Segnius irritant animos demiffa per aurem, Quam que funt oculis fubjecta The business of the Drama is to excite fympathy; and its effect on the fpectator depends on fuch a. juftnefs of imitation, as fhall caufe, to a certain degree, the fame paffions and affections, as if what was exhibited was real. We have obferved narrative imitation to be too faint and feeble a means to excite paffion; declamation, ftill worfe, plays idly on the furface of the fubject, and makes the poet, who fhould be concealed in the action, visible to the fpectator. In many works of art; our pleasure arifes from a reflection on the art itself; and in a comparifon, drawn by the mind, betweeen the original and the copy before us. But here the art and the artist must not appear; for, as often as we recur to the poet, so often our fympathy with the action on the ftage is fufpended. The pompous declamations of the French theatre, are mere rhetorical flourishes, fuch as an uninterested perfon might make on the state of the perfons in the drama. They affume the office of the fpectator by expreffing his feelings, inflead of conveying to us the ftrong emotions and fenfations of the perfons under the preffure of diftrefs. Ex perience informs us, that even the. inarticulate groans, and involuntary convulfions of a creature in agonies, affect us much more, than any eloquent and elaborate defcription of its fituation, delivered in the propereft words, and most fingnificant geftures. Our pity is attendant an the paffion of the unhappy perfon, and on his own fenfe of his misfortunes. From defcription, from the report of a fpectator, we may make fome conjecture of his internal, ftate of mind, and fo far we shall be moved; but the direct. and immediate way to the heartis by the fufferer's expreffion of his. paffion. As there may be fome obfcurity in what I have faid on this fubject, I will endeavour to illuftrate the doctrine by examples. Sophocles, in his admirable trage dy of Edipus Coloneus, makes Edipus expoftulate with his undutiful fon. The injured parent exposes the enormity of filial difobedience; fets forth the duties of this relation in a very ftrong and lively manner; but it is only by the vehemence with which he fpeaks of them, and the imprecations he utters against the delinquent fon, that we can guess' at the violence of his emotions; therefore he excites more indignation at the conduct af Polynices, than fympathy with his own forrow: of which we can judge only as fpectators: for he has explained to us merely the external duties and relations of parent and child. The pangs of parental tenderness, thus wounded, are more pathetically expreffed by King Lear, who leaves out whatever of this enormity is equally fenfible to the fpectator, and immediately expofes to us his own internal feelings, when in the bitterness of his foul, curfing his daughter's offspring, he adds, That she may feel, How fharper than a ferpent's tooth it is, To have a thanklefs child. By this we perceive, how deeply paternal affection is wounded by filial ingratitude.. In the play of King John, the legate When they did fay, God blefs us! Thefe expreffions open to us the internal state of the perfons interefted, and never fail to command our fympathy. Shakespear feems to have had the art of the Dervife, in the Arabian tales, who could throw his foul into the body of another man, and be at once poffeffed of his fentiments, adopt his paffions, and rife to all the functions and feelings of his fituation. Shakespear was born in a rank of: life, in which men indulge them felves in a free expreffion of their paffions, with little regard to exterior appearance. This perhaps made him more acquainted. with the movements of the heart, and lefs knowing or obfervant of outward forms: against the one he often offends, he very rarely mis reprefents the other. The French tragedians, on the contrary attend whom they reprefent, but to the not to the nature of the man decorums of his rank: fo that their beft tragedies are made ridiculous, by changing the condition of the perfons of the drama; which could not be fo eafily effected, if they spoke the language of paffion, which in all tanks of men is much alike.”, In the effay on the hiftorical drama, our author obferves, "That thofe dramas of Shakespear, which his hiftories, being of an original he diftinguishes by the name of cannot come within any rules, kind and peculiar conftruction, The office of the critic, in regard which are prior to their exiftence. to poetry, is like that of the grammarian and rhetorician in refpect to language: it is their business to fhew why fuch and fuch modes of fpeech are proper and graceful, others improper and ungraceful: but they pronounce on fuch words and expreffions only, as are actually extant." If we were to give our readers every part of this effay which affords us pleasure, we should nearly tranfcribe the whole; the extracts we have given, will, we make no doubt, fufficiently excite the curiofity of all thofe who have not feen the original. THE State of the belligerent powers. Expedition to the Mediterranean. Turky. Critical fate of that empire. State of Poland. Conduct of the neighbouring powers in regard to the war. Auftria. Pruffia. Denmark. Difputes between the king and the fenate in Sweden. Diet degrades and punishes the fenate. Treaty of fubfidy concluded with France. France. Bankruptcy and fufpenfion of the French East India company. Spain. Portugal. Mazagan taken by the Moors. СНА P. II. State of the hoftile armies on the borders of Poland. Fruptions of the Tartars. Ruffians pafs the Niefter; firft battle, and fiege of Choczim. General Romanzow is repulfed at Oczacow. Battle between the Calmuck and Cuban Tartars. Grand Signior declares war against the king of Poland. Second battle near Choczim; prince Gallitzin lays fiege again to that fortress. Turks and Tartars attack the Ruffians in their camp; but are repulfed. General Proforowski defeated. Prince Gallitzin raifes the fiege of Choczim, and repues the Nifter. CHA, P. III. [13 Prudent conduct of the late grand vizir, produces his difgrace; Moldovani Ali Pacha, is appointed bis fucceffor. Great loffes Juftained by the Turks in their raft attempts to cross the Niefter. Turkish army break up their camp, abandon Choczim, and retire. tumultuously to the Danube. Ruffians over-run the provinces of Moldavia and Walachia; Greek inhabitants of thofe provinces acknowledge the empress of Ruffia as their fovereign, and take oaths of fidelity to her. Unfuccessful attempt on the citadel of Brailow. Count Panin "fails in his defign upon the city of Bender. Difpofition of the Ruffian troops for the winter. Preparations made by the Grand Signior for carrying on the war. CHAP. IV. [22 New confederacies formed in Poland upon the departure of the Ruffian troops to the frontiers. Spirited manifeflo by the nobility of the grand dutch VOL. XII. U Lithua Lithuania. Great number of engagements between the Ruffians and confederates; dreadful exceffes committed on both fides. King of Poland fends minifters to the guarantees of the treaties of Carlowits and Oliva. Harmony at prefent fubfifting between the great powers of the empire. Emperor's journey to Italy; makes a confiderable stay at Milan; on his return reforms many abufes in the government of that duchy; vifits the king of Pruffia at Neifs. Aix la Chapelle taken and quitted by the elector Palatine's forces. Marriage concluded upon between the dauphin and the archduchefs Maria [30 Antonia CHA P. V. Italy. Death of the pope procures a refpite to the troubles of the court of Rome. The emperor, and great duke of Tuscany, come to Rome. Cardinal Ganganelli declared pope. The new pontiff refuses to comply with the folicitations of the Bourbon princes, for the extinction of the order of Jefuits. Is obliged to cede Avignon and the Vanaifin to France. King of Naples keeps poffeffion of the duchy of Benevento. Precarious ftate of the monks. Conduct obferved by the Italian fates, in regard to the Ruffian fleet in the Mediterranean. Claims made by the courts of Vienna and Turin, upon part of the Genoeje territories. [36 CHAP. VI. Hopeless ftate of Corfica. French negociate with the chiefs during the winter. Unfuccessful attempts upon the French posts. Ecclefiaftics take up arms in defence of their country. Count de Vaux arrives with fifteen battalions from France, and takes the principal command. Corficans defeated near Roftime. Corte taken without oppofition. The whole island fubdued. Paoli flies to Legborn. Affembly held at Corte; French government established. Sovereign council of the island abolished; a new one created under the direction of the parliament of Provence. Corfica annexed to the French king's dominions, and brought within the jurifdiction of the Gallican church. Unsuccessful attempts to conciliate the minds of the people to the new government. Lofs fuftained by the French in this conqueft. French domestic affairs; Eaft India Company. Intereft on the public funds reduced. Parliament of Britany restored. Difturbances in St. Domingo. CHAP. VII. [40 War in India. Hyder Aly ravages the Carnatic. Battle near Mulwaggle. Hyder Aly advances within a few miles of Madrass. Peace concluded with Hyder Aly. New treaty with Sujab' Doulah. Supervisors appointed to go to India. Great debates upon the powers to be granted to the fuperwifers. A naval force applied for to go to India. Extraordinary powers demanded for the commanding naval efficer; the demands are rejected by a general court. Sir John Lindley jails with a small squadron to the gulph of Perfia. [48 Retrofpective view of fome matters previous to the General Election. Mr. Wilkes elected for the county of Middlefex. Great licentiousness prevails, which is not 5 Suffi fufficiently reftrained by the civil power. Conduct of administration. Caufes of diffatisfaction. State of the ministry.. Parliament meets. Speech from [57 the Throne. Parliament adjourns for the holidays. СНАР. IX. Proceedings on American affairs. Refolutions, and an address upon that subject, contain fevere cenfures upon the conduct of fome of the colonies. Agreement for five years with the Eaft-India company. Civil Lift debt. Expulfions, and final incapacitation of Mr. Wilkes. Addresses. Petitions -J The CHRONICLE. Births for the year 1769. Marriages Principal Promotions Deaths [*52 [65 [167 [168 171 [172 APPENDIX to the CHRONICLE. The Proteft of the House of Lords of Ireland [176 An Extract from the Registry of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury [178 Genuine Copies of Letters which passed between the Lord Chancellor and the Sheriffs of London and Middlefex, and between the Sheriffs and the Secre tary of State, relative to the execution of Doyle and Valline [181 Genuine Letters which passed between the Lord Mayor and the Secretary at War [187 Copy of a Letter to J. Ellis, Efq. of Gray's-Inn, from Dr. Solander, of the [188 wards; communicated to his owners [190 The humble Address of the Lord Lieutenant and Nobility, High Sheriff, Grand Jury, Gentlemen, and Clergy of the County of Effex [192 of the High Sheriff, Grand Jury, Gentlemen, and Clergy of the County of Kent [193 Oxford County of Surry of the Freeholders of the County of Surry Remonftrance and Petition from the County of Buckingham Genuine Copy of the Yorkshire Petition U 2 203 [204 [205 Matter of the Chancellor, Masters, and Scholars of the Univerfity of Tibid of the Chancellor, Mafters, and Scholars of the University of [194 · [195 of the Nobility, Gentlemen, Clergy, and Freeholders of the [196 [197 [200 |