them; when that marriage is on the point of being folemnized, Mrs. Stapleton receives a letter from her milliner, which informs her, that Mr. Norris had many years before been under the most facred engagements to her; that he could produce thefe engagements under his own hand; and that his noncompliance with them had reduced her to the fituation of life he was in, as he had, trufting to his honour, refused feveral advantageous offers. Mrs Stapleton, alarmed at this intelligence, communicates it to Mr. Norris: Mr. Norris confeffes there is fome truth in it, but declares, at the fame time, that the character of the perfon who wrote fo heavy a charge against him, had alone prevented the performance of his promife. He determines to confult Sir Charles and Mr. Barker, the poor man whom Sir Charles had relieved at Bath. Sir Charles, in confequence of the information communicated to him, appoints a meeting with the milliner, who talks in very lofty terms, till Mr. Barker, having been, without making Sir Charles acquainted with his defign, to Stoney Stratford, produces a ftrolling player as her husband.-By this unexpected difcovery Mr. Norris is, of courfe, quite a freeagent, and his marriage with Mrs. Stapleton is celebrated on the fame day with that between Sir Charles and Mifs Clayton.

There is not much contrivance in the story: it is carried on by starts, and in a defultory manner: the digreffions are too numerous, tho' many of them are inftru&tive and entertaining. There are ftrokes of good sense and good writing in the introduction -Sir Charles and Mifs Clayton are the principal figures of the piece, but they are not very ftrongly marked: they are, indeed, amiable, but too uniformly fo to be striking.

X. The Fruitless Repentance, or the Hiftory of Mifs Kitty Le Fever. z Vols. 12mo. Pr. 55. F. Newbery.

IN thefe volumes fomne very uncommon words are introduced,

and fome very improbable adventures related; but there are many pages in them fufficiently pleafing and pathetic to dif tinguish this novel from the common run of fuch publications.

Lord Clerage, a young man of fashion, in company with Sir George Hendon, fees Mifs Le Fever at prayers in Westminster Abbey, and is fo much ftruck with her beauty as to defire to know who the was.-She, gueffing his defign by following her, steps into a fhop in order to difappoint him, from thence the flips through a back-door, into a ftreet leading to the Park. By this movement fhe efcapes from him.-Sir George Hendon fets out the next morning for the country, to

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finish a matrimonial affair-Lord Clerage frequents all publick places in hopes of having a fecond view of the unknown beauty, Chance, at last, conducts him to vifit a Mrs. Leefon, a relation of his Mrs. Leefon entertains him with an account of a lady and her daughter who lodge in the fame houfe with her the latter, according to Mrs. Leefon's defcription of her, is, he imagines, the young lady he is in fearch of. On farther enquiry he finds that she is in very low circumftances; the daughter of a brave officer who loft his life in defending a fort; that she had been taken care of, and educated by a lady Catherine Oldham, very diftantly related to her mother, for fourteen years that on the death of her father fhe had infifted upon living with her mother, hoping to comfort and affift her, as the had no more than thirty pounds a year for her fubfistence : and that lady Catherine was fo provoked at fo filial a procedure as to cancel a will which he had made in Kitty's favour, declaring, at the fame time, that he would have nothing more to do with her.-While Mrs. Le Fever lies in a declining state of health in the fame houfe with Mrs. Leeson, her daughter receives a letter from an intimate friend in the country, by the hands of Mr. Leicester, a young clergyman, and a very deferving man, who, being totally unprovided for, comes to town in fearch of a curacy.--In this interview the young people feel strong prepoffeffions in each others favour. Mifs Le Fever is thoroughly fenfible of the impropriety of giving. way to her inclination for Mr. Leicefter, and is very much perfuaded to oppofe it by Mifs Winter, from whom he receives the letter abovementioned.--Mrs. Le Fever removes to Kenfington for the air-Lord Clerage prevails on Mrs. Leefon, who does not fufpe&t his intentions, to introduce him to Mrs. and Mifs Le Fever, on their return, as a Mr. Smith, that they may not be embarraffed with the ceremonious civilities due to a man of his quality.-The old lady, who is fuppofed to be above feventy, falls into the fcheme-His lordship is received politely, but with no apparent pleasure by Mifs Le FeverShe goes with him, however, as Mr. Smith, to the MagdalenHofpital, without any other companion, when he discovers his real name, and rank in life. In their way home he takes liberties with her which he cannot approve of, and therefore frongly refents his behaviour. His friend Sir George, when acquainted with it, greatly condemns him, and warmly defends the caufe of virtue Lord Clerage, in a letter to a Mr. Johnfon, who is no ftranger to his paflion for Mifs Le Fever, turns Sir George into ridicule for being fo very virtuous. He also informs Mr. Johnfon, that having bribed Mrs. Leefon's maid Jenny, who was going to the poft-houfe with two letters, the

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one to Mifs Winter, the other to Mr. Leicester, he had found that Miss Le Feyer actually defpifed him, and had a heart only for the poor parfon.-By the fame manœuvres, my lord gets into his hands Mifs Winter's and Mr. Leicester's anfwers; and refolves to make propofals to lady Catherine, fuppofing that as fhe brought Mifs Le Fever up with a defign to give her a fortune. He firft, however, feizes an opportunity to speak to Mifs Le Fever, alone, who tells him frankly, that he is engaged to Leicester.-My lord then offers to make a handfome provifion for him upon his relinquishing all pretenfions to her. She confents to communicate his lordship's propofal to her lover, but also tells my lord that her compliance with his requeft is entirely on Leicester's account, and that fhe will never fee him more when the business is completed.-While Mifs Le Fever's letter to Mr. Leicester, with his lordship's propofal, is on the road to him, my lord vifits lady Catherine, thinking that it will be impoffible for Leicefter to refufe his advantageous offer; and her ladyfhip agrees to pay feven thousand pounds down with Mifs Le Fever, and to leave her the fame fum at her death. To my lord's extreme disappointment Leicester hurries up to town, claims his mistress's promife, and throws up every thing for her fake. Lord Clerage, irritated by fo unexpected a turn, employs his friend Johnfon to difpofe of his troublefome rival, and receives affurances from that friend that his defire is accomplished. Mifs Le Fever becomes very uneafy at her lover's abfence; fufpects my lord of being the cause of it, flies to him, and, on her knees, intreats him to release Lei-, cefter from his confinement, offering to marry him if that intreaty was fuccefsful. Yet fhe, at the fame time, appears fo difturbed and unhappy that his lordship, who begins to repent of his villainy, promifes to do every thing in his power to reftore him to her. My lord, though he encourages Mifs Le Fever to hope for the restoration of her lover, really does not know where he is, but foon hears that he is in a mad-house. In this house he finds him rendered almost frantick by his illtreatment he releafes him, carries him to Mifs Le Fever, and offers him a temporary living-Leicefter accepts of his lordhip's offer with gratitude, looks upon him as his best friend, and earneftly begs him to aflift him in perfuading Mifs Le Fever to be indiflolubly united to him.-Mifs Le Fever, recollecting the conditions on which my lord promifed to be his friend, falls into a fit: as foon as the recovers the defires Leicefter to go up to her mother, and then plainly tells his lordfhip that he is unable to perform her engagement; but adds that she will never marry Leicefter. Her great diftrefs upon the trying occafion affects my lord fo much that he confents to

her

her marrying the man of her choice; and leaves her with precipitation. She marries Leicester.-Here follows an abridgment of a whole two years correfpondence.-Lord Clerage again applies to Sir George, to inform him that having cut off his hair, in order to disguise himself, he had caught a bad cold, which had been attended by a St. Anthony's fire on one fide of his face that he had fent for a physician who had a pupil— (a circumftance not very common, however) whom he remembered to be Sir George's worthy countryman Freeman.-To this Freeman my lord paffes for a Mr. Clayton, and fets him up an apothecary at Brickley, the town in which Leicester lived. With this Freeman he corresponds for two years, while he, himself, refides with Sir George:-By him he is informed that Mr. Leicefter has a fon and a daughter; and that he had married Miss Winter, Mrs. Leicester's friend, who, upon the death of her father, came to live with her, with a fortune of nine thousand pounds. Freeman alfo informs his friend Clayton (lord Clerage) that Mr. Leicester is jealous of his wife. On the receipt of this intelligence my lord goes, difguifed, to board with Freeman, hoping to tempt Mrs. Leicester to revenge herfelf upon her husband.-Mrs. Freeman, a lively woman, now begins to correspond with a Mifs Gibfon, and fends her an account of Leicester's behaviour, which almost borders upon madnefs.--Leicester meets Mr. Clayton at Freeman's and invites him to his houfe, by vifiting at which he, (Clayton) alias my lord, has many opportunities to make Mrs. Leicester his friend, who is fuppofed not to recognize his lordship in his round bob-While lord Clerage is thus fituated, a neighbouring fquire, of whom Leicefter is jealous, fpeaks flightly of Mrs. Leicefter. My lord, provoked at his injurious afperfions, is inftigated to give him an opportunity to try her, that he may, himself, fly to her deliverance, without her husband's knowledge, who, for want of penetration, harbours no fufpicions against the very man concerning whom he had most reason to entertain them. Soon after this Leicester dies of a fever, and leaves his wife with child, who is doubly diftrefied, having loft a husband whom the loved, and being very much straitened in her circumftances.-Lord Clerage difcovers himself, by the agitation of his fpirits, to Mrs. Freeman; and the promises, at his carneft interceffion, to plead his caufe with her friend. It is now agreed that he fhall leave Brickley as Mr. Clayton, and return, in a decent time, to vifit Mrs. Leicefter as Lord Clerage-Yet, though he has hopes of being favourably received, he cannot reflect, without much difquietude, on his having been acceffary to the inhuman treatment which Leicefter had met with; and which had, at certain seasons, he

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believed, unhinged his reafon.-Lord Clerage, as Mr. Clayton, vifits Mrs. Leicester foon after her lying-in of another fon, to whom he stands god-father, and leaves Brickley, after having declared his intention to pay his refpects to the amiable widow again. Before he goes, however, he procures a hundred a year for her from lady Catherine; which annuity is to be punctually paid to her during her widowhood but no longer-On being perfuaded by her friends to accept of lord Clerage, Mrs. Leicester expreffes a ftrong diflike to a fecond marriage, especially with a man who had so outrageously perfecuted her but for her mother's fake, and in confideration of her children, the refolves to give her hand to his lordship; though the hopes that her altered perfon and the striking marks of a fpeedy diffolution, as fhe is vifibly in a decline, will deter him. from his purpose.-She finds him refolute, but will not confent to an union with him till fhe has lain afide her widow's drefs.-During thefe tranfactions lady Catherine is applied to, and fhe declares that he will make the fiven thousand pounds, before promifed, ten. Mrs. Leicester now finding herfelf growing worfe and worse almost every hour, affures Mrs. Freeman that her end is fast approaching-She is foon afterwards confined entirely to her chamber. She fends, in a hurry, to lord Clerage, and defires him to accept of that hand which she had hitherto refused, in hopes of fecuring lady Catherine's offer for her children. When this bufinefs is dispatched, his lordship produces a private bond or inftrument, by which he fettles the ten thousand pounds equally divided among her three children. She dies in about four days, having taken leave of her children, whom lord Clerage looks upon as his own, and recommends her mother strongly to the care of his lordship and of Mrs. Freeman.

The moral of this little history is obvious.-The heroine of it is great throughout: her dying fpeech to my lord is very affecting. The improbabilities need not be pointed out, as Mrs. Leicester's not recognizing lord Clerage in his round bob is fufficient to stagger the most careless and credulous reader.However, this new performance has, upon the whole, a good deal of merit.

XI. The Maid of Quality; or the Hiftory of Lady Lucy Layton, 2 Vols. 12mo. Pr. 5s. Vernon and Chater.

THE reader of our modern novels fhould have the patience of Job-Few, very few, can make him amends for the time devoted to the perufal of them.-The pious man of Uz

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had,