comes into my mind. Thou hast yet another thing, that imitated thunder and lightning in miniature; and even struck into that door, though at so great a distance. What name dost thou give it?""A pistol."-" And the nature of it? The manner whereby it produces this effect?"-The German, who was now once entered into conversation, took out the other pistol, explained to him its construction, the quality of the powder, its force in great and little quantities, and gave him as good an idea of it, as could be done in few words. The wonder of the inquirer now rose to its highest pitch. "How useful must this be in war!" exclaimed he; "How serviceable in taking strong places! How quickly decisive in battle! Oh, I pray thee, tell me, who invented it?"-"Who else but a German!" The spirit-for why should we any longer conceal that it was a spirit ?-here started." Always German, and again, a German! Whence, in all the world, did you come by so much wisdom? Know, that as sure as I stand here before thee, I was once the spirit of Cicero, the wisest man.of his times, the father of his country, the-but who does not know me?

VOL. III.

I

But in my times, to speak honestly, thy countrymen were the stupidest set of people that ever the sun shone upon rude and even savage, destitute of even agriculture and arts, totally ignorant of all sciences, for ever hunting, perpetually at war, wrapped up in the skins of beasts, and they themselves no better than brutes; yet, to all appearance, you must have undergone a great alteration since.-When I now reflect on my ancient fellow citizens, according to the vast progress they had made beyond you; great both in peace and wars; or as actors, poets, historians,-lords of half the world, and the first nation under the sun,-Oh, for certain, they must, by this time, border on divine perfection!-That I could but see them! Yet, a few minutes, and the coming on of the first hour compels me back to the world below, from whence, perhaps, in the next eighteen hundred years, I may not be able to depart; and must only mutter by myself in some vast desart."

The German smiled.

"Such as I am,"

said he, 66 are all my countrymen; or, at

least, they may be such.-Does then the ap

pearance we make in thy eyes, please thee?" 66 Very much.". "And thou longest to see

how thy countrymen, or, at least, the greater part of them, appear to us ?"-"Oh, from my very heart!"-" Well, wait but a few minutes I understand a little of the black art; I will employ it now to give thee satisfaction." He gave a nod, and there presently appeared a Savoyard on each side of the street, crying "Raree-show, fine raree-show against the wall! Who sees? Who sees the galantee-show?""Behold," resumed the German, "behold, O Cicero, thus do they mostly appear to us.-Do they please thee?"

The spirit was petrified with silent astonishment. The clock of a neighbouring steeple struck one, and he seemed to vanish away in disgust; but, in much greater, did the noble Venetians rise up from their seats; they took their leave with forced smiles, and would have revenged themselves by assassination, had not the Prince and the Chamberlain disappeared the next day.

ITALIAN. PLAY..

SPENCE, the friend and contemporary of Pope, in a letter to his mother, from Turin, in 1739, gives the following account of an Italian entertainment, which was thus advertised. Here, under the porticoes of this charitable Hospital, will be represented this evening, The Damned Soul,' with proper decorations." "As this

seemed to be one of the greatest curiosities I could possibly meet with in my travels, I immediately paid my threepence, was showed in with great civility, and took my seat among a number of people.

"At length the curtain drew up, and discovered the Damned Soul, all alone, with a melancholy aspect. She was (for what reason I don't know) drest like a fine lady, in a gown of flamecoloured satin. She held a white handkerchief in her hand, which she applied often to her eyes; and in this attitude, with a lamentable voice, began a prayer (to the holy and ever blessed Trinity) to enable her to speak her part well: afterwards she addressed herself to all the good Christians in the room; begged them to attend carefully to what she had to say, and heartily

wished they would be the better for it: she then gave an account of her life; and, by her own confession, appeared to have been a very naughty woman in her time.

"This was the first scene. At the second, a back curtain was drawn; and gave us a sight of our Saviour and the Blessed Virgin, amidst the clouds. The poor soul addressed herself to our Saviour first, who rated her extremely, and was indeed all the while very severe. All she desired was to be sent to purgatory, instead of going to hell and she at last begged very hard to be sent into the fire of the former, for as many years as there are drops of water in the sea. As no favour was shewn her on that side, she turned to the Virgin and begged her to intercede for her. The Virgin was a very decent woman, and answered her gravely but steadily, That she had enraged her Son so much, that she could do nothing for her :' and on this, they both went away together.

f "The third scene consisted of three little Angels, and the Damned Soul. She had no better luck with them: nor with St. John the Baptist and all the Saints, in the fourth; so, in the fifth, she was left to two Devils; seemingly to do what