Now enter and begin to fave mankind. 635

Thus they the Son of God our Saviour meek Sung victor, and from heav'nly feast refresh'd Brought on his way with joy; he unobserv'd Home to his mother's house private return'd.

THE END.

Of that fort of Dramatic Poem which is call'd Tragedy.

TR

RAGEDY, as it was anciently compos'd, hath been ever held the graveft, moraleft, and most profitable of all other poems: therefore said by Aristotle to be of power by raising pity and fear, or terror, to purge the mind of thofe and fuch like paffions, that is, to temper and reduce them to just measure with a kind of delight, stirr'd up by reading or seeing those paffions well imitated. Nor is Nature wanting in her own effects to make good his affertion: for so in physic things of melancholic hue and quality are us'd against melancholy, four against four, falt to remove falt humors. Hence philofophers and other graveft writers, as Cicero, Plutarch and others, frequently cite out of tragic poets, both to adorn and illustrate their discourse. The Apostle Paul himself thought it not unworthy to infert a verse of Euripides into the text of Holy Scripture, 1 Cor. XV. 33. and Paræus commenting on the Revelation, divides the whole book as a tragedy, into acts distinguish'd each by a chorus of heavenly harpings and song between. Heretofore men in highest dignity have labor'd not a little to be thought able to compofe a tragedy. Of that honor Dionyfius the elder was no less ambitious, than before of his attaining to the tyranny. Auguftus Cæfar also had begun his Ajax, but unable to please his own judgment with what he had begun, left it unfinish'd. Seneca the philofopher is by fome thought the author of those tragedies (at least the best of them) that go under that name. Gregory Nazianzen, a Father of the Church, thought it not unbefeeming the fanctity of his person to write a tragedy, which is in

titled Chrift fuffering. This is mention'd to vindicate tragedy from the small esteem, or rather infamy, which in the account of many it undergoes at this day with other common interludes; hap'ning through the poets error of intermixing comic stuff with tragic sadness and gravity; or introducing trivial and vulgar persons, which by all judicious hath been counted abfurd; and brought in without discretion, corruptly to gratify the people. And though ancient tragedy use no prologue, yet ufing fometimes, in cafe of felf-defense, or explanation, that which Martial calls an epistle; in behalf of this tragedy coming forth after the ancient manner, much different from what among us passes for best, thus much before-hand may be epifl'd; that chorus is here introduc'd after the Greck manner, not ancient only but modern, and fill in use among the Italians. In the modeling therefore of this poem, with good reason, the Ancients and Italians are rather follow'd, as of much more authority and fame. The measure of verfe us'd in the chorus is of all forts, call'd by the Greeks Monoftrophic, or rather Apolelymenon, without regard had to Strophe, Antiftrophe or Epod, which were a kind of ftanza's fram'd only for the music, then us'd with the chorus that fung; not effential to the poem, and therefore not material; or being divided into flanza's or pauses, they may be call'd Allæoftropha. Division into act and scene referring chiefly to the stage (to which this work never was intended) is here omitted.

It fuffices if the whole drama be found not produc'd beyond the fifth act. Of the ftile and unifor

mity, and that commonly call'd the plot, whether intricate or explicit, which is nothing indeed but fuch œconomy, or difpofition of the fable as may ftand best with verfimilitude and decorum; they only will beft judge who are not unacquainted with AEfchylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, the three tragic poets unequal'd yet by any, and the best rule to all who endevor to write tragedy. The circumfcription of time, wherein the whole drama begins and ends, is according to ancient rule, and beft example, within the space of twenty four hours.