remonftrances to abridge the tor ture of his fufpence. He interested Mrs. Kawdle in his behalf; and, at length, his importunity fucceeded. The banns of marriage were regularly published; and the ceremony was performed in the parish church, in prefence of Dr. Kawdle and his lady, Capt. Crowe, lawyer Clarke, and Mrs. Dolly Cowflip. The bride, inftead of being difguifed in tawdry ftuffs of gold or filver, and sweating under a harness of diamonds, according to the elegant taste of the times, appeared in a negligee of plain blue fattin, without any other jewels than her eyes, which far outfhone all that ever was produced by the mines of Golconda. Her hair had no extraneous ornament, than a small sprig of artificial rofes; but the dignity of her air, the elegance of her fhape, the sweetness and fenfibility of her countenance, added to fuch warmth of colouring, and fuch, exquifite fymmetry of features, as could not be excelled by human nature, attracted the eyes and excited the admiration of all the beholders. The effect they produced in the heart of Sir Launcelot, was fuch a rapture as we cannot pretend to defcribe. He made his appearance on this occafion, in a white coat and blue fattin veft, both embroidered with filver; and all who faw him could not but own that he alone feemed worthy to poffefs the lady whom heaven had deftined for his confort. Capt. Crowe had taken off a blue fuit of cloaths ftrongly guarded with bars of broad gold lace, in order to honour the nuptials of his friend: he wore upon his head a bag-wig ala pigeon, made by an old acquaintance in Wapping; and to his fide he had girded a huge plate-hilted fword, which he had bought of a recruiting ferjeant. Mr. Clarke was dreffed in pompadour, with gold buttons, and his lovely Dolly, in a fmart checked luteftring, a prefent from her miftrefs. The whole company dined, by invitation, at the houfe of Dr. Kawdle; and here it was that the two moft deferving lovers on the face of the earth attained to the confummation of all earthly felicity. The captain and his nephew had a hint to retire in due time. Mrs. Kawdle conducted the amiable Aurelia, trembling, to the marriagebed: our hero glowing with a bridegroom's ardour, claimed the hufband's privilege: Hymen lighted up his brighteft torch at Virtue's lamp, and every tar fhed its happiest influence on their heaven-directed union. Inftructions had been already dispatched to prepare Greavesbury-hall for the reception of its new mistress; and for that place the new-married couple fet out next morning, according to the plan which had been previously concerted. Sir Launcelot and lady Greaves, accompanied by Mrs. Kawdle and attended by Dolly, travelled in their own coach drawn by fix dappled horfes. Dr. Kawdle, with Capt. Crowe, occupied the doctor's postchariot, provided with four bays: Mr. Clark had the honour to beftride the loins of Bronzomarte: Mr. Ferret was mounted upon an old hunter: Crabfhaw ftuck close to his friend Gilbert; and two other horsemen completed the retinue. There was not an aching heart in the whole cavalcade, except that of the young lawyer, which was by turns invaded the monarch with all the external marks of respect. He allowed him to retain the trappings of royalty; indulged him with all the pleasures of fenfuality, as well as with all the pageantry of pomp. He ftill enjoyed the title of king, appeared as fuch at all public folemnities, and gave audience, as ufual, to foreign ambaftadors. But all the power of the empire refided in the hands of Pepin, and he entirely conducted the machine of government. [An. 692.] From this æra we may date the extinction of the Merovingian race; for though fome of that family furvived it, they were no other than the fhadows of authority. Pepin's admirable conduct evinced the extent of his capacity. He ftrengthened his own influence, by recalling thofe who had been fent into exile. He redreffed grievances, punithed oppreffors, regulated the finances, difciplined the troops, honoured the clergy, and promulgated wholefome laws in the general affemblies, held commonly in the beginning of March, at which the prelates as well as the nobility affifted. On thefe occafions, Thierri was always prefent in the character of fovercign, feated on his throne, and furrounded by his officers; all proceedings had the fanction of his name; and all benefits were faid to itfue from his favour. The great abilities and influence of Pepin, who had no other title but that of prince, and duke of the Franks, inhanced his character to fuch a degree among the nations, that the court of France was vifited by ambaffadors from the Sclavonians, Huns, Lombards, by the Greek emperor Juftinian II. and even the Saracens of Arabia. Thierri dying about three years after the demife of his authority, left by his wife Cothilda two fons, of whom Pepin proclaimed the eldest, by the name of Clovis III. at that time in the tenth year of his age, and this young prince bore the regal title about four years, during which Pepin was employed in reducing the Frifons, and other barbarous nations, who had refufed to pay the tribute in which they had formerly acquiefced. Clovis did not attain to the years of difcretion; but was fucceeded as nominal king by his brother Childebert, whofe life was equally inactive and obfcure. Mean while, Pepin humbled the Allemans and Bavarians; and carefully provided for his own family. By his first wife Plectrude, he had Drogon and Grimoalde, the first created duke of Burgundy, the other appointed mayor of the palace to Childebert, Being divorced from his wife, he married Alpaide, who bote to him Charles, furnamed Martel, and Childebrand. Drogon was warm and active, brave and liberal; but he died in the flower of his age. Grimoalde was more mild in his character, humane, pious, and difcreet. The fons of the fecond marriage did not rife to any great eminence, during the life of their father. Childebert II. having wielded an ineffectual fceptre feventeen years, under the tutorage of Pepin, quitted this life; and his fon was proclaimed king by the name of Dagobert II. Grimoalde was appointed mayor of the palace; but acted in every thing according to his father's direction. Pepin being feized with a dangerous diforder at Jutil, in the neighbourhood of Heriftal, those who envied his greatnefs, perfuaded that he could not recover, refolved to take this opportunity of ruining his whole family. A confpiracy was formed for this purpofe, under the auspices of Rangaire, who with his own hand aífaffinated Grimoalde, while he was at his devotion in the church of St. Lambert, at Liege. Pepin, however, recovered contrary to all expectation; took ample ven-. geance on his enemies; and as a mark of extraordinary affection for his murdered fon, appointed his only fon Theudoalde, mayor of the palace, though he was yet in his infancy. Soon after this tranfa&tion Pepin died, after having managed the reins of government for the space of eight and twenty years. The administration was devolved to Theudoalde's grand-mother, Plectrude, who having been divorced from Pepin, was reconciled to him after the death of his fecond confort. She allumed the direction of affairs, as tutorefs to her grand-child; and dreading oppoûtions 'from her fon-in-law Charles Martel, committed him to prifon. But he had not weight enough to over-balance the faction of her husband's enemies, who now took arms against her, on pretence of restoring Dagcbeit to the uncontrouled fway enjoyed by his progenitors. In this emergency, Plectrude had recourfe to the affiftance of the Auftafians, who being devoted to her family, raifed a formidable army to fupport her influence.. This however, being defeated by Dagobert and Rainfroy, whom the nobility had elected mayor wanting to the completion of their happiness, but the confent of Dolly's mother, at the Black Lyon, who they did not fuppofe could have any objection to fuch an advantageous match for her daughter: but, in this particular, they were mistaken. might pafs for her own daughter. In his laft illness, he affured her he had taken care to provide for the child; but fince his death fhe had received no account of any fuch provifion. She, moreover, informed his honour, that Mr. Clarke had depofited in her hands a diamond ring and a fealed paper, never to be opened without his order, until Dolly fhould be demanded in marriage by the man the fhould like; and not then, except in prefence of the clergyman of the parish. "Send for the clergyman this inftant (cried our hero, reddening, and fixing his eyes on Dolly) I hope all will yet be well." In the mean time, they arrived at the village where the knight had exercifed the duties of chivalry; and there he received the gratulation of Mr. Fillet, and the attorney who had offered to bail him before juftice Gobble. Mutual civilities having paffed, they gave him to understand, that Gobble and his wife were turned methodists. All the reft of the prifoners whom he had delivered came to teftify their gratitude, and were hofpitably entertained. Next day, they halted at the Black Lyon, where the good woman was overjoyed to fee Dolly fo happily preferred: but, when Sir Launcelot unfolded the propofed marriage, the interrupted him with a fcream. "Chrift Jefus forbid marry and amen! match with her own brother!" At this exclamation Dolly fainted: her lover ftood with his hairs erect, and his mouth wide open; Crowe ftared; while the knight and his lady exprefled equal furprife and concern. When Sir Launcelot in treated Mrs. Cowflip to explain this mystery, she told him that about fixteen years ago, Mr. Clarke fenior had brought Dolly, then an infant, to her houfe, when she and her late husband lived in another part of the country; and as he had then been lately delivered of a child which did not live, he hired her as nurfe to the little foundling. He owned the was a love-begotten babe, and from time to time paid handfomely for the board of Dolly, who he defired The vicar arriving, and being made acquainted with the nature of the cafe, the landlady produced the paper; which being opened, appeared to be an authentic certificate, that the perfon, commonly known by the name of Dorothy Cowflip, was in fact DorotheaGreaves, daughter of Jonathan Greaves, efq; by a young gentlewoman who had been fome years deceased. "The remaining part of the myftery I myself can unfold-(exclaimed the knight, while he ran and embraced the aftonished Dolly, as his kinfwoman.) Jonathan Greaves was my uncle, and died before he came of age; fo that he could make no fettlement on his child, the fruit of a private amour founded on a promife of marriage, of which this ring was a token. Mr. Clarke, being his confident, disposed of the child, and at length finding his conftitution decay, revealed the secret to my father, who, in his will, bequeathed one hundred pounds a year to this agreeable foundling: but, as they both died while I was abroad, 2 An Account of a new Tragedy entitled Hecuba. o a HIS tragedy confifts only of three however, this dawn of hope is converted the time of its reprefentation nearly equal to that of a five a tragedy. The fory of it is from the hiftory of the Trojan war, at the period, when after the facking of that famous city, the Grecian fleet lay wind-bound at Cherfonefus, and the conduct of the plot is as follows. The first act is opened by Ulyffes, (Mr. Davis) who in the courfe of a converfation with a Greek named Talthybius, (Mr. Cafle) and of a long foliloquy, gives the audience to understand, that Hecuba the widow of king Priam, and her daughter Polyxnea, are now captives in the Grecian camp; but that an embaffy is arrived from Pyrechmus, king of Pæonia, to treat with Agamemnon for their ranfom. This, however, he appears to be strongly against complying with, from the apprehenfion that a new progeny may fpring from Polyxena, which may again resume the cause of Troy, and give disturbance to the Greeks. ..Something, moreover, myfterious appears, with respect to the Pæonian ambassador, a youth named Eriphilus, (Mr. Holland) who comes under the tutelage and guardianship of a reverend faze, of the name of Melanthus, (Mr. Havard.).... The youth foon appears, and in a converfation firft with Ulyffes, and afterwards with Polyxena, (Mifs Bride) confirms the fufpicion that he is more interested than an abfolute stranger could be in the concerns of Hecuba and ber family, particularly in the laft of thefe conferences, he vows to revenge the murder of a fon of Hecuba, named Polidore, who for the fake of his treasures had been put to death by Polymestor, his brother-in-law, to whofe charge he had been committed by his mother. The queen next appears, (Mrs. Pritchard) whofe griefs being fo great, as to feem beyond the reach of any relief, the is with difficulty perfuaded even to fee Eriphilus: at length, however, convinced by his eloquence, and urged by tenderness for her daughter, she is prevailed on to accept of Pyrechmus's friendly offer, and take refuge in the Pæonian court; and with this determination the act concludes. Grecian prieft, who had declared, that the adverfe winds which detained their fleet, would never find an alteration till Polyxena should be facrificed to the manes of Achilles, whofe fhade had appeared, and demanded that attonement for his death.....The queen's diftrefs is now beyond all bounds, and a fine fcene enfues, in which, notwithstanding the tenderest and most submissive pleadings of Hecuba with Ulyffes, (who had moreover been indebted to her for his own life, when Helen difcovered him in difguife in the court of Priam,) Polyxena is borne off to facrifice. After fome little time, however, which is paffed by the queen in the various extremes of grief and rage, news is brought that as the princefs was conveying to the temple, Eriphilus, with his Pæonian guards, had refcued her from the Greeks, and was haftening with her to his fhips, to which there was hope they might arrive before they could be overtaken by a party of the Greeks, which was in pursuit of them. The queen now earnest to know further particulars of this heroic youth, who had, as the herself expreffes it, made himself a brother to her daughter, is, at length informed by Melanthus, that he is indeed her brother, being that long loft Polidore, which he had fuppofed to be slain by Polymeftor, but whom he himself, whose real name is Eumelus, had preferved and trained up. To confirm this, he produces a wreath wrought with her own hands, which the child had on when delivered to Polymestor..... Her grief is now converted into an extafy of joy; but on the entrance of Ulyffes, who comes to perfuade her to recal Eriphilus and Polyxena, telling her, that perhaps the life of the former may be accepted instead of the latter, she is near betraying the fecret, when the conference is broken by a meffenger, who informs Ulyffes, that Eriphilus has again routed the Greeks who had intercepted him, on which Ulyffes goes himself to the field, and the act ends. The third aft begins with Eriphilus in chains, to whom Melanthus foon enters At the beginning of the fecond act, and gives a very fine narrative of the fa 2 crifice THE crocodile is a cruel, voracious animal, of an amphibious nature, equally accustomed to land and water; refembling a lizard in shape, but prodigiously larger. It is an inhabitant of the great river Nile, in Egypt, and was formerly thought to be peculiar to that country; but many have been found near the Ganges, and other large rivers in India, and in Peru in South-America. It is covered with hard scales of a dark brown colour, which are not eafily pierced but under the belly, where the skin is tender. They appear like an antiquated piece of armour, and resemble (says M. Thevenot) the heads of the nails in an old court-gate. It has a broad flat head, a fnout very much like a hog's, and the opening of its mouth reaches to the ears. The teeth are white, long, fharp, and somewhat crooked. It has four short thick legs, fo that the belly almoft touches the ground, and its feet are armed with claws. From the fnout to the tail, it is commonly upwards of twenty feet long. It has been faid to grow continually till its death, but this feems not all probable; however, it is certain there have been feen feveral above the common fize. Mr. Norden, in his voyage to Egypt, fays, he faw fome from fifteen to fifty feet in length. Others have related, that they met with these animals in the island of Madagascar, fixty feet long. Notwithstanding its great fize, the crocodile runs very faft, but cannot turn itself eafily and this affords its prey an opportunity very often of efcaping. animal has no tongue; to fupply the place of which, there is a fleshy substance along the lower jaw, which ferves to turn its food. The eye is pretty large, and very -quick-fighted, which is partly owing to a -fort of channel at the back of it, whereby they can fee behind them as well as before. They have one very remarkable peculiarity belonging to them, and that -is, they move the upper jaw, which can -be faid of no other creatures, unless we except the parrot and the gar-fish, This The crocodiles watch for their prey in the fedge and other coverts by the fides of rivers, and fo much resemble the trunks of trees, that it is faid travellers have miftaken them for fuch, and been furprised December, 1761. fometimes. If a man or beast stands near the river, they jump out fuddenly, and feize him with their fore claws, or beat him down with their tails, in which their strength chiefly confists. They feldom go above twenty or thirty yards from the river, but lie basking in the winter on banks of fand, and in the heat of fummer, generally keep under water. They do not venture to attack men in companies, nor even a fingle perfon, unless they can do it by furprize. It is a common opinion, that this creature cannot take a man swimming in the water, and we should be almost persuaded that it is true, as Mr. Norden affures us that the natives bathe every day in the Nile, and take no precautions against it; but M. Thevenot directly contradicts this, and says, that nobody cares to swim there, for fear of being feized by them; and Mr. Moore tells us of one of the African company's flaves, who was carried away by a crocodile, as he was washing himself in the river Gambia. As it is allowed they move with the greatest ftrength and agility in the water, we know of no reafon from whence this inability fhould proceed. When they are difturbed, they don't feem much afraid, but walk away flowly, and hide themfelves gradually in the river. As to their tears and alluring cries, like thofe of a child, or perfon in diftrefs, in order to draw people near, and devour them, we fcarce need tell the reafon; it is nothing but a fiction. We may reasonably fuppofe that the crocodile is more or lefs fierce in different countries; nothing being more common than to find creatures of the fame fpecies vary extremely in many effential properties, which proceeds from their different food, air, climate, and foil. Don Ulloa relates, in the account of his vovage to South-America, that the crocodiles in Guayaquil River, where they are exceedingly numerous, are much smaller than thofe of Egypt. He fays they are not very fierce there: on the contrary, they never failed to avoid a man, plunging immediately, on the approach of any one, into the water. While they lay basking on the shore, he fays, they kept their enormous mouths open, till filled with infects, 4 L when |