not men of genius effect, when, in an age of liberty, they have power to exert their faculties? Popish mysteries and moralities were the public entertainments, and encouraged by the Romish priests, however in themselves ri diculous or blafphemous. But no fooner did the dawn of liberty arife, but critics began to exercise their art. Sydney and Afcham drew their 1 Ludovicus Vives, in his notes on Auguftin de Civit. Dei. 1. 8. c. 27. mentions these. "Ibi ridetur Judas, quàm poteft ineptiffima jactans dum Chriftum prodit. Ibi difcipuli fugiunt militibus persequentibus, nec fine cachinnis « actorum et Spectatorum. lbi Petrus auriculam refcindit "Malcho, applaudente pullata turba, ceu ita vindicetur "Chrifti captivitas. Et poft paulum qui tam ftrenue modo 1. 66 dimicarat, rogationibus unius ancillulae territus abnegat "magiftrum, ridente multitudine ancillam interrogantem, et " exhibilante Petrum negantem, &c." Polydore Vergil, 5. C. 2. "Solemus vel more prifcorum fpectacula edere populo, ut ludos, &c. &c. item in templis vitas divorum 66 ac martyria repraefentare, in quibus ut cunctis par fit vor «luptas, qui recitant vernaculam linguam tantum ufur "pant." 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 reprefentations of torments, wherein the 66 conftancy of martyrs appeared." From Fitzftephen. And again," These or the like exercises, have been con66 tinued H2 their obfervations from the best models of an tiquity. Spencer moralized his fong; Fairfax tranflated; and the ftage had it's Shakespeare and Johnson. When nature meets no check, fhe works inftantaneously almost, 'till fhe arrives at perfection. 2 Thus in the more free states of Greece it being ufual, at the times of vintage, to fing extemporal fongs in praise of Bacchus, Thespis taking the hint made a portable stage, 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 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 ᾄδολες αὐτοσχέδια. Max. Tyr. diff. 37. f. 4. p. 437. edit. Lond. γενομένης ἦν ἀπ ̓ ἀρχῆς αὐτοσχεδιαστικής 2. T. λ. Arift. weps wont. XEQ. S. Virgil. Georg. II, 380, &c. Tibullus eleg. 1. 1. 1. Agricola adfiduo primum ceffatus aratro kind of plays, made up entirely of finging and dancing, with a chorus of fatyrs. As this invention of Thefpis preferved ftill the original fuperftitious inftitution, what poet would be fo bold as to vary from fo facred a model? Yet fome time after Aefchylus ventured to bring his heroes, and heroic stories on the stage, without one word concerning Bacchus. or his fatyrs. 1 This 3 Εἰς μύθες καὶ πάθη προαγόντων. Plut. Symp. L. C. 1. He is fpeaking of Phrynichus and Aefchylus. 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. 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 subject itself is unworthy his pen. He who could not bear the elegant mimes of Laberius, [L. 1. f. 10. y. 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 somewhat ftrange. We have but one of all the fatiric plays now remaining, and that is the Cyclops of Euripides: where father This great man is truly called, the and author of tragedy, notwithstanding any hints that he might take from others. For he first heroes, and fatyrs are promifcuoufly introduced just as ferves to carry on the thread of the fable. Diomedes, 1. 3. p. 488 Satyrica eft apud Graecos fabula, in qua item tragici poetae non reges aut heroas [i. e. non modo r.] fed satyros induxerunt ludendi causâ jocandique, fimul ut fpectator inter res tragicas feriafque, fatyrorum quoque jocis et lufibus delectaretur. 4 Tragoedias primus in lucem Aeschylus protulit, fublimis et gravis et grandiloquus faepe ufque ad vitium. Quinct. 1. 10. c. 1. Philoftratus, in the life of Apollonius, VI, 6. p. 258. fpeaking of his feveral inventions, adds, "OE ̓Αθηναῖοι ΠΑΤΕΡΑ μὲν τῆς τραγῳδίας αὐτὸν ἡγενιο. See Athenaeus, 1. 1. p. 121. Horace speaking of him fays, in art. poet. 280. Et docuit magnumque loqui, nitique cothurno. And Aristophanes, ̓Αλλ ̓ ὦ ΠΡΩΤΟΣ τῶν Ἑλλήνων πυργώσας ξήματα σεμνὰ Καὶ κοσμήσας τραδικὸν λῆρος. This will explain what Aristotle says in his poetics, chap. iv. Ἔτι δὲ τὸ μέγεθ©· ἐκ μικρῶν μύθων, καὶ λέξεως γελοιας, διὰ τὸ ἐκ σατυρικό μεταβαλεῖν, ὀψὲ ἀπεσεμνώθη. But however was late [ fo he calls it, from the times of Thefpis to Aefchylus, or rather to Sophocles] e'er it had its proper gravity and grandeur, by getting rid of trifling fables [ftories of Bacchus and Silenus] and the burlefque ftile, which it received from thofe fatirical pieces. formed 5 formed his ftory into a regular and tragic fable; and introduced dialogue between the actors, omitting the tedious narration of fingle perfons. His actors were dreffed and decorated proper for their parts; and the ftage was furnished with fumptuous fcenes, and machines. The mafk likewife, which they fuited to the character to be 5 Καὶ τὸ, τε τῶν ὑποκριθῶν πλῆθῳ. ἐξ ἑνὸς εἰς δύο πρώτα Αισχύλα ἤδαδε, καὶ τὰ τὸ χορὸ ἠλάπλωσε, καὶ τὸν λόγον πρώτο γωνισὴν παρεσκεύασε· τρεῖς δὲ, και σκηνοΓραφίαν Σοφοκλῆς. Arift. wigs wont. p. S. 'Tis faid here that Sophocles invented the scenes, and decorations for the ftage. But that is not true. Horace's verfes of Aeschylus prove the contrary in his art of poetry, . 278, &c. and Athenaeus, 1. 1. p. 121. and Philoftratus, 1. 6. c. 6. And we know from Vitruvius, that Agatharcus helped Aefchylus in the contrivance of his fcenes, and other decorations. But the blunder is eafily removed by reducing the words to their proper places thus, καὶ τὸν λόγον πρ. παρεσκεύασε και σκηνοΓρα φίαν· τρεῖς δὲ Σοφοκλής. And this is their meaning, Aeschylus firft increased the number of the actors, bringing two on the ftage, instead of one; and fhortened the fongs of the chorus; and invented principal parts, or chief characters, as the chief part, is Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, in the plays called after their names] and scenes with their proper decora tions: But Sophocles brought a third actor on the flage. 6 Horace, art. poet. . 278. Platonius, in a fragment of his, ftill preserved, concerning the three kinds of Greek comedy, tells us, that the mafks in the old comedy were made fo nearly to resemble the perfons to be fatirized, that |