poor wretch, feduced by that promife, agreed to let him into the house unknown to any perfon, and at what hour he should think proper. He had got every thing ready for the execution of his design, which was to be within two days; when he learned from this girl his accomplice, that we had agreed to go to the palace, and from thence to the fair. Upon this discovery, he changed his plan he watched us, followed us, took away the coach in which we went, as well as every other, except that which he had provided us, and which, therefore, we were under a neceffity of taking.

This, my dear, was what I never fufpected, and what I did not learn 'till a long time after. On the fixth day of our journey, about seven in the morning, out guards stopped in a defert place at a little distance from the fea, and ordered us to alight. Refiftance would have been vain. The marquis, as ufual, alighted first, to give me his hand; but no fooner was he out of the coach than three of the wretches feized him, while the two others at the door prevented my coming out. Surely, my dear, grief is not a mortal difeafe, feeing I furvived that dreadful moment. I saw my husband bafely bound, and gagged to prevent his cries. One of the brutes thruft his handkerchief into my mouth, and all I could do was to stretch forth my hand to the wretched Sainville, who having nothing at liberty but his eyes, made use of them to tell me his despair. I faw him carried into a boat, notwithstanding the furious efforts he made to difengage his hands from thofe that bore him; and the moment he was in it I faw it pushed from the fhore with a rapidity that tore my heart. What happened afterwards I cannot tell a fwoon that lafted feveral hours rendered it unneceffary for the wretches about me to prevent my putting án end to my life; for I had several times attempted to throw myfelf down from the coach. When I recovered my fenfes, I found myself in a bed, furrounded by feveral women, who in vain endeavoured to foothe my diftration; fo violent was it that it drove my reafon from its feat, and for two years I had the happiness to be infenfible of my misfortunes. At the beginning of the third year a violent fever brought me to the brink of the grave: I was let blood almoft to the last drop, and when my life feemed ready to expire with another figh, the ETERNAL PROVIDENCE, in his gracious pity, restored at once both my reafon and my health.'

Various are the adventures which Emerance encounters after this. She finds herself tenderly treated by the fuperior of a hofpital to which fhe was carried. It appears that the and her husband had been kidnapped by her former lover, Marfin, and his brother, who was a fea-officer; and both of them be

lieving Sainville to be an adventurer, or what is called a knight of industry, the officer carries Sainville to Canada in his own ship. Marfin the lover died of remorfe when he discovered the truth, but left Emerance a handfome legacy. The reader needs not doubt of the agonies which the underwent at the lofs of her husband and her child; and it is fufficient for us to say, that after a moft amazing variety of adventures she meets with them both, and the work, at its conclufion, makes all parties very happy. Befides the principal hiftory, feveral epifodical characters and adventures are interwoven.

Though this performance, we believe, is fincerely meant to ferve the cause of virtue, yet it is not void of a vein of fanaticifm. This, however, is more excufable in a religion which has fuperftition and delufion for its foundation, than it would be if the writer had profeffed herself a member of the church of England, or any rational proteftant fect.

The Virtuous Widow: or, Memoirs of the Baroness De Batteville. Tranflated from the French of Madume Le Prince De Beaumont. 12mc. Pr. 35. Nourse.

THI

HIS is another production of Madam Beaumont's, written nearly in the fame manner as the former.-The ftory is as follows: It is the fate of the baronefs de Batreville to love and be beloved by a man, M. D'Effart. Both are pinks of perfection in body and mind, yet neither of them was destined to the enjoyment of each other; for when the baronefs became a widow, though their mutual paffions were as ftrong as ever, and nothing could prevent their union, yet fo very felf-denied is this virtuous wide, that, fufpecting her daughter, whom fhe had by the baron, to have a sneaking fort of a kindness for her lover, the in a manner compels them to unité in marriage; a conduct which, we apprehend, could be dictated only by that fanaticism which we remarked in the preceding article.

Before we take leave of this author we cannot help obferving, that in all her works we scarcely meet with the character of a real man and woman, as they come from the hands of nature, with paffions to influence, and reafon to direct them. Her agents are all fuperior beings, either divine or diabolical; they obferve no medium in their conduct, nor are they compofed of flesh and blood. Every little furprize throws them into tremblings, faintings, convulfions, and it requires all the art of friends and phyficians to bring them from the gates of death. Every feeling they have puts their frame in agitation, harrows up their fouls, and for fome time deprives them of the

ufe

ufe of reafon. Upon parting, tho' for ever fo fhort a time> with a parent, friend, or a lover, they are fo prodigal of their tears, that all the moisture of the other parts of their body pours from their eyes. In short, the fcenes they exhibit are not fuch as happen in common life; and we cannot recommend the perufal of fuch novels to perfons of either fex who have the misfortune to be of a folitary caft, or to have weak nerves.

XI. The Vicar of Wakefield: a Tale. Supposed to be written by Himfelf. In II Vols. 12mo. 2d Edit. Pr. 6s. F. Newbery.

HE following is the advertisement prefixed to this very

Tfingular novel;

There are an hundred faults in this Thing, and an hundred things might be faid to prove them beauties. But it is needlefs. A book may be amufing with numerous errors, or it may be very dull without a fingle abfurdity. The hero of this piece unites in himfeif the three greatest characters upon earth; he is a priest, an husbandman, and the father of a family. He is drawn as ready to teach, and ready to obey; as fimple in affluence, and majestic in adverfity. In this age of opulence and refinement whom can fuch a character please? Such as are fond of high life, will turn with disdain from the fimplicity of his country fire-fide; such as mistake ribaldry for humour, will find no wit in his harmless conversation; and fuch as have been taught to deride religion, will laugh at one whofe chief ftores of comfort are drawn from futurity.

OLIVER GOLDSMITH.

--But why, it will be asked, did the doctor break off fo abruptly, and not proceed to give his reafons for publishing a thing to which he foreboded fo unfavourable a reception ?That query he himself can beft anfwer; and therefore to him we refer it. We are willing at the fame time to believe, that whatever thofe reafons were, they had a much more folid foundation than his apprehenfions; the early call for a fecond edi tion being a pretty strong prefumption that thefe laft were but indifferently grounded.

This author feems to us to poffefs a manner peculiar to himfelf; it is what the French would term naïveté. Now and then, when he means to rife, he indulges a little to antithefis and ornament, of which he fhews himself fufficiently capable but fimplicity is his characteristic excellence. He appears to tell his ftory with fo much cafe and artleffnefs, that one is almoft

Ff4

moft tempted to think, one could have told it every bit as well without the leaft ftudy; yet fo difficult is it to bit off this mode of compofition with any degree of maftery, that he who should try would probably find himself deceived: Imitabilis illa quidem videtur effe exiflimanti, fays an able judge, fed nihil eft experienti minus. That our novellift never falls into real negligence we dare not take upon us to affirm: it is certain, we have heard his best friends complain of his not doing justice to his own abilities by an adequate exertion of them. There is fomething about genius (we know not how to name it) that often occasions a particular propensity to remit its labours., Who can forbear to regret, that he who wrote the Traveller fhould not write much more, and in the fame fpirit ?---Now that we mention our author as a poet, we cannot with-hold our warmest praise from the ballad which he has favoured us with, in the firft volume of the work before us. It is an exquifite little piece, written in that measure which is perhaps the most pleasing of any in our language, verfified with inimitable beauty, and breathing the very foul of love and fentiment.

We find nothing in this performance to turn the attention upon the writer, or to inflame the pations of the reader; as we fee daily practifed by the common herd of novelifts. Genuine touches of nature, eafy ftrokes of humour, pathetic pictures of domestic happiness and domeftic diftrefs, (a happiness proceeding from innocence and obfcurity, and a diftrefs fupported with refignation and chearfulnefs) are fome of the methods here made ufe of to intereft and move us. If it be objected, that there is not a fufficient variety of character, or a larger difplay of what is called Knowledge of the world, it is to be remembered that the whole is fuppo.ed to be written by the Vicar himfelf; a man acquainted indeed with books, but in many particulars a ftranger to men; of primitive manners, and an unfufpecting mind; living in the country, and confining his views to his family, his funétion, and his farm. As he is the principal figure, the fcenery fhould be in proportion fimple, unftudied, and unadorned. Piety and fortitude, a glowing benevolence, an uncommon fhare of parental fondness, with fome vanity and more credulity, were to be reprefented in their natural workings, within a fphere which the defign would not permit to be extenfive; and the skill of the painter, we apprehend, was to appear by producing a strong effect from a piece in which fimplicity muft ftill predominate. Nor will it, we think, be denied, that the characters introduced are well marked and properly fupported, and that there are occafionally interfperfed

interfperfed many pertinent and useful obfervations, drawn from life, and directed to the heart.

Sir William Thornhill in difguife is a very original picture, and out of it a very amiable one. His worthless nephew we are prompted to deteft and fcorn throughout. Jenkinson too is a great rafcal in his way, more extraordinary than the other, but lefs pernicious, and in the end fufceptible of remorse; for which reafon we are lefs offended with him, and at last pardon him. The affectation and folly of Mrs. Primrose divert us. As to the daughters and the boys, it is impoffible not to be affected with the various play of their youthful paffions. Sophia is a fweet girl. Poor Olivia! Honest Mofes, and Dick, and Bill, cannot be forgotten. One paffage in particular, where the two last are more immediately concerned, we must not pafs unnoticed. When an unforeseen difficulty had started about lodging Mr. Burchell, all the beds of the house being already taken up by the family, and it being too late to fend him to the next alehoufe; little Dick offered the stranger his part of the bed, if his brother Mofes would let him fleep with him ;' to which Bill instantly subjoined, that he would give Mr. Burchell his part of the bed, if his fifters would take him to theirs.

Well done, my good children (cried the Vicar) hofpitality is one of the first Christian duties. The beaft retires to its fhel- / ter, and the bird flies to its neft; but hapless man can only find refuge from his fellow-creatures. The greatest stranger in this world, was he that came to fave it. He never had an houfe, as if willing to fee what hofpitality was left remaining among us.-Deborah, my dear, give these boys a lump of fugar each; and let Dick's be the largest, because he spoke first.' We should be infenfible not to pity George, and admire Mifs Wilmott. But above all, who can help being delighted with the good Vicar for his fincerity, his hofpitality, his fervent and overflowing affections, his divine propenfity to forgiveness and reconciliation, his unaffected magnanimity in deep affliction, and his exemplary moderation when restored to affluence and joy-But pray, Dr. Goldfmith, was it neceffary to bring the concluding calamities fo thick upon your old venerable friend; or in your impatience to get to the end of your task, was you not rather difpofed to hurry the catastrophe ?-Be this as it may, we cannot but wish you fuccefs, being of opinion, upon the whole, that your tale does no little honour to your head, and what is ftill better, that it does yet more to your heart.

Memoirs