combuftibles into his neighbour's houfe; not only martial habits are affumed, but martial phrafes are incorporated into the language to evince our warmth in the common caufe. In a bargain I lately had occafion to make with my Fruiterer, inftead of afking me as utual whether I had made up my mind, he laconically demanded my ultimatum; a d a letter I received from a Grazier laft week difcarded the old fashioned conclufion of Your humble fervant, and in its tead begged me to accept his affurances of high confideration. Mr. Drawl, of Lloyd's coffee houfe, in making an award between two persons who were fick of a tedious law-fuit, called them belligerent powers, and awarded that each party fhould be placed in the fatus ante bellum, having previously informed one of them that he came to him on the part of the other with full powers to negociate a peace. If new words were the only innovation to be complained of, perhaps the misfortune would not be great; but unluckily new words create in many minds an inclination to dive into their original meaning, and thus men are led into the mazes of political difquifition, and dwell with eagernefs upon foreign events, to the utter deftruction of their domeftic comfeits.

I hall conclude the prefent Number with fome extracts from an odd kind of Diary, which feems to have been kept by fome perfon who has adopted the military language, but at the fame time appears to contider it a felly to pry into foreign battles and lieges, when our na tive country can exhibit fo many remarkable and interesting occurrences:

Bond freet.-Yeterd y, about half past three o'cl ck, a prefs-gang feized two men habited in trowlers and check fhirts and neck cloths. They toutly denied belonging to the fleet, and wore many oaths, which ftrengthened the ful

picion against them. Being carried before a Justice, and unable to prove by what means they gained a livelihood, the trowfers, check fhirts, and neck. cloths were deemed conclufive, and they were triumphantly carried away by the prefs gang.

Coachmakers Hall.-Yefterday afternoon, Patrick Puzzlebrain, Eiq Citizen and Scap-boiler, accompanied by a numerous train of light-headed infantry, proceeded to take pofielfion of our roftrum, which (having nobody to oppose him) he valiantly effected, and forthwith gave out for the evening's debate "Devil or no Devil?" The fubject was very ably treated by many Gentlemen of profound erudition and great natural talents. Mr. Slafh, whom fortune, envious of his rifing abilities, had condemned to the humble occupation of a Surgeon's pupil, evinced great wildom in the courfe of the debate; and, having clearly demonftrated the non existence of a Devil, he proceeded, by a natural gradation, to prove the non-exiftence of the Soul, which he threwdly demonftrated by obferving that he had diffected every pait of the human body, and could find no cavity adapted to receiving it. The whole affembly applauded the ingenuity of the observation; but, in the midst of their theological purfuits, his Satannic Majefty, enraged that his old friends fhould prefume to annihilate him without his content, founded the alarm to the Magiftrate, who immediately made his appearance, furrounded by his staff offcers, and the whole gang of Reformers were lodged in the Poultry Compter." White Conduit Houle.. The inha

bitants of this place were last week put into confiderable alarm by the return of Captain Cormorant, Deputy of the Ward of Guzzledown, and Commander in Chief of a Volunteer Corps. He appeared inclined to form the fort, but a heavy fhower of rain compelled him to retreat in fine diforder. It feems, the Governor of this place, upon a former occafion, admitted the faid Captain with his men into the garrifon, upon the expreis condition, that nothing fhould be devoured till paid for. With this condition Captain Cormorant feemingly complied, but treacherously, upon a fignal given, the drum beat to arms, and the whole corps inftantly proceeded to plunder the defencelets garrifon. The miners worked

their

way into the cellar; the Grenadiers feized the upper apartments; while the rifle-men took the larder by ftorm, and a whole

Thefe marks are falfe dates; for 'tis an ordinary thing for impoftors, that are generally ignorant, to date a book after the death of the Author to whom they afcribe it, &c.--Opinions that were not maintained till a long time after the Author whofe name it bears-terms made ufe of not customary till after his deatherrors, as extant in his time, that did not fpring up till afterwards-ceremonies,

rites, and cuftoms, that were not in ufe in his time-cr when he treats of matters that were never fpoken of in the time when the real Author was alive."Thefe rules, it is apparant, were not adhered to by the Editor of Hermes Trismegiftus, who could not know any thing of the jargon of Platonick Chrif tianity, "fome hundreds of years before Mofes wrote."

P. CORNEILLE.

many ages.

To his genius alone he owed his productions, and their fuccefs.

He was obliged to invent his pieces, to form actors, and to create an audience. He preceded the fplendid age of Louis XIV. which, but for him, would perhaps never have exifted.

In Richelieu he firit found a patron, and afterwards a rival. But the Minister was always obliged to do homage to the Writer. His works extorted admiration, and his perfon efteem.

Corneille lived and died poor, because genius, which produces wonders of excellence, knows not how to folicit pen. Lions. He had however a penfion, without asking for it, and which, but for Defpreaux, he would have loft by a court intrigue.

It is perhaps to the tragedies of Corneille that revolution is to be afcribed, which regenerated the minds of the French; that republic fermentation, which at the death of Louis XIII. had nearly changed the face of the kingdom. Corneille poffelled that great character which does not always accompany emiment talents, but which is the feal stamped by nature on the man of genius.

Potterity has not yet decided between Cinna, Policute, Le Cid, Rodogune, and

of Corneille.

In Nicomede he created a fpecies of dramatic writing in which he has had no imitators.

It was referved for this great man to be the father of both fpecies of dramatic compofition, and the fame hand which wrote La Mort de Pompée wrote alfo Le Menteur.

The Menteur is the first piece of characer that appeared in France, and the only comedy before Moliere entitled to a continuance of the public efteem.

Corneille was fometimes the friend of the great, but never their fave. He could resist Cardinal Richeljeu, who made Europe tremble. Power fhrinks before genius.

Corneille is the only writer who obtained with univerfal confent the furname of Great, a title that had before been conferred folely on princes and heroes.

All the audience rofe up when Corneille, loaded with years and with glory, entered the theatre, and the great Condé himfelf did homage to the Author of Cinna.

He lived to a confiderable age without furviving his talents, and in his laft works we frequently perceive the fame flathes of genius which blaze forth in his firit.

He was modeft, fimple, true. If he had the conscioufnefs of his ability, he betrayed at least nothing of the pride of

it.

The town of Rouen, which has given birth to fo many illuftrious characters, glories

glories particularly in having produced Corneille. It is honour enough for it, and with this circumftance we conclude our eulogium.

RACINE.

RACINE was one of the first ornaments of the most fplendid age of the universe.

The faithful adorer of the ancients, he learned in their fchool to fubjugate the admitation of the moderns.

No perfon knew better than Racine all the labyrinths of the human heart. Its impenetrable folds were like a book always open to his view. He could touch the fineft feelings with a delicacy peculiar to himself, and thofe who have fince attempted to imitate him in this refect have only displayed his fuperiority in more friking colours.

Racine does not lay hold of the heart at once; he infinuates himself by degrees ; but once established there, he reigns omnipotent.

Before Racine, we knew nothing of thofe fweet emotions, thofe delicious cords of fenfibility on which he played; we fhed no real tears over imaginary miffortunes.

The heroes whom he paints are in a manner like curfelves. We are intereted warmly in their fate; they become our fathers, our brothers, our friends; we participate in all the lentiments they experience.

Racine paints with equal fuperiority the rage of love and the workings of ambition, paternal tenderness, and the tor. ments of jealousy, the fimplicity and candour of infancy, and the magnanimity of heroism; all the paffions are at his commard; nothing is beyond his genius.

It is not in reading Racine that we perceive the weakness and fterility of the French language. Nothing equals the harmony of his verfes, unless it be the juftnefs of his thoughts.

It is not by a multiplicity of events, by theatrical trick, or by the number of his perfonages, that he pleafes and interefts us. Action is the foul of tragedies in general; the genius of Racine could do without it. It is not the intereft of curiosity that prevails in his pieces; we enjoy the pretent without thinking of the future; we wish to dwell on every fcene, and we lament the rapidity of time.

Of all the tragedies that have appeared on the ftage, that of Berenice has perhaps the, least action; and who will fay that it is not one of the most interesting.

Racine is perhaps the only dramatic author who gains by being read, becaufe the ftage, while it hides the defects of ftyle, prevents at the fame time many beauties from being difcovered.

The mind of Racine was mild, gentle, and fenfible, yet he had from his infancy a tafte for epigram, and it required fome effort to give his genius a different turn.

I pity thofe who do not relith Racine; they are barbarians unworthy the name of men of letters.

Racine has fecured to the French theatre a fuperiority which all nations acknowledge, and which they dare not conteft.

The refpe&t which Racine entertained for the Ancients proves how worthy he was of being added to their number.

There is more philofophy in one tragedy of Racine than in all the works of our modern reformers, who have dared to accufe him of want of philofophy.

Louis XIV. gave a proof of his judg. ment in continuing to encourage Racine; and he thus honoured that talent which gave the greatest luftre to his reign.

Some verles of Britannicus were a leffon to the Monarch, and caused him to facrifice one of his fondet propenûties We know not which to admire most in this, the docility of the Sovereign, or the courage of the poet.

Racine, fought after, honoured, entertained by the first perfonages of the age, preferred the fociety of his friends to that of the great. He refused an entertainment at the great Condé's, to dine on a carp with his family; an anecdote that proves the goodness of his heart, and is not unworthy of a place in his history.

Defpreaux taught Racine with difficulty to make eaty veries; he was his conftant admirer and friend, and said that his Abalie, though it had no fuccels at Court, was his belt work.

Corneille quarrelled with Racine for one line of the comedy of the Plaideurs, a circumstance not at all to his honour.

Moliere, La Fontaine, and Defpreaux were the conftant friends of Racine; they polifhed their talents together, and per fected their works by the mutual feverity of their criticifins.

Racine ceafed to write for the theatre at the age of thirty eight years. There were twelve years between his Phedre and his Eftber; and when we reflect, that in this space of time he produced fix coef a'œuvres, we cannot but deteft the envy of those who fow with bitterness the career of genius.

We