Holcroft's Tales of the Caftle. 103 adding a thought is fometimes taken; that the picture of madame Bufca's infirmities, in the ftory of Pamela (vol. iii.) is foftened; that the incident of Doralice fucking the eyes of Eglantine (vol. I.) is omitted (because it is fuppofed they would both have of fended, even violently, the delicacy of an English reader); that, in confequence of the last mentioned omiffion, it was necessary to add circumstances and touches to give a fufficient degree of interet to the ftory; and that other little freedoms have been taken; fuch as, not permitting the fage Thelifmar to tell his pupil Alphonfo a falfhood, even though with a virtuous inten tion; and of leaving out certain notes which it was deemed were either too fcientific for their fituation, or too uninteresting; as well as of fubftituting fome very few others, from the Cyclopædia, where it could evidently be done to advantage.' errors. There are a few inftances of inattention to the effect of language, which we wish to point out: they cannot be called In page 9, the translator fays, no more we did not ufe to do, mamma; but, fince our governess has had the fever.' The literal tranflation is, we never did goffip with them, mamma, but fince our governess has had an ague,' &c. Again, Ah my dear Henrietta, faid Delphine, I fee how happy you are, and how much you merit fo to be.' The paffage fhould be rendered:- Ah my dear Henrietta, said Delphine, much affected, I fee, indeed, your happiness, and how much you deferve it.' We fhould fcarcely have expected the words qui eft riche,' to have been tranflated who is well to do.' These are very flight circumftances, which do not affect the fenfe; but they deferve Mr. Holcroft's attention in a future edition. We fhall only add, that the author's guides, on the subject of natural history, have in fome inftances, mifled her. The young pupils, having difcovered fome fondness for the fe ducing wonders of the Fairy Tales, are told by the mother, that the wonders of art and nature are not lefs aftonishing than those of fancy; and are at the time, on the bas of folid truth. To prove this, the composes a tale, entitled the Fairyifm,' or perhaps more neatly tranflated by Mr. Holcroft, the Magic of Art and Nature,' in which the principal phænomena of nature, and the inventions of art, are difplayed, in the adventures of the hero. She has given a very ingenious apology for any defects which may appear in this tale, ex. tended almoft through the fecond volume of the tranflation, by her reafons for having declined more able affistance. 'My dear abbé, answered madame de Clémire, a woman ought never to fuffer a man to add a fingle word to her writings; if he does, the man fhe confults, let him be who he may, will always pafs for the original inventor, and the will be accused of putting her name to the works of others. One H 4 may may be a very good woman, yet a very bad writer, but not were one to take the credit of other people's labours; one ought, therefore, carefully to avoid whatever might give room to fo injurious an accufation. Scarcely has there been one woman fuccefsful in her writings, and not accufed of this kind of bafenefs.' The notes contain explanations of paffages which would not have been easily understood, and would have interrupted and embarraffed the narratives. The authorities, as we have obferved, are not always the best in philofophy; but on the fubjects of the fine arts and belles lettres, they are lefs exceptionable. On the whole, the pleasure which we have received from thefe volumes, prevents us from clofing the article, without repeating our warmest recommendation of them. The Carmelite. IT A Tragedy. Performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury-lane. By R. Cumberland, Efq. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Dilly. T is not uncommon to find a piece admired as a whole, which, when minutely examined, appears both inaccurate and faulty. The play before us was faid to be received with loud bursts of applaufe; and perhaps few dramatic compofitions are better calculated to excite them. Even diftant from the artificial delufions of the fcene, we were interested, animated, or softened; the feelings were hurried away, without the interpofition of the judgment, and fometimes rather in fpite of it. Perhaps Mr. Cumberland wishes for no greater eulogy, fince it comprehends every thing that is required in a dramatic reprefentation; and the magic can be easily explained. Few imaginations are ftrong enough to feel the reality of a whole; and the changes in the scenery, the music, or other trappings of the ftage, deftroy the delufion at the end of every scene. This is demonftrated by the pleasure we feel from the detached parts of Shakspeare, which are often fo artificially connected, and the unities of time and place fo completely violated, that, if the mind reverted for at moment to former paflages, it would be incredulous and difguiled. At the beginning therefore of each fcene, it affumes the different fituations, however produced, as established facts, and purfues them in the fubfequent fpcctacle. In the Car melite we often find diftinct paffages laboured with the greateft care, and worked to the highest pitch: in thefe, the master's hand has been chiefly employed with fuccefs, and we can feldom hint a fault; while the whole is fometimes incongruous, and fomewhat improbable. The story is fimple, and well adapted for a dramatic compofition. Saint Valori a Norman knight, affumed the cross, and and fought in Palestine; but, on his return, was fet on by affaffins, hired by lord Hildebrand, in a narrow pass of the Pyrenæans, and left breathlefs and weltering in his blood.? He was preferved by fome Venetian merchants, but, in his voyage from Venice, was captured by a Saracen, and detained in flavery. After twenty years abfence, he returned, and found Hildebrand in poffeffion of his caftle in Normandy; and, at the moment, when he was about to discover himself to his vaffals, a herald arrived from Henry, to fummon him to meet the champion of the fuppofed widow of St. Valori. The knight himself, who had affumed the habit of a car, melite, joins Hildebrand in the voyage; and, in confequence of his new character, acquires his confidence. They are shipwrecked on the Isle of Wight, near the widow's caftle, the fcene of the tragedy. The play commences with their prefervation from the inhumanity of the natives, by the active interpofition of Montgomeri. Hildebrand, weighed down with guilt, appalled with horror, at the recollection of his crimes, wounded and dif eased, in confequence of his fhipwreck, dies, full of peni tence, before the day of combat. St. Valori fees his lady, whose reason feems to be affected by her lofs, and is on the point of discovering himself, when he perceives her partiality to Montgomeri, and learns, that he is fuppofed to be already her husband, or foon to affume that character. The incidents relating to the intended combat, and the diftreffing jealousy of St. Valori, form the chief fubftance of the play. Montgomeri is however her fon, and the champion whom the defigns to oppofe to Hildebrand; fo that, on this discovery, the conclufion is happy. The ftory of a plot is like a pantomime, when we are admitted behind the fcenes; it is an unfair and difadvantageous representation, and neceffary only when we are obliged to analyse it. The improbabilities in the ftory are numerous. St. Valori is fuppofed to be murdered by unknown affaffins, and yet Hildebrand is fummoned to the lifts. Hildebrand had indeed taken poffeffion of St. Valori's Norman domains, though we know not on what foundation; for, while the property of the lower orders were unprotected in those times of licentioufnefs and tumult, the wardship of orphans, and the protection of widows of rank, were fufficiently provided for. The crown feldom overlooked fuch advantageous accidents. Again, Montgomeri is brought up in the caftle of his mother, as a page, though the feemed only to delay her demands on Hildebrand, till her fon could be her champion. This fituation was by no means calculated to enfure his fuccefs against an able and experienced perienced warrior: it rather doomed him to certain destruction; and fo far from his being trained in the proper exercifes, that the contempt and jealousy of St. Valori are particularly excited, by the meannefs of his fuppofed rival. It is improbable alfo that Gyfford, an old fervant, who remembers his master, fhould not know that his miftrefs had a fon. In the conduct of the piece, there are alfo errors. The weakened reafon of Matilda is, with a few exceptions, well fupported in the first act; but we hear fo little of it afterwards, that, if Mr. Cumberland had not expressly told Mrs. ` Siddons, in the Dedication, that artificial fituations, ftudied incidents, and tricking declamation, must be thrown afide,' where he is to appear: that the author who writes a character for her, must not call her into ftarts and attitudes, merely because he has a form fo ftriking to display at his command:' if it were not for thefe declarations, we should have fuspected that this partial phrenzy of the brain was only calculated for the appearance of the actress. It has very little connection with the fubfequent events. It might have been an error, in an inferior writer, to have explained the relations of the different parties fo early, as it would deftroy expectation, and leffen the intereft; but, Mr. Cumberland perhaps wished to fhow, that the magic of his language, and the force of the fituations, would rife fuperior to fuch artificial arrangements. The firft fcene between St. Valori and his lady is admirably executed; and yet, from too great fondness for metaphor, and fome, perhaps, accidental resemblance to a comic fcene in the Drummer, its effect is weakened. The following paffages, with a little exception, are very beautiful. • Matilda. I am a helpless folitary woman, Alas! A widow, who have loft-O God! O God! "Twill turn my brain to speak of what I've loft; It is amongst the lighteft of my griefs That I have loft myself. St. Val. Matil. At beft they are but half my own, fometimes I am bereft of all. Therefore I lead St. Val. Oh, fupport me, Heaven! 'Tis the, 'Tis fhe! that woe-tun'd voice is her's; Again, • Matild. Oh, approach and enter If you can weep, we will converfe whole days, And fpeak no other language; we will fit, Like fountain ftatues, face to face oppos'd, And each to other tell our griefs in tears, Yet neither utter word.' 'St. Val. * Oh, tell me have you then endur'd Matil. I cannot speak of time it may be fo; St. Val. St. Val. You faw me! When? I faw you When you did wed The paragon of all this world you was. Matil. I think I have: It gives a painful fenfe of former days : I've heard fuch voices in my dreams; fometimes Convers'd with them all night; but then they told me St. Val. I wore no monkish cowl in that gay hour Matil. You have fought Under the Christian cross !-You shake brain. my St. Val. Peace to your thoughts! I will no farther move Matil. Stand off;- ftand off! The murderer of Saint Valori is abroad; The bloody Hildebrand is on the seas.— Rife, rife, ye waves! blow from all points, ye winds, He and his hateful crew! let none escape, We fhall felect but one scene more, viz. the discovery of St. Valori. Full of jealoufy and refentment, but ftill in his affumed character, the Carmelite, he had fent a bracelet, given by his lady on their first feparation, pretending to have received it from |