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horfe, which made it impoffible for ber to go home, but who he is, or whence the comes, he knows not.

In an interview between Maria and her friend Olivia, aria confeffes her

Bellafont and his fervant, that he has conceived a defign of paffing himself upon Maria for Lord Lovington, tho' for what reafon does not fufficiently appear; he could not intend to marry her in that difguife, for he declares,

paffion for Bellafont, by the following A he would neither torce nor trepan her

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O love, tyrannic God, whofe fatal dart Subdues all nature to its prond controu! I feel thy venge:ul shaft transfix my heart, And yield to thee the empire of my toul. It appears alf, in this fcene, that Frederic, Maria's brother, has fallen in love with Amelia, and fuppofes the has married another. Olivia appears to know Bellafont very well, and promifes Maria that her house shall be an afylum from the perfecution of a ca pricious parent.

In a fubfequent fcene between Clara and Olivia, Clara difcovers herself to be Amelia Hartley, the daughter of Sir C William Hartley, who would have compelled her to marry Lord Wealthy against her inclinations, which were fixed on Frederic. That the therefore left his houfe, and made a fall from a horie, a pretence for concealing hertelf at a farm house. She expreffes great apprehensions that Frederic is falfe, because he has heard nothing of him, though it does not appear that he knew where the was; and though Olivia feems greatly difpofed to comfort her, and account for his feeming neglect, yet he does not tell her what the had just told his fifter, that he fuppofed her married to another.

into a marriage. He fays, it is to try an innocent experiment, but it does not appear to what purpose it is made. To make it, however, he prevails upon Shifter, the lawyer, to introduce him as Lord Lovington to the old man; the character of Shifter is well drawn, and the scene full of humour and fatire. Let it speak for itself :

A knocking at the door. Shifter, Bellafont and Ferdinand bis Servant.]

Bell.] Run to the door, firrah !—I expe& Mafter Shifter the attorney, who will be a neceffary inftrument in my design; and here he comes.-Mafter Shifter, I am heartily glad to fee you; fit down I pray you, Mafter Shifter. Ferdinand, fill this honeft gentleman a glafs of wine.

Sbif. So, fo; enough, young Man, enough! Captain, fhall I crave your bufi. nefs?-Time is precious-Life is but short D-A man is but a man. Torn to pieces, as ore may fay,-pulled limb from limbup and down---about and about.---Fuh! [Pulling off bis wig, and wiping bis bead.] It cannot laft for ever; it cannot laft for Sir, my humble fervice to you. [Drinks, and begins to fill bis pipe. Bell.] Matter Shifter, I have a intle master of bufinefs wherein I want your afliftance; and as I take you for a friendly-good humoured--- honest... obliging fellow, I make no doubt of your comply ing with my request,

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Hearing that Frederic is expected that day at his fathers, and being. wearied and difgufted with the old pentleman's addreffes, the fuppofed Clara intreats Olivia to give her the protection of her boufe for a fhorting, time, to which the confents.

As Bellafont repeats the terms, friendly, &c. &c. Shitter at each word removes bir chair further from bim.

Shif.] Humph! I guess your mean.

Captain; and I believe there is no man in the country practice that has better notions of friendship and honesty, and all that, than myfelf; and when it lies in my way to do a good turn (that is, upon confideration) I am always glad to do it; but butinefs must be followed, fometimes here, fometimes there. The world is the work and money makes the man.-Apropos ! I fuppofe your occafions look that way; but, alack-a-day! the country's drained-the nation's undoneTaxes upon taxes-fuch a fight of red coats to pay, and not a guinea ftirring; not a guinea ftirring.-Hark! I am called away H-Captain, I'll take my leave; not a drop more, I thank you. [Gets up to go.

The next fcene is between Frederic, who arrives at his fathers, and his fifter; he laments the lofs of Amelia, whom both he and his fifter believe to be married to Lord Wealthy, upon the report of young Hartley her brother. G Maria gives Frederic an account of her father's delign to marry her to Ld Lovington, in which the declares the will never concur, and he tells her he knows Bellafont his lordship's nephew, of whom he speaks in very recommendatory terms. Maria's inclination for Bellafont, to which, however, Frederic is a ranger, is now krengthened, and thus ends the act.

ACT II.

It appears in the firft ftene, between

Bell.] Hold, hold, Mafter Shifur, mittake me not; I don't want to borrow,

but to give away. [Shaking his parfe.

Fed.]

Ferd.] Lord help you, Mr Shifter, you little think what a world of wealth my mafter is poffeft of. He borrow? No, no; he never can want money any more. Why, don't you know he ferved all the last war, and has got a matter of thirty pounds of his own proper earnings, and 'tis all in a purfe there?

Sbif] Mafter Ferdinand, a man will fometimes mistake; every thing (do you apprehend me!) has two handles, a right one and a wrong.

Ferd] And if you have two ears, malter Shifter, take care I don't pull one of them off, before this day's at an end. Sure my mafter wont give him his purfe; I know he has not a fellow to it in the world. [Afide.]

Shif.] Well, Captain Bellafont, what is your will? This affair I must own prima facie looked a little unpromifing; but that purse has a very agreeable found with it; hall 1 examine the contents ?

Bell.] The money thall be all thine without lett or hindrance, every guinea of it upon certain confiderations, my friend.

Shif.] What are they, Captain? what are they?

I should have been more moderate; but where my benefactor is concerned, it is but reasonable I should be well paid. Honefty is a fcarce commodity; and where you are to purchafe a man's whole ftock, it cannot be had for a trifle.

Bell.] Oh! the rogue! I muft stop his A mouth, or he will thame me out of my project.-Come, Mr Shifter, if you will ftep into this inner room, while I am adjusting my drefs, we will agree upon the price of your confcience-Ferdinand, follow with the cleaths. [Exeunt.

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It appears by the next feene, that Amelia determined to feign herfelf mad, as an expedient to get an interview with Frederic masked, though the ftate of his mind might more naturally have been discovered by Olivia, who ftill keeps all in darkness and confufion, by concealing Frederic's mistake, with refpect to Amelia's C having married Lord Wealthy.

Bell.] You know my uncle Lord Lowington ?D

Sbf.] Intimately-why I hold his courts. Bell. And you are well acquainted with Sir Antony Withers.

Shif.] Oh! lackaday! Hand and glove, Captain; why I am more obliged to Sir Antony Withers than to any man living; his father prentic'd me out to lawyer Trickfler; ay, and his prefent honour has always been E

my friend, wet and dry as one may say. I can never do enough for Sr Antony; I hate to be behind hand in gratitude & good offices to any man.

Bell. I am forry the cafe in question don't exactly tally with that gratitude you profefs to Sir Antony; for, to tell you the plain truth, I want you to affift me in robbing him.—

Sbif] Robbing him?

Lud!

Bell.] Ay, robbing him of his daughter, Sbif.] Who-Madam Maria ? – Lud! the wickedness of fome folks! Bell.] Come, I make worfe of this matter than it deferves. You fee thofe cloaths there. In this tranfaction I fhall have occation to perfonate my uncle; and all that 1 require of you is to introduce me to S Antony Withers as Lord Lovington.

Shif. I apprehend you, Captain Bellafont; and fo long as you keep within the daw, am willing to ferve you upon valuable confiderations; but as I particularly pride myself upon my gratitude to Sir tory Withers, I shall expect a good price for my fervices upon this occafion. It fo is the party had been an indifferent perion,

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In a ineeting of the country people at a harvelt home, the appears fantaf tically dreffed out with flowers, and a mafk; Frederic accofts her; they tell each other that they have been ena moured, and mutually complain of their misfortunes: The curiosity of both is excited, especially of Amelia, who obtains a confeffion from Frederic that the lady he loved was Amelia Heartley; and discovers that he thinks her married; fhe appoints another interview, and promifes to tell him fomething that will both furprize and please him; why the does not difcover herself immediately does not appear.

In a fubfequent fcene between Sir Antony and Maria, he tells her pe. remptorily, that the fhall marry Lord Lovington, and the entreats him in vain not to facrince her to old age and ill nature; they are interrupted by an account of the arrival of Lord Lovington, and foon after, Bellafont is introduced by Shifter, in his Lordfhip's dress and character, to Sir Antony, who after fome converfation, retires and fends his daughter: In a converfation between her and the fuppofed Lord Lovington, the declares, that the disparity in years, manners, and fortune between them is fuch as determines her inflexibly against his addrefs. Atlength, however, the dif covers Bellafont under his difguife, yet concealing the difcovery, determines to mortify him: She therefore appears to be at length overcome by his perfuafions; the declares that her

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heart is wholly disengaged; that the could never endure the addreffes of a foldier; that he has been addressed by one Bellafont, whom the reprefents as a worthless character, and defires his Lordship to bring him at his next wifit, that the may in his prefence give him a formal difmiffion. It might be expected that Bellafont thould now immediately discover himself to upbraid, and renounce her, but instead of that he takes leave of her, declaring his intention to wait upon her again. ACT III.

In the next scene, Bellafont again meets Maria as Lord Lovington; he endeavours to difguft her by a very difadvantageous account of himself, but the perfifts in a refolution to marAry him, upon which, he at laft difcovers himself. If you, madam, says he, can take up with a character of this fort, it is time for me to lay it down.

In a fcene between Bellafont, in his B

Inftead of the furprize which he expected upon the discovery, he finds that the knew him, and obftinately perfifts in addreffing him as Lord Lo

vington, after he has laid the character down; he urges her to leave this jefting, rejects the title, and claims his own appellation Captain Bellafont, not knowing he has a right to any other in this crifis Sir Antony comes in, and Maria tells him, that the is indeed willing to marry Lord Lovington, but that the cannot perfuade the gentleman he is the man'; he infilts upon it, fays he, that he is Captain Bellafont. Upon this, he is difcovered to the company, and fuppofing it a trick of Maria's, to make a jeft of him, he expreffes his regret and indignation in very ftrong terms. However, after they have a little indulged themfelves at his expence, they discover the fecret of his good fortune by giving him Heartley's letter to Frederick. Nothing can follow this eclaircissement but their marriage. A marriage alfo takes place between Fredegrick and Amelia, upon her difcovering herself to him at the time appointed.

own character, and Maria, it appears
that they have quarrelled, but how
they should, except he had reproach-
ed her with confenting to marry Lord
Lovington, and fpoken ill of himself;
how he should account for his being
acquainted with either one or the o-
ther, fuppofing, as he does, that he
was not difcovered, in his difguife, or
how the warm expoftulations which
the quarrel produced, could avoid
bringing on an explanation is not
eafy to guefs. Quarrel, however, they
do, Bellafont ftill fuppofing he was
really mistaken for his uncle, and ftill D
hiding it as a fecret: He leaves her
with a determination never to have
any connection with her, and yet
with a determination to fee her again
difguifed as Lord Lovington, merely
to do what he might have done be-
fore, difcover himself, and upbraid
her after her confenting to marry
him while he took him for his uncle.

In a fcene hetween Frederick and Maria, it appears that Maria has made hin the confidant of her paffion for Bellafont, and of the trick the had play'd him, for he afks in which of his characters the intends to marry him. During this converfation, Frederic receives a letter from that very brother of Amelia who had before informed them his fitter was married to Lord Wealthy, to acquaint him that the is run away, to avoid marrying him; and that her attachment to him, G (Frederic) was fuppofed to be the cause, enquiring if he knew where the was fecreted; in a poftfcript to this letter Heartley farther acquaints his friend, that Lord Wealthy has behaved so ill, that Amelia's friends had no farther thoughts of him for her, and that Ld Lovington is dead fuddenly, upon hearing that his only fon was killed in a broil at Naples, an event that gives Bellafont Lord Lovington's title and

tate

་་,

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These are the outlines of the piece, there is an under part between Henry and Clara, whom he fuppofes to be not much above his own ftation, and falls in love with; and between lawyer Shifter and an Irish fervant, which increase the mirth, and variety of the exhibition.

Of the airs, fome fpecimen fhall be given among our Poetry.

The Grievances of the American Colonies candidly examined. Printed by Authority at Providence in Rhode Ifland.

HE writers of this examination, T for we fuppofe it the

of

many, profefs to make the colonies in New England the rule of their reafoning as with the rights of thofe provinces fay they, was first planted by adventurers they are best acquainted; New England, who left their native country, by permifion of King Charles I. and at their own expence, tranfported themselves to America, with great risk and difficul

ry fettled among favages, and in a
very furprizing manner, formed new
colonies in the wilderness. Before
their departure, the terms of their
freedom, and the relation they should
ftand in to the mother country, in A
their emigrant state were fully fettled.
they were to remain fubject to the
king, and dependant on the kingdom
of Great Britain. In return they were
to receive protection, and enjoy all
the rights and privileges of freeborn
Englishmen.

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By all their charters, it is in the B moft exprefs and folemn manber granted, that they and their children after them for ever, fhould have and enjoy all the freedom and liberty that the fubjects in England enjoy: That they might make laws for their own government, fuitable to their circumftances; not repugnant to, but as near as might be, agreeable to the laws of England; that they might purchase lands, acquire goods, and ufe trade for their advantage, and have an abfolute property in whatever they justly acquired. Thefe, with many other gracious privileges, were granted them D by feveral kings; and they were to pay as an acknowledgement to the crown, only one fifth part of the ore of gold and filver, that thould at any time be found in the faid colonies, in lieu of, and full fatisfaction for all dues and demands of the crown and kingdom of England upon them.

These rights, the British fubjects in America poffefs as inherent and indefeasible.

And the Britifb legislative and executive powers have confidered the colonies as poffeffed of these rights, and have always heretofore in the molt tender and parental manner, treated them as their dependant(tho' free) condition required. But now the fcene feems to be unhappily changing :-The Britfb miniftry, from whatever motive we know not, hath induced the parHament to pass an act, limiting, re fricting, and burdening the trade of

thefe colonies, much more than had ever been done before; as alfo for greatly enlarging the power and jurifdiction of the courts of admiralty, and likewife paffed another act, efta. blishing certain ftamp duties. Thefe acts have occafioned great uneasiness among the British fubjects on the continent of America. With what reafon let the public judge.

It is admitted, that altho' each of the colonies hath a legiflature within iffelf, to take care of its interefts.

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provide for its peace and internal government, yet there are many things of a more general nature, which it is abfolutely neceffary fhould have a general power to direct them; and this power we are naturally led to look for in the parliament of Great Britain.

But, at the fame time, the equity, juftice, and beneficence, of the British conftitution, feems to require, that the feparate kingdoms and diftinct colonies, who are to obey and be governed by these general laws and regulations, fhould be fome way or other reprefented, or at least, that they should have notice of every new measure, or new act by which their rights, Kiberties or interests may be affected that they may appear and be heard by their agents, by council, or written reprefentation, or by fome other equitable and effectual way.

Had the colonies been fully heard, no reasonable man can fuppofe the late act ever would have paffed, in the manner it now ftands; for what good reafon can poffibly be given for making a law to cramp the trade, and ruin the intereft of many of the cofonies, and at the fame time, leffen in a prodigious manner the confumption of the British manufacturies in them? These are certainly the effects this act muft produce; a duty of three-pence per gallon on foreign melaffes, is much higher than that article can possibly bear; and therefore mult operate as an abfolute prohibition. With the lofs of the foreign melaffes trade, the the cod fishery in America mult also be loft. Heretofore there hath been imported in tothe colony of Rhode Island only about 1,150,000 gallons annually; the F duty on this quantity is 14,3751. a larger fum than was ever in the colony at any one time. This money is to be fent away, and never to return; yet the payment is to be repeated every year. Can this possibly be done?

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Minifters have great influence, and parliaments have great power;-can either of them change the nature of things, top our means of getting money, and yet expect us to pay Britib taxes and purchase and pay for British manufactures?

By the fame act, the exportation of all kinds of timber, or lumber, the most natural produce of these new colonies, is uselessly embarrassed, and the shipping it to any part of Europe, except Great Britain, prohibited: This muft greatly affect the linen manufacture in Ireland; without the least advantage to Great Britain.

Enlarging the power and jurifdiction of the courts of vice-admiralty in the colonies, is another part of the fame act, greatly and juftly complained of. A custom-houfe officer may now make a feizure in Georgia, of goods ever fo legally imported, and A carry the trial to Halifax, at fifteen hundred miles diftance, and thither the owner must follow him to defend his property. If the judge fhould certify, there was only probable cause for making the feizure, the unhappy owner can maintain no action against the illegal feizer, for damages; but he may return to Georgia, quire ruined and undone in conformity to an act of parliament.

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But the refolution the House of Commons came into during the fame feffion of parliament, afferting their right to establish ftamp duties, and internal taxes, to be collected in the coJonies without their own confent, hath much more, and for much more reafon, alarmed the British fubjects in America. Thefe refolutions have been fince carried into execution by an act of parliament which the colonifts do conceive is a violation of their long enjoyed rights. For it must be confelled by all men, that they who are taxed at pleasure by others, cannot poffibly have any property, can have nothing to be called their own; they who have no property can have no freedom, but are indeed reduced to E the most abject flavery; are in a state far worse than countries conquered and made tributary; for thefe have only a fixed fum to pay, which they are left to raife among themselves, in the way that they may think molt equal and eafy; and having paid the ftipulated fum, the debt is difcharged, and what is left is their own. This is more tolerable, than to be taxed at the mere will of others, without any bounds, without any ftipulation or agreement, contrary to their confent, and against their wills.

We are not infenfible, that when liberty is in danger, the liberty of complaining is dangerous; yet a man on a wrack was never denied the liberty of roaring, fays Dean Swift. And we believe no good reafon can be given, why the colonies fhould not modeftly and foberly enquire, what right the parliament of Great Britain

have to tax them.

The colonies here, at all times when called upon by the crown to raise moy for the public fervice, have done

it as chearfully as the parliament there have done on the like occafions? Is not this the most eafy way of railing money in the colonies? What occafion then to diftruft the colonies, what neceffity to fall on the prefent method to compel them to do what they have ever done freely? The parliament, it is confeffed, have power to regulate the trade of the whole empire; and hath it not full power, by this means, to draw all the money and wealth of the colonies into the mother country, at pleafure? What motive after this can remain, to induce the parliament to abridge the privileges, and leffen the rights of the most loyal and dutiful fubjects; fubjects juffly intitled to ample freedom, who have long enjoyed, and not abufed or forfeited their liberties, who have used them to their own advantage, in dutiful fubfervien cy to the orders and the interefts of Great Britain? Why fhould the gentle current of tranquility, that has fo long run with peace through all the British states, and flowed with joy and with happiness in all her countries, be at laft obftructed, and turned out of its true courfe, into unusual and winding channels, by which many of thefe colonies must be ruined; but none of them can poffibly be made more rich or more happy.

There is a vast difference between the raising money in a country by duties, taxes, or otherwife, and employing and laying out the money again in the fame country; and railing the like fums of money, by the like means, and fending it away quite out of the country where it is iaifed. In the former cafe, as fast as the money is collected, it is again circulated; but in the latter, as fait as the money is collected, it is immediately sent out of the country, never to return.

Think then, what must be the condition of thefe miferable colonies, when all the money propofed to be raised in them, by high duties on the G'importation of divers kinds of goods, by the poft office, by ftamp duties, and other taxes, is fent quite away, as fast as it can be collected; and this is to be repeated continually! Is it poffible for colonies under thefe circumftances to fupport themfelves, to have any money, any trade, or other bufinefs carried on in them? Certainly it is not; nor is there at prefent, or ever was, any country under hea ven, that did, or poffibly could fupport itfelf under fuch burdens,

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