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defigns of France on those parts be not speedily and effectually prevented.

Letters from Rome, dated the thirteenth inftant, fay, that on the preceding Sunday his Holiness was carried in an open chair from St. Peter's to St. Mary's, attended by the facred College, in cavalcade; and after Mafs diftributed feveral doweries for the marriage of poor and diftreffed virgins. The proceedings of that Court are very dilatory concerning the recognition of King Charles, notwithstanding the preffing inftances of the Marquis de Prie, who has declared, that if this affair be not wholly concluded by the fifteenth inftant, he will retire from that Court, and order the imperial troops to return into the Ecclefiaftical State. On the other hand, the Duke of Anjou's Minister has, in the name of his Master, demanded of his Holiness to explain himself on that affair; which, it is faid, will be finally determined in a confiftory to be held on Monday next; the Duke d'Uzeda defigning to delay his departure until he fees the iffue. Thefe letters alfo fay, that the Court was mightily alarmed at the news which they -received by an exprefs from Ferrara, that General Boneval, who commands in Comacchio, had fent circular letters to the inhabitants of St. Alberto, Longaftrino, Fillo, and other adjacent parts, enjoining them to come and fwear fealty to the Emperor, and receive new investitures of their fiefs from his hands. Letters from other parts of Italy fay, that the King of Denmark continues at Lucca; that four English and Dutch men of war were feen off of Oneglia, bound for Final, in order to tranfport the troops defigned for Barcelona; and that her Majefty's fhip the Colchester arrived at Leghorn the fourth inftant from Port-Mahon, with advice, that Major General Stanhope defigned to depart from thence the firft inftant with fix or feven thousand men, to attempt the relief of the caftle of Alicant.

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Our laft advices from Berlin, bearing date the twentyfeventh inftant, import, that the King was gone to Linum, and the Queen to Mecklenburg; but that their Majefties defigned to return the next week to Oranienburg, where a great chace of wild beafts was prepared for their diverfion, and from thence they intend to proceed

together

together to Potsdam; that the Prince Royal was fet out for Brabant, but intended to make some short stay at Hanover. Thefe letters alfo inform us, that they are advised from Obory, that the King of Sweden, being on his march towards Holki, met General Renne with a detachment of Mufcovites, who, placing fome regiments in ambufcade, attacked the Swedes in their rear, and putting them to flight, killed two thousand men, the King himself having his horfe fhot under him.

We hear from Copenhagen, that the ice being broke, the Sound is again open for the ships; and that they hoped his Majefty-would return fooner than they at first expected.

Letters from the Hague, dated May the fourth N. S. fay, that an express arrived there on the firft, from Prince Eugene to his Grace the Duke of Marlborough. The States are advised, that the auxiliaries of Saxony were arrived on the frontiers of the United Provinces; as alfo, that the two regiments of Wolfembuttel, and four thoufand troops from Wirtemberg, who are to serve in Flan ders, are in full march thither. Letters from Flanders fay, that the great convoy of ammunition and provifions, which fet out from Ghent for Lifle, was fafely arrived at Courtray. We hear from Paris, that the King has ordered the militia on the coaft of Normandy and Bretagne to be in readiness to march; and that the Court was in apprehenfion of a defcent, to animate the people to rife in the midst of their present hardships.

They write from Spain, that the Pope's Nuncio left Madrid the tenth of April, in order to go to Bayonne ; that the Marquis de Bay was at Badajos to obferve the motions of the Portugueze; and that the Count d'Eftain, with a body of five thousand men, was on his march to attack Gironne. The Duke of Anjou has depofed the Bishop of Lerida, as being a favourer of the intereft of King Charles, and has fummoned a convocation at Madrid, compofed of the Archbishops, Bishops, and States of that kingdom, wherein he hopes they will come to a refolution to fend for no more Bulls to Rome.

Thursday,

N° 8.

Thursday, April 28, 1709.

TH

Will's Coffee-house, April 26.

HE Play of the London Cuckolds was acted this evening before a fuitable audience, who were extremely well diverted with that heap of vice and abfurdity. The indignation which Eugenio, who is a Gentleman of a juft tafte, has upon occafion of feeing human nature fall fo low in its delights, made him, I thought, expatiate upon the mention of this Play very agreeably. Of all men living, faid he, I pity Players (who must be men of good understanding, to be capable of being fuch) that they are obliged to repeat and affume proper geftures for reprefenting things, of which their reafon must be ashamed, and which they must difdain their audience for approving, The amendment of thefe low gratifications is only to be made by people of condition, by encouraging the reprefentation of the noble characters drawn by Shakespear and others, from whence it is impoffible to return without ftrong impreffions of honour and humanity. On thefe occafions, diftress is laid before us with all its caufes and confequences, and our refentment placed according to the merit of the perfons afflicted. Were drama's of this nature more acceptable to the tafte of the town, men who have genius would bend their ftudies to excel in them. How forcible an effect this would have on our minds, one needs no more than to observe how strongly we are touched by mere pictures. Who can fee Le Brun's Picture of the battle of Porus, withour entering into the character of that fierce gallant man, and being accordingly spurred to an emulation of his conftancy and courage? When he is falling with his wound, the features are at the fame time very terrible and languishing; and there is fuch a ftern faintnefs diffused through all his look, as is

apt

apt to move a kind of horror, as well as pity, in the beholder. This I fay, is an effect wrought by mere lights and fhades; confider alfo a reprefentation made by words only, as in an account given by a good writer: Catiline in Salluft makes juft fuch a figure as Porus by Le Brun. It is faid of him, Catilina verò longè a fuis inter hoftium cadavera repertus eft: paululum etiam fpirans, ferocitatemque animi, quam vivus habuerat, in vultu retinens. "Catiline was found killed, far from his own

men, among the dead bodies of the enemy: He feem"ed fill to breathe, and ftill retained in his face the "fame fiercenefs he had when he was living.". You have in that one fentence a lively impreffion of his whole life and actions. What I would infinuate from all this, is, that if the Painter and the Hiftorian can de thus much in colours and language, what may not be performed by an excellent Poet, when the character he draws is prefented by the perfon, the manner, the look, and the motion, of an accomplished Player? if a thing painted or related can irrefiftibly enter our hearts, what may not be brought to pafs by feeing generous things performed before our eyes? Eugenio ended his discourse, by recommending the apt ufe of a theatre, as the moft agreeable and eafy method of making a polite and moral Gentry; which would end in rendering the rest of the people regular in their behaviour, and ambitious of laudable undertakings.

St. James's Coffee-houfe, April 27.

Letters from Naples of the ninth inftant, N. S. advife, that Cardinal Grimani had ordered the regiment commanded by General Pate to march towards Final, in order to embark for Catalonia; whither alfo one thoufand horfe are to be tranfported from Sardinia, befides the troops which came from the Milanefe. An English man of war has taken two prizes, one a veffel of Malta, the other of Genoa, both laden with goods of the enemy. They write from Florence of the thirteenth, that his Majefty of Denmark had received a courier from the Hague, with an account of fome matters relating to the treaty of a peace; upon which he declared,

that

that he thought it neceffary to haften to his own dominions.

Letters from Switzerland inform us, that the effects of the great scarcity of corn in France were felt at Geneva; the Magiftrates of which city had appointed Deputies to treat with the Cantons of Bern and Zurich, for leave to buy up fuch quantities of grain within their territories as fhould be thought neceffary. The Protestants of Tockenburg are ftill in arms about the convent of St. John, and have declared, that they will not lay them down, until they fhall have fufficient fecurity, from the Roman Catholics, of living unmolefted in the exercise of their religion. In the mean time, the Deputies of Bern and Tockenburg have frequent conferences at Zurich with the regency of that Canton, to find out methods for the quieting these diforders.

Letters from the Hague, of the third of May, advise, that the Prefident Rouille, after his laft conference with the Deputies of the States, had retired to Bodegrave, five miles diftant from Worden, and expected the return of a courier from France on the fourth, with new inftructions. It is faid, if his anfwer from the French Court fhall not prove fatisfactory, he will be defired to withdraw out of thefe parts. In the mean time it is alfo reported, that his equipage, as an embalador on this great occafion, is actually on the march towards him. They write from Flanders, that the great convoy of provifions, which fet out from Ghent, is fafely arrived at Life. Thofe advices add, that the enemy had affembled near Tournay a confiderably body of troops, drawn out of the neighbouring garrifons. Their High Mightineffes have fent orders to their Minifters at Hamburgh and Dantzic, to engage the Magiftrates of thofe cities to forbid the fale of corn to the French, and to fignify to them, that the Dutch merchants will buy up as much of that commodity as they can fpare; the Hamburghers have accordingly contracted with the Dutch, and refused any commerce with the French on that occafion.

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