Mr. George Wingrove Cooke, in his valuable work, _The History of Party_ (vol. iii, p. 66.), gives an admirable sketch of the life of Edmund Burke. Speaking of his early career, and of the various designs which he formed for his future course, we are told that "at _Macklin's Debating Society_ he made the first essay of his powers of oratory." Mr. Cunningham, in his _Handbook for London_, speaks of Macklin delivering Lectures on Elocution at Pewterer's Hall (p. 394.), and of his residence in Tavistock Row, Covent Garden (p. 484.); but he does not mention _Macklin's Debating Society_. I imagine that by this "Debating Society" is meant an _Ordinary and School of Criticism_, which that eminent actor established in the year 1754, in the Piazza, Covent Garden. Mr. W. Cooke, in his _Life of Macklin_, 1806, p. 199., says-- "What induced him [Macklin] to quit the stage in the full vigour of fame and constitution, was one of those schemes which he had long previously indulged himself in, of suddenly making his fortune by the establishment of a tavern and coffee-house in the Piazza, Covent Garden; to which he afterwards added a school of oratory, upon a plan hitherto unknown in England, founded upon the Greek, Roman, French, and Italian Societies, under the title of _The British Inquisition_." The first part of this plan (the public ordinary) was opened on the 11th of March, 1754; and an amusing account of its operations may be found in Angelo's _Pic Nic_, p. 32. The second part of "Macklin's mad plan," as it was then termed, "The British Inquisition," commenced proceedings on the 21st of November in the same year; and here, according to the first advertisement, "such subjects in Arts, Sciences, Literature, Criticism, Philosophy, History, Politics, and Morality, as shall be found useful and entertaining to society, will be lectured upon and freely debated." EDWARD F. RIMBAULT. * * * * * "LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST (Act II. Scene 1.). "It is odd that Shakspeare should make Dumain inquire after Rosaline, who was the mistress of Biron, and neglect Katharine, who was his own. Biron behaves in the same manner.--Perhaps _all_ the ladies wore masks.--STEEVENS. "They certainly did."--MALONE. "And what if they did?"--QUERY. In what possible way can the circumstance of the ladies _wearing masks_ lessen the inconsistency pointed out by Steevens? Rosaline has been immediately singled out by her former admirer-- "Did I not dance with you in Brabant once?" --a circumstance quite inconsistent with uncertain identity afterwards. But if the gentlemen really did mistake the identity of their ladies, Boyet's answers must have misled them into a similar mistake in _their names_: so that the natural consequence would have been, that each lover would afterwards address his {164} poetical effusion _nominally_ to the wrong lady! which does not appear to have been the case.