Befehl des Lordtåmmerers untersagt wurde. Eben dieß Schicksal hatte in Irland eine Oper von ihm, Jack, the Giant-Queller, die er bald nach der dortigen Rebellion, und in Beziehung darauf, geschrieben hatte. Jenes Trauerspiel ließ er indeß auf Unterzeichnung drucken, und soll damit über achthundert Pfund gewonnen haben. In der Folge lieferte er mehrere dramatische Stücke, und unter diesen auch Lust spiele und Opern. In den meisten herrscht Freiheitssinn und patriotischer Eiser; und wenn fie gleich nicht zu den englischen Schauspielen vom ersten Range gehören, so sind sie doch ges wiß nicht ohne Verdienst. Der Plan ist gemeiniglich sehr gut angelegt; die Charakterzeichnung ist stark und treffend; und die Sprache ist kähn und nervicht, obgleich zuweilen uns korrekt und deklamatorisch. Seine Trauerspiele find: Gustavus Vala The Earl of Westmorland The Earl of Effex Anthony and Cleopatra The Imposter Cymbeline Montezuma The Vestal Virgin. Un ter diesen bleibt wohl immer sein erstes Stück, Gustav Wasa, das beste; nur hat es eben die Unrichtigkeiten und Unnatur lichkeiten der Schreibart, die auch den folgenden eigen blie ben. Man lese hier eine Scene daraus zur Probe:

GUSTAVUS. CHRISTIERN. TROLLIO. Chrift. Tell me, Guftavus, tell me, why is this, That, as a stream diverted from the banks Of fmooth obedience, thou haft drawn thofe men Upon a dry unchannell❜d enterprize,

To turn their inundation? Are the lives

Of my misguided people held fo light,

That thus thou'dft push them on the keen rebuke
Of guarded majefty; where juftice waits,

All awful and refiftlefs, to affert

Th'impervious rights, the fanctitude of kings,
And blaft rebellion?

Guft.

Guft. Juftice, fanctitude,

And rights! Oh, patience! Rights! What rights, thou

tyrant?

Yes, if perdition be the rule of power,

If wrongs give right, oh, then, fupreme, in mifhief,
Thou wert the lord, the monarch of the world!
To narrow for thy claim. But if thou think'st
That crowns are vilely propertied, like coin,
To be the means, the fpecialty of luft,
And fenfual attribution; if thou think'ft
That empire is of titled birth or blood;
That nature, in the proud behalf of one,
Shall difenfranchise all her lordly race,
And bow her gen'ral iffue to the yoke

Of private domination; then, thou proud one,
Here know me for thy king. Howe'er be told,
Not claim hereditary, not the trust

Of frank election,

Not ev'n the high anointing hand of Heav'n,
Can authorise oppreffion, give a law

For lawless power, wed faith to violation,
On reafon build mifrule, or justly bind
Allegiance to injuftice. Tyranny

Abfolves all faith; and who invades our rights,
Howe'er his own commence, can never be
But an ufurper. But for thee, for thee
There is no name. Thou haft abjur'd mankind,
Dafh'd fafety from thy bleak, unfocial fide,

And wag'd wild war with universal nature.

Chrift. Licentious traitor! thou canft talk it
largely,

Who made thee umpire of the rights of kings,
And power, prime attribute? As on thy tongue
The poife of battle lay, and arms of force,

To

To throw defiance in the front of duty.
Look round, unruly boy; thy battle comes
Like raw, disjointed muft'ring, feeble wrath,
A war of waters, borne against the rock
Of our firm continent, to fume, and chafe,
And fhiver in the toil.

I come impower'd, and strengthen'd in thy weakness; For tho'the structure of a tyrant's throne

Rife on the necks of half the fuff'ring world,

Fear trembles in the cement; prayers, and tears,
And secret curfes, fap its mould'ring base,
And fteal the pillars of allegiance from it:
Then let a fingle arm but dare the sway,
Headlong it turns, and drives upon destruction.

Trollio. Profane, and alien to the love of Heav'n! Art thou still harden'd to the wrath divine,

That hangs o'er thy rebellion? Knowst thoù not,
Thou art at enmity with grace, caft out,
Made an anathema, a curse enroll'd

Among the faithful, thou and thy adherents,
Shorn from our holy church, and offer'd up,
As facred to damnation?

Guft. Yes, I know,
When fuch as thou, with facrilegious hand,
Seize on the apoftolic key of heav'n,

It then becomes a tool for crafty knaves
To fhut out virtue, and unfold those gates,
That Heav'n itfelf had barr'd against the lufts
Of avarice and ambition. Soft and fweet,
As looks of charity, or voice of lambs
That bleat upon the mountain, are the words
Of Christian meekness! miffion all divine!
The law of love fole mandate. But your gall,

Ye

Ye Swedish prelacy, your gall hath turn'd
To words of fweet, but indigefted peace,..
To wrath and bitterness. Ye hallow'd inen,

In whom vice fanctifies, whose precepts teach
Zeal without truth, religion without virtue;
Who ne'er preach Heav'n, but with a downward eye,
That turns your fouls to drofs! Who, fhouting, loofe
The dogs of hell upon us. Thefts and rapes,
Sack'd towns, and inidnight howlings through the
realm,

Receive your fanction. Oh, 'tis glorious mifchief!
When vice turns holy, puts religion on,
Affunies the robe pontifical, the eye

Of faintly elevation, blesseth fin,"

And makes the feal of fweet offended Heav'n
A fign of blood, a label for decrees,

That hell would shrink to own.

Chrift. No more of this.
Gustavus, would'st thou yet return to grace,
And hold thy motions in the sphere of duty,
Acceptance might be found

Guft. Imperial spoiler!
Give me my father, give me back my kindred,
Give me the fathers of ten thousand orphans,
Give me the sons in whom thy ruthless sword
Has left our widows childlefs. Mine they were,
Both mine, and ev'ry Swede's, whofe patriot breaft
Bleeds in his country's woundings. Oh, thou canst
not!

Thou haft outfinn'd all reck'ning! Give me then
My all that's left, my gentle mother there,
And fpare yon little trembler,

Chrift. Yes, on terms

Guft. Ha! with thee?

Compact with thee! and mean'ft thou for my country,
For Sweden? No, fo hold my heart but firm
Altho'it wring for't, tho'blood drop for tears,
And at the fight my straining eyes start forth
They both fhall perish first.

XIV.

An diesen, ziemlich zahlreichen Beispielen aus englis schen Trauerspieldichtern, mag es, des Raums zu schonen, ge nug seyn. Es giebt ihrer jedoch noch viel mehrère, von des nen hier einige der bekanntesten, vornehmlich neuere, nur kürzlich anzuführen sind::

Aaron Hill.

Bon seinem Lehrgedichte über die Schauspielkunst f üben, B. III. S. 136. Seine Trauerspiele: Elfrid; or, The Fair Inconftant The Fatal Vision, or, The Fall of Siam King Henry V Athelwold ZaraAlzira Merope Roman Revenge The Infolvent, or, Filial Pity Saul Daraxes, haben viel Regelmäßigkeit, und viel Korrektheit der Schreibart, aber wenig leidenschaftliche Stärke. Manche Reden sind zu poes tisch, und grånzén nahe an Schwulst.

John Horne.

Ein Schottländer, der anfänglich zum geißtlichen Stande bestimmt war, aber wegen seiner ersten Arbeiten fürs Thear ter aller Ansprüche darauf in seinem Vaterlande verlustig erklärt wurde. Er gieng nach London; und hier nahm sich Lord Bute seiner an, empfahl ihn dem jeßigen Könige, das mals Prinzen von Wallis, und wirkte ihm von demselben