GEORGE FARQUHAR

A DISCOURSE UPON COMEDY, IN REFERENCE TO THE ENGLISH STAGE.

1702

In a Letter to a Friend.

WITH Submission, Sir, my Performance in the Practical Part of Poetry is no sufficient Warrant for your pressing me in the Speculative; I have no Foundation for a Legislator, and the two or three little Plays I have written, are cast carelesly into the World, without any Bulk of Preface, because I was not so learn'd in the Laws, as to move in Defence of a bad Case. Why then shou'd a Compliment go farther with me, than my own Interest? Don't mistake me, Sir, here is nothing that cou'd make for my Advantage in either Preface or Dedication; no Speculative Curiosities, nor Critical Remarks; only some present Sentiments which Hazard, not Study, brings into my Head, without any preliminary Method or Cogitation.

Among the many Disadvantages attending Poetry, none seems to bear a greater Weight, than that so many set up for Judges, when so very few understand a tittle of the matter. Most of our other Arts and Sciences bear an awful Distance in their Prospect, or with a bold and glittering Varnish dazle the Eyes of the weak-sighted Vulgar. The Divine stands wrapt up in his Cloud of Mysteries, and the amus'd Layety must pay Tyths and

Veneration to be kept in Obscurity, grounding their Hopes of future Knowledge on a Competent Stock of present Ignorance (in the greater part of the Christian World this is plain.) With what Deference and Resignation does the bubbled Client commit his Fees and Cause into the Clutches of the Law, where Assurance beards Justice by Prescription, and the wrong side is never known to make it's Patron blush. Physick and Logick are so strongly fortify'd by their impregnable Terms of Art, and the Mathematician lies so cunningly intrench'd within his Lines and Circles, that none but those of their Party dare peep into their puzling Designs.

Thus the Generality of Mankind is held at a gazing Distance, whose Ignorance not presuming perhaps to an open Applause, is yet satisfy'd to pay a blind Veneration to the very Faults of what they don't understand.

Poetry alone, and chiefly the Dramma, lies open to the Insults of all Pretenders; she was one of Nature's eldest Offsprings, whence by her Birthright and plain Simplicity she pleads a genuine Likeness to her Mother; born in the Innocence of Time, she provided not against the Assaults of succeeding Ages; and, depending altogether on the generous End of her Invention, neglected those secret Supports and serpentine Devices us'd by other Arts that wind themselves into Practice for more subtle and politick Designs: Naked she came into the Wo[r]ld, and 'tis to be fear'd, like its Professiors, will go naked out.

'Tis a wonderful thing, that most Men seem to have a great Veneration for Poetry, yet will hardly allow a favourable Word to any Piece of it that they meet; like your Virtuoso's in Friendship, that are so ravish'd with the notional Nicety of the Vertue, that they can find no Person worth their intimate Acquaintance. The Favour of being whipt at School for Martial's Epigrams, or

Ovid's Epistles, is sufficient Priviledge for turning Pedagogue, and lashing all their Successors; and it wou'd seem by the fury of their Correction, that the ends of the Rod were still in their Buttocks. The Scholar calls upon us for Decorums and Oeconnomy; the Courtier crys out for Wit and Purity of Stile; the Citizen for Humour and Ridicule; the Divines threaten us for Immodesty; and the Ladies will have an Intreague. Now here are a multitude of Criticks, whereof the twentieth Person only has read Quæ Genus, and yet every one is a Critick after his own way; that is, Such a Play is best, because I like it. A very familiar Argument, methinks, to prove the Excellence of a Play, and to which an Author wou'd be very unwilling to appeal for his Success: Yet such is the unfortunate State of Dramatick Poetry, that it must submit to such Judgments; and by the Censure or Approbation of such variety it must either stand or fall. But what Salvo, what Redress for this Inconvenience? Why, without all Dispute, an Author must indeavour to pleasure that Part of the Audience, who can lay the best claim to a judicious and impartial Reflection: But before he begins, let him well consider to what Division that Claim do's most properly belong. The Scholar will be very angry at me for making that the Subject of a Question, which is self-evident without any Dispute: For, says he, who can pretend to understand Poetry better than we, who have read Homer, Virgil, Horace, Ovid, &c. at the University? What Knowledge can outstrip ours, that is founded upon the Criticisms of Aristotle, Scaliger, Vossius, and the like? We are the better sort, and therefore may claim this as a due Compliment to our Learning; and if a Poet can please us, who are the nice and severe Criticks, he cannot fail to bring in the rest of an inferiour Rank.

I shou'd be very proud to own my Veneration for Learning, and to acknowledge any Complement due to the better sort upon that Foundation; but I'm afraid the Learning of the Better Sort is not confin'd to Colledge Studies, for there is such a thing as Reason without Silligism, Knowlege without Aristotle, and Languages besides Greek and Latin. We shall likewise find in the Court and City several Degrees, superiour to those at Commencements. From all which I must beg the Scholar's Pardon, for not paying him the Compliment of the better Sort, (as he calls it) and in the next Place, inquire into the Validity of his Title from his knowledge of Criticism, and the Course of his Studies.

I must first beg one favour of the Graduate - - - Sir, here is a Pit full of Covent-Garden Gentlemen, a Gallery full of Citts, a hundred Ladies of Court-Education, and about two hundred Footmen of nice Morality, who having been unmercifully teiz'd with a parcel of foolish, impertinent, irregular Plays all this last Winter, make it their humble Request, that you wou'd oblige them with a Comedy of your own making, which they don't question will give them Entertainment. O, Sir, replies the Square Cap, I have long commiserated the Condition of the English Audience, that has been forc'd to take up with such wretched Stuff, as lately has crouded the Stage; your Jubilees and your Fopingtons, and such irregular impertinence, that no Man of Sense cou'd bear the perusal of 'em: I have long intended, out of pure pity to the Stage, to write a perfect Piece of this Nature; and now, since I am honour'd by the Commands of so many, my Intentions shall immediately be put in Practice.

So to work he goes; old Aristotle, Scaliger, with their Commentators, are lugg'd down from the high Shelf, and the Moths are dislodg'd from their Tenement of

Years; Horace, Vossius, Heinsius, Hedelin, Rapin, with some half a Dozen more, are thumb'd and toss'd about, to teach the Gentleman, forsooth, to write a 'Comedy; and here is he furnish'd with Unity of Action, Continuity of Action, Extent of Time, Preparation of Incidents, Episodes, Narrations, Deliberations, Didacticks, Patheticks, Monologues, Figures, Intervals, Catastrophes, Chorusies, Scenes, Machines, Decorations, &c. a Stock sufficient to set up any Mountebank in Christendum; and if our new Author wou'd take an Opportunity of reading a Lecture upon his Play in these Terms, by the help of a Zany, and a Joynt-Stool, his Scenes might go off as well as the Doctors Packets; but the Misfortu[n]e of it is, he scorns all Application to the Vulgar, and will please the better Sort, as he calls his own sort. Pursuant therefore to his Philosophical Dictates, he first chooses a single Plot, because most agreeable to the regularity of Criticism, no matter whether it affords Business enough for Diversion or Surprise. He wou'd not for the World introduce a Song or Dance, because his Play must be one intire Action. We must expect no Variety of Incidents, because the Exactness of his three Hours wont give him time for their Preparation. The Unity of Place admits no variety of Painting and Prospect, by which Mischance perhaps, we shall loose the only good Scenes in the Play. But no matter for that, this Play is a regular Play; this Play has been examin'd and approv'd by such and such Gentlemen, who are staunch Criticks and Masters of Art; and this Play I will have acted. Look'ee, Mr. Rich, you may venture to lay out a Hundred and fifty Pound for dressing this Play, for it was written by a great Scholar, and Fellow of a College.

Then a grave dogmatical Prologue is spoken, to instruct the Audience what shou'd please them; that this