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Charles and Charlotte. In Two Volumes.

Price 5s. Lane.

It is the general complaint of thofe, who profeffionally infpect the effufions of the Prefs, that our Novelifts adhere to one dull ftandard, and flavifhly tread in the track of infipid imitation. With too much juftice, indeed, is this charge brought againft the multifarious herd of modern Romance-writers; infomuch that, from three or four Letters, or Chapters, we know, precifely, what will happen to the hero or heroine in the course, and at the conclufion, of the hiftory: we anticipate too much to raise in us any hope of getting agreeably through the Performance.

The anonymous author of the volumes now under confideration will, we believe, efcape all cenfure of this fort, as they turn totally on a new hinge, and the incidents are as interefting, as the language in which they are defcribed, though in many places loofe and careless, is animated and flowing.

A wife, a lover, and a husband, are, in this work, exhibited in ftriking and original fituations, and the main hiftory is relieved by feveral pertinent episodes, all of which discover a knowledge of men and manners, and a lively power in the author of depicting them. The fable is this. Charles, a young man of a volatile genius, and excentric imagination, being, for fome family reafons, feparated from Cleora, his wife, and at the fame time involved in a domeftic quarrel with his mother, who is here figured under the fignature of Mrs. P. is reprefented as having cohabited for fome time with Charlotte. The hiftory fets out at the time of Charlotte's elopement, in confequence of an accidental interview with Charles's wife. This event produces, as might be expected, fome tender and affecting fcenes, most of which however are, we muft forewarn our readers, written rather to the imagination than the understanding. In the progrefs of the ftory, the hero, it must be acknowledged, difplays a romantic enthu fiafm, by which his character is uniformly marked throughout; and the distress and pathos of the narrative is much heightened by the introduction of two perfonages under the names of Dr. Melbank, and Mr. Reynolds; between whom, in point of generofity, there are some affecting feenes of emulation. A feries of circumftances fucceed, which, though a little peculiar, are not unnatural: the cataftrophe, however, though properly pathetic, is very unfatisfactory, and brings nothing to a point. With regard to the principal characters of this dramatic Romance, they are thrown into fituations that would juftly excite our pity, if their conduct were lefs morally exceptionable;

ceptionable; the reader of fenfibility and candour will yet hardly know which to compaffionate moft, the unhappy Charles, the deferted Cleora, the feparated Charlotte, or the difappointed Melbank. To fay the truth, the author hath gone over a ground, not more novel, than critical; and, perhaps, for the fake of originality hath meddled with matters in many parts improper, and in moft irreconcileable to that virtue, which depends on innocence.

Encomium is, nevertheless, due to the compofition, not only in the pathetic but the humourous. Of the former of which we fhall prefent our readers with a fhort fpecimen; in the Letter which the hero of the ftory fends to his mother, who, though we are told in the life of Savage, of a fimilar character in his mother the countefs of Macclesfield, we hope, for the honour of the fex and of human nature, is yet a creature of the imagination *.

"MADAM,

Since the most fortunate circumftance that ever befel you, next to the marriage with my father, ('twere neceffary to fay that I mean his death) I have been fitting down many times, to write to you; fometimes in the ardour of an honest refentiment, and fometimes, as a pleading neglected child but I have remained filent, even yet, and left you uncontrouled to the luxury of your good fuccefs, and of my anx ieries. But your confcience now feems quite brought over to your fide, and I can no longer fuffer you to triumph, either in the benefit of my inheritance, or in the warm and wicked comforts of a wealthy widowhood-(oh! what a robe of mourning has yours been, madain!) without trying upon you, the force of truth, and remonftrance: -without exerting one defperate experiment upon a heart, which habit and nature feem impregnably to have fortified (as if it were the citadel of cruelty) against all the artillery of the parent, and ot

the woman!

"The artifice and complottings, by which my destruction has been effected, are not unknown to me-How is it, Mrs. P. that you are able to reconcile to yourself, at the foreboding age of tixty-three, actions, of a colour fo atrocious, that the penitence of your youth upwards were scarce fufficient to wipe away? by what cafuiftry have you pacified every private monition; and how fkilful must have been that fophiftry, by the magic of which, you are capable of fitting compofed, at the head of a table, which you have fiolen from your child? but why do I interrogate? 'tis a maxim in morality, that a bad woman has no limit to her crimes. You are gone too far to recede; and I have no hope that you will mend in the progreffion, but expect that you must gather guilt, as you go onward to the grave, till it shall be the pleasure of providence (in mercy to me and mankind) to confine you there.

Not but that the expoftulation of the injured fon feems to flow as fincerely from the heart, as do the most pathetic lines of Savage's Baflard "You

You accufe me to your acquaintance, of wiidnefs, and profufion! "Tis the wretched, pitiful, pretence of guilt, of private guilt, labouring for a public apology! To lay fome error to my charge, was neceffary to fave you from the affaults of your fex; to palliate a conduct like yours, it was indifpenfible, to alledge fomething against me; fince, to have tormented a child in fuch a manner, without fome shadow of occafion, would have argued a temper too monitrous to have been ranked among women; and the very boys would, in mere vengeance, have ftoned the inhuman mother. But depend upon it, the fick pillow, will be to you a pillow of plagues: your bed, a bed of torture; and every feather there, will prove a thorn to torment you! Is this the language of lunacy? is it the violence of phrenzy? No, madam: faithful to the injuries of its mafter, this vindictive hand has hitherto confined itfelf to fentiments of the moft frigid moderation. From this moment, I cut you away from the infulted fenfibilities of affection: when nature difcards you, what claim can you have upon the heart of a fon? and yet, do not think, I mean to forget you fo far as to leave you to yourself. Believe me, madam, the day of fuch voluptuoufnels is paft; and although you have robbed me of every right which fhould at least have divided with you the comforts of the world, I will henceforward take care, that you fhall no more enjoy them, without the heaviest tax of indignant reprobation.

"Your argument with my poor father was always in the fame ftyle: "I fhould spend his fortune. With what parental piety have you provided against this! But even granting it had been fo: had I not on my fide the claims of nature and of blood? and what were your claims, madain? The claims of a gay, needy woman, who after having been long setting in vain, the matrimonial trap, caught in it, at laft, a gentleman of property: and, by these ingenious meafures rofe from the indigence of your widowhood, to the dignity of a wife, and, by furviving the fecond hufband-enjoyed widowhood again with all its most favourable perquifites. Confider your shattered fortunes, at the time of your matriculation into my father's family. Did you bring fixpence into that family, which you have thus iniquitouy plundered? are you not fcorned by the very people, whom the maxims of fordid courtefy oblige to receive the hated gueft into company? nay, have not many of these openly discovered their indignation? has not your brother, the good Mr. S, often fpoke warmly and difdainfully against the cruelties, which, at once inark and stain the character of fister and of christian? has not your ufage to the unhappy writer of this letter, even in the foft moment of unoffending intancy, beca the remonftrance of the rich, and the proverb of the poor? did not your inhumanity grow with my growth, and ftrengthen with my ftrength," till I was three times compelled to find refource from the unkindness of a mother, in the wanderings of the world, and in get ting a meal in whatever part of that world I could obtain it? is the? a pang, a forrow, a difafter, or an agony, which, either your artifice, or open malignancy, has not inflicted upon me? have you not been the topic and the ridicule of the very man-Mr. W, whom you ordered to exert the tyranny of the rod over me, at an age, when the birch ought to have been retorted on his own pofteriors?

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did not this very man, I fay, point at you from the public palpit in the prefence of the Deity; and did not your confcience take alarm, till it extorted from you a paltry half crown, almost the largest liber rality, I ever had from you? have I not stated facts? have I stated more? I appeal to an indignant county; I appeal to a large, attesting, congregation; was it not allo amongst your schemes, to ship me away for the torrid terrors of Senegal? and was not the very captain-a fea captain, madam, who had paffed his life on the rugged bofom of the ocean-too tender, to acquiefce in a ftratagem, at which (though a woman projected it) the pity of a panther, and the bowels of a bear, might have revolted?

"You often fay in your converfation," that I have lost my character:" oh! hard of heart! I have fo; thanks to my own mother, I have not only loft that, but may health, happiness, and patrimony! The latter of which you now in. What a pity, that you are in the wane! what a pity, that there should be one, who muft foon plunder the plunderer! what a pity, that death must in a very few years, defraud the defrauder? These, however, I know, are thoughts, you pretend to indulge; you are among thofe magnanimous characters, that, with Roman fortitude, can bear pain, combat inconvenience, and fmile at diffolution: this kind of ftoicifm I have heard you boast ; and it must be confeffed, you are, when in perfect health, a notable heroine. How well you can fupport poverty with a full purfe! how much more independent and ftationary you are, than your wicked Son: with a well-furnished houfe, and affluent income at command? ~zzy house, madam; my fortune; but pray enjoy them: by the laws of Rapine, they are yours. I can earn the bread of fatigue, while yours is already provided (by your own impiety provided) and much good may fuch provifion do you!

"You are, I find, as you ever was, feconded by that infamous attorney, Mr. J, and I dare fay you have made your story good, among fuch of your friends, as live at a distance from the great fcene of your ftratagems: with them, you are, alas! the beft, but most unfortunate of parents; a defolate widow-woman, forfooth, who equally mourns, the lofs of her lord, and the wanderings of her child! Oh! force of feminine fraud! execrable, execrable delufion! where, where, madam, must I look for a parallel to you? not in man, furely; not in any one of your own fex, I hope, to heaven! for the Counters of Macclesfield herfelf, whofe infamy, you know, is published, was merciful and maternal to you. I fear we must quit the bounds of this world, in fearch of the fimile, and defcending into another, find your refemblance, in the father of fineffe. It is recorded, you know, madam, of him, and of him only, that he could for his purposes, aflume all shapes and characters; "make the worse appear the better caufe," and fometimes pofe even a minifter of light, to determine precisely, whether he was in reality an angel, or a fiend. There is, however, a uniformity in your character, not unworthy of you: to be complete in crime, is at least, more ingenious, than a half-witted, bungling villainy. You are above being content with your mere victory in the Court of Chancery; and as the magistrate did not take care to compel you to preferve my poor pittance in reverfion, after you are gone

to account, you feem refolved to delay the fale of the eftate; and had rather, I perceive, put away all the hopes I have in the world, in the intereft of creditor's demands, than depofit the annuity in the funds; left it might be poible for your perfecution to die with yourself. But you are determined, I find, to be confiftent; and are, therefore, taking the only meafures, which will enable your barbarity to furvive the grave.

My exhaufted paper warns me to quit you for the prefent; and I fhall leave you, madam, to fup "with what appetite you may," though I am confident your relish to it would be keener, were you to know that I have no fupper to enjoy. In this important particular, however, I muft difappoint you. My fenfes are till fufficient to the purposes of common life, even though liberty is taken from me. I have frequently heard you wish, that I could neither read nor write. .. Prerefolved as you were, to drive me to a dependance on the efforts of writing and reading, I fee nothing prepoflerous in the with. I fuppofe then, it would give the total finish to your exultation, if it should pleafe the Omnipotent to touch the brain. The lofs of my fenfes would, indeed, be joy to you; and I know not whether your heart would not open wide enough to purchase for me the bells, the whip, and strait waistcoat, could you at the fame time purchafe the delirium, which would make fuch dreadful furniture neceffary. But, perhaps, this may never be crouded into the catalogue of my calamities: he, who feedeth the ravens, rewards, at least with bread, the efforts of an injured child. Providence will protect thofe, whom the parent has neglected: when the thoughtlefs oftrich leaves her egg under the fand, it is refcued from the violence of the wave, and is called into being, by the fun-beam. The allufion is triking, madam. May God give you (though late in life) a foul to feel it! Farewell; I will write again foon. Yours,

CHARLES.

P. S. I find, I am to enroll among the catalogue of your maternal indulgencies, my prefent confinement in the place where this letter is dated. Had not this lait stroke of barbarity been added to the rest, I had not even now taken up the retaliating pen: but I have been too long paffive-you triumph in the feverity with which I meet the attacks of calamity, and you have at length extorted from me a reply."

Rona, a Poem, in feven Books, illuftrated with a correct Map of the Hebrides, and elegant Engravings. By John Ogilvie, D. D. 4to. 12s. 6d. in boards, 15s. bound. Murray.

"On a little island, or rather rock in the Atlantic ocean, oppofite to the western coaft of Scotland, but at a great diftance from that, and from every other land, lived a race, almoft wholly unacquainted with mankind; the fimpleft manuers having been tranfmitted from the first to every fucceeding generation. Many of them are faid to have been invested with the prophetic character; and their customs (as may be expected) were original and peculiar. Of their ignorance with regard VOL. V.

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