y in
their marriages than others; one in particular was exposed to many
misfortunes, by the indiscretion and extravagance of her husband. It
is the custom of some people to make very great distinctions between
their rich and poor relations; Mr. Fenton's brother was of this stamp,
and it seems treated his unfortunate sister with less ceremony than
the rest. One day, while Mr. Fenton, was at his brother's house, he
observed the family going to dinner without this sister, who was in
town, and had as good a right to an invitation, as any of the rest who
dined there as a compliment to him. He could not help discovering his
displeasure at so unnatural a distinction, and would not sit down to
table till she was sent for, and in consequence of this slight shewn
her by the rest of the family, Mr. Fenton treated her with more
tenderness and complaisance than any of his sisters.

Our author carried through life a very fair reputation, he was beloved
and esteemed by Mr. Pope, who honoured him with a beautiful
epitaph. Mr. Fenton after a life of ease and tranquility, died at
East-Hampstead-Park, near Oakingham, the 13th of July 1730, much
regretted by all men of taste, not being obnoxious to the resentment
even of his brother writers.

In the year 1723, Mr. Fenton introduced upon the stage his Tragedy of
Mariamne, built upon the story related of her in the third volume of
the Spectator, Numb. 171, which the ingenious author collected out of
Josephus. As this story so fully displays the nature of the passion of
jealousy, and discovers so extraordinary a character as that of Herod,
we shall here insert it, after which we shall consider with what
success Mr. Fenton has managed the plot. In a former paper, the author
having treated the passion of jealousy in various lights, and marked
its progress through the human mind, concludes his animadversions with
this story, which he says may serve as an example to whatever can be
said on that subject.

'Mariamne had all the charms that beauty,
birth, wit, and youth could give a woman, and
Herod all the love that such charms are able to raise
in a warm and amorous disposition. In the midst of
his fondness for Mariamne, he put her brother
to death, as he did her father not many years
after. The barbarity of the action was represented
to Mark Anthony, who immediately summoned
Herod into Egypt, to answer for the crime
that was laid to his charge: Herod attributed the
su