Effay on Maffinger. 127 



attendant angel picks the pockets of two debau- 

 chees, and Theophilus overcomes the devil by 

 means of a crofs, compofed of flowers which 

 Dorothea had fent him from paradife. 



The ftory of the Bondman is more intricate 

 than that of the Duke of Milan, yet the former 

 is a more interefting playj for in the latter, 

 the motives of Francifco's condudl, which occa- 

 fions the diftrefs of the piece, are only difclofed 

 in narration, at the beginning of the fifth ad : 

 we therefore confider him, till that moment, 

 as a man abfurdly and unnaturally vicious : 

 but in the Bondman, we have frequent glimpfes 

 of a concealed fplendour in the charafter of 

 Pifander, which keep our attention fixed, and 

 exalt our expeftation of the cataftrophe. A 

 more ftriking comparifon might be inftituted 

 between the Fatal Dowry of our author, and 

 Rowe's copy of it in his Fair Penitent ; but this 

 is very fully and judicioufly done, by the author 

 of the Obferver*, who has proved fufficiently, 

 that the intereft of the Fair Penitent is much 

 weakened, by throwing into narration what 

 Maflinger had forcibly reprefented on the ftage. 

 Yet Rowe's play is rendered much more re- 

 gular by the alteration. Farquhar's Inconftant, 

 which is taken from our author's Guardian, and 

 Fletcher's Wild-goofe Chace, is confiderably lefs 



• No. 88, 89,-90. 



elegant 



