CHARACTERS. 
colle& that he ever attempted’ to 
speak in the house. He was also 
rechosen in 1784 and. 1790. 
For a few years last past his 
health began to fail, and he re- 
turned to his native country in ex- 
pectation of receiving benefit’ from 
the change of air. He continued 
however to decline, and after Jin- 
gering some time, died at his seat 
at Bellevue, in Inverness-shire, 
on the 17th of February, 1796. 
He appears to have died in very 
opulent circumstances, and by his 
will, dated June 1793, gave various 
annuities and legacies to several 
persons to a great amount. He 
also bequeathed roool. to John 
Mackenzie, of Figtree-court, in the 
Temple, to defray the expence of 
printing and publishing Ossian in 
the original. He directed 3001. to 
be laid out in erecting a monument 
to his memory, in some conspicu- 
ous situation at Bellevue aforesaid, 
and ordered that his body should be 
carried from Scotland, and inter- 
red in the Abbey-church of West- 
minster, the city wherein he had 
passed the greatest and best part of 
his life. 
He was accordingly brought 
from the place where he dicd, and 
buried in the poets’-corner of the 
church, 
Interesting History of Don Pedro and 
Donna Lenex de Castro. From Mur. 
phy’s Fravels in Portugal. 
THERE are but few personages 
recorded in history, who have bern 
oftener cclcbrated by dramatic 
writers than this princess. There 
have been no less than five trage- 
@ies formed from her pitiful nar- 
rative; viz. twoin English, one 
in French, one in Spanish, and 
one in Portuguese. he latter, 
perhaps, approaches the nearest to 
[371 
the truth of history, and is'not in= 
ferior in point of poetical merit. 
The author, Senhor Nicole’ Luis, 
had no occasion to resort to fiction 
to heighten the passions of anaue 
dience, as the simple facts are suf. 
ficient to fill up all the senses of 
pity and terror, and to shew -to 
what lengths love and revenge are 
capable of transporting the human 
mind. 
The subject of this tragical piece 
is as follows: Don Pedro, son of 
Alonso the Fourth, king of Portus 
gal, and heir apparent to the crown, 
having fallen in love with a lady 
of the court, named Donna Ignez 
de Castro, thought he could not 
share the crown which awaited him 
with a more amiable person. She 
united to all the charms of beauty, 
the most graceful and accomplish. 
ed manners. ‘The prince, waving 
all considerations of birth and for« 
tune, was privately married to her 
by the bishop of Guarda. 
Notwithstanding the nuptials 
were performed with all the secresy 
imaginable, yet they reached the 
King’s ear, who had premeditated 
a consort for Don Pedro in the 
king of Casrile’s daughter. He 
questioned him as to the truth of 
the report; but, Knowing his fas 
ther’s arbitrary disposition, he 
thought it prudent then to conceal 
the fact. 
The nobility also had intimation 
of the marriage, aud the preference 
given to Ignez had awakened their 
jealousy. Hence they took every 
opportunity of representing her as 
a woman of the greatest, ambition, 
and pretended that very fatal con 
sequences were to be apprehended 
from such an alliance; they also 
condemned the prince as a rash and 
disobedient son. 
The king, who was a man of 
Bb2z weak 
