punning in pleasant vein. But these are masterly ftrokes, and touches of great artists, not to be imitated by poets who creep on the ground, but by those only who foar with the eagle wings of Homer, Milton, or Shakespeare. But fo far at least must be acknowledged true of our dramatic poet, that he is always a strict obferver of decorum; and conftantly a friend to the cause of virtue: hence he fhews, in it's proper light, into what miferies mankind are led by indulging wrong opinions. No philosopher seems ever to have more minutely examined into the different manners, paffions, and inclinations of mankind; nor is there known a character, perhaps that of Socrates only excepted, where refined ridicule, raillery, wit, and humour, were fo mixed and united with what is most grave and serious in morals and philofophy. This is the magic with which he works fuch wonders. Pectus inaniter angit, Irritat, mulcet, falfis terroribus implet, IT seems to me, that this philofophical mixture of character is scarce at all attended to by the moderns. Our grave writers are dully grave; and our men of wit are loft to all fenfe of gravity. 'Tis all formality, or all buffoonry. However this mixture is vifible in the writings of Shakespeare; he knew the pleasing force of humour, and the dignity of gravity. And he is the best instance, that can be cited, to countenance that famous paffage in Plato's banquet, where the philosopher makes a tragic and a comic poet both allow, against their inclinations, that he who according to the best rules of art was a writer of tragedy, must be likewise a good writer of comedy. 8 8 The Banquet was held in Agatho's houfe, a tragic poet. The perfon, who relates, concludes with faying, that having drunken a little too much, and fallen fast asleep, he waked just about break of day, when he found Agatho the tragedian, and Ariftophanes the comedian difputingwith Socrates. Socrates had brought both these poets to confefs what is mention'd above. And yet it is obfervable that, among the ancient dramatic writers, the fock and bufkin perhaps never interfered: Sophocles and Euripides never wrote comedies: Ariftophanes and Menander never attempted tragedies. SECT. XIV. T is furprifing how, in fo fhort a time, Shakespeare and Johnfon could bring the ftage to fuch perfection, that after them it received no farther improvement. But what can not men of genius effect, when, in an age of liberty, they have power to exert their faculties? Popish myfteries and moralities were the public entertainments, and encouraged by the Romish priefts, however in themselves ridiculous or blafphemous. But no fooner did the dawn of liberty arife, but critics began to exercise their art. Sydney and Ascham drew their 1 Ludovicus Vives, in his notes on Auguftin de Civit. Dei. I. 8. c. 27. mentions these. "Ibi ridetur Judas, quàm poteft ineptissima ja&tans dum Chriftum prodit. Ibi "difcipuli fugiunt militibus perfequentibus, nec fine cachinnis " a&torum et spectatorum. lbi Petrus auriculam refcindit Malcho, applaudente pullata turba, cea ita vindicetur Chrifti captivitas. Et poft paulum qui tam ftrenue modo dimicarat, rogationibus unius ancillulae territus abnegat "magiftrum, ridente multitudine ancillam interrogantem, et "exbibilante Petrum negantem, &c." Polydore Vergil, 1. 5. c. 2. "Solemus vel more prifcorum fpectacula edere populo, ut ludos, &c. &c. item in templis vitas divorum "ac martyria repraefentare, in quibus ut cun&is par fit vc«luptas, qui recitant vernaculam` linguam tantum ufurpant." See Rabelais, book IV. chap. xiii. In the late edition of Stow's furvey, &c. Vol. I. p. 247. is the following account. "But London for the fhows upon "theatres, and comical paftimes, hath holy plays, repre"fentations of miracles, which holy confeffors have "wrought; or representations of torments, wherein the "conftancy of martyrs appeared." From Fitzftephen. "These or the like exercises, have been con"tinued And again, H 2 their obfervations from the best models of antiquity. Spencer moralized his fong; Fairfax translated; and the stage had it's Shakespeare and Johnson. When nature meets no check, fhe works inftantaneously almoft, 'till fhe arrives at perfection. Thus in the more free ftates of Greece it being ufual, at the times of vintage, to fing2 extemporal fongs in praise of Bacchus, Thefpis taking the hint made a portable ftage, and acted a "tinued till our time, namely in ftage plays, whereof we may read, in anno 1391. a play to be play'd by the parish clerks of London at the Skinners well befides "Smithfield; which play continued three days together, "the king, queen and nobles of the realm being present. "And of another played in the year 1409, which lasted 66 eight days, and was of matter from the creation of the "world; whereat was prefent moft part of the nobility "and gentry of England." 2 ᾄσματα ᾄδοντες αὐτοσχέδια. Max. Tyr. dif. 37. f. 4. p. 437. edit. Lond. γενομένης ὖν ἀπ ̓ ἀρχῆς αὐτοσχεδιαστικῆς. x. 7.λ. Arist. weft wont. xeQ. d. Virgil. Georg. II, 380, &c. Tibullus eleg. 1. 1. 1. Agricola adfiduo primum cessatus aratro kind of plays, made up entirely of finging and dancing, with a chorus of fatyrs. As this invention of Thefpis preserved still the original fuperftitious inftitution, what poet would be fo bold as to vary from fo facred a model? Yet some time after Aeschylus ventured to bring his heroes, and heroic ftories on the stage, without one word concerning Bacchus or his fatyrs. This 3 Eis μúðus »j wábn wgoayćrlwv. Plut. Symp. 1. c. I. He is speaking of Phrynichus and Aeschylus. So that before these the drama was fatiric. Aeschylus exhibited his first play at olymp. LXX. Thefpis flourished in the times of Solon. When Phrynichus and Aeschylus brought their plays on the stage, the people afk'd, "What's all this to Bacchus ?" To content the people, they fuperadded a fatiric drama, a farce with fatyrs, formed upon some story of Bacchus or Silenus. 66 Carmine qui tragico vilem certavit ob hircum Horat. art. poet. p. 220. The poet spends a great number of verses about these fatyrs. But the fubject itself is unworthy his pen. He who could not bear the elegant mimes of Laberius, [L. 1. f. 10. †. 6. See Macrob. Saturn. 1. 2. A. Gell. 1. 11. c. 9.] that he should think this farcical, and obfcene trash worth his particular notice, is fomewhat strange. We have but one of all the satiric plays now remaining, and that is the Cyclops of Euripides: where |