To the worst and most arbitrary kings this nation has eventually been indebted for its greatest happiness. John's exceffive cruelty and oppreffion produced Magna Charta. The violence of Hen. VIII. freed England from papal power and the popish religion. To the weak and obstinate efforts of Ja. II. to extend the prerogative beyond law, we owe the settlement at the Revolution and the fucceffion of the Hanover line. vorce. In a play, called La Cifma de Inglaterra, Calderone, the celebrated Spanish poet, has treated of the fubject of Henry's diThe characters of Henry, Wolfey, and Queen Katharine, are not ill sustained. The King, indeed, he makes conscious of acting ill all through the play; his violent love for Anna Bullen is the only cause of his divorcing Katharine, in which he is fupported and prompted by Wolfey. The unhappy Bullen is proud, infolent, ungrateful, and lafcivious, as moft Roman Catholic authors represent her. Her in trigue with Carlos, the French ambassa dor, dor, is discovered by the King, who in his closet overhears their difcourfe. In a rage, he orders her to be sent to the Tower; fhe is beheaded, and her dead trunk is foon after brought upon the stage. In the parliament-fcene, which is by far the best, the King gives his reafons for the divorce with a mixture of feigned regret and some cold compliments to Katharine; he swears to support the fucceffion of his daughter Mary, and, without any farther ceremony, bids the Queen fubmit to her fate and retire to a convent; then, turning to the parliament, he declares he will make that man shorter by the head who shall presume to think that he is in the wrong : Y el vafallo que fintiere La cabeza de los ombros. The Queen's answer is extremely affecting, and worthy the name of Calderone. Her love to the King is not to be fhaken, notwithstanding notwithstanding the cruel fentence he has pronounced against her. With a protesta→ tion the most paffionate, fhe declares nothing can be terrible to her except his hatred. She difclaims any appeal to the emperor, her victorious nephew; nor can she think of entering a convent, for fhe is his married wife; and concludes with calling him her lord, her happiness, her king, and dear husband. Upon the whole, though we should allow that the play has in it many poetical beauties, yet it is, in dramatic ftamina, greatly inferior to the English play. Calderone breaks through the unities of time and place as freely as our author. END OF VOL. I. 3 INDEX to VOL. I. A. Ctors of Henry IVth and the Prince of Wales, p. 318. A Addifon, 217, 431. Æfchylus, 55, 219. Anecdotes of Cibber, 4. Barry, 16. Queen Eleanor, Wife to Louis VII 24. Prince Arthur and K. John, 47-49, 65-77. Quin and Bridgewater, 71. King John, 93, &c. Lord Rea and Mr. Ramsay, 125. Louis XIV. 32. Roger Afcham and Bayle, relative to Italy, 134. John of Gaunt, 140-142. Samuel Stephens, 147, 149. the times of Sir Robert Walpole, 151-154. Richard 11. 155, 175, 178, 188-190, 192, 195 .199. William III. 155. Tom Chapman, 165, 168. -- a company of ftrollers, 184. · Henry IV. 203-205, 215, 310. a gamefter, 290. Henry VIII. of England, and Francis of France, 341, 344-348. Henry VIII. and the Duke of Suffolk, 377. Lady Catharine, 380, 388. Cardinal Wolfey, 408. the E. of Surry and the Duke of Norfolk, 425. Arbuthnot, 311. Ariftotle, 311, 313- Arthur, 47, 65, &c. &c. Afton, a fon of Tony Afton, 290. Athenæus, 313. Audley, 424 Aumerle in Richard II. 178. Auftria in King John, acted by Winstone, 38, 39. VOL. I. Gg Baker, B. Baker, a pavior, and a comic actor, 244. Bale's Chronicle, 299. Bardolph, 428. Barrington, 144. Barry, 15, 159, 233. his Hotfpur, 227. his Henry IV. 321. Baftard-fcene in King John, 11. Battle of Mirabel, 48. Bayes's grand dance, 418. Becket, 411. Bellamy, (Mrs.) 41. Bencroft, 355. Benfield, 333. Bensley, 262. Berry, an Actor of Falstaff, 232, 249. Betterton refigns Hotspur for Falstaff, 222, 244, Bird, 333. Blount, 242. Boheme, 262. Bolingbroke and Richard II. 187, 188. (Lord) his character, 217. anecdote of him, 258. and Q. Elizabeth, 432. Boman, 45. the Contemporary of Betterton, played the Ch. Juftice Booth's Hotfpur, 222, 263. Booth and Cibber, 224. and Harper, 274. his Falftaff, 246. Wilkes,and Cibber, 305. his Henry VIII. 355, 366, 400. and Macklin, 385. Bowle, 268. (Rev. Mr.) 334. Brafs, good for the eyes, 428. Brewing, carried on by women in the reign of Henry IV. 264 his eloquence, 265. deprived of his right, 373 Buckingham |