P Nam fpirat tragicum fatis, et feliciter audet: Plus oneris, quanto veniæ minus. afpice, Plautus Quo pacto partes tutetur amantis ephebi, t Ut patris attenti, lenonis ut infidiofi : NOTES. Quantus virtue, and whofe life was irreproachable, was forbidden Chriftian burial by Harlay archbishop of Paris, because he was an actor; and, on a remonstrance from his wife to the king, was at last allowed to be privately interred without the ufual funeral ceremonies, while Madam Moliere cried out, " Quoi, l'on refufera la fepulture à un homme qui merite des autels!" As to the skilfulnefs of Racine in speaking, mentioned above, it is known that he taught Chammefle, with whom he was in love, to fpeak with juftuefs and propriety, who alfo infructed her niece Madam da Clos in the fame ftyle of speaking; but which fort of declamation being rather too pompous and ftiff, was brought down to a more natural tone by Baron and Le Couvreur. Garrick did the fame on our flage. WARTON. VER. 282. Some doubt,] “Tragedy," fays Dr. Hurd, "whofe end is the pathos, produces it by action, while comedy produces its end, the humorous, by character. Now it is much more difhcult to paint manners, than to plan action, because that requires the Philofopher's knowledge of human nature; this only the Hiftorian's knowledge of human events." But in answer to this affertion, Dr. Brown obferves, "That, in the course of this argument, it seems entirely forgot, that the tragic Poet's province is not only to plan, but to paint too. Had he no further task, than what depends on the mere hiftorian's knowledge of human events, the reasoning would hold: but as it is the firft and most effential effort of his genius, in the conftruction of a complete tragedy, to invent and order a pathetic plan, confiftent in all its parts, and rifing towards its completion by a fucceffion of incidents which may keep up and continually increase terror or pity; it is manifeft that the perfection of his plan depends not on Not but the Tragic spirit was our own, r Tell me if Congreve's Fools are Fools indeed? What pert, low Dialogue has Farqu'ar writ! How Van wants grace, who never wanted wit! NOTES. 276 280 285 The his mere hiftoric knowledge of human events, but on his philofophic difcernment of human paffions; aided by a warm and enlarged invention talents as rare, at least, as the knowledge or difcernment of human characters. If to this we add the fubfequent task, of giving the high colourings of passion to the tragic plan thus ordered, the difficulty of writing a complete tragedy may seem to be in fome refpects equal, in others fuperior, to that of producing a complete comedy: for, in the conduct of this laft fpecies, it is acknowledged, that a fmall degree of poetic invention will fupport it." Brumoy has given a long and judicious differtation on this question in the fifth volume of his Grecian Theatre, page 251, which at last he leaves undecided. But does there not appear to be a fundamental error in ftating the question? for character is as effentially neceffary to tragedy as to comedy. How are the incidents that conftitute a fable to be brought about, but by agents, that are compelled to act in fuch or fuch a manner, by their particular propenfities and paffions, which constitute character? Are not Electra and Medea as ftrong characters as Lady Townly and Millamant and Othello and Macbeth as Thrafo or Menedemus? u Quantus fit Doffennus " edacibus in parafitis; W Quam non aftricto percurrat pulpita focco. Gestit enim * nummum in loculos demittere; poft hoc Securus, cadat an recto ftet fabula talo. Y Quem tulit ad fcenam ventofo gloria curru, Sic leve, fic parvum eft, animum quod laudis avarum Sæpe etiam audacem fugat hoc terretque poetam ; Quod numero plures, virtute et honore minores, Indocti, ftolidique, et depugnare parati Si difcordet eques, media inter carmina pofcunt Aut NOTES. In short, in a good tragedy, there must be an union both of cha racter and action. But it is faid that a good plot is not fo ef. fential to comedy as to tragedy: if so, the fuperior difficulty of writing the former disappears. In the rank and order of geniuses it must, I think, be allowed, that the writer of good tragedy is fuperior. And, therefore, I think the opinion, which I am forry to perceive gains ground, that Shakefpear's chief and predominant talent lay in comedy, tends to leffen the unrivalled excellence of our divine bard. There ftill remains another remark to be made on this paffage of Horace: How were the Romans to judge of the truth and nature of the characters in their comedies, when these characters were thofe of another nation, and their comedies being chiefly mere translations from the Greek, and therefore to them "not known images of life!" WARTON. VER. 287. Congreve] He alludes to the characters of Brisk and Witwood. Dr. Johnson says, rather strangely, "his comedies have the operation of tragedies." WARTON. VER. 290. Aftrea] A name taken by Mrs. Behn, Authorefs of several obfcene Plays, c. POPE. The ftage how " loosely does Aftrea tread, X But fill their purfe, our Poet's work is done, y O you! whom Vanity's light bark conveys A breath revives him, or a breath o'erthrows. Farewell the stage! if juft as thrives the play, The filly bard grows fat, or falls away. a There still remains, to mortify a Wit, A fenfelefs, worthlefs, and unhonour'd crowd; b NOTES. 290 295 300 305 Clatt'ring VER. 291. Who fairly puts] How came Mrs. Behn's name to be inferted among the best writers that have not fucceeded? WARTON. VER. 296. O you whom Vanity's light bark conveys] The Metaphor is fine; but inferior to the Original, in many respects. "Ventofo gloria curru," has a happy air of Ridicule heightened by its allufion to the Roman Triumph. WARBURTON Dr. Hurd imagines thefe lines are not spoken by the Poet in his own perfon, but are the fentiments of an objector, whom, according to his manner, Horace fuddenly introduces as urging them. Pope, we fee, did not confider the paffage in this light. WARTON. VER. 305. The many-headed Monster] This epithet Warton fays is taken from Ben Jonfon; I rather think, from Shakespear. Aut urfum aut pugiles: his nam plebecula gaudet. d Verum equitis quoque jam migravit ab aure voluptas Quatuor aut plures aulæa premuntur in horas; g Spectaret populum ludis attentius ipfis, Ut fibi præbentem mimo spectacula plura : NOTES. Scriptores VER. 310. What dear delight] In former Editions, WARTON. VER. 313. From heads to ears, and now from ears to eyes.] From Plays to Operas, and from Operas to Pantomimes. WARBURTON. VER. 316. Pageants on pageants,] Long before Horace wrote, Tully, in an Epiftle to Marius, book 7. had ridiculed thefe abfurd fhews, fpectacles, and proceffions on the ftage. "Quid enim delectationis habent fexcenti muli in Clytemnestra? aut in equo Trojano craterarum tria millia? aut armatura varia, peditatûs & equitatûs, ut in aliquâ pugnâ? quæ popularem admira. tionem habuerunt, delectationem tibi nullam attuliffent." WARTON |