or three, they were all nearly of the fame fize, and what the antients, it is fuppofed, would have called quadrantes, tranflated in fome places of the New Teftament a farthing.

On Saturday laft a duel was fought at Berwick upon Tweed, between two gentlemen, the one a lieutenant in the navy, the other late a furgeon's mate in Germany, which terminated by the latter receiving à flight wound in one of his arms.

MONDAY, April-23.

This day fome custom house officers went on board a large Kentish hoy, loaded with corn, where they found concealed half a ton of tea, which they feized, and put the broad arrow upon the vessel, which is forfeited.

St. James's, April 23. A chapter of the moft noble order of the Garter having been fummoned to meet this day, the knights companions, with the officers of the order hereafter mentioned, all in their mantles, attended the fovereign in his own apartment; and being called over by Garter king of arms, a proceffion was made from thence to the great council chamber, in the following order:

Earl of Bute,

Earl of Cardigan, Earl of Lincoln, Duke of Bedford,

Duke of Leeds,

His royal highnefs prince William, Black Rod-The Deputy Register-Garter The Chancellor of the order,

The SOVEREIGN. The fovereign and knights companions being feated, the chancellor fignified to the chapter, the fovereign's pleasure for filling up the two vacant ftails.

The knights companions then proceeded to election; and the fuffrages being collected by the chancellor, and prefented to the fovereign, his ferene highnefs the duke of Mecklenburgh-Strelitz was declared duly

elected.

Garter and Black Rod were then fent to introduce the earl of Halifax, who being knighted by his majefty, with the sword of ftate, withdrew.

The chapter then proceeded to the other election, and the earl of Halifax was declared duly elected. His lordship was thereupon received at the door of the chapter room by the two junior knights compa nions, and conducted between them to the fovereign; being preceded by Garter King

of Arms, bearing the enfigns on a cushion, and Black Rod.

Garter prefenting the garter to the fovereign, his majesty delivered it to the two fenior knights, who buckled it upon his lordship's left leg, the chancellor reading the admonition.

Garter then prefented the ribbon with the George; and his lordship kneeling down, the fovereign, with the affiftance of the two knights, put it over his shoulder, the chancellor in the mean time pronouncing the admonition; and having kiffed his majefty's hand, and feverally faluted all the knights present, he withdrew.

Garter then calling over the knights, a proceffion was made back to his majesty's clofet, in the fame order it came from thence.

WEDNESDAY, April 25.

Since the return of his Pruffian majesty to Berlin, it is reported, that the emprefsqueen has caused all the perfons to be delivered up, who, during the war, conspired against the king's facred person; in confequence of which, the baron de Warkotsch, who was at the head of that infamous defign, has been carried to Breslau.

THURSDAY, April 26.

This being the birth-day of his royal highnefs the duke of Cumberland, who en ters into the forty-fourth year of his age, their majefties received the compliments of the nobility, foreign ministers, and gentry, at St. James's, on the occasion.

SATURDAY, April 28.

Laft Wednesday-night, about half an hour past eight o'clock, a girl with a bandbox in her hand, was attacked by a fellow under the dead wall near Whitehall-gate, who wanted her to go along with him, but was refufed; upon which he feized her, and fwore if she did not give him her band-box quietly, he would ftab her, which made the girl fhriek very much; he immediately drew out a long knife, and aimed it at her breaft, which went through her cloak, the fleeve of her gown, and into her stays, but providentially did not enter her breast. In the interim two gentlemen came up, which the villain perceiving, made off as fast as he could run, without his booty; he was followed by the gentlemen, but without fuccefs. is defcribed to be a tall, thin man, wears his own hair, which hangs loose about his ears, and had on fhabby dark-coloured cloaths.

He

Andrews. From Mr. Oliver's care he was removed to Eton fchool, where he had the advantage of being early known to Lord Lyttelton, Mr. Fox, Mr. Pitt, Sir Chailes Hanbury Williams, the late Mr. Winnington, &c. At this great feminary of education he gave diftinguishing proofs of strong and peculiar parts; and when he left the place, he was faid to be uncommonly verfed in the Greek authors, and an early mafter of the Latin claffics: for both which he retained a strong admiration in all the fubfequent paffages of his life. Thus accomplished he went from Eton to Leyden, and there continued to fhew an eager thirft for knowlege, and to study the Civilians with a remarkable application for about two years, when, remittances failing, he was obliged to return to London, not then quite twenty years old.

It is to be lamented that an excellent course of education was thus interrupted, as there is no manner of doubt but with fuch excellent endowments from nature, as he certainly poffeffed, he might, by a continuance at a feat of learning, have laid in a much ampler ftore of knowlege, and have given fuch a complete improvement to his talents, as might afterwards have fhone forth with ftill greater luftre in his writings; not to mention that in a longer and more regular courfe of study, he might have imbibed fuch deep impreffions of an early virtue, as would have made him lefs acceffible afterwards to thofe allurements of pleasure, which, though they could not fupprefs the exertion of his genius, yet retarded its true vigour, and, like clouds around the fun, made it seem to struggle with oppofing difficulties, instead of

throwing out at once a warm, an equal, and an intense heat. At this period, however, our author had provided himself with a fund of more folid learning than ufually is the portion of perfons of his age, and his mind was at least so feafoned with literature, that amidst his wildeft diffipations afterwards, nothing could fubdue the love of reading which he had fo early contracted. It appears from a preface to one of his plays, that he had conceived an early inclination for dramatic compofition, the Comedy called Don Quixote in England, having made part of his literary amufement at Leyden; though, by his own account, it fhould feem that what he executed of it there, was little more than his canvass in a more advanced age, when he gave it to the ftage with additional strokes of humour, and higher colourings than his inexperience had beftowed upon it at first. The play contains a true vein of good fenfe and fatire, though his ufual hurry in the production of his pieces did not afford him leifure, when he once determined to offer it to the public, to give it all the dramatic finishings requifite in a complete piece. Mr. Fielding's cafe was generally the fame with that of the poet described by Juvenal; with a great genius he must have ftarved, if he had not fold his performance to a favourite actor.

Efurit, intactam Paridi nifi vendit Agaven. To the fame motive we must ascribe the multiplicity of his plays, and the great rapidity with which they were produced; for we find that though fuch a writer as Mr. Congreve was content in his whole life to produce four Comedies and one Tragedy,

yet

yet the exigence of our author's affairs required at his hand no lefs than eight entire plays, befides fifteen farces, or pieces of a fubordinate nature. It has been often a matter of wonder that he, who moft undoubtedly poffeffed a vein of true and genuine humour, fhould not have proved more fuccefsful in his theatrical productions; that is to fay, should not in fome legitimate Comedy have discovered the future father of Jofeph Andrews, Tom Jones, and Amelia. This, however, from what has been premised, seems pretty fairly accounted for; but yet, for the real caufe of this inequality, we muft ftil go fomewhat deeper than this remark, which lies too palpable upon the furface of things. The enquiry is not incurious, and it fhall be purfued in its due place, when we come to analyse our author's genius, and determine its nature and quality.

At the age of twenty years Fielding returned from Leyden to London, in the fulleft vigour of conftitution, which was remarkably ftrong, and patient of fatigue; ftill unfhaken by exceffes of pleafure, and unconquered by midnight watchings, till frequent returns of the gout attacked him with a feverity, that made him, in the latter part of his days, a melancholy repentant for the too free indulgencies of his youth, and drove him at length to Lifbon, in the hopes of lingering a little longer in life. From the account of his Voyage to that place we may judge of the activity of his mind, and the trenuous flow of his fpirits, which, under a complication of infirmities, could yet prompt him to the exercife of his wit and the fallies of his imagination. What then must have been the gaiety and quickness of his

fancy, when his ftrength was yet unimpaired by illness, and when young in life curiofity was eager to know the world, and his paffions were ready to catch at every hook pleasure had baited for them? It is no wonder that, thus formed and difpofed for enjoyment, he launched wildly into a career of diffipation. Though under age, he found himfelf his own master, and in London : Hoc fonte derivata clades! From that fource flowed all the inconveniencies that attended him throughout the remainder of his life. The brilliancy of his wit, the vivacity of his humour, and his high relifh of social enjoyment, foon brought him into high request with men of taste and literature, and with the voluptuous of all ranks; to the former he was ever attentive, and gladly embraced all opportunities of affociating with them; if the latter often ensnared him, and won from him too great a portion of his time, it cannot be wondered at, confidering the greennefs of his years, the fenfibility of his temper, and the warmth of his imagination. His finances were not anfwerable to the frequent draughts made upon him by the extravagance which naturally followed. He was allowed two hundred pounds a year by his father, which, as he himself ufed to fay, any body might pay that would."

and suitable expence, he could not fpare out of his income any confi. derable difbursements for the maintenance of his eldest fon. Of this truth Henry Fielding was fenfible, and he was therefore, in whatever difficulties he might be involved, never wanting in filial piety; which, his nearest relations agree, was a fhining part of his character. By difficulties his refolution was never fubdued; on the contrary, they only rouzed him to ftruggle through them with a peculiar fpirit and magnanimity. When he advanced a little more in life, and his commerce with mankind became enlarged, difappointments were observed by his acquaintance to provoke him into an occafional peevishness, and feverity of animadverfion. This, however, had not a tendency to embitter his mind, or to tinge his natural temper, which was remarkably gay, and for the moft part overflowing into wit, mirth, and good humour. As he difdained all littlenefs of fpirit, wherever he met with it in his dealings with the world, his indignation was apt to rife; and as he was of a penetrating difcernment, he could always develope felfishness, miftruft, pride, avarice, interested friendship, the ungenerous, and the unfeeling temper, however plaufibly difguifed and, as he could, read them to the bottom, fo he could likewife affault them with the keeneft ftrokes of fpirited and manly fatire. Difagreeable impreflions never continued long upon his mind; his imagination was fond of feizing every gay profpect, and in his worst adversities filled him with fanguine hopes of a better fituation. To obtain this, he flattered himself that he thould find his refources in his wit and invention; and accordingly he

commenced a writer for the stage in the year 1727, being then about twenty years of age.

His first dramatic piece foon after adventured into the world, and was called Love in feveral Masques.' It immediately fucceeded the Provoked Hufband, a play, which, as our author obferves, for the continued space of twenty eight nights received as great and as juft applaufes as ever were beftowed on the English ftage. "Thefe, fays Mr. Fielding, were difficulties, which feemed rather to require the fuperior force of a Wycherly or a Congreve, than a raw and unexperienced pen (for I believe I may boast that none ever appeared fo early on the stage.)" Notwithstanding these obstacles, the play, we find, was favourably received. His fecond play, the Temple Beau, appeared the year after, and contains a great deal of fpirit and real humour. Perhaps in thofe days, when audiences were in the æra of delicate and higher comedy, the fuccefs of this piece was not very remarkable; but furely pieces of no very fuperior merit have drawn crowded houfes within our own memory, and have been attended with a brilliancy of fuccefs: not but it muft be acknowledged that the picture of a Temple Rake fince exhibited by the late Dr. Hoadly in the Sufpicious Husband, has more of what the Italians call Fortunato, than can be allowed to the careless and hasty pencil of Mr. Fielding. It would lead a great way from the intention of this Effay, thould we attempt to analyse the feveral dramatic compofitions of this author; and, indeed, as he confeffedly did not attain to pre-eminence in this branch of writ ing, at leaft was unequal to his other productions, it may be fufficient to

obferve