huntsman, and the frauds of the groom. The huntsman was too neceffary to his happiness to be difcarded; and he had ftill continued to ravage his own eftate, had he not caught a cold and a fever by fhooting mallards in the fens. His fever was followed by a confumption, which in a few months brought him to the grave. Mrs. Buy was too much an economist to feel either joy or forrow at his death. She received the compliments and confolations of her neighbours in a dark room, out of which she stole privately every night and morning to fee the cows milked; and after a few days declared that the thought a widow might employ herself better than in nurfing grief; and that, for her part, fhe was refolved that the fortunes of her children fhould not be impaired by her neglect. She therefore immediately applied herself to the reformation of abuses. She gave away the dogs, discharged the fervants of the kennel and ftable, and fent the horses to the next fair, but rated at fo high a price that they returned unfold. She was refolved to have nothing idle about her, and ordered them to be employed in common drudgery. They loft their fleekness and grace, and were foon purchased at half the value. She foon difencumbered herself from her weeds, and put on a riding-hood, a coarse apron, and short petticoats, and has turned a large manor into a farm, of which she takes the management wholly upon herself. She rises before the fun to order the horses to their geers, and fees them well rubbed down at their return from work; she attends the dairy morning and evening, and watches when a calf falls that it may be carefully nurfed; the walks K 2 G&E out among the fheep at noon, counts the lambs, and obferves the fences, and, where fhe finds a gap, ftops it with a bush till it can be better mended. In harvest the rides afield in the waggon, and is very liberal of her ale from a wooden bottle. At her leisure hours the looks goofe eggs, airs the wool room, and turns the cheese. When respect or curiofity brings vifitants to her house, she entertains them with prognosticks of a fcarcity of wheat, or a rot among the sheep, and always thinks herself privileged to difmifs them, when she is to see the hogs fed, or to count her poultry on the rooft, The only things neglected about her are her children, whom she has taught nothing but the lowest household duties. In my laft vifit I met mifs Bufy carrying grains to a fick cow, and was entertained with the accomplishments of her eldest fon, a youth of such early maturity, that though he is only fixteen, she can trust him to fell corn in the market. Her younger daughter, who is eminent for her beauty, though fomewhat tanned in making hay, was bufy in pouring out ale to the plowmen, that every one might have an equal fhare. I could not but look with pity on this young family, doomed by the abfurd prudence of their mother to ignorance and meannefs; but when I recommended a more elegant education, was anfwered, that she never faw bookish or finical people] grow rich, and that she was good for nothing herfelf till the had forgotten the nicety of the boarding-school. I am Yours, &c. BUCOLUS. NUMB. 139. TUESDAY, July 16, 1751. -Sit quod vis fimplex duntaxas et unum. Let ev'ry piece be fimple and be one. HOR. IT is required by Ariftotle to the perfection of a tragedy, and is equally neceffary to every other fpecies of regular compofition, that it should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. "The be"ginning," fays he, "is that which has nothing "neceffarily previous, but to which that which "follows is naturally confequent; the end, on "the contrary, is that which by neceffity, or at "leaft according to the common courfe of things, "fucceeds fomething elfe, but which implies no"thing confequent to itfelf; the middle is con"nected on one fide to fomething that naturally goes before, and on the other to fomething that naturally follows it." Such is the rule laid down by this great critick, for the difpofition of the different parts of a well conftituted fable. It muft begin, where it may be made intelligible without introduction; and end, where the mind is left in repofe, without expectation of any farther event. The intermediate paffages must join the last effect to the firft caufe, by a regular and unbroken concatenation; nothing must be therefore inserted which does not appa rently arife from fomething foregoing, and properly make way for fomething that fucceeds it." . This precept is to be understood in its rigour only with respect to great and effential events, and 'cannot be extended in the fame force to minuter circumstances and arbitrary decorations, which yet are more happy as they contribute more to the K 3. main main defign; for it is always a proof of extensive thought and accurate circumfpection, to promote various purposes by the fame act; and the idea of an ornament admits use, though it seems to exclude neceffity. Whoever purposes, as it is expreffed by Milton, to build the lofty rhyme, muft acquaint himself with this law of poetical architecture, and take care that his edifice be folid as well as beautiful; that nothing ftand fingle or independent, fo as that it may be taken away without injuring the reft; but that from the foundation to the pinnacles one part rest firm upon another. This regular and confequential diftribution, is among common authors frequently neglected; but the failures of thofe, whofe example can have no influence, may be fafely overlooked, nor is it of much ufe to recall obfcure and unregarded names to memory for the fake of sporting with their infamy. But if there is any writer whose genius can embellish impropriety, and whofe authority can make error venerable, his works are the proper objects of critical inquifition. To expunge faults where there are no excellencies, is a task equally useless with that of the chemift, who employs the arts of feparation and refinement apon ore in which no precious metal is contained to reward his operations. The tragedy of Samson Agonistes has been cèlebrated as the second work of the great author of Paradife Loft, and oppofed with all the confidence of triumph to the dramatick performances of other nations. It contains indeed juft fentiments, maxims of wisdom, and oracles of piety, and many pas fages . fages written with the ancient fpirit of choral poetry, in which there is a just and pleasing mixture of Seneca's moral declamation with the wild enthusiasm of the Greek writers. It is therefore worthy of examination, whether a performance thus illuminated with genius, and enriched with learning, is composed according to the indispenfable laws of Ariftotelian criticism: and, omitting at present all other confiderations, whether it exhibits a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning is undoubtedly beautiful and proper, opening with a graceful abruptnefs, and proceeding naturally to a mournful recital of facts necessary to be known. Samfon. A little onward lend thy guiding hand Twice by an angel? -Why was my breeding order'd and prefcrib'd, Defign'd for great exploits; if I must die His foliloquy is interrupted by a chorus or company of men of his own tribe, who condole his K 4 miferies, |