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country waste with fire and fword; to prevent which the count caufed him to be poisoned; and that the cardinal legate concealed his death till the place was taken. Thus much is certain, that the day on which he died is not certainly fixed; but, from various circumstances, it appears to have been fome time in the beginning of November. He is thought to have foreseen the trou. bles that happened upon his death,

by his requiring the oaths of the
prelates and nobility that were a-
bout him, that they would place the
crown upon his fon's head; and tho'
it is farther said, that he took this
promife under their hands and feals,
yet they were not, very forward to
obferve it, having long expected
fuch an opportunity of fetting up
what they efteemed their own rights
against those of the crown.
[To be continued.]

An Account of The CAPRICIOUS LOVERS, A new Comic Opera, written by Mr. ROBERT LLOYD, the Mufic by Mr. Rus H.

STOLPHO, a fovereign prince, is engaged to a princess named Emily. Nevertheless he is fmitten with the fimplicity, innocence, and beauty of a country maid, named Phæbe, daughter to Damon, who is to be married to Colin, fon to Hobbinol. To have the opportunity of feeing her frequently, he hunts around the village, attended by Fabian, his confidant, and paffes for a gentleman belonging to the prince. The piece opens with Colin, Phæbe, and a number of peafants employed in the vintage; and after they have expreffed their mutual love, the two fathers enter and rejoice at the approaching happinefs of their children, but are interrupted with the found of horns; and Colin acquaints them that the hunters have forced their way into the vineyard, and they all difperfe. The prince and his confidant enter next, and by their difcourfe, we hear that he has employed one Lifetta, an intriguing court lady, to win Phæbe to court, On the appearance of Lifetta and Phæbe, the prince withdraws to over-hear them; Lifetta difplays all the pomp and December, 1764.

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parade Phæbe might fhine in at court, and is anfwered with great innocence. The prince enters, and makes love to Phæbe, who candidly expreffes her love for Colin; the prince taking her band, Colin runs in abruptly and fnatches her from him; and on the prince's departure, Phæbe fhewing an inclination to go to court, Colin would force her to go home to her own cottage, when the prince returns, attended with the huntfmen, owns his rank; and Phæbe to punish her lover's jealousy goes with the prince. The fecond act opens with Phæbe dreifing at a toilet in an apartment in the palace, and attended by Lifetta and Clara, Her another lady of the court. aukwardnefs in the fine cloaths and ornaments they have decked her with, her remarks on the beautics rf nature, with Lifetta's praife of art, are happily contratted. other apartment in the palace, we learn from the difcourfe of the prince and Fabian, that Colin had been fent for to court, to quiet the fufpicions of princefs Emily; who on their departure enters with Clara, and feems greatly affected with the prince's

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prince's regard for the fair villager, and retires on seeing them coming. Phæbe enters with the prince, and her remarks on the court are very pretty; the princefs re-enters to them, and throws out feveral fevere farcafms on Phabe. The prince af fures Emily he only fent for the ruftics to court to laugh at their fimplicity, and leaves Phabe with an affurance that her Colin will foon arrive. Phæbe feems difgufted with the court, in which the fays, The fees nothing engaging to her, and Colin enters finely dreffed. She covers herself with her veil, and he not guefling it is Phæbe, is half perfuaded by her behaviour, that the is fome great lady who has fallen in love with him. She then difcovers herself, upbraids him, and departs.

The third act begins with the two fathers, who have trudged to town after their children, and exprefs their fears for Phæbe. Phæbe is difcovered with Lifetta, and defires that Colin may be placed where un. feen he may hear their difcourfe at a meeting the has promifed to give the prince; the princess entering, is alarmed that Phebe is not yet gone from court; but the affures the princess the will never be the caufe of adding to her uneafinefs. The next scene is an antichamber, where Colin appears in great agonies for his Phabe's inconftancy, and goes out to overhear the prince's

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difcourfe with her. Phæbe intreats the prince to find some object more worthy of his love, and then brings in the princefs, and prefents her to him. The prince is truck with her behaviour, and his affection for the princess revives. Colin enters behind, and feeing the prince careffing Emily, is in great rage, fuppofing her to be Phæbe, until advancing forward, he perceives his error, and is overwhelmed with joy. Hobbinol and Damon force their way into the presence in search of their children, but do not know them at first, on account of their drefs; and when they difcover themselves, Hobbinol fufpe&ts Phæbe's virtue, till affured of the contrary by the prince and princefs, they join in the general joy.

Mr. Lloyd hath interfperfed throughout the whole, a number of fine moral fentiments; the fongs are very delicate, harmonious, and well adapted to the feveral characters. The dialogue in general is fpirited, and perfectly decent; and though the hint is taken from the French of Mr. Favart, Mr. Lloyd has greatly improved him, and has given us a comic opera, without the low wit, grofs expreffions, ribaldry, and idle buffoonery which have too long difgraced the stage; and the applaufe it met with, though very great, was not more than its real defert. The very great merit of this piece may well excufe fome inaccuracies.

Account of the New Comic OPERA, The GUARDIAN OUTWITTED. Written and Compofed by Dr. ARNE.

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to be a spy upon her actions. The lady's maid entering, he finds her to be Dolly Pinup, an old fweetheart of his, and renews his love with her, but is interrupted by Maukin, a country wench, the houfemaid, who, taken by his smart appearance, had refolved to throw herself in his way to attract his notice. Slouch, another footman, enters with a letter from a French marquis to be delivered to Flirtilla, for which he has received the bribe of one guinea, and brought five more to Pinup, who takes both purfe and letter. Maukin returns the courtship of her old friend Slouch with difdain, and leaves him to fing his grief before he goes out. At his departure Roger and Pinup come forward, and we find that Sir Liquorifh Trapgold the guardian, and a French marquis, are the rivals to lord Planwell. We are next tranfported to my lord's house, where he appears with Sir British Blunt, a downright Englishman, who is in love with my lord's fifter, lady Julia, to whom the French marquis, La Fineffe, pays his addreffes, and feems to have her vanity ftruck by the gaiety of the Frenchman's appearance, who comes to pay a morn. ing vifit to my lord. The peer had advised his friend to attack his fifter with spirit; to kiss her, teaze her, and treat her like a mortal woman compofed of flesh and blood, while the marquis with diftant awe, approaches his mock divinity. This advice Sir British follows; he kiffes lady Julia, and when the marquis offers to embrace him, fays, " Sincerity is our characteristic; the right hand is the bond of friendship with the men; and our lips the feals of love with the ladies." After both lovers have the difplayed their feve

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ral manners of foreign fawning, and English bluntnefs, the marquis accompanies the lady to go to an auction, and leaves my lord to talk to his friend of his miftrefs Flir tilla, whofe pretended fonndefs for her guardian Sir Liquorish Trapgold can only be a defign to wheedle him out of money. The next scene shews Flirtilla, who wonders fhe has rifen fo foon as ten o'clock, and relates her having loft all her money but twelve guineas, and a bank note of 30l. She refolves to wheedle Sir Liquorish out of more, by fome probability of the ftocks rifing. The old gentleman comes very opportunely, and the amufes him with the flory that the cham of Tartary had contracted with the Eaft India company to remit three millions in fpecie in exchange for fheep fkins, and asks him to advance her a thousand pounds, which he promises she shall have if the will discharge his rival lord Planwell; this fhe promises, and he goes out to go to his banker. Flirtilla, who is a finifhed coquet, pleases herself with the imagination of her future enjoyment of every fashionable pleasure when she is lady Planwell, if she could contrive to get her fortune out of her guardian's hands, which he is not obliged to pay till she is at age, to which four years are wanting; fhe then goes to her dreffing room. Pinup gives her the marquis's letter; for he, tho' already a fuitor to lady Julia, we find defigns to try his fortune with her; and he immediately comes to pay her a vifit; he is ordered into the parlour, where the waits upon him. He makes her an immediate offer of his love, and is kneeling at her feet, when lady Julia enters, and furprizes him; the upbraids him, and he excufes himN 2

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felf by declaring he was only intreating her to bear a part with him in a favourite duet, which he produces, and lady Julia defires they will perform it, declaring it was only a fudden alarm of pride, and not of love, that had affected her. The marquis and Flirtilla fing the duet fo affectingly, that they fink into each other's arms just as lord Planwell and Sir British enter, and the five lovers express their rage in a very fine quintette, which ends this act.

The fecond act begins with Roger, who is ftruck with the charms of Maukin, and very morally refolves, in imitation of his betters, to have an intrigue with one woman while he is honourably addreffing another, and goes out for that noble purpose. Pinop enters with Slouch and two chairmen whom the fends with cards to invite company to a rout in miniature; he then gives Slouch the bank note to get changed, and afking for the cook to draw a bill of fare for fupper, Slouch declares he can draw a bill of fare as well as any cook in England; he proposes a fhoulder of mutton for the top dith, eggs and bacon on the right, and a plum-pudding on the left, a brifket of beef with cabbage and carrots, and a dish of beans and bacon. He is proceeding, when Pinup perceives he has torn the bank note to pieces to mark out the pofition of the difhes on the floor, and in great grief picks them up to pafte them on another paper with flour and water. The next scene is Roger making love to Maukin, caught together by Pinup; their quarrel and reconciliation.

Lord Planwell and Sir Britifh appear next, having received Jetters from their ladies, which had fet all to rights: by their difcourfe

We next fee La

we find that Sir Liquorifh bad a wife ftill living in Spain, though he had thought her dead, and who had been a caft-off mistress of Sir British; that fhe had juft fent a letter, wherein was enclosed an after claufe to the will of Flirtilla's father, by which her guardian was to pay her whole fortune of 70000l. on the day of marriage, if it was to a peer, and that the writing was witnessed by her brother, who was then a lieut. at Martinico; but as lieut. Sprightly was not in England to give his evi. dence, they think of fubftituting Roger in his room. Fineffe and Flirtilla at cards; he has won fix hundred pounds of her at piquet, which the not having to give him, he with the greatest infolence defires her to balance the debt with her beauty, which (on his departure) throws her into a fit of tes flection on her indiscretion, and into a refolution of " forfaking every deceitful pleafure that carries a fting in its confequence." Sir Liquorish enters to her, and her playing upoa his fears of Lord Planwell, his cowardice, and her wheedling had a great effect on the galleries. On their going out, Roger (who had been liftening) appears to exprefs his doubt of the marquis being really what he pretended, and refolves to fet Slouch to bribe the marquis's valet; when Pinup enters, and prefently after lord Planwell, who seems to have the fame moral defign with his valet, of intriguing with one, while he makes honourable love to another. They go together, as into the parlour; Roger remains full of jealoufy, opens the door to Flirtilla and Sir Liquorifh, and fends them immediately into the parlour, where they find my lord laying close fiege to Pinup. An angry duet enfues,

and then an ambiguous air by Flirtilla, which at the fame time it fhews her love for my lord, by the equivocal ufe of the word guardian throws him into the higheft rage. Sir Britith and lady Julia enter to them, and the act concludes with a quintette in the burletta file.

Lord Planwell, Sir British, and lady Julia, open the laft act. My lord now perceives that her fole inteat was to wheedle Sir Liquorish out of money to pay her loffes to La Fineffe, of which he had been inform, ed by Roger, who then enters in re. gimentals. Flirtilla comes to visit Julia, and a reconciliation is made between her and my lord, in the ufual manner of comedies; and on her exit, a little more love chat follows between Sir British and lady Julia, who wishing him to polish his rugged manner, fays, "I cannot figh, pine, and languish, and fwear I die for beauty, when I only live for it; but fhew me one quality in the marquis that would become a Briton, and I'll copy it immediately."

We are next prefented with a quar, rel between Slouch and Maukin, in Flirtilla's garden; in which, with great innocence, the acknowledges her liking for Roger. When Slouch is gone out, Pinup enters, and having told Maukin that Roger had been contracted to her before his going abroad, the innocent girl promifes to

think no more of him, but return to Slouch. Flirtilla and lady Julia are next prefented, who are acquainted of Roger's transformation into a lieutenant by a letter from my lord; and Flirtilla is affured of La Fineffe's unworthiness by a letter from him, appointing a meeting at a milliner's. Sir Liquorish comes in with the bank, notes, which he cunningly refuses to give her, unless she will sign a bond of 70,000 l. penalty to marry him in three days time; this the rejects with fcorn, and lord Planwell and Sir British bringing Roger in as capt. Sprightly, the guardian is fhewn the copy of the after claufe, and a let ter from his wife, who is ftill living in Spain; on which he gives the notes, and promifes to pay her fortune to my lord. La Fineffe coming in, is known by Roger to be one Brender, a Swifs fharper, who had before cheated him of fixty ducats by falle cards and loaded dice; and his being an impoftor is confirmed by Sneider, his own valet. The lady thereby faves the fix hundred pounds, and the marquis is permitted to depart, on his promife to quit the kingdom in three days: the two couple are happily united, Roger is rewarded with Pinup, and a farm of forty acres of land, in fee fimple; and the opera concludes with an epithalamium and chorus.

The POWER of REASON: An ORIGINAL ESSAY.

Paul, as his manner was, reasoned out of the Scriptures. A&ts xvii. 3. Reafon the bias turns to good from ill.

POPE.

Tis juftly remarked, by one of our mott eminent preachers, that

a very wrong notion is entertained by fome of edifying difcourfes, and profiting by fermous." They relish nothing from the pulpit, but what is addreffed to their pallions, and let out with all the advantages of a popular eloquence and moving

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