ftrained it, and kept it within its proper Bounds. His Thoughts are wonderfully fuited to Tragedy, but frequently loft in fuch a Cloud of Words, that it is hard to fee the Beauty of them: There is an infinite Fire in his Works, but fo involved in Smoak, that it does not appear in half its Luftre. He frequently fucceeds in the Paffionate Parts of the Tragedy, but more particularly where he flackens his Efforts, and eafes the Style of thofe Epithets and Metaphors, in which he fo much abounds. What can be more Natural, more Soft, or more Paffionate, than that Line in Statira's Speech, where the defcribes the Charms of Alexander's Converfation?

Then he would talk: Good Gods! how he would talk!

THAT unexpected Break in the Line, and turning the Defcription of his manner of Talking into an Admiration of it, is inexpreffibly Beautiful, and wonderfully fuited to the fond Character of the Perfon that speaks it. There is a Simplicity in the Words, that out-fhines the utmost Pride of Expreffion.

OTWAY has followed Nature in the Language of his Tragedy, and therefore fhines in the Paffionate Parts, more than any of our English Poets. As there is fomething Familiar and Domestick in the Fable of his Tragedy, more than in those of any other Poet, he has little Pomp, but great Force in his Expreffions. For which Reason, tho' he has admirably fucceeded in the tender and melting Part of his Tragedies, he fometimes falls into too great a Familiarity of Phrafe in thofe Parts, which, by Ariftotle's Rule, ought to have been raised and fuppor ted by the Dignity of Expreffion.

IT has been obferved by others, that this Poet has founded his Tragedy of Venice preferved on fo wrong a Plot, that the greatest Characters in it are thofe of Rebels and Traitors. Had the Hero of his Play difcovered the fame good Qualities in the Defence of his Country, that he fhewed for its Ruin and Subverfion, the Audience could not enough pity and admire him: But as he is now reprefented, we can only fay of him what the Roman Hiftorian fays of Cataline, that his Fall would have been Glorious (fi pro Patria fic concidiffet) had he fo fallen im the Service of his Country.

C

Monday,

Ac ne forte putes me, qua facere ipfe recusem,
Gum recte tractant alii, laudare maligne;
Ille per extentum funem mihi poffe videtur
Ire Poeta, meum qui pectus inaniter angit,
Irritat, mulcet, falfis terroribus implet,

Ut magus;& modo me Thebis, modo ponit Athenis. Hor..

HE English Writers of Tragedy are poffeffed with

TH

a Notion, that when they reprefent a virtuous or innocent Perfon in Diftrefs, they ought not to leave him till they have delivered him out of his Troubles, or made him triumph over his Enemies. This Error they have been led into by a ridiculous Do&trine in modern Criticism, that they are obliged to an equal Diftribution of Rewards and Punishments, and an impartial Execution of Poetical Juftice. Who were the first that eftablished this Rule I know not; but I am fure it has no Foundation in Nature, in Reason, or in the Practiceof the Ancients. We find that Good and Evil happen alike to all Men on this Side the Grave; and as the principal Defign of Tragedy is to raife Commiferation and Terror in the Minds of the Audience, we fhall defeat this great End, if we always make Virtue and Innocence hap-. py and fuccefsful. Whatever Croffes and Difappointments a good Man fuffers in the Body of the Tragedy, they will make but fmall Impreffion on our Minds, when we know that in the laft Act he is to arrive at the End of his Wishes and Defires. When we fee him engaged in the Depth of his Afflictions, weare apt to comfort our felves, because we are fure he will find his Way out of them; and that his Grief, how great foever it may be at prefent, will foon terminate in Gladness. For this Reason the an-cient Writers of Tragedy treated Men in their Plays, as they are dealt with in the World, by making Virtue fometimes happy and fometimes miferable, as they found

it in the Fable which they made choice of, or as it might affect their Audience in the most agreeable Manner. Ariftotle confiders the Tragedies that were written in either of thefe Kinds, and obferves, that those which ended. unhappily, had always pleased the People, and carried away the Prize in the publick Difputes of the Stage, from thofe that ended happily. Terror and Commiferation leave a pleafing Anguifh in the Mind; and fix the Audience in fuch a ferious Compofure of Thought, as is much more lafting and delightful than any little tranfient Starts of Joy and Satisfaction. Accordingly, we find, that more of our English Tragedies have fucceeded, in which the Favourites of the Audience fink under their Calamities, than thofe in which they recover themfelves out of them. The best Plays of this Kind are the Orphan, Venice preserved, Alexander the Great, Theodofius, All for Love, Cedipus, Oroonoko, Othello, &c. King Lear is an admirable Tragedy of the fame Kind, as Shakespear wrote it but as it is reformed according to the chymerical Notion of Poetical Juftice, in my humble Opinion it has loft half its Beauty. At the fame time I must allow, that there are very noble Tragedies, which have been framed upon the other Plan, and have ended happily; as indeed moft of the good Tragedies, which have been written fince the ftarting of the abovementioned Criticism, have taken this Turn: As the Mourning Bride, Tamerlane, Ulyffes, Phadra and Hippolitus, with moft of Mr. Dryden's. I muft alfo allow, that many of ShakeSpear's, and feveral of the celebrated Tragedies of Antiquity, are caft in the fame Form. I do not therefore difpute against this way of writing Tragedies, but against the Criticism that would establish this as the only Method; and by that Means would very much cramp the English Tragedy, and perhaps give a wrong Bent to the Genius of our Writers..

THE Tragi-Comedy, which is the Product of the English Theatre, is one of the most monftrous Inventions that ever entered into a Poet's Thoughts. An Author might as well think of weaving the Adventures of Aneas and Hudibras into one Poem, as of writing fuch a motly Piece of Mirth and Sorrow. But the Abfurdity of thefe Performances is fo yery visible, that I fhall not inisit upon it..

THE

THE fame Objections which are made to TragiComedy, may in fome meafure be applied to all Tragedies that have a double Plot in them, which are likewife more frequent upon the English Stage, than upon any other: For though the Grief of the Audience, in fuch Performances, be not changed into another Paffion, as in Tragi-Comedies; it is diverted upon another Object, which weakens their Concern for the principal Action, and breaks the Tide of Sorrow, by throwing it into dif ferent Channels. This Inconvenience, however, may in a great Meafure be cured, if not wholly removed, by the skilful Choice of an Under-Plot, which may bear such a near Relation to the principal Defign, as to contribute towards the Completion of it, and be concluded by the fame Catastrophe.

THERE is alío another Particular, which may be reckoned among the Blemishes, or rather the false Beauties, of our English Tragedy: I mean thofe particular Speeches which are commonly known by the Name of Rants. The warm and paffionare Parts of a Tragedy, are always the most taking with the Audience; for which Reason we often fee the Players pronouncing, in all the Violence of Action, feveral Parts of the Tragedy which the Author writ with great Temper, and defigned that they fhould have been fo acted. I have feen Powell very often raise himself a loud Clap by this Artifice. The Poets that were acquainted with this Secret, have given frequent Occafion for fuch Emotions in the Actor, by adding Vehemence to Words where there was no Paffion, or inflaming a real Paffion into Fuftian. This hath filled the Mouths of our Heroes with Bombaft; and given them fuch Sentiments, as proceed rather from a Swelling than a Greatnefs of Mind. Unnatural Exclamations, Curfes, Vows, Blafphemies, a Defiance of Mankind, and an Outraging of the Gods, frequently pafs upon the Audience for tow'ring Thoughts, and have accordingly met with infinite Applaufe.

I fhall here add a Remark, which I am afraid our Tra gick Writers may make an ill use of. As our Heroes are generally Lovers, their Swelling and Bluftring upon the Stage very much recommends them to the fair Part of their Audience, The Ladies are wonderfully pleafed to

fee

fee a Man infulting Kings, or affronting the Gods, in one Scene, and throwing himself at the Feet of his Miftrefs in another. Let him behave himself infolently towards the Men, and abjectly towards the Fair One, and it is ten to one but he proves a Favourite of the Boxes. Dryden and Lee, in feveral of their Tragedies, have pra&tifed this Secret with good Success.

BUT to fhew how a Rant pleases beyond the most just and natural, Thought that is not pronounced with Vehemence, I would defire the Reader, when he fees the Tragedy of Oedipus, to obferve how quietly the Hero is dif miffed at the End of the third Act, after having pronounced the following Lines, in which the Thought is very natural, and apt to move Compassion.

To you, good Gods, I make my last Appeal;
Or clear my Virtues, or my Crimes reveal.
If in the Maze of Fate I blindly run,

And backward trod thofe Paths I fought to fhun;
Impute my Errors to your own Decree:

My Hands are guilty, but my Heart is free.

Let us then obferve with what Thunder-claps of Applause he leaves the Stage, after the Impieties and Execrations at the End of the fourth Act; and you will wonder to fee an Audience fo curfed and so pleased at the fame Time.

O that as eft I have at Athens feen,

[Where, by the way, there was no Stage till many Years after Oedipus.]

The Stage arife, and the big Clouds defcend;

So now, in very Deed, I might behold

This pond'rous Globe, and all yon marble Roof,
Meet like the Hands of Jove, and crush Mankind,
For all the Elements, &c.

ADVERTISEMENT.

Having fpoken of Mr. Powell, as fometimes raifing him felf Applaufe from the ill Taste of an Audience; I must do him the Juftice to own, that he is excellently formed for a Tragedian, and when he pleases, deferves the Admiration of the best Judges; as I doubt not but he will in the Conqueft of Mexiso, which is acted for his own Benefit To-morrow Night. C

Tuesday,