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The scene ends with a picturesque fong by Clytie: wherein the Author, inftead of representing Love as nurfed by tygers in the defert, which even the antients have done, defires that the God may be drawn with fcorpion whips, inftead of golden fhafts, and not an infant heaven-defign'd,

But a grim monfter, fierce and blind,

The curfe and scourge of human kind.

In the fourth scene, Apollo, after a short descant on jealou
fy, fees the object of his wifhes approach; and in the begin
ning of the fifth scene he thus expresses his impatience.
So, in fome evening fair, the feather'd male
Expects his tuneful confort in the vale ;
At fight of her, his heart exulting fprings,
He rears his plume, and beats his little wings:
They meet, they neftle to each other's breast,
And fide by fide pursue their way to reft.(k)

The meeting of Apollo and Leucothoe is tender and natural.
Ridet hoc, inquam Venus ipfa; rident
Simplices Nympha.

But after Phoebus has fung his happiness, in numbers worthy of himself, and of Love, we are disappointed in the following couplet.

Oh thrilling joy! oh more than charming fhe!

Was ever Deity caress'd like me?

Leucothoe's anfwer is, indeed, fomewhat happier expreffed, tho' not quite free from impropriety,

Oh height of blifs! oh greater than (1) divine !

Was ever mortal happiness like mine?

as the air in which fhe fays, it is as impoffible to count the ftars of heaven, or the fands on the fea-fhore, as it was to ⚫ tell how much she loved,' is fimply elegant. See the Poem.

To make amends for this amorous compliment, Apollo commands the winds to be hufhed, and all those powers who owned his fovereignty, now to give a proof of their obedi ence. Soft mufic is heard. Leucothoe is agreeably furprised; the mufic coming forward in a full fymphony; the clouds

(k) Altho' the fimile is beautiful, as might be expected from the God of Poetry, yet we doubt if comparisons can ever be introduced with propriety in paffionate compofitions. The words in the last line, marked italics, appear to us fomewhat obfcure.

(1) A Smith, or a Johnson, (vid, Rehearsal) would be apt to afk, How could she know that?

*

⚫ which obfcured the head of the mountains, fuddenly dif perfe, fhewing Parnaffus, and the Muses with their proper fymbols, &c. An Entertainment is performed by them, on • their several inftruments, confifting of three parts; the first very fonorous; the fecond a flow movement, to which a • paftoral nymph dances; the third fprightly; when the loweft of the mountains opens, difcovering Vulcan's cave. The Cyclops come out, and dance with a number of Dryads, who enter from the woods, then range themselves on each fide of the ftage.' Phoebus and Leucothoe advance, when the latter, tho' pleafed with the revels, defires her lover to put an end to them, left the noise fhould alarm the neighbourhood, and inform her father of their intrigue, the dread of which, fhe fays, makes her blood run cold, and curdle at the thought. Apollo laughs at her fears; and the act concludes with a fong of exultation.

• The first scene of the second act discovers a night-prof pect of a garden; a pavilion in view, beyond which ap-. pears the back part of a palace; a terrace adorned with ftatues, &c. &c.

Phoebus and Leucothoe enter from the pavilion, Clytie, • with a black flave, liftening behind.

Apollo is no longer the eager lover, He now wants to be gone; and tho' Leucothoe tells him, that the Morning was far from being near, as the Moon yet fhone, he did not now, however, fee with his mistress's eyes, but anfwers, that the morning-star fhone in the eaft, that Aurora had begun to unbar the gates of light, and from the mountain fummoned him away. Leucothoe yields to neceffity, but afks him when he will return? which the endeavours to haften, by affuring him that a long abfence would break her heart. The God promises to lafh his courfers with double speed, and to come back at night. This does not fatisfy Leucothoe; fhe, tender foul ! weeps, droops, and feems mightily frighted. Apollo prays her, cooly enough, to let him know what alarmed her? She afks forgiveness, as she was a fond, weak woman, often terrified when there was no danger.

Perhaps I weep, and fear, I know not why.

As it is an established rule, that Gods and Goddeffes may be introduced in an Opera, fo is that species of the Drama capable of all the marvellous, in point of incident and machinery, which fan ey can bestow on it.

Dryden.

In the firft ftanza of the air which follows, fhe defires him not to enquire into the cause of her forrow; but in the second fhe tells him,

Prizing joys we fear to lose 'em ;
Can you then condemn my pain?
Something whispers to my bofom,
We fhall never meet again.

Those forebodings, which make fuch a figure on the stage, (and, indeed, love is fuperftitious) Apollo reprefents as the brood of fancy. Upon which the bids him farewel, and he bids her adieu.(m)

But whatever pain this parting gave Leucothoe, it certainly could not be over-pleafing to Clytie, who faw the whole. Apollo being gone, Leucothoe's fears return; she fancies a fword hung over her head, and that the earth opened to swallow her. She is, however, foon convinced that all this was conceit; and after a natural and appropriated invocation(n) to Morpheus, the falls afleep. Clytie now re-appears with her attendant; and after an emphatical exclamation, tears off her jewels and robes, that her foul and body (as she expreffes). might be akin,

Naked without, as defolate within.

The air that follows this fcene of diftraction well reprefents the agitations of a mind divided between revenge and affection, particularly the two last lines:

Now I could ftab his faithless breast,
Now-prefs him close to mine.

Here the flave entreating her to moderate her transports, and

(m) Altho' the whole of this fcene is natural, yet Apollo ufes fome expreffions in it, which are too vulgar for heroics, fuch as, My dear love, &c. unless the poet meant to infinuate, that the parting compliments of lovers are lefs ardent than those at meeting and that Phoebus, tho' a very god at first, was a very mortal when he took leave.

(2) O God of Sleep! arife and spread

Thy healing vapours round my head;
To thy friendly manfions take,

My foul that burns,

Till he returns,

For whom alone I wish to wake.

There yield my thoughts their fav'rite theme,

And bring my lover in a dream.

not

not to nourish thoughts that fhe ought to banish, Clytie exclaims, Hence babbler, &c.

And determines immediately to kill herself: the flave, however, wifely proposes that the fhould rather revenge her sufferings on those that occafioned them;-and to

Pay falfhood back with falfhood,

In the true ftrain of an Abigail. Clytie is offended at the proposal, and draws a dagger, with intention to dispatch herself: nor would the flave, with all her tears, have been able to prevent her from immediately executing her dire purpose, had The not pronounced,

The object of your jealoufy fhall die!

At this, indeed, Clytie pauses, and suspends the blow; but the confidant, ftill apprehenfive of confequences, prevails on her to fling away the poniard; when she immediately cries,

Said you not, fhe, th' accurfed fhe, should fall?

The flave affures her miftrefs that Leucothoe fhall fall, but not by her; for as the God was now infenfible to her charms, the deftruction of the new object of his wifhes, would not only fail of regaining his love, but would make sure her own deftruction. That, in fine, the ought to inform King Orchamus of his daughter's amcur. Clytie affents, and expreffes her impatience; when, unluckily for Leucothoe, her father is feen walking at no great distance, in a shade of myrtle.(0) The flave now prompts her Lady to make the difcovery; but fhe, however impatient but a little before, is on the instant seized with an unaccountable tremor. At laft, defire of revenge getting the better of her fears, fhe refolves to tell Orchamus the whole, and bids her confidant retire.

The fourth scene contains an animated fong, in confequence of her resolution. In the fifth, the King finds Clytié on her knees before him, with a

May (p) the King live for ever!

(0) Should not Clytie, and efpecially the flave, whofe mind was lefs concerned, have confidered, that the discovery in that manner would expofe her equally to the god's vengeance?

According to Xenophon, the Kings of Perfia, to fet a good example to their fubjects, used to rife early, to hunt. Had the poet adopted this hint, would not Orchamus's preparation for this exercife, with the courtiers, and hounds, at a distance, have been more natural and picturefque, as well as more affecting,-as the discovery would spoil his purpofed pleasures ?

(p) Line of an old fong.

His Perfian Majefty, all politeness to the fair, infifts on her rifing; and as it was no lefs unusual in his dominions than in Britain, to see the court Ladies fo foon abroad, he begs to know the cause. Far from letting him understand that she had been up all night, she cunningly answers, that she had left her bed, to view the infant Morn, adore the Heavens, &c. Orchamus is in raptures with her wisdom. This encourages her, and she is just on the point of communicating her fatal fecret; when fear, doubt, and hesitation, feize and throw her into confufion. This the King obferves, and encourages her to speak out. She ftill evades the purpose fhe came determined upon: Orchamus preffes to know what she was about to have faid; and affures her, that her demands fhould inftantly be complied with: but she warns him not to press her, as the discovery might, perhaps, too much affect his peace of mind;

ORCHAMUS.

Virtue unmov'd the thunderer's voice can hear;

To guilt a ftranger, we're unknown to fear.

True, replied Clytie; but there are fome evils which even virtue cannot support; and fhe afks if

Nothing could affect him more

Than lofs of ftate, dominion, wealth, and pow'r?

ORCHAMUS.

You deal in Riddles !

CLYTIE.

Dreadful to expound!

Oh! be my tongue to filence ever bound!

Drive, drive me from you to the farthest pole

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laft, however, the speaks out.

The God you worship, Sir, has done the deed:
The glorious Sun infpired with luftful flame,
Has paid your incenfe with your daughter's shame.
OKCHAMUS.

Tis well (q) Oh Kings, your boasted pow'r how small !
Where? when did he?" damnation! (r) tell me all.

This is not well.

(*) A good round word; but tog modern for the Perfian Monarch

The

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