y in Romeo and
Juliet so exactly to the satisfaction of the audience, that this little
part, independent of the other characters, drew immense houses whenever
the play was performed. The manager in consequence, thought it but
justice to advance the actor's salary; on which the poor man (who, like
the character he represented, had been half starved before) began to
live so comfortably, he became too plump for the part; and being of no
importance in any thing else, the manager of course now wholly
discharged him--and thus, actually reducing him to the want of a piece of
bread, in a short time he became a proper figure for the part again."

Welcome, then, thou all-powerful principle, NECESSITY! THOU, who art the
instigator of so many bad authors and actors--THOU, who from my infancy
seldom hast forsaken me, still abide with me. I will not complain of any
hardship thy commands require, so thou dost not urge my pen to
prostitution. In all thy rigour, oh! do not force my toil to libels--or
what is equally pernicious--panegyric on the unworthy!

A SIMPLE STORY.

CHAPTER I.

Dorriforth, bred at St. Omer's in all the scholastic rigour of that
college, was, by education, and the solemn vows of his order, a Roman
Catholic priest--but nicely discriminating between the philosophical and
the superstitious part of that character, and adopting the former only,
he possessed qualities not unworthy the first professors of
Christianity. Every virtue which it was his vocation to preach, it was
his care to practise; nor was he in the class of those of the religious,
who, by secluding themselves from the world, fly the merit they might
have in reforming mankind. He refused to shelter himself from the
temptations of the layman by the walls of a cloister, but sought for,
and found that shelter in the centre of London, where he dwelt, in his
own prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.

He was about thirty, and had lived in the metropolis near five years,
when a gentleman above his own age, but with whom he had from his youth
contracted a most sincere friendship, died, and left him the sole
guardian of his daughter, who was then eighteen.

The deceased Mr. Milner, on his approaching dissolution, perfectly
sensible of his state, thus reasoned with himself before he made the
nomination:--"I have formed no intimate friendship during my whole life,
except one--I can be said to know the heart of no man, except the heart
of D