their most fhining Circumftances, and please me more, but with a different Sort of Delight, than that which I receive from those grave Scenes of Brutus and Caffius, or Anthony and Ventidius. The whole Comedy is very juft, and the low Part of Human Life represented with much Humour and Wit.

St. James's Coffee-house, April 25.

WE are advised from Vienna, by Letters of the 20th Inftant, That the Emperor hath lately added twenty new Members to his Council of State, but they have not yet taken their Places at the Board. General Thaun is returned from Baden, his Health being fo well re-established by the Baths of that Place, that he designs to fet out next Week for Turin, to his command of the Imperial Troops in the Service of the Duke of Savoy. His Imperial Majesty has advanced his Brother, Count Henry Thaun, to be a Brigadier, and a Counsellor of the Aulick Council of War. These Letters import, That King Stanislaus and the Swedish General Craffau are directing their March to the Nieper, to join the King of Sweden's Army in Ukrania: That the States of Auftria have furnished Marshal Heifter with a confiderable Sum of Money, to enable him to push on the War vigorously in Hungary, where all Things as yet are in perfect Tranquillity: And that General Thungen has been very importunate for a speedy Reinforcement of the Forces on the Upper Rhine, reprefenting at the fame time what Miferies the Inhabitants must neceffarily undergo, if the Defigns of France on those Parts be not speedily and effectually prevented.

LETTERS from Rome, dated the 13th Inftant, fay, That on the preceding Sunday his Holinefs was carried in an open Chair from St. Peter's to St. Mary's, attended by the Sacred College, in Cavalcade; and after Mafs diftributed feveral Dowries 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

the Marquefs de Prie, who has declared, That if this Affair be not wholly concluded by the 15th 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 Minifter 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'Uzcda defigning to delay his Departure 'till he fees the Iffue. Thefe Letters also say, That the Court was mightily alarm'd 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 swear Fealty to the Emperor, and receive new Investitures of their Fiefs from his Hands. ters 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 Oneglia, bound for Final, in order to transport the Troops defigned for Barcelona ; and that her Majefty's. Ship the Colchefter arrived at Legborn the 4th Inftant, from Port-Mahon, with Advice, That Major General Stanhope designed to depart from thence the ift Inftant with 6 or 7000 Men, to attempt the Relief of the Caftle of Alicant.

Let

OUR laft Advices from Berlin, bearing Date the 27th Inftant, import, That the King was gone to Linum, and the Queen to Mecklenburgh; but that their Majefties defigned to return the next Week to Oranienburgh, where a great Chafe of wild Beafts was prepared for their Diverfion, and from thence they intend to proceed together to Potfdam; 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 Muscovites, who placing fome Regiments in Ambuscade, attacked the Savedes in their Rear, and putting them to Flight, killed

zoco Men, the King himfelf 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 4. N. S. fay, That an Exprefs arrived there on the 1ft, 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 4000 Troops from Wirtemberg, which are to serve in Flanders, 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 Coafts 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 midft of their present Hardships.

THEY write from Spain, That the Pope's Nuncio left Madrid the 10th of April, in order to go to Bayonne ; that the Marquefs de Bay was at Badajos to obferve the Motions of the Portugueze; and that the Count d'Eftain, with a Body of 5000 Men, was on his March to attack Gironne. The Duke of Anjou has depofed the Bishop of Lerida, as being a Favourer of the Interest of King Charles, and has fummoned a Convocation at Madrid, composed 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.

VOL. I.

N° 8. Thursdays

N° 8.

Thursday, April 28, 1709.

Will's Coffee-house, April 26.

HE Play of the London Cuckolds was acted this

extremely well diverted with that Heap of Vice and Abfurdity. The Indignation which Eugenio, who is a Gentleman of a juft Tafte, has upon Occasion of seeing Human Nature fall fo low in their 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 representing Things of which their Reason must be ashamed, and which they muft difdain their Audience for approving. The Amendment of thefe low Gratifications is only to be made by People of Condition, by encouraging the Presentation 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, Distress is laid before us with all its Causes 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 Studies 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 meer Pictures. Who can fee Le Brun's Picture of the Battle of Porus, without entering into the Character of that fierce gallant Man, and being accordingly fpurred 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 such a stern Faintnefs dif

fufed

fused through all his Look, as is apt to move a kind of Horror, as well as Pity, in the Beholder. This, I fay, is an Effect wrought by meer Lights and Shades; confider alfo a Representation 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 vero longe 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 seemed still to breathe, and ftill retained in his Face the fame Fierceness he had when he was living' You have in that one Sentence 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 do thus much in Colours and Language, what may not be performed by an excellent Poet, when the Character he draws is prefented by the Person, 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 pass by feeing generous Things performed before our Eyes? Eugenio ended his Difcourse, by recommending the apt Use of a Theatre, as the most agreeable and easy Method of making a polite and moral Gentry, which would end in rendring the rest of the People regular in their Behaviour, and ambitious of laudable Undertakings.

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

LETTERS from Naples of the 9th 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 also 1000 Horse are to be transported 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 13th, that his Majesty of Denmark had received a Courier from

C 2

the