_Hum._ But I see you grow uneasy, to be diverted from your main design; I'll only trouble you with two circumstances, which to me appear very magnificent, tragical, and great: the one is a great favourite in a court, a man of consummate honour, who was surrounded with many difficulties and enemies. They got the better of him so far, as that he must be sacrificed unless he would open a letter which came by an error into his hand, but was directed to his enemy. He comes on in a soliloquy, but chooses to preserve his honour and abstain from opening it, and goes on to his ruin. He says but a word or two; but let him come. _Enter a_ TRAGEDIAN, _with a letter in his hand._ _Tragedian._ "Here is my fate: 'tis put into my hands; 'Tis in my hands to take or to refuse; I cannot open it but with loss of honour-- Be it for ever closed. I cannot escape death; that will come soon or late; 'Tis in my power to make it find me innocent." [_Exit._ _Hum._ You observe, Mr. Severn, here's no noise, no eclat, no bustle, but simple and calm greatness.--The next circumstance for which I beg your patience is that of a great English general, who, observing the confederate horse seized with a panic fear, and all, to a man, in the utmost disorder, assumes himself and mounts an eminence, and says he would stand there to revive the army. He did so; the enemies soon observed so remarkable an object, and cannonaded it. He stood the fury of their cannon while the army marched--But he comes on. [_Drums and trumpets to precede his march._] _Enter_ GENERAL. _Gen._ "Nothing, but seeing me meet all they fear, Can avert the same contagion from the troops. Let them behold me die; or, what is more, Let them behold how I expect to die!" [_Exit._ _Hum._ It is allowable to help great thoughts, and alarm the audience with warlike instruments, to give the inattentive a sense of what is truly sublime. But I won't detain you longer; let us go in; but as we are going off a stage, let me repeat to you a couple of verses. Would you reform an heedless guilty age, Adorn with virtuous characters the stage. ACT THE FOURTH. _Enter_ MR. PINCERS, _and_ BARBER, _and_ CONSTABLE. _Pin._ How do you say, sir? All this is a delusion! an imposition! _Barb._ Perfectly so, sir; no otherwise, indeed, sir; and they have seized Mr. Constable there, my neighbour, who came into the house to keep the peace, when they were waging war in it. _Pin._ What, lay hold upon a constable! detain the constable! Do they know what they do? _Barb._ Ay, they know very well; but they don't care what they do. _Pin._ And was the ghost a cheat, and calling this an inn all imposition? _Barb._ Yes, sir; but here Mr. Constable has found below stairs an inlet into the house, and whence he can let in all the people of Drury Lane and the parts adjacent. _Pin._ I have heard of Drury Lane in the country; but they will do as well as any for this purpose.