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Yet look upon me with an eye of mercy;
With pity and with charity behold me:
Shut not thy heart against a Friend's repentance,
But as there dwells a good-like nature in thee,
Listen with mildnels to my fupplications, el er sål
Pierre, What whining monk art thou? what holy
Seninle cheat,

That wouldft incroach upon my credulous ears, y
And cant'ft thus vilely? Hence! I know thee not,
Diffemble and be nafty

leave me, hypocrite! Jaff. Not know ine, Pierre!

3

on Pierre No, I know thee not; what art thou? Jaff. Jaflier, thy friend, thy once lov'd, valu'd friend; d, ex.VI, Tho' now defervidly soorn'd, and us'd most hardly. Pierre Thou Jaffer! thou my once lov'd, valu'd heissut talied od friend!, gnol ɔzik.

By Heav'nspthout lyft the man, fo call'd, my friend,
Was generous, honest, faithful, juft, and valiant,YA
Noble in mind, and in his person lovely, quo, må
Dear to my eyes, and tender to my heart shine 204,
But thou a wretched, base, false, worthless coward,ƒ ́!
Poor, even in foul, and loathsome in thy aspect: doT
All eyes mult Thun thee, and all hearts deteft thee, 10 I
Pr'ythee, avoid, nor longer cling thus round me,
Like fomething baneful, that my nature chill'd at, col
Jaff. I have not wronged thee, by these tears! I
73 el ja suhave not. G_9rg ZK}3) !

But still am honest, true, and hope too, valiant;
My mind still full of thee, therefore still noble.
Let not thy eyes then shun me, nor thy heart
Detelt me utterly: Oh! look upon med an
Look back, and fee my fad, fincere fubmiffion! C
How my heart fwells, as e'en twould burst my bolom;

Fond of its goal, and labouring to be at thee!: dev
What fhall I do? what fay to make thee hear me?
Pierre Haft thou not wrong'd me? darst thou
1945 - call thyfelf, brutt en un t
That once loy'd, honeft, valu'd friend of mine?
And fwear thou haft not wrong'd me? Whence these
,; chains?

Whence the vile death, which I may meet this mo-
onment?

Whence this difhonour, but from thee, thou false :

1

Jaff. All's true; yet grant one thing, and I've done alking

Pierre. What's that?!

Jaff. To take thy life on fuch conditions, w
The council have propos'd: thou and thy friend j``x.
May yet live long, and to be better treated.

Pierre Life! ask my life! confefs! record myfélf
A villain for the privilege to breathe,..
And carry up and down this curfed city hned
A difcontented and repining fpirit

I

Burdenfome to itself, a few years longer, 5 mgh th
To lose it, may be, at laft, in a lewd quarrel.
For fome new friend, treacherous and falfe as thou
*butor end, gol partitore

No, this vile world and I have long been jangling,
And cannot part on better terme than now, I t
When only men like thee are fit to live in't.

Jaff, By all that's just of ural cen lif
Pierre, Swear by fome other powers, Wih baik. e.
For thou haft broken that facred path too lately.

Jaff. Then by that hell I merit, I'll not leave thee,
Till to thy felf at least thou'rt reconcil'd,
However thy resentment deal with medarbe

Pierre,

Jaff. No; thou shalt not force me from thee; 1 62 Use me reproachfully, and like a flave;

Tread on ine, buffet me, heap wrongs on wrongs,

On my poor head; I'll bear it all with patience; A I'll weary out thy most unfriendly cruelty;

Lie at thy feet, and kiss'em, tho'they spurn me, cal Till wounded by my fufferings thou relent,

And raise me to thy arms with dear forgiveness

Pierre. Art thou not

Jaff. What?

Pierre. A traitor?

Jaff. Yes. quote)

Pierre. A villain?

Jaff Granted. nan

Pierre. A coward, a moft fcandalous coward, Spiritlefs, void of honour, one who has fold Thy everlasting fame for fhameless life?

Jaff. All, all, and more, much more; my faults are numberlefs.

Pierre. And would'st thou have me live on terms like thine?

19

Bale as thou'rt falfe

Jaff. No; 'tis to ine that's granted? The fafety of thy life was all I aim'd at,

In recompence for faith and truft so broken.

Pierre. I fcorn it more, because preferv'd by thee: And as when first my foolish heart took pity On thy misfortunes, fought thee in thy miferies, Keliev'd thy wants, and rais'd thee from thy ftate Of wretchedness, in which thy fate had plung'd thee, To rank thee in my lift of noble friends;

All I receiv'd in furety for thy truth,

Were unregarded oaths, and this, this dagger,

IN

Given

Given with a worthlefs pledge thou fince haft ftol'n:
So I restore it back tos thee again;

Swearing by all those pow'rs which thon haft violated,
Never from this curs'd hour to hold communion,
Friendship, or interest with thee, tho'our years
Were to exceed those limited the world. Y.

Take it farewell for now I owe thee nothing.
Jaff. Say thou wilt live then. ̧‹...

Pierre. For my life, dispose of its of

Juft as thou wilt, because 'tis what I'm tir'd with.

Jaff. My eyes won't loose the fight of thee, But languish after thine, and ache with gazing.

Nay, then thus, thus I throw

thee from me,

And curfes, great as is thy falfehood, catch thee!

Jaffe Amen!

(Exit,)

He's gone, my Father, Friend, Preferver,

And here's the portion he has left me.

?(Holds the dagger up.)

This dagger, well remember'd, with this dagger
I gave a folemn vow of dire importance;
Parted with this and Belvidera together.

Have a care, Mem'ry, drive that thought no farther;
No, I'll efteem it as a friend's laft legacy,
Treasure it up within this wretched bolom,
Where it may grow acquainted with my heart,

That when they meet, they start not from each other.
So, now for thinking: a blow, call'd traitor, villain,,
Coward, difhonourable coward, fough!

Oh for a long found fleep, and fo forget it!
Down, bufy devil!

VII.

Rowe.

Nicholas Rowe, Esq. geb. zu Little, Berkförd in Beßt. fordshire, 1673, gest. zu London, 1718. Anfänglich legte er sich auf das Studium der Rechte, und würde darin noch größere Fortschritte gethan haben, wenn nicht die Neigung zu den schönen Wissenschaften, und besonders zur Poesie, gar. bald in ihm herrschend geworden wäre. Der Beifall, wels chen sein erstes Trauerspiel, The Ambitions Step- Mother erhielt, bestimmte ihn vollends für die Wahl der poetischen Laufbahn. Im Komischen war er indeß minder glücklich; und man hat daher auch sein Lustspiel, The Biter, in die Sammlung seiner Gedichte nicht mit aufgenommen, unter welchen auch die kleinern, gelegentlichen Stücke sich nicht sons derlich auszeichnen. In seinen Schauspielen ist wenig dras matische Kunst; auch band er sich an die mechanischen Res. gein der Bühne nur selten, und veränderte die Scene zuweis len in der Mitte des Aufzuges.,, Man findet, sagt Dr. Johnson, in seinen Schauspielen keinen sonderlich tiefen: Eindrang in die Natur, keine genaue Auseinanderseßung verwandter Charaktere, keine fortschreitende, allmählige Ents wickelung der Leidenschaften; alles ist ziemlich flach und uns bestimmt. Auch wird der Zuschauer nicht sehr durch sie bewegt, noch interessirt, ausser in Jane Shore, worin das Mitleid lebhaft rege gemacht wird. Alicia ist ein Charakter von leerem Geräusch, ohne alle Gleichheit mit wirklichem Schmerz oder natürlichem Wahnsinn." Was ihm aber wohl vornehmlich Ruhm erwarb, ist die Schicklichkeit und Eigens thümlichkeit einzelner Scenen, die Eleganz seiner Schreibs art, und die Anmuth seines Wersbaues. Selten durchdringe er das Herz; aber immer vergnügt er das Ohr, und belehrt nicht selten den Verstand. Ausserdem lieferte er eine glücks liche Uebersetzung von Lutan's Pharsalis. Nicht lange vor

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