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more spirit, both of language and character, between Charalois and Romont, in circumstances exactly fimilar, where no fuch violence was committed, or even meditated. Was it because Pierre had given a blow to Jaffier, that Altamont was to repeat the like indignity to Horatio, for a woman, of whose aversion he had proofs not to be mistaken? Charalois is a character at least as high and irritable as Altamont, and Romont is out of all comparison more rough and plain-spoken than Horatio: Charalois might be deceived into an opinion of Beaumelle's affection for him; Altamont could not deceive himself into fuch a notion, and the lady had teftified her dislike of him in the ftrongest terms, accompanied with symptoms which he himself had defcribed as indicating fome rooted and concealed affliction: Could any folution be more natural than what Horatio gives? Novall was a rival fo contemptible, that Charalois could not, with any degree of probability, confider him as an object of his jealoufy; it would have been a degradation of his character, had he yielded to such a suspicion: Lothario, on the contrary, was of all men li ing the most to be apprehended by a husband, let his confidence or vanity be ever fo great.

Rowe, in his attempt to furprize, has facrificed

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nature and the truth of character for ftageeffect; Maffinger, by preferving both nature and character, has conducted his friends through an angry altercation with infinitely more spirit, more pathos and more dramatic effect, and yet difmiffed them with the following animated and affecting speech from Charalois to his friend:

Thou'rt not my friend;

Or being fo, thou'rt mad. I must not buy
Thy friendship at this rate. Had I just cause,
Thou know' I durft purfue fuch injury

Thro' fire, air, water, earth, nay, were they all
Shuffled again to chaos; but there's none.

Thy skill, Romont, confifts in camps, not courts.
Farewel, uncivil man! let's meet no more:
Here our long web of friendship I untwist.
Shall I go whine, walk pale, and lock my wife
For nothing from her birth's free liberty,
That open'd mine to me? Yes; if I do,

The name of cuckold then dog me with scorn:
I am a Frenchman, no Italian born.

(Exit.)

It is plain that Altamont at least was an exception to this remark upon Italian husbands. I fhall purfue this comparifon no further, nor offer any other remark upon the incident of the blow given by Altamont, except with regard to Horatio's conduct upon receiving it; he draws his fword, and immediately fufpends refentment upon the following motive:

Yet

Yet bold! By Heav'n, his father's in his face!
Spite of my wrongs, my heart runs o'er with tender-

nefs,

And I could rather die myself than hurt him.

We must suppose it was the martial attitude that Altamont had put himself into, which brought the resemblance of his father so strongly to the observation of Horatio, otherwise it was a very unnatural moment to recollect it in, when he had just received the deepest infult one man can give to another: It is however worth a remark, that this father of Altamont fhould act on both fides, and yet mifcarry in his mediation; for it is but a few paffages before that Altamont fays to Horatio,

Thou wert my father's friend; he lov'd thee well
A venerable mark of him

Hangs round thee, and protects thee from my ven-
geance.

I cannot, dare not lift my fword against thee.

What this mark was is left to conjecture; but it is plain it was as feasonable for Horatio's rescue at this moment, as it was for Altamont a few moments after, who had certainly overlooked it when he ftruck the very friend against whom he could not, dared not lift his fword. When Lavinia's entrance has parted Alta

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mont and Horatio, her husband complains to her of the ingratitude with which he has been treated, and fays—

He, who was all to me, child, brother, friend,
With barbarous bloody malice fought my life.

These are very extraordinary terms for a man like Horatio to use, and seem to convey a charge very unfit for him to make, and of a very different nature from the hafty insult he had received; in fact it appears as if the blow had totally reverfed his character, for the refolution he takes in confequence of this perfonal affront is juft fuch an one as would be only taken by the man who dared not to resent it

From Genoa, from falsehood and inconftancy,
To fome more boneft diflant clime we'llgo ;
Nor will I be beholden to my country

For augbt but thee, the partner of my flight.

That Horatio's heroifm did not confift in the

ready forgiveness of injuries is evident from the obftinate fullennefs with which he rejects the penitent apologies of Altamont in the further progrefs of the play; I am at a lofs therefore to know what colour the poet meant to give his character by difpofing him to quit his country with this infult unatoned for, and the additional ftigma

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ftigma upon him of running away from his appointment with Lothario for the next morning amongst the rocks. Had he meant to bring him off upon the repugnance he felt of resenting any injury against the son of a father, whose image was fo visible in his face, that his heart ran o'er with fondness in spite of his wrongs, and he could rather die than hurt him; furely that image would have interceded no lefs powerfully for him, when, penetrated with remorse, he intercedes for pity and forgiveness, and even faints at his feet. with agony at his unrelenting obduracy: It would be unfair to fuppofe he was more like his father when he had dealt him an infulting blow, than when he was atoning for an injury by the most ample fatisfaction and fubmiffion.

This is the light in which the conduct of Horatio ftrikes me; if I am wrong, I owe an atonement to the manes of an elegant poet, which, upon conviction of my error, I will study to pay in the fullest manner I am able.

It now remains only to fay a few words upon the catastrophe, in which the author varies from his original, by making Calista destroy herself with a dagger, put into her hand for that purpose by her father: If I am to moralize upon this proceeding of Sciolto, I know full well the incident cannot bear up against it; a Roman U 4 father

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