Th' immortal Jove's dread clamours counterfeit, Farewell! Othello's occupation's gone! This pathetic farewell, which immediately follows Othello's declaration, that he had been happy, had he never known his fuppofed dishonour, contains a fine picturefque description of military magnificence. In mentioning the fife, joined with the drum, Shakspeare, as ufual, paints from the life; those inftruments, accompanying each other, being used, in his age, by the English foldiery. The fife, however, as a martial inftrument, was entirely difcontinued among our troops, for many years, but at length revived in the last war but one. For let our finger ach, and it indues Our other healthful members ev'n to that fenfe Of pain. Nay, we must think, men are not gods; Nor of them look for fuch obfervances The character of Defdemona has been much mistaken and flighted. It is fimple, indeed; but that is one of its merits for its fimplicity is the fimplicity of innocence, not of folly. She feems, indeed, to be as perfect a model for a wife as any author could have formed. She fpeaks little; but whatever the fays is fenfible, pure, and chafte. The remark, which the makes in this place, on the alteration of Othello's behaviour to her, affords a very proper admonition to all women in her fituation and circumftances. In a preceding fcene, the fubmiffive tenderness of her deportment had extorted from her husband the rapturous exclamation already quoted, when he wished her to retire: Othello. I will deny thee nothing; Whereon, I do befeech thee, grant me this, To leave me but a little to myself. Desdemona. Shall I deny you? No, farewell, my lord. Be it as your fancies teach Whate'er you be, I am obedient. you; What can more beautifully exhibit the true delicacy of unfullied chastity, than her being unable to name the grofs appellation she had just received from her husband ? Iago. What is the matter, lady? Emilia. Alas, Iago, my lord hath fo bewhor'd her, Thrown fuch defpight and heavy terms upon her, As true hearts cannot bear. Defdemona. Am I that name, Iago? Iago. What name, fair lady? Dejdemona. Such as, fhe fays, my lord did fay I was. What goodness of heart, and ftri&t ideas of her conjugal duty, in the following proteftations of her innocence! Or that mine eyes, mine ears, or any sense, do much; life, The beauties of this play,' fays Dr. Johnson, imprefs themselves fo ftrongly on the attention of the reader, that they can draw no aid from critical illustration. The fiery opennefs of Othello, magnanimous, artlefs, and credulous, boundless in his confidence, ardent in his affection, inflexible in his refolution, and obdurate in his revenge; the cool malignity of Iago, filent in his refentment, fubtle in his defigns, and ftudious at once of his intereft and his vengeance; the foft fimplicity of Desdemona, confident of merit, and conscious of innocence; her artlefs perfeverance in her fuit, and her flowness to fufpect that the can be fufpected, are fuch proofs of Shakspeare's kill in human nature, as, I fuppofe, it is vain to feek in any modern writer. The gradual progrefs which lago makes in the Moor's conviction, and the circumstances which he employs to inflame him, are fo artfully natural, that, though it will perhaps not be faid of him as he fays of himself, that he is a man not eafily jealous, yet we cannot but pity him, when at last we find him perplexed in the extreme. There is always danger, left wickedness conjoined with abilities, fhould steal upon efteem, though it miffes of approbation; but the character of Iago is fo conducted, that he is, from the firft fcene to the laft, hated and despised. Even the inferior characters of this play would be very confpicuous in any other piece, not only for their juftnefs, but their ftrength. Caffio is brave, benevolent, and honest, ruined only by his want of ftubbornness [inflexible fortitude] to refift an infidious invitation. Roderigo's fufpicious credulity, and impatient fubmiffion to the cheats which he fees practifed upon him, and which, by perfuafion, he fuffers to be repeated, exhibit a ftrong picture of a weak mind, betrayed by unlawful defires, to a false friend; and the virtue of Emilia is fuch as we often find, worn loosely, but not caft off, easy to commit fmall crimes, but quickened and alarmed at · atrocious villanies. The fcenes, from the beginning to the end, are busy, varied by happy interchanges, and regularly promoting the progreffion of the ftory; and the narrative in the end, though it tells but what is known already, yet is neceffary to produce the death of Othello. Had the scene opened in Cyprus, and the preceding incidents been occafionally related, there had been little wanting to a drama of the most exact and fcrupulous regularity,' That make ambition virtue! O, farewell! Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump, The fpirit-ftirring drum, the ear-piercing fife, The royal banner; and all quality, war! And O you mortal engines, whofe rude throats Th' immortal Jove's dread clamours counterfeit, Farewell! Othello's occupation's gone! This pathetic farewell, which immediately follows Othello's declaration, that he had been happy, had he never known his fuppofed difhonour, contains a fine picturesque description of military magnificence. In mentioning the fife, joined with the drum, Shakspeare, as ufual, paints from the life; those inftruments, accompanying each other, being used, in his age, by the English foldiery. The fife, however, as a martial inftrument, was entirely difcontinued among our troops, for many years, but at length revived in the last war but one. Defdemona's Excellence as u Wife. Def. Something, fure, of state Hath puddled his clear spirit: and, in fuch cafes, Men's natures wrangle with inferior things, Though great ones are their object. 'Tis ev'n fo; For let our finger ach, and it indues Our other healthful members ev'n to that fenfe Of pain. Nay, we must think, men are not gods; Nor of them look for fuch obfervances The character of Desdemona has been much mistaken and flighted. It is fimple, indeed; but that is one of its merits for its fimplicity is the fimplicity of innocence, not of folly. She feems, indeed, to be as perfect a model for a wife as any author could have formed. She fpeaks little; but whatever the fays is fenfible, pure, and chafte. The remark, which fhe makes in this place, on the alteration of Othello's behaviour to her, affords a very proper admonition to all women in her fituation and circumftances. In a preceding fcene, the fubmiffive tenderness of her deportment had extorted from her husband the rapturous exclamation already quoted, when he wished her to retire: Othello. I will deny thee nothing; Whereon, I do befeech thee, grant me this, To leave me but a little to myself. Desdemona. Shall I deny you? No, farewell, my lord. Be it as your fancies teach Whate'er you be, I am obedient. you; What can more beautifully exhibit the true delicacy of unfullied chastity, than her being unable to name the grofs appellation fhe had juft received from her husband ? Iago. What is the matter, lady? Emilia. Alas, Iago, my lord hath fo bewhor'd her, Thrown fuch despight and heavy terms upon her, As true hearts cannot bear. Defdemona. Am I that name, Iago? Iago. What name, fair lady? Defdemona. Such as, fhe fays, my lord did fay I was. What goodness of heart, and ftrict ideas of her conjugal duty, in the following proteftations of her innocence! O good Iago, What fhall I do to win my lord again? Good friend, go to him; for by this light of heaven, or any fenfe, I know not how I loft him. Here I kneel: do much; An Uncommon INSTANCE of INTREPIDITY. [ From Morfe's American Geography.] Ν ticut, is a cave, rendered remark- effect; nor did the fumes of burnt able by an almost unparalleled adven- brimstone, with which the cavern was ture of the late general Putnam. This filled, compel her to quit the retirecave is defcribed, and the ftory told, by ment. Wearied with fuch fruitless colonel Humphreys, in his life of that attempts, which had brought the time hero. The story and the defcription to ten o'clock at night, Mr. Putnam I fhall infert in his own words. tried once more to make his dog enter, but in vain: he proposed to his negro man to go down into the cavern and fhoot the wolf: the negro declined the hazardous fervice. Then it was that their master, angry at the difappointment, and declaring that he was afhamed to have a coward in his family, refolved himself to destroy the ferocious beast, left she should escape through fome unknown fiffure of the rock. His neighbours strongly remonftrated against the perilous enterprize: but he, knowing that wild animals were intimidated by fire, and having provided several strips of birch bark, the only combustible material which he could obtain, that would afford light in this deep and darksome cave, prepared for his defcent. Having, accordingly, divested himself of his coat and waistcoat, and having a long rope faftened round his legs, by which he might be pulled back, at a concerted fignal, he entered headforemost, with the blazing torch in his hand. IN the town of Pomfret, in Connec- The fmoke of blazing ftraw had no Soon after Mr. Putnam removed to Connecticut, the wolves, then very numerous, broke into his fheepfold, and killed seventy fine fheep and goats, befide wounding many lambs and kids. This havock was committed by a fhe wolf, which, with her annual whelps, had, for several years, infefted the vicinity. The young were commonly deftroyed by the vigilance of the hunters, but the old one was too fagacious to come within reach of gun fhot: upon being clofely purfued, fhe would generally fly to the western woods, and return, the next winter, with another litter of whelps.-This wolf, at length, became fuch an intolerable nuisance, that Mr. Putnam entered into a combination with five of his neighbours, to hunt alternately, until they could deftroy her. Two, by rotation, were to be conftantly in purfuit. It was known, that having loft the toes from one foot, by a steel trap, she made one track fhorter than the other. By this veftige, the purfuers recognized, in a light fnow, the route of this pernicious animal. Having followed her to Connecticut river, and found fhe had turned back, in a direct course, toward Pomfret, they immediately returned; and, by ten the next morning, the blood-hounds had driven her into a den, about three miles diftant from the house of Mr. Putnam: the people foon collected with dogs, guns, itraw, fire, and fulphur, to attack the common enemy: with this apparatus, feveral unfuccefsful efforts were made to force her from the den. The hounds came back badly wounded, and refused to return. The aperture of the den, on the eaft fide of a very high ledge of rocks, is about two fect fquare: thence it defcends obliquely fifteen feet, then running horizontally about ten more, it afcends gradually fixteen feet toward its termination. The fides of this fubterraneous cavity are composed of fmooth and folid rocks, which seem to have been divided from each other by fome earthquake: the top and bottom are also of ftone, and the entrance, in winter, being covered with ice, is exceedingly flippery. It is in no place high enough for a man to raise himself upright, nor in any part METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL, February 1792. See the EXPLANATION in February, 1791. D., H., Baro. T.out] T. in Hyg. C. Wind. 56,5 14,5 35432 SSW I : cloudy Weather, &c. W 1 windy night lightning SSW 4 .fine SSW 4. cloudy. less wind and little rain. fine' W 2 2 30,10 47,5 52,5 13,54 8 30,3136,5 48 13 I Wi |