follow ftrictly the footsteps of nature.---A dramatic writer ought alfo ftudiously to confider the various paffions which agitate the human foul, and obferve how thofe paffions are likely to operate in men of different tempers and difpofitions; for the fame fentiment will produce effects almost diametrically contrary in perfons whofe mode of life or manner of thinking have produced betwixt them a difference of character:--thus the man of vivid imagination, and acute feelings, will act and speak upon the firft intelligence of fudden good fortune, or fome extraordinary injury, in a very different mode from the cool and firm philofopher. The ftation in which an individual is placed, likewife, creates a great variety in the expreffion of the paffions.---Thus the exultation of a victorious monarch, and the joy of a fuccefsful peafant, will produce very diffimilar ideas; the grief of a woman, and the forrow of a grey-headed veteran, will be as unlike each other in their effects as the characters who experience them are diffimilar; while the rage of the warrior, and the indignation of the monk, will caufe projects of revenge, alike only in the motive which dictated them. This point might be infifted upon much longer; but fufficient has been faid to fhew, that a ftrict attention fhould be paid to this rule, which is however but too often violated; for, few and fimple as thefe rules appear, they have feldom been fuccefsfully followed; and forry I am to perceive fo few examples of dramatic compofition, in which the fundamental laws of the stage have been strictly observed, fome (even of our beft writers) having mingled with the fublimeft effufions of their mufe fcenes of low buffoonery, which destroy the effect of the whole piece. We have the meditations of a Hamlet difturbed by the observations and witticifms of a grave-digger, and the forrows of a Lear interrupted by the jefts of a fool. To add to the violations of propriety which abound in the former play, our performers have been too apt to confider the part of Lucianus (the player murderer) as a comic or rather farcical character, and by mimickry and extravagance render it completely pantomimic; whereas it was obviously the intention of Shakspeare, that the whole of the fcene performed before the king should be extremely ftriking, that it might have the greater effect on his guilty confcience; and for this purpofe the players (though mentioned with much refpect as the best performers of the city) are particularly inftructed by Hamlet himself: but, inftead of exerting the whole of their powers for this purpose, our actors reprefent this fcene like a fet of strollers, or merry-andrews, and thus turn the whole into an abfurd farce; with which we are to fuppose the king fo much affected as to command the piece to finish, and leaves the place in the greatest diforder. Other deviations from nature, fuch as heroes making apt fimilies and flowery fpeeches in the most violent paroxyfms of grief and rage, nay, even in the agonies of death; improbable plots, abfurd expedients, and falfe reasonings, are too numerous to be noticed here, but crowd the pages of almost every dramatic work which fills the shelves of the bookfeller, or the drawers of the manager.---But a far more alarming evil than any of thofe we have enumerated, is, the abfolute neglect of the first end of theatrical reprefentations, viz. the promotion of virtue! The present race of writers, or rather tranflators, feem to have but one object in view, which is, to recommend fome favourite vice, or foible, with which they inveft their hero and then gild the deformity with so much fine language, fo many noble ideas, and fuch touching ftrokes of feeling, that we uncon ; sciously swallow the bait, nay, even admire and feel interested for the being they have thus formed, to the deftruction of morality. This dangerous practice, which imperceptibly faps the foundation of our principles, and our virtues, appears to have been originally imported from Germany, whofe theatres abound with noble robbers, illuftrious fwindlers, feeling murderers, and benevolent adultreffes; and our native writers feem now to be infected with this epidemic rage for reverf ing the old fyftem of morality to fuch a degree, that, unless fome writer of eminence will enter the lifts, like a knight errant of old, to deliver the Genius of the Stage from these Goths and Vandals, the boards of Old Drury and Covent Garden will foon be trodden only by murderers, robbers, traitors, feducers, and adultreffes, who will be held up to the pity and admiration of the rifing generation. I remain Sir, B. VARIOUS AGRICULTURAL TOPICS. To the Editor of the Universal Mag. SIR, IN the laft Monthly Magazine, I obferved a letter on certain practical agricultural topics, written by Dr. Pike, a well known amateur: I beg leave, through the channel of your antient and eftablished Mifcellany, to offer my few remarks alfo, and to join iffue with the worthy and laudably inquifitive experimenter. Dr. Pike's obfervations on the gaps and chafms in the bottoms of QUICK fences are plainly the result of practical attention. During the laft harvest, being on a vifit to a farming friend in Surry, I faw a repetition of the inconveniencies I have myfelf fo frequently experienced from the defect juft stated. My friend had full as large a stock of pigs as he found convenient to maintain; and the firft corn field which he cleared was destined, on the inftant, to receive two fows and their litters, there to remain a few days at Shack. This cleared field was enclosed by old hawthorn of tolerably luxuriant growth, and the interftices at bottom, on the ftonybank, were not uncommonly apparent. However, on the following morning, early, the difagreeable tidings were brought by the reapers, that the young pigs had, in the night, made their way through the bottom of the hedge in various places, and had provided themfelves far more comfortable quarters than those afligned them; namely, in a field of fine, uncut, drilled wheat, to which they, in a few hours, did confiderable damage; fortunately the fows remained in the stubble. Dr. P.'s recommendation of the berberry bush is judicious, and merits attention. That fhrub will, as I have found by experience, make a good fence, in almoft any foil. either by itself, or mixed with quicks, and the berries or plants may be purchased of the nurferymen. It is an additional recom mendation of the Doctor's advice, to find it (as, indeed, might be expected from an enlightened cultivator) totally free from thofe abfurd and fuperftitious notions refpecting a power in the berberry bush to communicate blights to corn, which we find fo gravely detailed, even by writers, in mot other relations, of refpectable judge ment. The propofal to cultivate the ftriped Indian grafs, vulgarly called CAT-GRASS, or GARDENER'S RIBANDS, is by no means fo happy or ufeful as the former; and, with refpect to making it into hay, the refult would be a total lofs of the trouble and expence. This grafs, in its green ftate, is by no means remarkable for its fuccu lence as dry fodder, it would near ly, from its harfhnefs, cut the throats of the animals whose hard fate it might be to feed upon it, We have already made various hayexperiments with the bulky, coarfe graffes, although fine, compared with the ftriped garden grafs; yet they have been invariably found inferior to middling ftraw, and, in honest John's common phrafe," fit only to make cattle loufy;" an effect which I have actually witneffed. As a cafe of exception, respecting the use of the coarse native graffes as hay, I ought to state the practice of poor mountainous countries, the Scotish Highlands for example, where, from the extreme fcarcity of fodder, their cattle too often, in the winter feafon, even perish for want. Such, however, is the indolence, or defect of light, in the farmers of thofe countries, that they generally neglect even this poor refource, even after having witneffed, in the fpring immediately paft, their cattle dropping dead at their feet, amongst the frozen fnows, from pure famine. The ordinary race both of bipeds and quadrupeds may be claffed together, as the creatures of custom, The morocco pea, everlasting pea, fweet-fcented pea, lentils, fpurry, and id genus omne, have been recommended as food for cattle, in books of husbandry, for more than a century paft, and many fuch crops are, and generally have been, ufed upon the Continent. As far as my experience extends (and I have been, through life, an experimenter in feveral counties), the reafon for a neglect of these articles is very fatisfactory:---they either fall fhort in quality or quantity of thofe already established. Par exemple, who would think of cultivating fuch, whofe land will produce clover, tares, lucerne, fainfoin, or brank? The fuperior produce of the HOWARDIAN potatoe, and the equality in that refpect of feveral other fpecies, have been long known; equally well known has it been, that they recede proportionally in quality: and an established preference has thence long been affigned by the most accurate and practifed judges of thofe fpecies which produce far lefs weight, but more meal, gluten, and real nutriment. Were this fpecies of potatoe really loft, and a large and extremely farinaceous one produced, which may be found in the neighbourhood of Hamburgh, we should, indeed, be notable gainers, both with refpe&t to ourselves and our cattle, in fuch an exchange. As to eating roast pork fattened with hard, or indeed the very beft, potatoes, unaslisted with corn, it can afford no very high' relish to even a tyro in the school of Epicurus: a fentiment with which Dr. P. cannot be unacquainted, who may fo conveniently drink, or rather eat, near the foun tain head, refiding, as he does, within a fhort distance of Barnet; where may be found, every marketday, the best pork in Britain---real milk-fed, firm as wax, and replete with the most delicate and nutritious juices. In refpect to the discovery and trial of new articles, whether for the fummer or winter fupport of our domeftic animals, allowing the highest degree of merit to the fpeculation, there is a phantom, in the guife of an objection, always ftaring us full in the face, on which its objurgatory afpect, in good honeft truth, ought to raise confcious blushes. It feems to fay, we have not yet made general trial of half thofe articles already recommended by the approved experience of a century, abundant and excellent as they may be produced, and adequate to every purpose or demand of every feason, from January to December. This, however, is not faid to difcredit or difcourage the efforts of curious experimenters, cheek varied, languor overpowered her frame, and the funk at the feet of a spreading beech that ftretched around its ample fhade. The agitations of her foul fubfided by flow degrees--- her eyelids gently clofed---the objects of her contem→ plation became confufed and indiftinct---thought gave place to reverie---and torpor, with its benumbing powers, fucceeded to the dan gerous activity of her mind. From this ftate fhe was fudden ly aroufed by the foft and melodious tones of a lute, which, floating on the air, fwelled into fublime and elevated strains; then, gradually finking, the founds became more and more remote, and in melancholy cadence died away. A deep filence followed; not a breeze figh THE fun was finking below the horizon, after a calm day in the autumnal feafon, when the young and beauteous Cleanthe, flowly pacing the lawn that defcended in a fweep from the ftately manfion of the Baron, her father, directed her steps towards the borders of an antient foreft, that, rifing in awful majefty, stretched its thick impenetrable fhade far towards the north of her paternal domains. The laftrays of the lamp of day, faded in the foliage; not a leaf flitted ing from the foliage which they had tinged with gold, were already fucceeded by the grey mifts of twilight, which in doubtful obfcurity veiled the furrounding fcene. The plaintive cooings of the stock-dove, the diftant murmur of a cataract, the drowfy hum of infects winging their way towards the leafy fhelter of the woods, alone broke upon the repose of the hour. Cleanthe preffed forward through the entangled underwood, her mind abforbed in tender recollections, that, confpiring with the tranquillity of the furrounding objects, gradually abftracted it from the impreffions of sense. The magic of fancy, the creative power of the affections, called up the image of an abfent lover, in whofe afpect celeftial beauty appeared to beam, the melting accents of whofe voice breathed tendernefs and truth; while, in flattering and endless perfpective, a boundlefs profpect prefented itself of never-failing joy. Oppreffed by a train of overwhelming fenfations, the exhaufted fpirits of Cleanthe relaxed, her nerves fhook, her limbs faltered, the colour on her from the trees; not a murmur broke upon the folemnity of the fcene. The rifing moon, through a veil of fleecy clouds that hovered ftationary on the verge of the horizon, fhed a chaftened, doubtful light, that fcarcely penetrated the umbrage of the woods, whofe lofty branches threw afar their faint fhadows on the velvet turf. Cleanthe rofe from the ground, and, gazing round with wild difmay, perceived herfelf bewildered in the pathlefs gloom, and far from the fhelter of the parental roof. Perplexed by the intricacies of the place, and uncertain of her way, The ftood awhile fufpended and aghaft. As with uplifted eyes, and clafped hands, the breathed to heaven an imploring figh, a thick cloud paffed over the moon, and, expanding, affumed a deeper hue. Gradually the atmosphere became involved in darkness---the stars withdrew their feeble light---the foreft fhook without a wind---and favage howlings, as of beafts of prey, refounded on every fide. The thunder muttered at a diftance---blue lightnings darted through the dark profound, and fhed a momentary vivid glare; the rifing gale fighed among the branches; low moaning founds, wafted on its wings, rofe by degrees into piercing fhrieks. Over the cheek of Cleanthe a mortal palenefs ftole---her knees tottered--cold damps bedewed her face: fhe funk panting and nervelefs to the earth! From this trance fhe was awakened by the clashing of fwords and the trampling of horfes' feet: two knights, clad in complete fteel, mounted on foaming foaming courfers richly caparifoned, rushed from a neighbouring thicket, and mingled in fierce and desperate combat. Collecting her ftrength, and winged by fear, the affrighted maid ftarted on her feet, and, darting through the entangled branches, pierced into the centre of the foreft. Breathlefs and exhaufted, fhe at length flackened her speed, paufed a moment, and gazed timidly around; when a glimmering ray of light, that beamed tremulously through the diftant trees, caught and arrested her ftartled eye. With mingled hope and terror fhe advanced forward; the light became more teady, though ftill feeble, and, gleaming through a broad vifta bordered with cyprefs of antient growth, revealed a ruined maffy building, half concealed in deep fhadow, that frowned beneath the mournful fhade. Urged onward by an irrefiftible impulfe, half reluctant, trembling, fhrinking, Cleanthe approached the fabric, whofe walls, leaning from their foundation, feemed to menace her temerity with instant fate. On entering a long and gothic aifle, towards the end of which a lamp was fufpended, the beheld, fhuddering, at the foot of an altar half deftroyed by time, a female figure, fpread on the pavement, who, with features pale and ghaftly, hort refpiration, and convulfive fpafms, ftruggled with nature's expiring pangs: a fresh wound, but ill concealed by her dishevelled hair, tangled and clotted with blood, appeared on her bofom, whence a fanguinary, ftream defcending, ftained the altar's fteps with gore; her hand still grafped a broken-hilted poniard, which with an impious but powerful effort flie again raised to repeat the blow.--Cleanthe, fhrieking, grafped her arm, ftruck with unutterable horror and amaze, while the gazed on the miferable victim at her feet. "Who art thou?" faid "the phantom, in a hollow tone; turning on the intruder a fixed and glaring eye. Cleanthe remained motionlefs, her feet rooted to the earth--- her quivering lips half open ---her tongue cleaving to the roof of her mouth, incapable of fpeaking, and unable to fly. Again the spectre raised its heavy eye---again it turned on the horror-ftruck maid. "Enthufiaft," exclaimed the dying wretch, with renovated and fudden force, "youthful and tender vifionary, behold in me, and be timely warned, the victim of imprudence, prefumption, and defpair!"----It ceafed to fpeak---the eyes clofed --the head funk motionless---the countenance, diftorted by agony, was overfpread by a livid hue---the blood, congealing, ceafed to flow ---a hollow groan broke from the throbbing cheft, while the guilty foul, burfting its bonds, forfook its mangled tenement, and filed to regions unknown and unexplored! In a moment the light was extinguished---a fubterraneous noise was heard beneath the building--loud howlings furrounded it from without--the walls trembled and fhook---the clash of contending elements burft over it---it rocked from its foundation, and fell with a hideous crash. Cleanthe, returning to life and recollection, which had fuffered a tranfient fufpenfion, found herfelf |