moft obedient fervant (endeavours to hide the work). Curfe the cufhion! (throws it off). Dame. Oh! he has fpoiled my lace! Handy jun. Huh! I'll make you a thoufand yards another time-You fee, Ma'am, I was explaining to this good womanwhat-what need not be explained again-Admirably handfome by heaven! (afide.) Sir Abel. Is not flie, Bob? • Handy jun. (to mifs B.) In your journey from the coaft, I conclude you took London in your way? Huh! (to Dame.) Mifs. B. Oh no, Sir, I could not fo foon venture into the beau monde, a stranger juft arrived from Germany • Handy jun. The very reafon-the most fashionable introduction poffible but I perceive, Sir, you have here imitated other German importations, and only restored to us our native excellence. Mifs B. I affure you, Sir, I am eager to feize my birth-right, the pure and envied immunities of an English woman! Handy jun. Then I truft, Madam, you will be patriot enough to agree with me, that as a nation is poor, whofe only wealth is importation that therefore the humble native artift may ever hope to obtain from his countrymen those foftering files, without which genius muft ficken and induftry decay. But it requires no valet de place to conduct you through the purlieus of fashion, for now the way of the world is, for every one to pursue their own way, and following the fashion is differing as much as poffible from the reft of your acquaintance. Mifs B. But furely, Sir, there is fome diftinguishing feature by which the votaries of fathion are known? Handy jun. Yes; but that varies extremely. fashionable celebrity depends on a high waift-fometimes on a low carriage-fometimes on high play, and fometimes on low breedfometimes ing-lalt winter it refted folely on green peas! Mfs B. Green peas! Handy jun. Green peas!-that lady was the moft enchanting who could bring the greateft quantity of green peas to her table at Christmas! the ftruggle was tremendous! Mrs. Rowley Powley had the best of it by five pecks and a half, but it having been unfortunately proved, that at her ball there was room to dance and eat conveniently-that no lady received a black eye, and no coachman was killed, the thing was voted decent and comfortable, and feouted accordingly. Mifs B. Is comfort then incompatible with fafhion? Handy jun. Certainly !-Comfort in high life would be as prepofterous as a lawyer's bag crammed with truth, or his wig decorated with coquelicot ribbons! No-it is not comfort and felection that is fought, but numbers and confufion! So that a fashionable party refembles Smithfield market, only a good one when plentifully flocked-and ladies are reckoned by the fcore hke fleep, and their hefbands by droves like horned cattle! Mifs B. Ha, ha! and the converfation Handy jun. Oh! like the affembly-confufed, vapid, and abundant; as "How do, Ma'am !-no accident at the door?-he, he!"-" Only my carriage broke to pieces!"-"I hope you had not your pocket picked!"-" Won't you fit down to faro?""Have you many to-night?"-"A few, about fix hundred!""Were you at lady Overall's?"-"Oh yes; a delicious crowd and plenty of peas, he, he !"—and thus runs the fashionable race. Sir Abel. Yes; and a precious run it is full gallop all the way: first they run on-then their fortune is run through-then bills are run up-then they are run hard-then they've a run of luck-then they run out, and then they run away!-But I'll forgive fashion all its follies in confideration of one of its bleffed laws. Handy jun. What may that be? Sir Abel. That husband and wife muft never be feen together. P. 23. The Lawyers, a Drama, in Five Acts, tranflated from the German of Auguftus William Ifland. By C. Ludger. Svo. Weft. 25. 6d. The great object of Iffland in all his dramatic productions, as we are informed by his tranflator, is to render the theatre what it was in the palmy days of Terence, a school of morality, by exhi biting virtue in all her native charms, and vice in all her deformity.' This is a laudable object; but, in attempting to execute it, the German dramatift introduces improbable incidents, and characters that are not to be found in life. The fubject of the play is the converfion of two lawyers to honefty-the one a young man, mifled by ambition and by the counfel of the other, an old and fuccefsful practitioner in iniquity. Young Clarenbach is reclaimed by the blunt honefty of his father and the virtue of his mistress,—Reifsman, the old lawyer, by the fear of punishment for an attempt to poifon one of his own profeffion. All the dramatic pieces that we have feen of this author are defective in plan, and have too much of the violence of German writing. NOVEL S. Fitzmaurice: a Novel. By William Frederick Williams. 2 Vols. 12mo. 55. Jewed. Murray and Highley. 1800. This novel has greater merit than the generality of works of that defcription. Some pieces of poetry are introduced; and though the introduction of poems in narratives may be deemed aukward and unfeasonable, their merit in this inftance made us with that they were more numerous. We felect part of an ode, written on a mountain in Devonshire. Crown'd, yon gray mafs of rock behold, Of rifing winds that fullen blow! The eye to other scenes is drawn, To th' hillock, from whofe mofs-grown fide Why at the prospect heaves the figh! When I behold rich Devon's plain, But fhe-the foul of all-is fled, Ceafe, ceafe to hope, oh child of woe! Who molt thy thoughts employs.' Vol. i. P. 153. The Sufferings of the Family of Ortenberg; a Novel, tranflated from the German of Auguftus von Kotzebue, by P. Will. 3 Vols. 12mo. 95. fewed. Geifweiler. The admirers of the drama have been frequently entertained with the fentimental effufions of Kotzebue; and the readers of novels may in this work find frequent appeals to the feelings, mingled with the effo fions of fatire. Charles Frederic Ortenberg, nmar-school in a Prullian town, is introduced in a scene of domeftic happinefs, from which he is fuddenly called away. His pregnant wife, alarmed at his departure, and fufpecting danger from an enemy, mifcarries, and dies. We are then informed of the previous hiftory of Ortenberg, who, after an academical education, had eagerly courted an examination before the confiftory, that he might prove himself worthy a benefice, which might enable him to maintain Caroline, the charming object of his affection. While he was waiting the effect of a promise of preferment, he kept a small school; and Caroline fupported herself by attending an old lady. In this fituation fhe was exposed to an attack from an amorous colonel, at whofe infolence her lover was fo enraged, that he attempted to chaftife the offender, but was wounded on the occafion. Being difappointed in his hopes of ecclefiaftical preferment, he banished himself from his native place, and re-engaged in the talk of tuition. He was in a state of indigence and obfcurity, when he was unexpectedly vifited by a young nobleman whom he had known at the univerfity. Commiferating his poverty, his friend warmly recommended him to the king of Pruffia, who appointed him mafter of a confiderable fchool. Haftening to communicate this intelligence in perfon, the patron of Ortenberg had an opportunity of refcuing a beautiful girl from the danger of violation; and he found, on inquiry, that he was the intended wife of the worthy divine. He ftrongly felt the force of her charms; but, as he knew that her heart was engaged, he checked the rifing paffion, and conducted her to the abode of her lover. He then, in confequence of a challenge, fought with the villain who had affaulted Caroline; but, in this combat, as it too frequently happens, the innocent perfon loft his life. The brutal conqueror afterwards occafioned the death of Caroline, and confined Ortenberg for twelve years in a dungeon, from which he efcaped only to die of hunger and grief. The fufferings of Ortenberg's fon are alfo included in the narrative. After having lived for many years in poverty, he meets with his uncle Nicolaus, by whom he is maintained and liberally educated. He enters into the army, and faves the life of an officer, whom he discovers to be the perfecutor of his parents. By this ungrateful villain he is ftudioufly expofed to danger, being fent out with fmall parties in fearch of the enemy; and he loses his life in a fkirmish. The ftory of Nicolaus Ortenberg is lefs tragical in its close. He undergoes various hardships at fea, but acquires wealth in India by marriage, and, after his return to Europe, lives in retirement, occafionally lamenting the death of his Hindu wife, and moistening her urn with his tears. This novel is not very regular in its plan or conftruction; but it claims the merit of fentiment and pathos, and, in various paffages, traits of humour are difcernible. Many readers will perhaps be difgufted at the occafional ftrokes of fatire on the great; but it ought to be observed, that the author has made fome compenfation for this freedom by introducing a very refpectable cha→ racter from the circles of high life. CRIT. REV. VOL. XXX. November, 1800. 2 B MISCELLANEOUS LIST. A New Syftem of Short-Hand, by which more may be written in One Hour, than in an Hour and a Half by any other Syftem hitherto published; which is here fully demonftrated by a fair Comparison' with one of the beft Syflems extant; with a fhort and eafy Method by which any Perfon may determine, even before he learns this Syfem, whether it will enable him to follow a Speaker. By Samuel Richardfon. Svo. Vernor and Hood. 1800. The comparison of different fyftems of fhort-hand requires a great deal of time and reflexion; and it is neceffary to establish previously juft principles on which the comparifon is to be formed. The principles are very judicioufly laid down in this work; and the comparison between the author's and Dr. Mavor's system of fhort-hand is conducted with a great degree of impartiality. The chief points to be confidered are facility in making and learning the characters, quicknefs in writing, and legibility. The want of the latter quality is the great obftruction to the general use of fhort-hand; for, without continual practice, the meaning of a variety of abbreviations is likely to escape the memory. In point of time, it appears from several specimens that a great deal is faved in the author's mode; for Dr. Mavor uses about 2060 marks where Mr. Richardfon ufes 1199. But the latter has proposed an improvement in fhort-hand, which entitles him to great praife, and deferves the confideration of every perfon employed in the art. It is fimply this. The paper to be used is previously ruled like mufical paper, with three inftead of five lines; and perpendicularly to these lines are drawn others, a fmall distance from each other, from the top to the bottom of the page. Between thefe perpendicular lines are drawn other perpendiculars, which do not mark the paper from top to bottom, but only where they cross the horizontal lines. Hence, by means of the three horizontal and the two perpendicular lines, twenty places are obtain. ed, and the first letter of every word is known by the place in which the next letter is written. Thus, to write turn, the pen is fixed on the place for, and the letters in are written. The fav. ing, when practice has given a facility to the learner, must be im. menfe; and the ingenuity and fimplicity of the contrivance must recommend it to fhort-hand writers. Paper ruled for the purpose is to be had at the places where the book is fold; and to give perfons who have no knowledge of fhort-hand a true idea of its nature, as well as to enable them to form an estimate of the fyftem which they propofe to adopt, we recommend this work to their perufal. The teachers of the art will, we doubt not, avail themfelves of many useful hints which abound in this work, and do great credit to the writer. Some Account of St. Bartholomew's Hofpital, London. 12mo. 6d. Weft and Hughes. 1800. This is a fhort but accurate history of this ufeful and celebrated |