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[Sir Luke Limp makes his appearance, and after a short dialogue, enter a Servant and delivers a card to Sir Luke.]

Sir Luke [Reads]. 'Sir Gregory Goose desires the honour of Sir Luke Limp's company to dine. An answer is desired.' Gadso! a little unlucky, I have been engaged for these three weeks.

Serj. What! I find Sir Gregory is returned for the corporation of Fleecem.

Sir Luke. Is he so? Oh, oh! that alters the case. George, give my compliments to Sir Gregory, and I'll certainly come and dine there. Order Joe to run to Alderman Inkle's in Threadneedle Street; sorry can't wait upon him, but confined to bed two days with the new influenza.

Sir Luke.

[Exit Servant.]

Char. You make light, Sir Luke, of these sort of engagements. What can a man do? These fellows (when one has the misfortune to meet them) take scandalous advantage: when will you do me the honour, pray, Sir Luke, to take a bit of mutton with me? Do you name the day? They are as bad as a beggar who attacks your coach at the mounting of a hill; there is no getting rid of them without a penny to one, and a promise to t'other.

Serj. True; and then for such a time too-three weeks! I wonder they expect folks to remember. It is like a retainer in Michaelmas term for the summer assizes.

Sir Luke. Not but upon these occasions no man in England is more punctual than

From whom?

[Enter a Servant, who gives Sir Luke a letter.]

Serv. Earl of Brentford. The servant waits for an answer.

Sir Luke. Answer! By your leave, Mr. Serjeant and Charlotte. [Reads.] 'Taste for music-Mons. Duport-fail-dinner upon table at five.' Gadso! I hope Sir Gregory's servant an't gone.

Serv. Immediately upon receiving the answer.

Sir Luke. Run after him as fast as you can-tell him quite in despair-recollect an engagement that can't in nature be missed, and return in an instant.

Char. You see, sir, the knight must give way for my lord.

[Exit Servant.]

Sir Luke. No, faith, it is not that, my dear Charlotte; you saw that was quite an extempore business. No, hang it, no, it is not for the title; but, to tell you the truth, Brentford has more wit than any man in the world: it is that makes me fond of his house.

Char. By the choice of his company he gives an unanswerable instance of that.

Sir Luke. You are right, my dear girl. But now to give you a proof of his wit: you know Brentford's finances are a little out of repair, which procures him some visits that he would very gladly excuse.

Serj. What need he fear? His person is sacred; for by the tenth of William and Mary

Sir Luke. He knows that well enough; but for all that—

Serj. Indeed, by a late act of his own house (which does them infinite honour),

his goods or chattels may be

Sir Luke. Seized upon when they can find them; but he lives in ready furnished lodgings, and hires his coach by the month.

Serj. Nay, if the sheriff return 'non inventus'

One

Sir Luke. A plague o' your law; you make me lose sight of my story. morning a Welsh coachmaker came with his bill to my lord, whose name was un

luckily Lloyd. My lord had the man up. You are called, I think, Mr. Lloyd? At your lordship's service, my lord. What, Lloyd with an L! It was with an L, indeed, my lord. Because in your part of the world I have heard that Lloyd and Floyd were synonymous, the very same names. Very often, indeed, my lord. But you always spell yours with an L? Always, That, Mr. Lloyd, is a little unlucky; for you must know I am now paying my debts alphabetically, and in four or five years you might have come in with an F; but I am afraid I can give you no hopes for your L. Ha, ha, ha!

[Enter a Servant.]

Serv. There was no overtaking the servant.

Sir Luke. That is unlucky: tell my lord I'll attend him. I'll call on Sir Gregory myself. [Exit Servant.]

Serj. Why, you won't leave us, Sir Luke?

Sir Luke. Pardon, dear Serjeant and Charlotte; have a thousand things to do for half a million of people, positively; promised to procure a husband for Lady Sicily Sulky, and match a coach-horse for Brigadier Whip; after that, must run into the city to borrow a thousand for young At-all at Almack's; send a Cheshire cheese by the stage to Sir Timothy Tankard, in Suffolk; and get at the Herald's office a coat of arms to clap on the coach of Billy Bengal, a nabob newly arrived; so you see I have not a moment to lose.

Serj. True, true.

Sir Luke. At your toilet to-morrow you may-[Enter a Servant abruptly, and runs against Sir Luke]-Can't you see where you are running, you rascal.

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Serv. In his coach at the door. If you aint better engaged, would be glad of your company to go into the city, and take a dinner at Dolly's.

Sir Luke. In his own coach, did you say?

Serv. Yes, sir.

Sir Luke. With the coronets-or

Serv. I believe so.

Sir Luke. There's no resisting of that. Bid Joe run to Sir Gregory Goose's. Serv. He is already gone to Alderman Inkle's.

Sir Luke. Then do you step to the knight-hey !-no-you must go to my lord's —hold, hold, no—I have it—step first to Sir Greg's., then pop in at Lord Brentford's just as the company are going to dinner.

Serv. What shall I say to Sir Gregory?

Sir Luke. Any thing—what I told you before.

Serv. And what to my lord?

Sir Luke. What !—Why tell him that my uncle from Epsom-no-that won't do, for he knows I don't care a farthing for him-hey! Why, tell him--hold, I have it. Tell him that as I was going into my chair to obey his commands, I was arrested by a couple of bailiffs, forced into a hackney-coach, and carried into the Pied Bull in the borough; I beg ten thousand pardons for making his grace wait, but his grace knows my misfor-[Exeunt Sir Luke and Servant.] Char. Well, sir, what d'ye think of the proofs? I flatter myself I have pretty well established my case.

Serj. Why, hussy, you have hit upon points; but then they are but trifling flaws, they don't vitiate the title; that stands unimpeached.

A few remarks on the comic operas of this period, in which songs and dialogue alternate, will close the present subject. The Devil to Pay, by

Coffey, was long a favorite, chiefly for the female character, Nell, which made the fortune of several actresses. The operas of this description by Isaac Bickerstaff, among which are The Padlock, Love in a Village, and Lionel Clarissa, present a pleasing union of lyrical charms with those of dramatic incident and dialogue. The Quaker, by Charles Dibdin, author and composer of a multitude of these operas, and dramatic trifles, was produced in 1777, contains much excellent music, and is still popular.

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CONYERS MIDDLETON

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NATHANIEL LARDNER -ARCHIBALD BOWER THOMAS CARTE-WILLIAM LAW-WILLIAM STUKELEY-JOSEPH BUTLER-JOHN LELAND

-FRANCIS HUTCHESON-JAMES FOSTER-JOHN GILL-JOHN JORTIN-WILLIAM WARBURTON-PHILIP DODDRIDGE-JOHN WESLEY-GEORGE WHITEFIELD-FERDINANDO WARNER-THOMAS LELAND-LORD CHESTERFIELD-LORD KAMES.

ONE

NE of the most striking features of the prose writing of this period is the variety and extent of the subjects which it embraces. Periodical essayists, novelists, historians, metaphysicians, theologians, political writers, and writers of miscellanies, were equally numerous. Without reference, therefore, to their relative claim upon our attention, we shall notice them as the order of time presents their names.

DR. CONYERS MIDDLETON, the first that occurs, was the son of the rector of Hinderwell, near Whitby, and was born at York, on the twenty-seventh of December, 1683. At the age of seventeen he entered Trinity College, Cambridge, of which he afterwards became fellow. In 1709, he joined the other fellows of the society in opposition to Dr. Bentley, the master; but having soon after married a widow lady of large property, he relinquished his fellowship and retired from the college. His life now presented little variety for a number of years; but in 1723, desiring an active occupation, he accepted the office of principal librarian at Cambridge. In the following year he was induced, by the death of his wife, to visit the continent, and wherever he went he was received by men of learning and rank with the greatest kindness and respect.

Soon after his return to England, Dr. Middleton issued some letters and other papers, which created suspicions of his orthodoxy, and by this means he was involved in a succession of controversies, which consumed, very unprofitably, many years. During much of this period, however, he was engaged in preparing and arranging materials for a history of the Life and Writings of Cicero, and the great work made its appearance in 1741. ReVOL. II.-2 H

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