(18) Coiffure de LE FOLLET Courrier des Salons Boulevart St Martin, 61. de M. Lecomte. Br des Cours de France et d'Angleterre,r. Taitbout. 32. Robe en Mousseline brochée des ateliers de Mme Larcher, r. Vivienne, 8. Lady's Magazine, Dobbs & Co Publishers, to 2, Carey strect Lincoln's Inn, London at the same distance below the shoulder by a ruche of tulle, to which is fastened a bow of ribbon, with long ends (see plate). Round the bosom of the dress and round the bottom a wide coloured ribbon is inserted in the hems. Sash tied in front to match. Bracelets of the The front hair is in light ring same. lets, falling low at the sides, and intermixed with field flowers; the back al-aduchesse, with a rouleau and coque (the favourite style of coiffure of the Duchess of Orleans). Shoes to match the colour of the ribbons. White kid gloves. The second figure gives the back of the dress. TO MRS. CATHERINE BYLES, An excellent and well-known lady in Boston, the daughter of the celebrated Dr. Byles, and upwards of fourscore years of age; the only surviving loyalist, and a correspondent of Dr. Franklin's. LITERATURE, &c. Wallace; an Historical Tragedy: in THE story of Wallace presents im mense obstacles to the success of a mo dern writer. The actions of the patriot are too well known, and his manner of performing them too little known, to afford good ground for dramatic interest. The subject is at the same time trite and obscure. Commonplace histories of England and Scotland may be read in vain, they afford no characteristic traits of Wallace; but Fordun and Blind Harry, no doubt, depict him as he really was. The study of the English monkish chronicles, malignant as they are against the hero, was likewise indispensable before either Wallace or his persecutors could be truly depicted. The composition bears no marks of any such preparation. The great critical judgment of Sir Walter Scott made him avoid this subject, not from want of love of the national hero, for we see his enthusiasm for him break out in many parts of his works. As the groundwork of a romance, he avowedly and courteously retreated from the history of Wallace, because it was preoccupied by Miss Jane Porter's popular romance; yet he might have taken it as the subject of a drama or poem. the author of an historical drama: names and dress are by no means trifles, for the wrong application of them raises the most ridiculous images. Our author speaks of the uniforms of Edward the First's army; moreover, his heroine is named Eliza, a name never heard of in our islands till long after the reign of Eliza beth. Indeed the name of Elizabeth was new in Europe before the fifteenth century, Elizabeth Woodville being the first who bore it in our history. Before her time, in Scotland as in England and on the continent, this name was always rendered Isabella. As for the name of Eliza it could only be found in those times as Eloise, and that is French, not Scotch. The author might as well have called his heroine Miss Monteith, and sent her to school in Regent's Park, as given her the name of Eliza in the midåle ages. An author who wishes to embody historical character with any power, ought to study all the customs of the age wherein he places his scene; even if he does not load his pages with historical costume, he ought to be familiar with it, or he will injure his work by running against it in the dark. We can scarcely form a fair estimate of what our author's literary powers are on this difficult ground; he is not able to make his personages characteristic, therefore his dialogue is too often vapid, and his blank verse has small claims to be considered poetical. The best specimen of dramatic spirit we can find is in the following extract from Wallace's celebrated interview with Robert Bruce, by the Carron side, after the disastrous field of Falkirk. 66 BRUCE. The author of the present tragedy has entered a field, which Sir Walter Scott feared to tread, and that failure is the consequence cannot excite surprise. We find, indeed, that but six days were bestowed on the completion of the whole, yet it is the course of preparatory study which fully imbues an author with the spirit of the age he delineates that requires length of time rather than the actual composition of the work; but the author of Wallace must have been completely unprepared for the arduous encounter. He may have read a bald detail of mere events, but he has not formed an idea of even the outward similitude of the beings he places in dialogue with each other, much less of their habits of life and manners. A correct knowledge of names and dress is highly requisite to You bear the symbols of authority? Art thou a king?—or would'st be one? WALLACE. No neither. BRUCE. WALLACE. BRUCE. 'Tis false. |