me his bosom burn'd;
His passion soon in love's soft language told,
Her spirits cheer'd and bad her heart be bold.
Each other dearer than the world beside,
Each other dearer than themselves they hold.
Together knit in firmest bonds they bide,
While days and months with joy replete unnotic'd glide.

Ev'n now beside her sat the British boy,
Who ev'ry mark of youth and beauty bore,
All that allure the soul to love and joy.
Ev'n now her eyes ten thousand charms explore,
Ten thousand charms she never knew before.
His blooming cheeks confest a lovely glow,
His jetty eyes unusual brightness wore,
His auburn locks adown his Shoulders flow,
And manly dignity is seated on his brow."

ARTICLE VIII

THE ALCHYMIST, A COMEDY, ALTERED FROM BEN JONSON, BY RICHARD BRINSLEY
SHERIDAN, ESQ.

There are few characters, that have risen into higher favour with the
English nation, than Mr. Sheridan. He was known and admired, as a man of
successful gallantry, both with the fair sex and his own, before he
appeared, emphatically speaking, upon the public stage. Since that time,
his performances, of the Duenna, and the School for Scandal, have been
distinguished with the public favour beyond any dramatical productions
in the language. His compositions, in gaiety of humour and spriteliness
of wit, are without an equal.

Satiated, it should seem, with the applauses of the theatre, he turned
his attention to public and parliamentary speaking. The vulgar
prejudice, that genius cannot expect to succeed in two different walks,
for some time operated against him. But he possessed merit, and he
compelled applause. He now ranks, by universal consent, as an orator and
a statesman, with the very first names of an age, that will not perhaps
be accounted unproductive in genius and abilities.

It was now generally supposed that he had done with the theatre. For our
own part, we must confess; we entertain all possible veneration for
parliamentary and ministerial abilities; we should be mortified to rank
second to any man in our enthusiasm for the official talents of Mr.
Sheridan: But as the guardians of literature, we regretted the loss of
his comic powers. We wished to preserve the poet, without losing the
statesman. Greatly as we admired the opera and the comedy, we conceived
his unbounded talents capable of something higher still. To say all in a
word, we looked at his hands for the MISANTHROPE of the Britis