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This feature is conspicuous in Edinburgh, ever open to danger from its nearness to the English borders. And since house-building was interrupted laterally, it expanded in the perpendicular street,-houses sometimes to the number of ten or twelve being raised on the foundation of one. When walls were no longer necessary, the form of the country-mansion found its way to the street. It is curious to note, as an exemplification of the force of habit, that countryhouses were surrounded by ditches or moats after defence was unnecessary. In migrating to town the country-house brought the moat with it; and it may still be seen in the sunk area that contains the basement-floor. There are good specimens of the London architecture of Queen Anne's day in Queen's Square, Westminster.

A significant and pleasing feature of the age of Queen Anne, is the revival of the works of Shakespeare, or it might be otherwise and perhaps more appropriately said, the acceptance of these works, by the reading portion of the people, as supreme in English literature. Their publication had heretofore been in some instances imperfect, and in others redundant in spurious matter, published in that ponderous folio shape whence it is inferred that purchasers are not expected to be numerous. The first of what are called "the modern" editions of Shakespeare's plays and poems, was published in the years 1709 and 1710, by Jacob Tonson, as edited by Nicholas Rowe, in seven volumes octavo. There was a second edition of this text in twelve duodecimo volumes, in 1714. The Register of Drury Lane Theatre, among

the manuscripts in the British Museum, lets us see that on their first appearance the achievements, destined to immortality, had the run of several successive nights so often gained by some ephemeral effort borne on the wings of a temporary fame by its concessions to the fashionable frenzy of the hour. The stage at that period was deemed somewhat of a scholar's occupation, owning such men as Betterton, who excited the warm eulogies of Addison for his mastery over the sublime and terrible; and he was supported by the beautiful and accomplished Bracegirdle, herself the victim of tragic wrongs, to accompany him as Desdemona or Ophelia.

But the theatre of the age was supported with a zeal exceeding prudence. In the 'Daily Courant' of the 18th of June 1706, the town was roused to mixed feelings by an advertisement stating that, "towards the defraying the charge of repairing and fitting up the chapel in Russel Court" "at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, this present Tuesday, being the Eighteenth of June, will be presented the tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark, with singing by Mr Hughes, and entertainment of dancing by Monsieur Cherier, Miss Lambro his scholar, and Mr Evans. Boxes 5s.; pit 3s.; gallery 2s.; upper gallery 1s."

Since the days of the mysteries, piety and pleasure had ceased to be companions on the stage. Jeremy Collier's castigation of theatricals, though the work of a Nonjuror, was made their own by the Puritans, still a powerful body. Puritanism and High Church, with Low Church placidly looking on, seemed destined to a sharp contest, when, by the judicious wit

of Defoe, the fiery elements were extinguished in laughter. He tells the promoters of the project

"Hard times, gentlemen, hard times these are indeed with the Church, to send her to the play-house to gather pew-money. For shame, gentlemen! go to the Church and pay your money there; and never let the play-house have such a claim to its establishment as to say the Church is beholden to her.

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Now, Mr Collier, you are quite aground, and all your sarcasms upon the play-house, all your satires upon the stage, are as so many arrows shot at the Church; for every convert of your making, every one you have been the means of keeping from the playhouse has so far lessened the Church stock, and tended to let the Church fall upon our heads. Never talk of the stage any more; for if the Church cannot be repaired nor fitted up without the play-house, to write against the play-house is to write against the Church; to discourage the play-house is to weaken the Church; and you rob the Church of the people's bounty, which is one of the worst sorts of sacrilege.

"Nor is it unworthy our remark to see how all hands aloft are zealous in their calling for the Church. Can our Church be in danger? How is it possible? The whole nation is solicitous and at work for her safety and prosperity. The Parliament address, the Queen consults, the Ministry execute, the armies fight, and all for the Church; but at home we have other heroes that act for the Church. Peggy Hughes sings, Monsieur Ramandou plays, Miss Santlow dances, Monsieur Cherier teaches, and all for the Church. Here's heavenly doings! here's harmony! Your singing of Psalms is hurdy-gurdy to this music. And all

your preaching actors are fools to these. Besides, there's another sort of music here. The case is altered. The clergy preach and read here, &c., and get money for it of the Church; but these sing, and dance, and act, and the Church gets money by the bargain.

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“I am afraid religion and the Church will have but a poor day of it; on the other hand, here will be room for strange distinctions. First, here you will see who are the best Churchmen, High or Low; for, are the players High Church, as most allow if they are of any Church at all, then a full or a thin house determines who are best friends to the Church. But then here is another misfortune, and I would have the ladies very careful how they brand themselves with the scandal of it: They that go to this play for the sake of the Church, certainly never go to the Church; if they did, they might find ways to give their money to better hands.

"In short, the observations on this most preposterous piece of Church work are so many, they cannot come into the compass of this paper; but if the money raised here be employed to re-edify this chapel, I would have it, as is very frequent in like cases, written over the door in capital letters :——

"This Church was re-edified anno 1706, at the expense and by the charitable contribution of the enemies of the reformation of our morals, and to the eternal scandal and most just reproach of the Church of England and the Protestant religion.

Witness our hands,

LUCIFER, PRINCE OF DARKNESS,
and

HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK,

Churchwardens.'" 1

1 Review, vol. iii. No. 73, June 20, 1706.

A book appropriated solely to an exposition of the intellectual condition and services of a given age and country, would not be complete without some account of its jurisprudence, its legislation, and its statesmanship. Where a part of the book, however, is a narrative of historical events, these, so far as they are accurately told, are the best account that can be given of the portion of intellectual effort referred to. Allied with these forms of intellectual service, there has come into existence, in recent times, a powerful department of study and active influence, known as "political economy." Its efficiency has been, not in creations, but in the extinction of creations, by the analysis of its logic proved to be fallacious or mischievous. The spirit that animated these creations came to its climax within our period in the trading doctrines that created the South Sea Company and the Darien Expedition; and the history of these affairs is the history of the opinions of the kind that political economy destroys. Efforts have been made to class political economy among the sciences, and as it deals with figures it would rank among the exact sciences. While, however, there is educated sympathy in the theory that workmen can increase their pecuniary means by limiting production, and on the other hand, joint stock companies pay dividends that cannot possibly be supplied from profits, and must have been drawn out of capital,-political economy, potent as it is, stands far from the severe simplicity of an exact science. It has, however, at its service two assistants that are, so far as they go, exact science statistics and commercial book-keeping. No doubt false statistics are daily published, and

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