THE LONDON MAGAZINE. MARCH, 1751. A new MASQUE, called ALFRED, peace. Then come forward Corin and Emma talking of their lodger; whom they fuppofe to be fome valiant English chief. She puts her husband in mind of their danger, and of the Danish king's proclamation, that A whoever harboured an Englith capHE perfons of the tain should be put to death, but whodrama are, Alfred, ever discovered any of their haunts the unfortunate, but fhould be highly rewarded; to which afterwards great king Corin anfwers, of England; acted by Mr. Garrick. The earl of Devon; by Mr. Lee. Edwin, another brave English nobleman; by Mr. Burton. T B A hermit, whose cell was near the The Danish king; by Mr. Sow- First and fecond Dane; by Mr. Palmer and Mr. Mozeen. Eltruda, Alfred's queen; by Miss Emma, Corin's wife; by Mrs. Sheperdefs; by Mifs Minors. D On one fide the ifle and cottage of Athciney; on the other, flocks and herds in E diftant profpect; with a hermit's cave in full view, over-hung with trees, wild and grotesque. At I. opens with a fhepherdess finging a hymn for the return of March, 1751. Now juft heaven forbid, An Englishman fhould ever count for gain What villany must earn, &c. A fecond theperdefs laments in a fong the death of her lover in battle, and then Devon and Edwin come to Alfred, when together they form a fcheme for attacking the Danes in their camp at three next morning, whilft thofe in Kinwith castle, which the Danes were befieging, should fecond their attack by a fally from the caftle. In this dialogue Alfred expreffes the following noble fentiment: That prince who fees his country laid in ruins, His fubjects perishing beneath the word Is but fupreme in mifery ! &c. And being left alone, while in a folililoquy, he ftarts at hearing mufick at a distance, after which two aerial fpirits encourage him by finging two comforting ftanzas; and then the hermit comes to him, and advises him to fortitude, and to attach himfelf firmly to the virtuous deeds and offices of life, but to life itfelf loofely; whereupon Alfred anfwers, N 2 That 100 Account of the Mafque of AL FRED. That if not to perform my regal task, And deal out juftice with impartial hand; The treafures trufted to me, not my own; [fors: Both time and chance, en liberty and larv; B In the midft of this dialogue the two aerial fpirits fing another comforting hymn; and the act ends with Alfred's going with the hermit to C his cell to pray. D A&t II. begins with a fong and a dance by fheperdeffes; then Corin relates to Emma and other peasants, how by overhearing the hermit he had difcovered that their lodger was Alfred. While they are difcourfing of this, a love fong is fung by a perfon unfeen; and the king with the hermit approach, who discover ftrange appearances in the fky. Corin then by kneeling fhews Alfred that he knows who he is, and tells of the approach of three Danes; who by their difcourfe appear to be in purfuit of fome beautiful woman that had fled from their luft, and coming up with her they feize upon her, but are all three flain, and the lady refcued by Alfred and Corin, when Alfred difcovers that it was his queen Eltruda, who had fled with her children from the convent where he had left them, as The found, that the Danes fhewed. no regard to fuch fanctified places. The hermit then joins them and to him Alfred commits the care of his children, in these beautiful lines: Let truth and virtue be their earliest teachers. [tery; Keep from their ear the Syren-voice of fatKeep from their eye the harlot-form of vice, [fuares, Who fpread, in every court, their fitken March And charm but to betray. Betimes instruct them, Superior rank demands fuperior worth; From no one injury of human lot By the fame cold, torn by the fame disease, And the act ends with Edwin's com- No fond weakness now be fhewn, mains; My caufe is juft, my fortune in his hand The rage of all our foes can render vain. The third and laft act begins with G he 1751. Of NATURALIZATION BILLS. he prefents to Alfred, and re-afcends, while a joyful fong is fung. The next scene is between Alfred, the Danish king, and the hermit, when the Dane complains of his unlucky fate, and is comforted by Alfred, who fays, The truly brave His foes in equal arms will dare to meet : Vanquish'd, he dares not injure nor infult him. ΙΟΥ repair what lofs we may have fuffered in our people by the late war: It is a matter that has been very warmly contended for by many good patriots; but peradventure it carries alfo its danger with it, which perA haps would have the lefs influence by this expedient, namely, if an act of parliament were made, that nơ heads of families, hereafter to be naturalized, for the first generation, should have votes in any of our elections. But as the cafe ftands, it feems against the nature of right government, that frangers (who may be fpies, and who may have an intereft oppofite to that of England, and who at best ever join in one link of obfequioufnefs to the minifters,)" fhould be fuffered to intermeddle in that important bufinefs of fending members to parliament. From their fons indeed there is lefs to fear, who by birth and nature may come to have the fame intereft and inclinations as the natives. But what moft vex'd the old Dane was his being furprised and taken in bed without a blow; however he B comforts himself with the hopes that his fon was alive and would revenge his fall; whereupon the hermit informs him, that his fon was last night killed on that very fpot, by rafhly purfuing his intemperate luft, and then fhews him where the dead body lay, C on which he gives himself quite up to defpair. After this there is a fhort. dialogue between Alfred and the hermit, on which Alfred fays: 'Tis naval strength, that must our peace affure. Be this the first high object of my care, And the hermit answers, Yes, in her fleets, let England ever seek Great arbitrefs of nations, &c. And the mafque ends with a profpec Rue, Britannia, rule the waves; (See the Prologue and Epilogue, p. 133.) The Naturalization Bill having this Month been the Subject of much Converfation and Debate, we fhall refer our Readers to what was faid on that Subject in our Mag, for 1747, p. 38, 98, 354, c. 401, c. 449, c. and shall bere only give, from the Remembrancer of March 16, the following Quotation from Dr.. Davenant in relation to fuch a Bill. E And though the expedient of FaD bius Maximus, to contract the ftrangers into four tribes, might be reafonable where the affairs of a whole empire were tranfacted by magiftrates chofen in one city, yet the fame policy may not hold good in England; foreigners cannot influence elections here by being difperfed about in the feveral counties of the kingdom, where they can never to have any confiderable ftrength. But, fome time or other,' they may endanger the government by being fuffered to remain, fuch F vaft numbers of them, here in London, where they inhabit all together, at least 35,000 perfons, in two quarters of the town, without inter-mar come rying with the English, or learning our language, by which means for feveral years to come, they are in a way fill to continue foreigners, and G perhaps may have a foreign intereft and foreign inclinations: To permit this, cannot be advifeable or fafe. It may therefore be proper to limit any new acts of naturalization, with fuch Foreign Soldiers dangerous to LIBERTY. March fuch reftrictions as may make the acceffion of strangers not dangerous to the publick. An acceffion of ftrangers, well regulated, may add to our ftrength and numbers; but then it must be compofed of labouring men, artifi- A cers, merchants and other rich men, and not of foreign foldiers; fince fuch fright and drive away from a nation more people than their troops can well confift of: For as it has been ever feen, that men abound. moft where there is moft freedom (China excepted, whofe climate excels all others, and where the exercife of the tyranny is mild and eafy). it muft follow, that people will in time defert thofe countries, whofe beft flower is their liberties, if those liberties are thought precarious or in danger. That foreign foldiers are dangerous to liberty, we may produce examples from all countries and all ages; but we fhall inftance only one, because it is eminent above all the rest. ing within 15 miles of the city; and chofe Spendius and Matho, two profligate wretches, for their leaders, and imprisoned Gefco, who was deputed to them from the commonwealth. Afterwards they caused almost all the Africans, their tributaries, to revolt; they grew in a fhort time to be 70,000 ftrong; they fought feveral battles with Hanno and Hamilcar Barcas. During these transactions, the mercenaries that were in garifon in Sardinia mutinied likewife, murderBing their commanders and all the Carthaginians; while Spendius and Matho, to render their accomplices more defperate, put Gefco to a cruel death, prefuming afterwards to lay fiege to Carthage itfelf. They met with a fhock indeed at Prion, C where 40,000 of them were flaughtered; but foon after this battle, in another, they took one of the Carthaginian generals prifoner, whom they fixed to a crofs, crucifying 30 of the principal fenators round about him. Spendius and Matho were at Dlaft taken, the one crucified and the other tormented to death: But the war lafted three years and near four months with exceffive cruelty; in which the flate of Carthage loft feveral battles, and was often brought within a hair's breadth of utter ruin. The Carthaginians, in their wars, did very much use mercenary and foreign troops; and when the peace was made between them and the Romans, after a long difpute for the dominion of Sicily, they brought their army home to be paid and dif. banded, which Gefco their general E had the charge of embarking, who did order all his part with great dexterity and wisdom. But the ftate of Carthage wanting money to clear arrears, and fatisfy the troops, was forced to keep them up longer than was defigned. At first they were in- F folent in their quarters in Carthage, and were prevailed upon to remove to Sicca, where they were to remain and expect their pay. There they grew prefently corrupted with eafe and pleasure, and fell into mutinies and diforder, and to making extra-G vagant demands of pay and gratuities; and in a rage, with their arms in their hands, they marched 20,000 of them towards Carthage, encamp From Old England. A Hint to the News Publishers. TH HE news from London, to perplex 'Tis fince too, in the papers, faid, We're likewife told, by ev'ning post, That Knutsford's vill now mourns a fon, A 1751. A Defcription of STAFFORDSHIRE. A worthy wight, but with odd notions, Left his eftate, as right, and prudent, The news, of late, these tales had in, A DESCRIPTION of STAFFORD. ST 103 and has many parks and warrens, and the fheep which feed on the banks of the river Dove, are reckoned to yield the fweeteft mutton in England. Here are alfo falt-springs, but little inferior to the best in CheA fhire. Places of chief note are, 1. Litchfield, a pretty large and neat city, 94 computed, and 114 meafured miles, N. W. from London. It stands low, and the country about it is pleasant and healthful. TAFFORDSHIRE, an in- It is divided into two parts by a land county, fituated about the Bfmall brook, whofe water is fo flow, middle of England, is much in the that it looks like a standing pool One part is called the city, which is form of a lozenge, being narrow at the largest, has feveral streets, a both ends, and broadeft in the middle. From north to fouth it is 44 fchool, and a well-endowed hofpital. The other is called the close, miles long, and about 27 miles, where broadeft, from eaft to weft, where are feveral gentlemens feats, and 142 in circumference. It is C and the streets well paved and kept very clean: Here is alfo the cathebounded on the north with Derbydral, which is very magnificent, and fhire and Cheshire, and that in a triwalled in like a caftle; which with angular point, where three ftones are the bishop's palace, the prebendaries pitched for the boundaries of thefe neat houses, and 3 lofty pyramids three counties. It has Worcesterof stone, yield a very fine prospect. shire and Warwickshire on the fouth, Shropshire and part of Cheshire on D The place is a county of it felf, the weft, and Derbyshire and part of whofe extent is 10 or 12 miles in circumference, governed by z baiWarwickshire on the eaft. It is diviliffs, 24 burgeffes, a recorder, a ded into five hundreds, contains about 810,000 acres, 150 parishes,, fheriff, &c. and fends two members to parliament, who at prefent are one city, three boroughs, and 14 the Hon. Richard Levefon Gower, other market-towns, and fends 10 members to parliament. The knights and Thomas Anfon, Efqrs. The of the shire in the prefent parliament markets are on Tuesdays and Friare Sir Walter Baggot, Bart. and the days, and it gives title of earl to Hon. William Levefon Gower, Efq; the family of Lee. The air of this county is healthful, but very sharp in the north, which is mountainous and barren; and here is a ridge of hills which run from hence to the borders of Scotland. The fnow lies very long on these north hills, yet cattle of a large fize are bred there; and here are iron, copper and coal mines, and alfo lead and alabaster. The middle is more level and woody, and the fouth is G very fertile both in corn and paftu rage. The river Trent overflowing the meadows renders them exceeding green and fruitful. This county is noted for very large heaths, E F 2. Stafford, the county town, 12 miles N. W. from Litchfield, an antient, well-built borough, pleasantly, but lowly feated on the river Sow. over which it has a good bridge. It is governed by a mayor, recorder, &c and its reprefentatives in the prefent parliament are John Robins and William Chetwynd, Efqrs. It has two handfome churches, a freefchool, and a fine fquare marketplace, where ftands the thire hall. Its market is on faturday, and it gives title of earl to a branch of the family of Howard, |