ページの画像
PDF
ePub

give inftructions for the fettlement; and the old gentleman fent for Arabella, to inform her of his new engagement: but what words can describe her wonder, and the various effects of love, grief, and despair, whilst she received the charge of giving the next morning her hand in marriage to a lover the knew nothing of? In vain were all her tears, prayers, and intreaties no reproaches of injuftice to Clerimont, no arguments of future mifery to herself, nor all the foft perfuafions of a paternal love, could fet afide the prevailing arguments of grandeur, title, and riches. Her father was fevere, and would be obeyed, and haughtily urged, it was nothing but her duty to comply; he threatened her with violence if the refifted his will, and with an imperious command left her in all the anguish of a defpairing maiden. Scarce had fhe recovered her fenfes, when the found means to fend this new to her Clerimont's lodgings; but he was unhappily gone for a day or two to a country house he had in a neighbouring village, to order fome repairs for the better reception of his Arabella.

The next morning, which was to bring her mifery and a husband, arrives, after a night fpent in fears, hopes, and despair; her father enters her chamber, renews his reafons of interest, power, and wealth, but finds her still inflexible: as he knew nothing could move her but perfuading her it was her duty, he threatened her with the heavieft curfes in case of disobedience. fine, amid the horrors of fuch a guilt, amid the tender thoughts of Clerimont, and the fears of a father's curse, the suffered herself to be dragged to the altar, perceiving

In

it impoffible to avoid the facrifice.

After the ceremony, the was conducted to her lord's houfe, where, if pomp, titles, and riches could give happiness with a man fhe did not love, none could have been more happy than Arabella; but in the public joy fhe feemed difcontented, and broken fighs and dejected looks betrayed the inward forrow of her heart.

Clerimont heard the next day of Arabella's marriage; and after being informed of the particulars, he could not bear to continue in London, but took poft horfes immediately for Paris, under all the grief a disappointed lover could bear.

Arabella's hufband was good-humoured, complaifant, and paffionately fond of her; preventing every with, by giving her every thing the could defire. But love is very un' juft; fhe could only repay the tenderness of her husband with a cold indifference; which he perceived, and was fenfibly affected with, though he knew not the loved any other perfon. He continued his earnest endeavours to pleafe, but without any fuccefs.

At this time a friend of his arrived from Paris, and told him, without any defign, of the former love of Arabella and Clerimont. He was thunderstruck with the news, and never enquired more into the cause of her coldness to him; he was convinced of her virtue, as the was strict in her behaviour, cautious of her company, regular in her family, fhewing great refpect to him, but no tenderness; and he faw with grief, it was her good fenfe only, not her inclination, which made her dutiful to him. He admired her conduct, but complained of his own bad fortune. 3 K z

Among

Among other folitary amufements, Arabella ufed to divert her melancholy in defigning landfkips, which he did to perfection. In all her defigns (her paffion and thoughts being ftill fixed on Clerimont) you might find that unhappy lover; fometimes as a defpairing fhepherd under the covert of a willow; fometimes as a gay roving fwain among a troop of country laffes, juft as her hope or fear dictated, Cleanthes having often feen Clerimont in public places, and knowing his person, felt inexpreffible anguifh to fee the heart of his wife so fenfibly affected towards his rival; but he was quite overwhelmed with grief, when he faw her hang these pictures by her bedfide, that fo her lover, might be the first object that appeared to her when the waked; and one morning while her husband, who deferved the utmost pity, feemed to be fast afleep, he was fo unhappy to hear her figh, as he looked on those land skips, and in a paflionate tone cry out, My Dear, Dear CLERIMONT !

But even this declaration moved not Cleanthes to fhew any refentment, but, if poffible, he redoubled his tenderness, hoping that might wean her from a paflion fo ill placed.

Almoft two years he spent in this condition, without being able to change in the leaft the heart of his Arabella; when defpairing of her love, he refolved to make a campaign in Flanders; where, in a desperate attempt, which he had voJuntarily undertaken, according to his wifhes, he received two mortal wounds: he was carried to his tent, where, finding fome ftrength remaining, he called for pen and paper, and wrote the following letter o her.

My Dear ARABELLA,

I

Would have faid Wife, had I

not been convinced that name is hateful to you: as this is the last letter you will ever receive from me, I must testify in it my grief for having been the occafion of the mifery I am fenfible you feel in your lofing Clerimont. But had I known, my Arabella, your heart had been pre-engaged, I would not have parted you from the man you fo tenderly loved, to have joined you to a husband you could never endure. That I loved you, by my actions you may be fatisfied; but fhould any doubt remain, think what I must have felt, rather than give you any uneasiness in reproaching you, when I have beheld the happy Clerimont in every picture, in every room, nay, by your bedSide, to be the object of your wishes

when I have heard you figh for him, and paffionately call for him.

This I filently fuffered; I faw you indulge a paffion which you should have ftrove to ftifle.-I wish'd you could have loved me, but wish'd in vain. I am now within a few moments of death; and in these latest words I defire that no uneasy remembrance of what is paft, may ever disturb the pleasure which you will foon be at liberty to enjoy with your Clerimont.-Could you have loved me, we both might have been happy; but your first love had made too strong an impreffion to be erafed. You may be happier with Clerimont, but can never have a more loving husband than

Your Expiring
CLEANTHES.”

The news of Cleanthes's death, accompanied with this letter, fung her into an extreme grief; but when his body was brought home

from

from the army to be interred with his ancestors, she would have facrificed herself, that the might give him her life, becaufe he had not given him her heart. As often as The called to mind the love, merit, and tenderness of her husband, with reproaches on her ftars, her love and her father, fhe flung herself

into all the agonies of rage and madness.

So violent a ftate brought on a burning fever, which in a few days. terminated in the death of a woman, who died: unhappily for being married to the man he could not love, and who might have lived happy with the man she did.

Account of Nerv BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, &c.

Duhamel's Elements of Agriculture, &c. thing not undeferving the encouragement

2 vols. 8vo. Pr. 1os. Vaillant.

Very valuable acquifition to agriculture
The tranflation appears to be executed
with faithfulness and perfpicuity.
Owen's Obfervations. on the Four Gospels,
Svo. 2 s. Payne.

Learned, fenfible, and ingenious.
Glas's Hiftory of the Canary Islands, 4to. 155,
Dodfley.

Curious, circumftantial, and entertain-
ing.
Macaulay's Hiftory of St. Kilda, &c. 8vo.
Pr. 4 s. Becket.

of the public.

Elegy written in a Quaker's Burial Ground,

&c. Folio. Pr. 1 s. Keith.

This honest quaker feems to have happily caught the manner and fpirit of Mr. Gray's Elegy in a Country Church-yard. Gotham: a Poem. Book 1. By C. Churchill, 4to. Pr. 2s. 6d. Flexney. Mr. Churchill has made us ample amends, in this poem, for the difappointment we experienced in the perufal of his Farewell. Nothing can be more poetical, fpirited, manly, and fenfible, than the

-Contains nothing new or very impor- third book of Gotham..

ant.

Douglas's Peerage of Scotland, &c. Folio.
Pr. 11. 16 s. Baldwin...
Preferable to any other hiftory of the
Scotch Peerage,

Tales of the Genii, 8vo. 6 s. Wilkie.
No bad imitation of the eastern manner.
Agreeably extravagant, interesting, and
moral.

The Patron, a Comedy in three As. By S.

Foote, Efq; 8vo. 1s. 6d. Kearsley.
The defign of this performance is law-
dable, the execution no ways inferior to
any of Mr. Foote's former productions.
The Lyar, a Comedy in three A&s. ByS.Foote,
Efq; 8vo. 1s. 6d. Kearsley,
An excellent improvement on Steele's
Lying Lover.

Juvenile Poems on several Subjects, 8vo.

Pr. 1 s. 6d. Fletcher.

Here are fome bloffoms of genius, which when budded, may probably produce fome.

The General: & Poem, &c. 4to. Pr. 2s. 6d.
Nicoll.

Neither animated nor ftriking.

The True-born Scot, 4to. 1S. Sumpter. Fraught with invective and abuse against Lord B

Religio Laici, &c. 8vo. 2 s. Briftow. Plain, intelligent, and fenfible-well worthy of perusal.

Reeves's New and Complete General Hiftory of the World; from the Creation to the prefent Time, 12mo. 35. Kearsley.

The plan of this performance is ufeful; the execution tolerable.

Holden's Paraphrafe on the Books of Job..

Pfalms, Proverbs, and Ecclefiaftes, with
Notes critical, hiftorical, &c. 4 vols. il: 15.
Henderfon.

This gentleman feems to have added nothing new to former commentators on the fame books. Poetical

Poetical E's SAYS for AUGUST, 1764.

PSALM I.

No, furely; but prudence infpires, [thy:
Since the nymph's thus refolv'd to feem

W bleft the man, whofe heart and Tho' my bofom confume with love's fires,

How

ways

The Lord his God vouchfafes t'approve; His mouth is ever fill'd with praise, And all his foul overflows with love: Partaker of the precious faith, His foul abhors the finners path. If in the judgment feat he ftands,

The fward he beareth not in vain ;
From filthy bribes he shakes his hands;

The innocent he'll not arraign;
Nor mocks nor fcorns with cruel hate,
The man of inean and low estate.
The ftatutes of the Lord he tries,

Which inward life and ftrength impart; As frontlets plac'd between his eyes,

And on the tables of his heart
He binds, with reverential awe,
And fearches all his facred law.

To ferve his God by day and night,
His feet in fwift obedience move;
And fill'd with holy pure delight;

The object of his faith and love,
He worships ftill, and still obeys,
And walks in all his righteous ways.
He, as a blooming tree fhall rife,

Nourish'd by God's peculiar care,
Wafh'd by the streams of Paradife,

His verdant leaf fhall flourish fair; With precious fruits and graces crown'd, Shall fcatter bleffings all around.

Not fo the finner daring bold,

That vaunts himself againft his God, When he on vengeance thall take hold, The guilty race fhall feel his rod : Shall fly as chaff by whirlwinds driven, Nor dare to lock to God or Heaven.

[blocks in formation]

That my looks to my heart give the lie.

AUGUST. AN OD E.

THE garden blooms with vegetable gold,

And all Pomona in the orchard glows, Her racy fruits now glory in the fun, The wall-enamour'd flower in faffron blows, Gay annuals their spicy sweets unfold;

To cooling brooks the panting cattle run: Hope, the fore-runner of the farmer's gain, Vifits his dreams, and multiplies the grain. More hot it grows, ye fervors of the sky Attend the Virgin-lo! fhe comes to hail Your fultry radiance-Now the God of

day [gale Meets her chafte star-be present Zephyr's To fan her bofom-let the breezes fly

On filver pinions to falute his ray; Bride of his foft defires, with comely grace He clafps the virgin to his warm embrace. The reapers now their shining fickles bear, A band illuftrious, and the fons of health!

They bend, they toil across the wide

champaign, Before them Ceres yields her flowing wealth; The partridge-covey to the copfe repair

For fhelter, fated with the golden grain, Bask on the bank, or thro' the clover run, Yetfafe fromfetters, andthe slaughtering gun. Courtly Auguftus, whom the bards rever'd, Patron of fcience, and the genial arts,

Nam'd this fair month, which permanent

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

The tribe of politicians will want food; Ev'n now half-famish'd for the public good.

All Grub-street murderers of men and sense; And every office of intelligence, [race, All would be bankrupts, the whole lying And no Gazette to publish their disgrace. 0. Wild. Too mild a sentence! must the good and great [eat? Patriots be wrong'd, that booksellers may M. Gr. Your patience, Sir; yet hear [fword: Turn to that hall where justice wields her Think in what narrow limits you would draw,

another word,

By this profcription, all the fons of law: For 'tis the fix'd, determin'd rule of courts, (Vyner will tell you, nay, even Coke's reports)

All pleaders may, when difficulties rife, To gain one truth, expend a hundred lyes. 0. Wild. To curb this practice, I am some.

what loath;

A lawyer has no credit but on oath.

M. Gr. Then to the fofter fex fome fa

vour fhow:

Leave no poffeffion of our modest No!
0. Wild Oh, freely, ma'am, we'll that
allowance give,

So that two No's be held affirmative:
Provided ever, that your pish and fie,
On all occafions, fhould be deem'd a lye.
M. Gr. Hard terms !

On this rejoinder then I rest my caufe: Should all pay homage to truth's facred laws,

Let us examine what would be the cafe : Why, many a great man would be out of place. [racter restore.

0. Wild. 'Twould many a virtuous chaM. Gr. But take a character from many [I fubmit,

more.

O. Wild. Strong are your reafons; yet, era I mean to take the voices of the pit. Is it your pleasures that we make a rule, That ev'ry lyar be proclaim'd a fool, Fit fubjects for our author's ridicule ?

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]
« 前へ次へ »