the living world, and exhibited only what he saw before him. He knew that any other passion, as it was regular, or exorbitant, was a cause of happiness or calamity. "Characters thus ample and general were not easily discriminated and preserved, yet perhaps no poet ever kept his personages more distinct from each other.

"Other dramatists can only gain attention by hyperbolical or aggravated characters, by fabulous and unexampled excellence or depravity, as the writers of barbarous romance invigorated the reader by a giant and a dwarf; and he that should form his expectations of human affairs from the play or from the tale, would be equally deceived. Shakspeare has no heroes: his scenes are occupied only by men, who act and speak as the reader thinks that he should himself have spoken or acted on the same occasion; even where the agency is supernatural, the dialogue is level with life. Other writers disguise the most natural passions, and most frequent incidents; so that he who contemplates them in the book, will not know them in the world. Shakspeare approximates the remote, and familiarizes the wonderful: the event which he represents will not happen; but if it were possible, its effects would probably be such as he has assigned: and it may be said that he has not only shewn human nature as it acts in real exigencies, but as it would be found in trials to which it cannot be exposed.

"This therefore is the praise of Shakespeare: that his drama is the mirror of life; that he who has mazed his imagination in following the phantoms which other writers raise before him, may here be cured of his delirious ecstacies, by reading human sentiments in human language; by scenes from which a hermit may estimatę the transactions of the world, and a confessor predict progress of the passions."

the

SIR WALTER RALEIGH.

Born 1552.-Beheaded 1618.

From 5th Edward VI., to 15th James I.

-Who can speak

The numerous worthies of the maiden-reign?

In RALEIGH mark their every glory mixed:
RALEIGH, the scourge of Spain! whose breast with all
The sage, the patriot, and the hero burn'd.
Nor sunk his vigour when a coward-reign
The warrior fetter'd, and at last resign'd
To glut the vengeance of a vanquish'd foe.
Then active still and unrestrain'd, his mind
Explor❜d the vast extent of ages past,

And with his prison-hours enriched the world;
Yet found no times, in all the long research,
So glorious or so base as those he prov❜d,
In which he conquer'd and in which he bled.

THOMSON.

THIS immortal ornament of his country, whose brief character is so well delineated by the poet in the above passage, was descended from an ancient and respectable family in Devon, and born at Budley in the same county. Though he occupies such an ample and honourable space in the annals of our county, yet no incidents of his early days have been transmitted to an admiring posterity. It may, however, evince the maturity of its parts, that he had acquired a sufficient stock of grammatical learning by the time of completing his fourteenth year; when he was removed to the university of Oxford, and entered a gentlemancommoner of Oriel college. In this situation it was not long before he distinguished himself by the strength and vivacity of his genius, and his uncommon progress in academical learning. But though qualified to shine in the schools, the bent of his disposition led him to more active pursuits; and when he was no more than

seventeen years old, he enlisted in a corps of gentlemen volunteers destined to recruit the Hugonot army in France, and commanded by the gallant Coligny. Here he not only initiated himself in the art of war, but acquired a knowledge of the fashionable modern languages; and after six years spent on the continent, returned to London with every accomplishment that adorns the character of a gentleman.

He now took up his residence in the Middle Temple, but the muses here engrossed all his attention. Still, however, intent on military glory, he embraced the first opportunity which presented itself of resuming the profession of arms; and after the lapse of three years, joined the prince of Orange, who was then fighting against the Spaniards. The following year, he attended his half-brother, sir Humphrey Gilbert, on an unsuccessful expedition to the northern parts of America: and in 1580 appears serving as a captain against the rebellious Irish; where he quickly made himself conspicuous by his intrepid spirit, his generous humanity, and his presence of mind in the greatest dangers. In a word, so eminent were his abilities and services, that he received a grant from the crown of a large estate in that kingdom; but was prevented from rising in his profession by an unhappy misunderstanding between him and the lord-lieutenant, which was at last heard and adjusted before the privy-council. On this occasion Raleigh defended his cause with such eloquence and address, that what was likely to ruin his interest, proved the very means of recommending him to the notice of the court. A contest with a superior, however just, seldom fails to bring obloquy and disgrace; but in the case of Raleigh, fortune determined otherHe only wanted a proper theatre on which to display his abilities: he gained that of a court, and succeeded.

wise.

G. 6

But the smiles of ministers were not sufficient to satisfy his soaring ambition. He aspired to the favour of his sovereign; and it was not long before fortune essentially befriended him in this respect. The queen, taking the air, happened to come to a miry place, and was hesitating whether she should proceed or no: when Raleigh, who probably was on the watch to win a smile of royal regard, immediately divested himself of a handsome plush cloak, and spread it on the ground; and the queen, gently treading on it, passed over safe and clean. So much gallantry from a man whose address, person, and wit, were alike calculated to strike, could scarcely fail to make an impression on Elizabeth. With a vanity natural to women, she construed every compliment into a proof of partial affection; and by converting her courtiers into lovers, she was served with a zeal and fidelity which neither rank, power, nor munificence, could singly, or even collectively, have otherwise won.

Soon after this adventure, Raleigh appeared at court; and meeting with a reception which seemed to flatter his hopes, as a further exposition of his mind he wrote with a diamond on a pane of glass, the following line:

"Fain would I climb, yet fear I to fall;"

which Elizabeth elegantly converted into a couplet, by adding,

"If thy heart fail thee, climb not at all."

Raleigh was too quick of apprehension not to interpret this poetic challenge. He saw it was his own fault he did not rise; and after obtaining a proper intróduction, his own merit was sufficient to accomplish the

rest.

But no court favour, no employment where he could have rivals in his fame, was adapted to the aspiring

genius of Raleigh. Even the bounds of Europe were too limited for his capacious mind. He longed to signalize himself by discoveries in the New World; the common field where daring spirits at that time displayed their talents, or sought their fortune. Accord ingly he made several voyages to the continent of Ame rica; where he settled a colony named Virginia, in honour of his virgin mistress. The chief produce of this province being tobacco, Raleigh was studious to introduce it as a luxury, while Elizabeth patronized its use as an article of commerce. To him too we are indebted for the most valuable root which providence, in its bounty, has bestowed on man: the potatoe was one fruit of his discoveries in this track, though it does not appear that he was at first acquainted with its real value. It is generally believed, that being obliged to touch on the coast of Ireland in one of his homewardbound voyages, he left some of the roots there: which, being cultivated with success, by degrees spread over the three kingdoms; and now constitute a principal relief to the poor, and a most agreeable luxury to the rich.

But though Raleigh was at great pains to colonize Virginia, the settlement was afterwards abandoned; and the sagacity of Raleigh discovered the cause. Virginia afforded no means of immediate profit or emolument to government, and therefore was finally neglected. This gave him the idea of settling a new colony in another part of America; which might at once be productive of advantage, and enable his countrymen to transfer the richest products of America to England, if they possessed sufficient courage to embark in the design.

To accomplish this magnificent purpose, he made the most minute inquiries into the state of Guiana. From