In the same scene Alcanor says

Pharon, go thou, mean while, and see the senate
Assembled strait- -I'll sound them as I ought.

66

What does he mean by " as I ought?" it is certainly an unintelligible expression in the sense used here. Does he mean to say that he'll sound them not in the common way, but in some manner peculiar to himself? In this sense we must take it, as no other interpretation presents itself,

Scene II. introduces Palmira with

What means this boding terror that usurps

In spite o'me, dominion o'er my heart, &c. &c.

The lady's language throughout the play is, with a few exceptions, spirited, nervous, and poetical. In the same scene, Alcanor, speaking to Mirvan, says of Mahomet—

-Leagues he will make too-
Like other grasping tyrants, till he eyes
A lucky juncture to enlarge his bounds;
Then he'll deride them, leap o'er ev'ry tie
Of sacred guarantee, or sworn protection,
And, when the oppress'd ally implores assistance,
Beneath that mask invade the wished-for realms,
And from pure friendship take them to himself.

These lines are strong, and very well expressed, and apply with particular force to the conduct of the present usurper of republicmonarchial France,

Act. II. Scene I. Palmira enters in a soliloquy

Cease, cease, ye streaming instruments of woe
From your ignoble toil-Take warmth, my heart,

Collect thy scattered powers, and brave misfortune, &c. &c.

After a few more lines from her, Zaphna enters and exclaimsThou, sovereign of my soul, and all its powers;

Object of every fear and every wish,

Friend, sister, love, companion, all that's dear!

Do I once more behold thee, my Palmira?
Oh! I will set it down the whitest hour

That Zaphna e'er was blest with!—

I believe this is the first place the expression" whitest hour" was ever met with before. I have sometimes heard of the "black

est hour," but must confess, I never saw nor even heard of a white* hour in my life. You must agree with me Mr. Editor, in thinking it a most ridiculous and burlesque word, particularly in a tragedy.

After toying some time in the language of lovers, the ambassador of Mahomet, Mirvan, enters to them, and telling of his success in the senate, afterwards says

Then straight the inflexible Alcanor

Flew through the streets, assembling all the people,
To bar our prophet. Thither too I fled,

Urg'd the same arguments, exhorted, threaten'd,
'Till they unhing'd the gates, and gave free passage,
To Mah'met and his chiefs--&c. &c.

Here, Mr. Editor, probability is shamefully violated in making Mahomet the

"Parent, prince, and prophet of his people,"

thrust himself, as it were, into a town full of his enemies, without any but his chiefs to accompany him, the commander of that town his inveterate foe, at open war with him and religion. Surely the poet has here taken a latitude which cannot be justified, while there was any other method to answer the purpose intended.

Scene II. discovers Mahomet lolling in a spacious grotto" in the city of the enemy, in defiance of all sense or probability. The last line of his soliloquy is feeble, viz.—

"Without the succour of thy sacred impulse."

“Ardour" might be substituted for "impulse," perhaps, with more effect,---Mirvan soon after enters to him, and learns, that Zaphna and Palmira are Alcanor's children who thinks them dead. A plan is afterwards laid to make Zaphna assassinate Aleanor, by Mahomet working on his religious enthusiasm.

Here, Mr. Editor, is another leading feature of improbability, in inducing Zaphna to murder his father (Alcanor, though unknown) without any adequate cause assigned for it, but merely by taking advantage of ignorant, enthusiastic zeal; first, however, binding him

*White, though not a common epithet when coupled with time, is perfectly classi. tal. The ancients set a white mark against their happy days, and a black one agains the unhappy. The instances are numerous---lapide ilka diem candidiore notat.

Catullus ad Manl.,
Ed.

in a vow to perform whatever they desire. Surely here is too great a latitude to the licentia poetica, great as its limits are.

Act III. Scene I.-The dialogue between Zaphna and Palmira is extremely beautiful, as, indeed, most of their scenes are, the language and sentiments are good, and the poetry harmonious, and appear to me to be the best in the play. The succeeding scène between Palmira and Mahomet, is also well conducted, and shews the state of the impostor's mind with great force, and the power he possesses over all their conduct and resolutions. The devotion of Zaphna to the will of Mahomet, is well depicted in the following speech to him and Mirvan.

What glorious action, what illustrious danger
Does that Supreme, whose image thou, demand?—
Place me, oh! place me in the front of battle,
'Gainst odds innumerable; try me there.
Or, if a single combat claim my might,
The stoutest Arab may step forth, and see
If Zaphna fail to greet him as he ought.

We have "ought” here again, as a concluding word, but certainly with a little more propriety than before.

The astonishment of Zaphna on hearing it is the venerable Alcanor he is to kill, is well expressed, as also his reluctance to do it, notwithstanding the denunciations of heaven and the prophet. And the succeeding interview with Alcanor is extremely affecting, bearing evident marks that the hand which drew it had no common share of genius and skill.

Act IV. Scene II.-The conflicting passions that agitate Zaphna previous to the assassination, are finely depicted. He is told that the deed is commanded by heaven, through the prophet, because Alcanor is a blasphemer and a pagan, and that Palmira and paradise are the reward of it. These considerations urge him imperiously on, yet still he feels a love and respect for the "venerable old man," almost unconquerable.

Scene III.-The agitation of Zaphna, after he has, like Macbeth, "done the deed," and his lamentation and remorse are extremely affecting, and when well performed, has often drawn tears from the audience. But the horror which takes possession of him on being told by Pharon that he has murdered his father, is particu larly awful and impressive.

G-VOL. XVIII.

Act V. Scene I.-Palmira's first half-raving speech

-Where have they led me?

Methinks, each step I take, the mangled corse

Of my dear father, &c. &c.

is evidently an imitation of the following

Where dost thou lead me? every step I move,
Methinks I tread upon some mangled limb
Of a rack'd friend.

Venice Preserv'd, Act iv. Sc. 1.

In this act the reader, though he detests the character of Mahomet throughout the play, must yet admire the firmness and presence of mind of the impostor, in the trying moment when Zaphna and the people advance to effect his destruction. The poison, which has been previously given to Zaphna, now operates, and he falls dead, while, to the ignorant crowd, it seems the effect of Mahomet's curse. Such an event happening before the multitude, would, undoubtedly, produce a great effect; they retire in dismay, and the political-religious usurper retains possession of Mecca.

The conclusion of this play is uncommon, I might almost say unpoetical, since the virtuous have a tragical end, while the hypocritical tyrant Mahomet lives and triumphs. The ancients often ended their tragedies in the same manner, making the vicious character's triumph over the virtuous, and though this may often happen in real life, I cannot, notwithstanding this authority, think it proper that such a moral ought to be represented on a modern stage.

To sum up my observations, the characters are drawn with spirit, energy, and a just adherence to nature, particularly Mahomet, Palmira, and Zaphna, though the latter seems to want a something to make us properly interested in his fate. On the whole, however, though this play has some defects, it is, in many places, affecting -in all good—and, undoubtedly, deserves to be oftener represented than it is.

If you insert these observations, Mr. Editor, I shall shortly trouble you again with remarks on Douglas, and some other of our most popular plays-while, for the present,

SEYMOUR'S NOTES UPON SHAKSPEARE,

KING HENRY IV. SECOND PART.

ACT I-SCENE I.

"He seem'd in running to devour the way."

This thought, which is highly poetical, appears to have been adopted by the writer of the work called Ossian's Poems→→

"He consum'd the battle in his rage"

Carric Thura.

“Yet for all this, say not that Percy's dead."

Doctor Johnson would give this line to Bardolph, and the conclusion of the speech to Morton; but, surely, without necessity or improvement :---the contradictions which the change is meant to remove, are well suited to the distraction of the speaker's mind

"I am the fellow with the great belly, and he my dog-"

Dr. Johnson says, he does not understand the joke; he knows that dogs sometimes lead the blind, but asks, why should a dog lead the fat?

Dr. Farmer answers, if the fellow's great belly prevented him from seeing his way, he would want a dog as well as the blind man. But this reply is, by no means, satisfactory-the definite article repeated in "the man," and "the great belly," seems to denote a reference to some well-known object, at that time.

Hastings." It never yet did hurt

To lay down likelihoods-,

Bard.-"Yes, in the present quality of war,

Indeed, the instant action, (a cause on foot)

Lives so, in hope, as in an early spring

We see th' appearing buds, which, to prove fruit,
Hope gives not so much warrant, as Despair

That frosts will bite."

There is, says Hastings, no harm in taking probabilities into account.—Yes, cries Bardoiph, in the present condition of things, there is; hope, or a flattering calculation, as our cause stands, (in the instant action) is likely to deceive us; and our prospect of success is no more to be relied on, than the premature promise of a spring,