6o THE BpE, OR Jan. 12. 



with jnany dazzling words of wonder, and terror and 

 amazement. Were the fubjeft of Othello to be ma- 

 naged in the French mode, or by their Englifh imita- 

 tors, we might expeft, in an introduclory foliloquy, to 

 fee the nature of jealoufy, with all its dire effefts, ex- 

 plained with mucli pomp of language, perhaps by the 

 perfonage who is chiefly concerned in the ftory, or by 

 a female confident obler\-ing all at once the altered 

 mind of her lord ; and the fame fubjeft would be the 

 continual theme from fpcech to fpeech, till the fatal 

 conclufion, which never fails to be caufed by fomelong- 

 ex(iefted and obvious difcovery. During the courfe 

 of the reprjfentation, the wearied fpeftator, inftead of 

 that tumultuous joy, w hicli is produced by the agita- 

 tion of hope and fear, is only amufed at times with the 

 inferior pleafure of poetical defcription, and many la- 

 boured attempts to inflame the mind by pathetic and 

 fublime fentiments. Though often interrupted by dif- 

 ferent fpeakers, it is no other than an uninterefting 

 and declamatory poem, where, if there is any difplay 

 of charafter, it is but in general terms, of a man iplen- 

 didly good, or on tlie contrary, outrageoufly wicked ; 

 of a fair female, gentle and amiable, and of her fierce 

 and haughty oppreflor ; but always in the higheft de- 

 gree, moft aftonilliing, and as they would have it, be- 

 yond conception. The qualities of good and bad, are 

 fometimes expreflVd with much vigour and fire ; but 

 the rell of the Oian is awanting ; the imagination cannot 

 lay hold on a diilinft and natural character, intermix- 

 ed with fome foible, w hich never fail to attend the beft, 

 with a peculiar bias of mind towards a particular ob- 

 jeft, or the prejudices which are expefted to be found 

 from the pro'cflion, the fituation, or any of tl.e circum- 

 llances of his life. The few who have fuccecded in 

 this fphere, is a proof, that to excel in it requires a 

 genius of the higlieft and inoft finiihcd kind. Ihe en- 

 thuliafm of imagination, and the calm and minute ob- 

 jfervatien of judgment, qualities fo plainly requifite, are 



