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mind, to abound in faults, in the fame manner that a ftrong and fertile foil produces most weeds

What are the lays of artful Addifon,

Coldly correct, to Shakespear's warblings wild. It is with much regret, however, we must observe, that after Shakespear had fupported, with uniform propriety, one of the most difficult characters Genius ever attempted, he should at last fall off, and put a trifling conceit in the mouth of a dying man.

Oth. I kiffed thee e'er I killed thee-no way but this, Killing myfelf to die upon a kiss.

It might alfo be objected to the contrivance of the plot, that Iago had not fufficient motives for the perpetration of fo many horrid crimes; and this the fagacity of Shakespear has forefeen, and with much addrefs obviated. In the course of our obfervations, we have already noticed, that he does not fuppofe Jago, in his first fetting out, refolutely to plan the deftruction of Defdemona and Caffio. The objects he had in view were, to get poffeffion of the wealth of Rodorigo, and to be preferred in the place of Caffio; but feeing matters beginning to be embroiled around him, the firm and undaunted Iago will not stop short, whatever fhould be the confequence. By thus viewing his conduct, it will appear natural and probable. He wishes (as human naẹ ture ever muft) to view himself even for a moment in the light of an honest man

And what's he then that fays I play the villain, &c. Act. 2. fc. xiv.

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But the principal fault which we obferve in this performance, is a want of confiftency in fupporting the upright and difinterested character of Æmilia. We can eafily fuppofe, in the first place, that she might procure Defdemona's napkin for her husband, without seeming to concur with him, or even suspect his schemes: But when afterwards, in the tenth fcene of the third act, the fees the improper ufe to which this napkin is ap plied, and the great diftrefs which the lofs of it occa

fioned to Desdemona, without fo much as wishing to explain the misunderstanding, fhe is no more the open and virtuous Æmilia, but a coadjutor with her dark. and unfeeling hufband. This is a remarkable violation of every appearance of probability, when we contrast it with her noble and spirited conduct afterwards. We are furprised to find a flip of fo much magnitude from the clear and piercing judgment of Shakespear, efpecially when we confider, that it could have been very eafily remedied, by removing her during this interview. W. N.

mons.

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ABOUT thirty years ago, the famous Mr. George Whitfield ufed annually to vifit this metropolis, and by his popular mode of preaching allured great multitudes, efpecially of the female fex, to attend his ferThe great object of his difcourfes was to rouse them to acts of beneficence; and as he had instituted a charitable feminary at Georgia in Carolina, he was ftrenuous in his exertions to induce his audience to be liberal in giving alms for the fupport of the helpless perfons he had there collected together. Among his conftant hearers was one Mrs. the wife of a

brewer, in a small line of bufinefs, in the Grassmarket of Edinburgh, who had fome difficulty to provide funds for carrying on his affairs without embarrassment. He had no time to attend the daily harangues of this ghoftly orator; nor was he much pleased with the time his wife fpent on thefe occafions, and far lefs with the demands fhe fometimes made upon him for money to be given for charitable purposes. This diverfity of opinion between the man and wife fometimes produced family difcord; and while the lady believed the Divine was little less than an angel from Heaven, the husband confidered him as no better than a thief, or a pickpocket, who, under falfe pretexts, induced fimple people

to throw away, upon others, the means that were neceffary for the fubfiftence of their families; nor was he, when heated in the conteft, and chagrined at times from the want of money, at all fcrupulous, in expreffing, without reserve, the opinion he entertained of this fuppofed faint. The wife, who was of a warm difpofition, though not deftitute of fenfe at bottom, was much irritated at thefe reflections, and thinking they proceeded entirely from the worldly mindedness of her husband, felt a ftrong inclination to indulge her own propensity to benevolence by every means that should fall in her way. To get money from her husband avowedly for this purpose, she knew was impoffible; but she refolved to take it when fhe could find an opportunity for that purpose. While she was in this frame of mind, her husband, one morning while he was writing at his desk, was fuddenly called away, and, intending to return directly, he did not close his defk. His wife thought this too favourable an opportunity to be miffed; and opening the thuttle where the knew the money was kept, fhe found about 25 guineas, which the husband had provided to pay for fome barley he had lately bought. From this fhe took out ten pieces, and left every thing else as before; nor did the husband, on his return, take any notice of it.

She was now very anxious to get this money properly difpofed of; and with that view dreffed herself in great haste; and having wrapped the pieces in a bit of paper, fhe took them in her hand to go out; but as fbe paffed a mirror, fhe observed fomething about her headdrefs that required to be adjusted, and putting the money on a bureau beneath the mirror, fhe fpent a little time in making the neceffary adjustments; and recollecting the had omitted to give fome directions before she went out, she stepped haftily into the kitchen for that purpose, without taking up the money. Just at this nick of time, tl e husband came into the room, and feeing fomething on the top of the bureau, he took it

up to examine it; and, feeing what it was, he immediately conjectured what was the truth. Without faying a word, however, he took out the gold, and put an equal number of halfpence in their ftead, leaving the paper to appearance as he found it, and went out again. The wife having heard her husband go out of the room, was in great fear that he had discovered her treasure, and returned with great anxiety to search for it; but feeing it happily just as fhe had left it, fhe haftily fnatched it up, without looking at it, and went directly to the lodgings of Mr. Whitfield to difpofe of it.

When the arrived, the found him at home-and a happy woman was the! Having introduced herself, by telling him how much he had been benefited by his pious inftructions, &c. which he returned with a ready politenefs; the expreffed her regret that he had it not in her power to be as liberal to his poor orphans as she could wish; but the hoped he would accept in good part the mite fhe could afford to offer to him on their account; and with many profeffions of charitable difpofitions, and thanks for the happiness fhe had derived from attending his difcourfes, the put the money into his hands, and took her leave. Mr. Whitfield, in the mean time, putting the money into his pocket without looking at it, made proper acknowledgments to her, and waited on her to the door.

He was no fooner, however, alone, than he took it out to examine the contents, and finding it only copper-and comparing the fum with the appearance of the perfon who gave it, he inftantly imagined it muft have been given with intention to affront him; and with this prepoffeffion on his mind, he haftily opened the door, and called the lady back, who had not as yet got to the bottom of the ftair. This fummons the inftantly obeyed. On her return, Mr. Whitfield, affuming a grave tone and ftern manner, told her, that he did not expect he could have had the presumption to offer to affront him; and, holding out the halfpence, afked

her what she could mean by offering him such a paultry compliment as that. The lady, who was very certain he had put good gold into the paper, and recollecting that he had often heard him called a cheat and an impoftor, immediately concluded that he himself, had put the halfpence in place of the gold, and made ufe of that pretext to extort more from her; and fell upon him moft bloodily, telling him, the had often heard him called a fwindler and a rascal, but till now fhe had never believed it. She was certain she had given him ten red guineas out of her hands, and now he pretended he had got only as many halfpence; nor did the leave him till he had given him a very full complement of abufe. She then went home in a great hurry; and had a much better opinion of her husband's difcernment and fagacity ever afterwards. He kept his fecret; and till her dying day, she made a good wife to him; nor ever afterwards went after field-preachers of any fort.

A.

SIR,

To the Editor of the Bee.

YOUR ingenious correfpondent's obfervations on the Flowers of the Foreft, go far to prove that it is not of as old a date as has been generally fuppofed. But what he has fuggefted, has not produced full conviction on my mind.

The firft dawnings of the Reformation in Scotland were in the end of the 15th century. In the beginning of the 16th, we know for certain there were many preachings in churches, private houses, the ftreets, fields, and fea fhore. Is there any thing incredible in fuppofing, that then, as at all times, people reforted them from various motives: Some from mere curioli ty; and that the youth of both fexes might occafionally improve these feafons for the purposes of love?

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