ever, was never perfuaded to quit his retreat but at the inftance of their High Mightineffes, who once borrowed him from the mufes and the fhades where they delight to dwell, to undertake a diplomatick character, as Ambaffador of the States to England, in thofe ftormy days when Cromwell with a daring hand governed our helm. The Penfionary was received amongst us with the dif tinction his talents commanded as a wit and a man of bufinefs; but his embaffy being honourably completed, he returned to his native country, and to one of the most fequeftered parts of it where he had an estate on which he lived, and on which he died, the latter event happening fome time in the year 1660. The Dutch are extremely proud of this poet. His works have been fent forth in every poffible fize and form: the laft edition appeared very fplendidly in two volumes in folio, in 1726. The Dutch theatre depends very much on that of every other country, particularly the English, German, and French, whofe plays they give in tranflation with great fuccefs. At Amfterdam I once faw the tranflation of an English tragedy, a German interlude, and a French farce, acted on the fame night. The The objection brought by the criticks against the dramatick, especially the tragick writers of Holland, is, that they are incorrect, and fo far from confulting Ariftotle, feem to despise both him and his laws. They have, however, one tragick writer of confiderable eminence, and whofe pieces are what is technically called stock, being reprefented in their turn every feason. He certainly has a mixture of great faults and beauties. His most popular drama is Gilbert of Amftel, or the fiege of Amfterdam. I fhould give you but little pleasure, and do the author lefs credit, were I to offer you an analysis of this piece, which is a ftrange jumble of good and bad, fublime and abfurd; though it is performed every season amidst thunders of applaufe; which it owes chiefly to the beauty of the scenery and pageantry of the decorations. I cannot forbear giving you one inftance out of many of its astonishing abfurdity. The catastrophe is thus fettled. Gilbert, the hero, after the furrender of Amfterdam, determines to fend away his wife and children to avoid the rapacity of the conqueror. His wife on the other hand, refolved not to be outdone in tenderness, de fires to ftay with her captive lord and share his fate. This brings on between them a contest of affection in which each maintains a generous, idea, with the ufual force of difinterested love. In the midst of this ftrife a very unlooked-for vifitor comes on the stage, no less than the angel Raphael, who pops down from heaven in a cloudy chariot, on purpose to put an end to this dispute betwixt man and wife. He very dexterously makes use of the faid cloudy chariot to fkreen them from their enemies, and affifts both in fairly running away. Under fuch a feraphic guard no wonder that they got fafe out of the garrifon; for they were wrapped up fnug (together with their children) in the before-mentioned chariot, and feemed to the fentinels, fays the bard, a paffing cloud. Raphael conducts them to a fafe recefs in the dominions of Pruffia, and in their way thither bids them be of good cheer, for that it is the intention of fate to make Amfterdam one of the nobleft cities of Europe, and that he can foresee there will rife up to future times a Dutch bard, who fhall make the misfortunes of Gifbert and his family the fubject of a tragedy, which fhall be performed with great fuccefs on the Dutch stage. Did ever author contrive, in a more novel way, to pay himself and his hero a compliment? Ort did ever Raphael employ himself in fuch a comical bufinefs as he appears to have undertaken in this very comical dénouement of a deep tragedy? One would think that the poet meant to finish his tra gedy gedy by a burlesque; in which fpecies of writing the Dutch greatly excel; their principal author in which ftyle is Foquembrog, who is the Scarron of Holland. Nor are they without those self-taught bards who answer to our Stephen Duck's, Wood-houses, and the Milkmaid of Bristol. Of this clafs, Hubert Poot, of Delft, the fon of a peafant, who flourifhed about a century ago is the moft diftinguished. We are informed that he had no education, little or no reading, and never fuffered his paffion for making verses to interrupt his duty as a day-labourer: notwithstanding which, he is the father of the pastoral and elegiack poetry of his country. His addrefs to Galatea, and his Idyls, particularly that entituled Diana and Endymion, contain some very beautiful images and melodious verfification. Poeta nafcitur non fit, is you know an old remark, and Poor's is a very remarkable illuftration of it. You will find the beft edition of his works in three volumes quarto, with pretty vignettes, printed at Delft, in 1734. He died in the preceding year. He is faid to have fold his watch, and fhoe-buckles, and ring, to purchase books, deeming the former luxuries, and the latter necessaries. I have paid a vifit to his cottage and his grave; grave; and after having read his works, felt the emotions of a friend at both. I have selected thefe literary fketches as a fresh encouragement for the refidentiary traveller to attain fome knowledge of the Dutch language; which will enable him to perufe many good poets, of a country which is too commonly thought never to have produced any. I need not remind you that Erafmus, Grotius, and Boerhaave, are to be numbered amongst their miscellaneous writers; a triumvirate, it has been observed, not to be excelled by three perfons of any other nation wherefoever the light of learning has been diffufed. Dryden, you know, has properly given to three countries an honour which he deems fufficient to immortalize each: "Three poets, in three distant ages born, These little provinces have given birth to three writers who would have conftituted the glory of any three nations of the world. To Erafmus the whole commonwealth of letters is indebted for its re-establishment, and a new æra of its glory; and Grotius did honour, not only to his country but to human |