n dramas then in fashion.
This was written by Canning, Ellis, Frere, and Gifford, and the play
was given at Covent Garden in 1811 with great success, especially the
song of the captive Rogero. 'The Needy Knife-Grinder,' also quoted
below, a parody of Southey's 'Sapphics,' is by Canning and Frere. The
poetry of the Anti-Jacobin was collected and published by Charles
Edmonds (London, 1854), in a volume that contains also the original
verses which are exposed to ridicule. Canning's public speeches,
edited by R. Therry, were published in 1828.

ROGERO'S SOLILOQUY

From 'The Rovers; or the Double Arrangement'

ACT I

_The scene is a subterranean vault in the Abbey of
Quedlinburgh, with coffins, 'scutcheons, death's-heads, and
cross-bones; toads and other loathsome reptiles are seen
traversing the obscurer parts of the stage._--Rogero _appears,
in chains, in a suit of rusty armor, with his beard grown, and
a cap of a grotesque form upon his head; beside him a crock,
or pitcher, supposed to contain his daily allowance of
sustenance.--A long silence, during which the wind is heard to
whistle through the caverns._--Rogero _rises, and comes slowly
forward, with his arms folded._

ROGERO.--Eleven years! it is now eleven years since I was first
immured in this living sepulchre;--the cruelty of a Minister--the
perfidy of a Monk--yes, Matilda! for thy sake--alive amidst the
dead--chained--coffined--confined--cut off from the converse of my
fellow-men. Soft! what have we here! [_Stumbles over a bundle of
sticks._] This cavern is so dark that I can scarcely distinguish the
objects under my feet. Oh, the register of my captivity! Let me see;
how stands the account? [_Takes up the sticks and turns them over with
a melancholy air; then stands silent for a few minutes as if absorbed
in calculation._] Eleven years and fifteen days!--Hah! the
twenty-eighth of August! How does the recollection of it vibrate on my
heart! It was on this day that I took my last leave of Matilda. It was
a summer evening; her melting hand seemed to dissolve in mine as I
prest it to my bosom. Some demon whispered me that I should never see
her more. I stood gazing on the hated vehicle which was conveying her
away forever. The tears were petrified under my eyelids. My heart was
crystallized with agony. Anon I looked along the road. The diligence
seemed to diminish every instant; I felt my heart beat against its
p