brand wishes to marry Viola, and at the fame time to debauch Laura; who, to avoid all the importunities of lovers in the absence of Montano, had made her attendant Rofa affume the male habit, and pafs for her husband, under the name of Lucilio. Alice, Viola's maid, pretends to be in the intereft of the guardian, fuggefts all the plans for carrying the points he has in view, and betrays him. He, of course, is defeated and difgraced: Montano and Regnalto discover themselves, and the piece ends with a double marriage.

We select the following scene, as one of the most favourable specimens we can give of the performance. Lucilio (Rofa) comes to Aldobrand to demand his protection as a magiftrate against the jealous fury of Ibrahim (Montano). The guilty fears of the old guardian make him at first imagine that Lucilio had difcovered his dishonourable views on Laura. This fpecies of mistake is a very common refource of writers for the fage: but the scene in itself is well enough managed.

Servant.

Enter a SERVANT.

Signor Lucilio, Sir.

Aldobrand. Lucilio! What the devil can he want with me? I hope he has not discovered my defigns on his wife !-Shew him up.Fabio, let Dummy retire with you for the prefent.

Enter ROSA.

Exeunt Regnalto and Fabio.

Signor Lucilio, ten thousand thanks for this honour! Believe me,

I am heartily glad to see you!

Rofa. I am come, Signor Aldobrand, to request your advice and affiftance in a matter of great moment to me.

Aldob. I am fure I fhall be particularly happy

Rofa. I know you are a man of gallantry.

Aldob. Afide. Egad! I am forry for that.

Rofa. hearing.

And therefore I wish for your counsel -But, are we out of

Aldab. As fnug as a conclave of cardinals!

Rofa. Give me leave to ask you what measures you think I ought to purfue with the man who has dar'd to make love to my wife? Aldob A- -a- -[Afide-Oh! that I were but fafe out of the reom] Why, furely-is it poffible that

Rofa. • Poffible! why not, Sir? Is not Laura handsome enough to be an object of temptation?

Aldob. 6

Upon my foul, I think fo, Sir! Don't mistake me. [Afide What fhall I fay to him?]

Rofa. When I confider the nature of the affront!

Aldob. But confider, at the fame time, good Signor, how liable we all are to frailty! Temptation is an enemy who wrettles with us through life, growing ftronger as we grow weaker; and, if youth can't refift him, 'tis not to be wondered at that he should easily trip up an old man's heels!

Rofa.

Rofa. I am refolved to punifh him feverely !

Aldob [Afide I fhall be expos'd to all Florence!] Are there go apologies which you could be prevailed on to receive?

Rofa. What apologies can he offer, after having had the affurance to threaten my life.

Aldob. fide. I threaten his life!-What the devil does he mean now?

Roja. • The prefumption to challenge me to fingle combat!

Aldob. Challenge you!-Upon my veracity, I never dreamt of fuch a thing!

Rofa. him!

Yes, the haughty Algerine dared me to measure fwords with

Aldob. The haughty Algerine!

Rofa.

Ibrahim, the commander of the veffel laft from Algiers! Aldob. [Afide- I am reftor'd to life!] Give me your hand, my dear Signor Lucilio! We'll have the fcoundrel hang'd, drawn, quarter'd, flay'd, and carbonaded!-A dog! a rafcal! a villian!-a fuch an abominable attempt!

Rofa. But how shall we manage, my dear friend? I have every thing to dread from him while he is at liberty. You are a magistrate, and can affift me.

Aldob.

He shall be thrown into prison in two hours time!

Rofa. Will that be firictly legal?

Aldob.

Legal! aye, to be fure, if it can ferve a friend. Laws were made for the benefit of fociety; and are not our friends the very Rower of fociety?

Rofa. ⚫ But let us be careful not to infringe the ftrict letter of the law.

Aldob. Aye, that is a true oracle; always doubtful in it's meaning. We lawyers are the priests; and who fo proper to expound it as we who make it? The letter of the law reminds me of a fanciful cloud in a fummer fky; though no two perfons can agree in what it really reprefents, you may look at it till you make what you will of it. Rofa. And yet how beautiful are thofe clouds when gilded by the fun of equity!

Aldab. Piha! pfha! when the clouds gather faft, the fun of equity, as you call it, fometimes finds it a devilish hard task to shine through them. But come, let us to bufinefs; we have not a moment to lofe. I'll difpatch the officers of juftice after this Ibrahim, and they'll feize him the inftant they fet eyes on him!

Rofa. Well, Signor Aldobrand, I perceive you improve on the poets, who reprefent Juftice as blind: you kindly remove the band from her eyes, that he may diftinguish objects clearly.

Aldob. Modern Juftice is only blind to the faults of her friends. And what does the do with her word?

Rofa. Aldob. Roja.

pos'd of!

• Reserve that for their enemies.

Ha! ha! ha! Then her fcales only remain, to be dif

Aldob. Which are too ufeful to be parted with. receipt of fees; one fcale for the plaintiff, and the fendant of course, you know, that which is bett fill'd kick the beam !—And fo much for justice.

:

They are for the other for the demakes the other

[Exeunt. The

The following fong is à fpecimen of the poetry, equally favourable.

Tho' I can't walk quite straight,
And in figures of eight

Still circling my legs do their duty,
You'll always obferve,
That a regular curve

Is reckon'd the true line of beauty:
Of Orpheus they tell,

(He who fiddled so well)

That his notes made hills, rocks, and trees, caper;

So I can, in my way,

When a folo I play,

Make them dance full as well as that scraper.

Tho' at first, on a furvey

Things feem topfey turvey,

When you're us'd to't, they don't look fo frightful;
Still they move more or lefs,
And good judges confefs
Moving profpects are always delightful:

The world's circular motion

I'm fure's no falfe notion;

For, tho' fober, I ne'er could believe it,
Truth in wine, boys, is found,

Now I fee it turns round,

He that's drunk can moft plainly perceive it.

There are several improbabilities in this opera. We fhall, content ourselves with one inftance. Laura repeatedly fees and converfes with Ibrahim, and yet never has the fmalleft fufpicion of his being Montano. Why? becaufe fuch a difcovery would not then have answered the purpose of the anthor. But as foon as it becomes necessary to the catastrophe, The at once difcovers, in the dark too, Ibrahim to be her long-loft lover. We cannot approve of the conduct of the piece: the endlefs changes of drefs, and other fimilar manoeuvres, bring it too near the level of pantomime. Genuine wit is dealt out fparingly; but, for the profufion of clench and pun, the following inftances we have felected will be our warrant. "We must pay our compliments where they are due.-I'll follow you prefently: tho' mine, I "fear, will be but empty compliments," because his ftomach was empty. You may be fure a dumb man can't make any

words about the matter."" You have been used to eat 66 your meat rare."-" Yes, the meat that came to my share in Algiers was very rare indeed."- "How did they "treat you?"-" They treated me with my board to be fure "to fleep on." And what think you of men and manners "where

"where you have been?"-" Egad! I' never was treated with fo much ill-manners." Let him wait on us," (meaning Regnalto, who pretended to be dumb) "a dumbwaiter is fometimes very convenient."" Then he has "travelled to fome end, Fabio."" Yes, Sir; and I hope

that will be the end of his travels."--". You fee I have "gained his confidence."-" Egad! if you have gained his "confidence, you have made a pretty comfortable addition "to your own ftock."" How can you ask me at this time, "when my heart is fo fenfibly touched?"" Well, Madam, "and don't I run the risk of having my heart fenfibly touched "by the point of a finall fword." He himself, Sir.""There you are mistaken; for I am not myself at prefent,"

&c.

One word more, and we have done. It is natural to fuppofe Aldobrand, who is defeated in all his iniquitous schemes, and difcovered to be a fcoundrel and a villain, in no very fit humour for finging; and yet he coolly chaunts his couplet in the concluding fong. Perhaps it is thought more effential to preferve opera etiquette, viz. that the principal characters fhould fing off, than to follow the rules of good-fenfe and probability. Whatever may be in this, we are fo unfashionable as to with that here he had acted the mute with Fabio and Roberto, who, we perceive, are excluded from the finale.

ART. X. Remarks on the Means of obviating the fatal Effects of the Bite of a Mad Dog, or other rabid Animal; with Obfervations on the Method of Cure when Hydrophobia occurs ; and the Opinion relative to Worming of Dogs refuted. Illuftrated by Examples. By R. Hamilton, M. D. of the Royal College of Phyficians in London, and Member of the Medical, Phyfical, and other Literary Societies in Edinburgh and London. 8vo. 4s. 3d. boards. Ipfwich printed. Longman, London. 1785.

THE HE bite of a mad dog, like that of the viper, has been the fubject of great investigation, and has equally eluded the most diligent refearches for obtaining an infallible remedy. Whether there be in nature any real antidote to those poifons, it is impoffible to determine; but the belief of its existence appears to have been univerfal in all ages, and has, however unfuccefsfully, maintained a laudable exertion of inquiry in the province of medicine. In the imperfect ftate of human knowledge it would be unphilofo

phical to difcourage the profecution of researches which have for their object the prevention or cure of two of the moft terrible calamities incident to human nature; but it would be no lefs repugnant to the interefts of phyfical fcience and of mankind, to permit the continuance of credulity in fallacious refources, by not expofing the demerit of fuch remedies as, though venerable and applauded by long prefcription, have been fully afcertained, by mature experience, to be deftitute of any falutary effects. By this conduct, it is true, we may extinguish that pleafing hope which is the chief folace of the unfortunate, in the circumftances of apprehended infection, but the delufions of error will be compenfated by the profpect of more certain fuccefs; and, towards enlarging the bounds of knowledge, it is no unfuitable prelude to begin with contracting those of ig

norance.

We have been led into these reflections by the work before us, the principal fubject of which is to evince the inefficacy of the various specific remedies hitherto recommended for the bite of a mad dog; with the view, however, of inculcating a recourse to fuch means as feem to be most strongly suggested by phyfiology, and supported by experience.

This treatife is indebted for its origin to an unfortunate incident which happened, a few years fince, in the county of Suffolk, where a young gentleman, the fon of an admiral, fell a victim to the hydrophobia. Dr. Hamilton then inferted fome obfervations in the Ipfwich Journal, for the benefit of the neighbourhood; and he has at length been induced to lay his remarks, now confiderably enlarged, before the public. He fets out with afcertaining the signs of the firft ftage of madness in the canine tribe. He obferves, that a very little attention might prevent any accident from the bite of a dog; for, in the early ftage of his illness, when he only lowers and feems heavy, he fhews almoft no marks of a change in his temper; he neither fnaps nor bites at any perfon near him; and hence, in dubious cafes, where prudence raifes fufpicion, he might be tied up till time should determine the event. This is a caution which deferves to be ftrongly inculcated, and ought to be univerfally attended

to.

Sucking the part bitten immediately after the accident is an expedient recommended from very remote times, not only as effectual, but perfe&ly safe, provided that no part of the fkin of the mouth, gums, or adjacent parts, which may be touched by poifon, is broke. The better to prevent danger,