their pursuits.

* * * * *

On Friday the 10th of April a very extraordinary wager was decided upon
the road between Cambridge and Huntingdon. A gentleman of the former
place, had betted a considerable sum of money, that he would go a yard
from the ground, upon stilts, the distance of twelve miles within the
space of four hours and a half: no stoppage was to be allowed, except
merely the time taken up in exchanging one pair of stilts for another;
and even then his feet were not to touch the ground. He started at the
second mile-stone from Cambridge on the Huntingford road, to go 6 miles
out and 6 miles in: the first he performed in one hour and fifty
minutes, and did the distance back in two hours and three minutes, so
that he went the whole in three hours and fifty three minutes, having
thirty-seven minutes to spare beyond the time allowed him; he appeared a
good deal fatigued, and his hands, we understand, were much blistered
from the continual pressure upon one part. This, we believe, is the
first performance of the kind ever attempted; but as novelty appears to
attract, as well as direct, the manners of the age, _stilting_ may
possibly become as fashionable in these, as _tilting_ formerly was in
better times.

DRAMATICUS.

No. II.

_Edward and Eleonora._

This excellent and interesting tragedy, the production of the admired
author of the Seasons, was, for some reason not easily discoverable,
prohibited from representation by the Lord Chamberlain,[L] with whose
dictatorial power over dramatic performances the world is well
acquainted. Many of the scenes are most exquisitely tender and pathetic,
and for the effects they produce on hearts of sensibility, are equal
(with due deference be it said) to any in the English or perhaps any
other language.

* * * * *

SOUTHERN.

Previous to the era of Southern's writing for the stage, the authors of
dramatic pieces had only the emoluments of the third night of
representation[M]. He deserves the gratitude of all succeeding
dramatists, for successfully contending with the managers, for the
proceeds of every third night of the run of a new play. The vast
increase of advantage from a very successful drama, produced by this
arrangement, holds out a great additional inducement to the exertions of
the talents of dramatists. Southern cleared, according to Baker, seven
hundred pounds sterling by one play-