142 The Early English Drama: [FEB. 



above all, the appalling effect of the music," breaking in upon the 

 sacrificers in the midst of their bloody tragedy, added to the thought of 

 what that music announces. This whole scene is, indeed, as Hippolito 

 says of it, " most dreadfully digested." 



It is a principal fault of this tragedy, however, that this splendid 

 scene, which should have consummated the revenge of Vindici, and 

 brought the work to a close, occurs in the very midst of it: so that the chief 

 exciting interest here is over ; and the two following acts drag along no 

 less tediously than confusedly. They consist partly of the plottings and 

 counter-plottings of the duke's and duchess's sons to get rid of each other, 

 and partly of the still deeper plot by which Vindici, in conjunction with 

 some discontented nobles of the court, contrives to bring about the mur- 

 der of them all, at a great banquet given by the new duke, Lusurioso. All 

 this, however, though interspersed with many admirable passages, ends in 

 little better than a scene of vulgar butchery, which forms a sad anti- 

 climax to the splendid one which should have closed the drama. And 

 this fault arises from the injudicious determination of the author to " on 

 horror's head horrors accumulate." At any rate, he might have so con- 

 trived his plot, that it should have reached its catastrophe by regular 

 gradations the greatest delinquent, and he to whom the principal 

 instrument in the work owed especial vengeance, dying last. 



But, to return to what is not dwell idly on what might have been the 

 fourth acts open with a conference between Lusurioso and Hippolito ; in 

 which the former, desiring to get rid of his late instrument, because he 

 " knows too much," urges Hippolito to find him another hinting at a 

 discontented brother of his own, of whom he has heard, but never seen. 

 This gives the plotters another opportunity of at once furthering their 

 future designs, and screening their late act ; and Vindici is again intro- 

 duced to Lusurioso, in his own proper person. 



Hip. So, so, all's as it should be you're yourself. 



Fin. How that great villain puts me to my shifts ! 



Hip. He that did lately in disguise reject thee, 

 Shall, now thou art thyself, as much respect thee. 



Fin. 'Twill be the quainter fallacy. But, brother, 

 'Sfoot, what use will he put me to now, thinkst thou ? 



Hip. Nay, you must pardon me in that. I know not. 

 H'as some employment for you ; but what His, 

 He, and his secretary, the devil, know best. 



Fin. Well, I must suit my tongue to his desires, 

 What colour soe'er they be ; hoping at last 

 To pile up all my wishes on his breast. 



All this latter portion of the play is most inartificially contrived, and 

 we shall not go into any minute details in regard to it, or present the 

 reader with any lengthened extracts ; for, to say nothing of our limits 

 precluding the latter, we are not willing to efface, by any thing less 

 powerful, the impression which the foregoing scene is calculated to pro- 

 duce \ because we would fain have the reader close our paper with a no 

 less exalted notion than we ourselves possess of the true tragic vein of 

 this almost unknown writer. Suffice it, therefore, to glance at the remain- 

 ing scenes. At the commencement of the fifth act, there is a very fine 

 one between the two brothers, Vindici and Hippolito, and their mother 

 and sister ; in which the mother is taxed with her base designs against 

 the honour of Castiza repents and is forgiven ; not, however, before 



