a manfion-house, and a tribe of fervants, whofe dependant fituation made them bear her fury with little refiftance. But he enjoyed her reign but a short time; for as her mind was incapable of refting on itself for fupport, fhe fought relief from the bottle of cordial; and, heated one day with a large draught, and a violent paffion with one of the maids, the burst a blood veffel, and expired in a scolding fit, her tongue still quivering after her heart had ceafed its pulfation.

I believe the originals of fuch a picture as this, are much less common in the prefent age, than they were in the last century. Ladies were then fecluded from the world till marriage, and as they were very fuperficially educated in every thing but potting and preferving, it is no wonder if they became termagants or viragos. They had no right idea of themselves or the world around, and yielded, without oppofition, to thofe violent emotions, which arife, perhaps, in every mind when it is totally uncultivated.

Culture of the understanding, is, indeed, one of the beft methods of fubduing the heart to foftnefs, and redeeming it from that favage ftate in which it too often comes from the hands of nature. The more our reafon is ftrengthened, the better fhe is enabled to keep her feat on the throne, and to govern thofe paffions which were appointed to be her fubjects; but which too often rebel, and fucceed in their unnatural revolt. But, befides the effect of mental culture, in calling forth and increafing the powers of the reasoning faculty, it feems to poffefs an influence in humanizing the feelings, and meliorating the native difpofition. Mufic, painting, and poetry, teach the mind to felect the agreeable parts of thofe objects which furround us, and by habituating it to a pure and permanent delight, gradually fuperinduce an habitual good humour. It is of infinite importance to happiness to accuftom the mind, from infancy, to turn from deformed and painful fcenes, and to contemplate whatever can be found of moral and natural beauty. The fpirits, under this benign management, contract a milkinefs, and learn to flow all cheerily in their smooth and yielding channels; while on the contrary, if the young mind is teazed, fretted, and neglected, the paffages of the fpirits become rugged,

rugged, abrupt, exafperated, and the whole nervous. fyftem feems to acquire an exceffive irritability. The ill treatment of children has not only made them wretched at the time, but wretched for life; tearing the fine contextures of their nerves, and roughening, by exam¬ ple, and by fome fecret and internal influence, the very conftitution of their tempers.

So much of the happiness of private life, and the virtues of mothers and daughters, in particular, depends on the government of the temper, that the temper ought to be a principal object of regard in a well-conducted education. The fuffering of children to tyrannize, without controul, over fervants and inferiors is, I am convinced, the ruin of many an amiable difpofition. The virtues of humanity, benevolence, humility, cannot be too early enforced; at the fame time care fhould be taken, that an infant of two or three years old fhould never be beat or spoken to harshly for any offence which it can poffibly commit. In fhort, let every method be used which reafon, religion, prudence, and experience can fuggeft, to accomplish the purpose of fweetening the temper, and banishing the furies from fociety. May the endeavours be fuccessful; and may we only read, that there have, indeed, been fuch animals. as fhrews and viragos, but that the breed is extinct in England, like the breed of wolves!

I have been much pleafed with the lovely picture of Serena, in Mr. Hayley's inftructive poem, the Triumphs. of Temper; and I cannot conclude, without earnestly entreating the ladies to view it as a looking-glafs, by which they may learn to drefs their minds in a manner which can never be out of fashion; but which will enable them to fecure, as well as extend, their conquefts; and to charm, even when the lillies and rofes are all withered. If the poem fhould effect its very laudable purpose, the Virtues, the Mufes, and the Graces, fhould unite to form a wreath for the poet's brow, and hail him as the refforer of a golden age. While every mother, wife, and daughter, afpires at the virtues of a Serena, let Alecto, Megæra, and Tifiphone, be confined in chains to the infernal regions, and forbidden ever more to arise and affume the shape of a British lady!

No.

No. CXXIII. ON THE MORAL EFFECTS OF A GOOD TRAGEDY.

Γ

T is with regret I obferve, that a tafte for the nobleft part of theatrical amusements, the representation of tragedy, is rather on the decline. It ftrongly marks the frivolity of an age, when the bufkin is excluded for the fock, and the public attention too much engaged by dancers, fingers, and harlequins, to admit the ferious, yet lively pleasures, of the Tragic Muse.

There feems to me to be no method more effectual for foftening the ferocity, and improving the minds, of the lower claffes of a great capital, than the frequent exhibition of tragical pieces, in which the diftrefs is carried to the highest extreme, and the moral at once felfevident, affecting, and inftructive. The multitudes of those who cannot read, or, if they could, have neither time nor abilities for deriving much advantage from reading, are powerfully impreffed, through the medium of the eyes and ears, with those important truths, which, while they illuminate the understanding, correct and mollify the heart. Benevolence, juftice, heroifm, and the wisdom of moderating the paffions, are plainly pointed out, and forcibly recommended to those savage fons of uncultivated nature, who have few opportunities, and would have no inclination for inftruction, if it did not prefent itself under the form of a delightful amufement. The human heart in general, whether it beats in the bofom of him who has been improved by education, or of the neglected child of poverty, is taught to exercise fome of its moft amiable propenfities by the indulgence of commiferation in fcenes of fancied woe. Were the Theatre under certain regulations, a man might go to it as he goes to church, to learn his duty, and it might juftly be honoured with the appellation, which it has often affumed, and be called the fchool of Virtue.

There are certainly a thousand tragedies of more claffical merit, but few better calculated to fave the

numerous

numerous and important claffes of the plebejan order from wallowing in vice, theft, intemperance, and wretchedness of every kind, than the tragedy of George Barnwell. Common and illiterate minds cannot follow the high flights of fublime poetry, nor understand the beauties of blank verfe; but the language of Lillo in this humble tale, is level to the loweft degree of intellect. It must, indeed give pleasure to every friend of unaffuming merit, to find the due tribute of applause paid to the modeft Lillo by one of the beft of all modern judges, the Critic and Philofopher of Salisbury. He, whofe tafte was formed on the pureft models, and corrected by the ftricteft rules, has not hesitated to place the Fatal Curiofity in the very first rank of dramatic compofitions. And George Barnwell, however it may be affectedly defpifed by the filly votaries of fashion, who abominate it as low, deserves no less to be esteemed for its moral excellence, than the other for its claffical. It has, perhaps, faved as many from an ignominious end, as the Beggar's Opera has haftened to it.

That any moralift, or man of observation, can entertain a doubt concerning the effect on the upper gallery of a play in which thieves and harlots are reprefented as amiable and innocent characters, and all the reft of fociety as rogues, evinces, in this inftance, an ignorance of human nature. The reprefentation of the Beggars Opera is not only an outrage on civilized fociety, but an extreme act of cruelty to thofe wretched boys and girls, who have been allured to the paths of destruction, by viewing them thus ftrewed with artificial flowers. Take away the difgrace, the shame, and the first fine fenfibilities of timid vice, and you remove a restraint, the force of whofe operation neither precepts nor laws can ever fupply. Suppofe a country lad, with all his native modesty about him, allured to the Theatre by the Beggars Opera. In a few hours he undergoes a perfect metamorphofis. He thinks himself illuminated, and defpifes the honeft old folks at home, who have hitherto confined him, as he fuppofes, in childish ignorance. His perverted ambition takes an unfortunate turn; and if he arrives not at the honour of dying like a Macheath, he will at leaft endeavour to

deferve

deferve it. Such, I am well affured, is often a true cafe; but even the miferable creatures who are far gone in the paths which lead through villainy to ruin, may be called back by the melancholy tale of poor George Barnwell. There are many other Tragedies in the English language which convey admirable morals to the lower claffes, and have undoubtedly rescued many a wretch, who was deaf to a parent's voice and a preacher's admonition, from the dominion of an evil fpirit.

But, indeed, there is no clafs of the people, however refined and polished, which may not receive fuch benefits from a well-written Tragedy, as fcarcely any other mode of instruction can afford. He who has entered into all the feelings of a Shakespeare, an Otway, a Rowe, an Addifon, may be faid to have affimilated with their fouls, and fnatched a facred fpark, which cannot fail to kindle fomething in himself refembling the etherial fire of true genius. His nature will be improved, and a fpecies of wisdom and elevation of fpirit, which was in vain fought for in academic groves, may at laft be imbibed in the Theatres. Philofophy may catch a warmth of the drama which is capable of advancing it to nobler heights than fhe would otherwise have attained. Socrates, whofe benevolence and wif dom appeared to have fomething of divinity, was the voluntary affiftant of Euripides in the compofition of his tragedies; and undoubtedly was of opinion, that he taught philofophy to inftruct the herd of mankind in the moft effectual manner, when he introduced her to their notice in the bufkin.

Inftructing, entertaining, animating, and ennobling, as is the fpirit of the tragic mufe, is it not wonderful that many can flight its efficacy, or view its fine productions on the ftage with perfect infenfibility? Yet, he who furveys the feats in the theatre where opulence and fashion take their place, will find many a painted and powdered figure of both fexes, which appears to view a Lear, a Shore, a Hamlet, and a Harlequin,. with the fame heavy eye; nor fhews one emotion, except it be of laughter, while nature is moft powerfully attracting the facred fountain of tears, wherever it has

not