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"after it has been kneaded up, before it be put into the oven;-then bake it properly, and you will have fine, "fweet, and light bread, perfectly free from any taste of "fournefs, if your flour has been good,-and equally free "of the bitterness, that is so often communicated to bread "by yeast from beer."

The above is not a fanciful receipt prefcribed by theoretical notions, but is one, of which I can fpeak with certainty, having had the experience of it in my own family for more than a dozen of years. In the country, a private family is often fubjected to great difficulty in getting new wheat bread, from the want of fresh yeaft-This induced me to try the above, which is no invention of my own, but which I picked up fomewhere; and after many years experience of bread made of it every day, I can fpeak with certainty upon the head.

Allow me however to obferve, that in this method of baking, as well as every other mode, much depends on the judgment, attention and practice of the baker. An unkilful perfon may make it very bad after this mode; but by attention and care, thofe of my family who took charge of that department, had acquired fuch a knowledge of the circumstances that varied the process, that I could, when I pleased to order it, have bread of any kind I required. It could be made close and weighty, though well fired, to those who defired it fo, or light and fpungy to any degree required, fo as even to leave scarcely any crumb at all, to thofe who liked cruft better than crumb of a roll. In short, by this process, the bread could be made to fuit the taste of the perfon who was to eat it, whoever it was. I must therefore add, that whoever fhall try it and not fucceed, muft afcribe it to their own want of practice, or flovenly careleffnefs, and to nothing elfe. I cannot however fpecify all the particulars in the process that occafioned the abovementioned peculiarities, for they fell not under my own cognisance. They fell to the charge of one who was more attentive, and more capable of judging than myself, but who now, alas! can never communicate any part of that knowledge to others.

Remarks on fore English Plays, from Mifcellanies in
Profe and Verfe, continued.

The City Wives, or the Confederacy; a Comedy, by
Vanburgb.

This is one of thofe plays which throw infamy upon the London stage,
and general tafte, though it is not deftitute of wit and humour. A
people must be in the laft degree depraved, among whom fuch public
entertainments are produced and encouraged. In this fymptom of dege-
nerate manners, we are, I believe, unmatched by any nation that is, or
ever was, in the world. There is one good line in the epilogue; but
neither judgment nor moral in the play, though there are ftrokes of
wit, and fome detached fcenes of humour in it.

The Sufpicious Husband, a Comedy, by Heally.

It is well that I am only a private critic, otherwife I could hardly avoid being torn to pieces for many offences; and, amang the rest, for av ›wing no great admiration of this play. Perhaps, even in the final circle of readers, who may chance to meet with, and choose to read my odd irregular remarks, fome few may not materially differ from my opini ons. But as I have broke all terms of peace with the many, I defire to keep in my lurking place, and fairly out of their fight. I have always thought, that this favourite play is not founded on a real knowledge of life and manners but upon a motely imitation of characters and incidents in other plays. Benedict, Don John, and Captain Plume, are the models of Ranger. Strickland is but an ill copy of Kitely. Meggot is a collective imitation of Marplot, Captain Brazen, Wittol, and other dramatic good natured half wits. The rest of the characters are undistinguishable, and ferve only to fill up a great part of the drama; for the who'e diverfion lies in Ranger. Till he appear, the audience yawn. Clariffa is ariana, ill drawn, from Fielding's mifer. But, though [ am clear that this play cannot be july esteemed as an original piece, it has the merit of better imitation than ordinary, in our later comedy; and when the parts of Ranger and Clariffa are well acted, it is a good entertainment on the stage; yet still it is a poor one, at best, in the closet. And when examined with more attention and judgment than is, or ought to be employed by spectators, it will be found that there are only two good fcenes in it.

The Capricious Lady, a Comedy, altered from Beaumont

and Fletcher.

WHATEVER in this play is lively, proper, and characteristic, belongs to the ancient poet. The modern part of it is motely, constrained, and

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deviates from nature moft widely; yet it is not inferior to fome other modern alterations of good old plays. Indeed, the original, though it contains fome excellent fcenes, is not of a piece, and is not, on the whole, one of the best of Beaumont's and Fletcher's plays. I fuppofe this play had a great run, and high applause, at Covent Garden.

The Hiftory and Fall of Caius Marius, a Tragedy, by Otway.

WHEN I read this, and other plays in which Shakespeare's writings are partly introduced, I always reflect on a beautiful paffage in his Richard the Second, which Dryden has juflly celebrated in one of his prefaces.

"As on a theatre, the eyes of men,

"After a well-grac'd actor leaves the stage,
"Are idly bent on him that follows next,

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Thinking his prattle to be tedious;

"Even fo, or with much more contempt," &c.'

This distinction is handsomely confeffed in the prologue to Otway's play.

"Like greedy beggars that steal fheaves away,
"You'll find he's rifled him of half a play."
"Amidst his bafer drofs you'll fee it shine,
“Most beautiful, amazing, and divine!" &c.

The Fair Quaker of Deal, a Comedy.

THE fea characters are well-drawn and preferved; there are fome scenes of humour and natural converfation; but the two laft acts fall off. The plot is neither well invented, well wrought up, nor interesting.

She would, and She would not, a Comedy, by Cibber. THESE modern plays have fome merit, and afford entertainment when well acted on the flage, but are liable to many exceptions, and just criticifm, when coolly confidered in the closet.

Ulyffes, a Tragedy, by Rowe.

THE genius of Shakespeare formed natural characters and converfation, and probable entertaining plots, dignified above common life, by the power of true poetry. This author has ventured to imitate his manner, but very unsuccessfully. Though there are some happy strains of poetry intermixed, yet, in general, the circumftances of the plot are romantic and uninteresting. The converfation is laboured in one uniform ftyle; and the characters, like the compofition in modern drama, studied and artificial.

A Scene in Cafraria.

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