Here tears fhall flow from a more gen'rous caufe, 15 20 What bofom beats not in his Country's caufe? 25 The spoils of nations, and the pomp of wars, Show'd Rome her Cato's figure drawn in ftate; 30 The pomp was darken'd, and the day o'ercast; NOTES. 35 Britons, VER. 20. But what with pleasure] This alludes to a famous passage of Seneca, which Mr. Addison afterwards used as a motto to his play, when it was printed. W. VER.27.Ev'n when ] The twenty-feventh, thirtieth, thirty-fourth, thirty-ninth, and forty-fifth lines, are artful allufions to the character and history of Cato himself. Britons, attend: be worth like this approv'd, And fhow you have the virtue to be mov'd. With honeft fcorn the first fam'd Cato view'd Rome learning arts from Greece, whom she subdu'd; Your scene precariously fubfifts too long On French translation, and Italian fong. Dare to have sense yourselves; affert the stage, 4I 45 NOTES. VER. 37. Britons, attend:] Spence told me that Pope had written it" Britons, arife"; but that Addifon, frightened at fo ftrong an expreffion, as promoting infurrection, lowered and weakened it by the word, attend. VER. 42. On French tranflation,] He glances obliquely at the Diftreft Mother of his old antagonist Philips, taken, evidently, from Racine. Cato's laft foliloquy is tranflated with great purity and elegance by Bland. It is a little remarkable that the laft line of Cato is Pope's; and the last of Eloifa is Addison's. VER. 45. Such Plays alone] Addison, having finished and laid by, for feveral years, the first four acts of Cato, applied to Hughes for a fifth; and Dr. Johnfon, from entertaining too mean an opinion of Hughes, does not think the application serious. When Hughes brought his fupplement, he found the author himfelf had finished his play. Hughes was very capable of writing this fifth act. The Siege of Damafcus is a better tragedy than Cato; though Pope affected to speak flightingly of its author. An audience was packed by Steele on the first night of Cato; and Addifon fuffered inexpreffible uneafinefs and folicitude during the reprefentation. Bolingbroke called Booth to his box, and gave him fifty guineas for defending the cause of liberty fo well, against a perpetual dictator. VER. 46. As Cato's felf, &c.] This alludes to that famous ftory of his coming into the Theatre, and going out again, related by Martial. W. EPILOGUE TO MR. ROWE'S JANE SHORE. THE Epilogue to Jane Shore is written with that air of gallantry and raillery which, by a strange perverfion of taste, the audience expects in all epilogues to the moft ferious and pathetic pieces. To recommend cuckoldom, and palliate adultery, is their ufual intent. I wonder Mrs. Oldfield was not fuffered to fpeak it; for it is fuperior to that which was used on the occafion. In this tafte Garrick has written fome, that abound in spirit and drollery. Rowe's genius was rather delicate and foft, than strong and pathetic; his compofitions foothe us with a tranquil and tender fort of complacency, rather than cleave the heart with pangs of commiferation. His diftreffes are entirely founded on the paffion of love. His diction is extremely elegant and chaffe, and his verfification highly melodious. His plays are declamations, rather than dialogues; and his characters are general, and undiftinguished from each other. Such a furious character as that of Bajazet, is cafily drawn ; and, let me add, easily acted. There is a want of unity in the fable of Tamerlane. The death's head, dead body, and flage hung in mourning, in the Fair Penitent, are artificial and mechanical methods of affecting an audience. In a word, his plays are mutical and pleafing poems; but inactive and unmoving tragedies. This of Jane Shore is, I think, the most interesting and affecting of any he has given us: but probability is fadly violated in it by the neglect of the unity of time. For a perfon to be fuppofed to be ftarved, during the reprefentation of five acts, is a ftriking inftance of the abfurdity of this violation. It is probable that this is become the most popular and pleafing tragedy of all Rowe's works, because it is founded on our own hiftory. I cannot forbear wifhing, that our writers would would more frequently fearch for fubjects, in the annals of England, which afford many striking and pathetic events, proper for the ftage. We have been too long attached to Grecian and Roman ftories. In truth, domeftica facta are more interesting, as well as more useful; more interefting, because we all think ourselves concerned in the actions and fates of our countrymen ; more useful, because the characters and manners bid the fairest to be true and natural, when they are drawn from models with which we are exactly acquainted. The Turks, the Perfians, and Americans, of our poets, are, in reality, diftinguished from Englishmen, only by their turbans and feathers; and think and act, as if they were born and educated within the Bills of Mortality. The hiftorical plays of Shakespeare are always grateful to the spectator, who loves to fee and hear our own Harrys and Edwards, better than all the Achillefes or Cæfars that ever exifted. In the choice of a domeftic ftory, however, much judgment and circumfpection must be exerted, to select one of a proper æra; neither of too ancient, or of too modern a date. The manners of times very ancient, we shall be apt to falfify, as thofe of the Greeks and Romans. And recent events, with which we are thoroughly acquainted, are deprived of the power of impreffing folemnity and awe, by their notoriety and familiarity. Age foftens and wears away all thofe difgracing and depreciating circumstances, which attend modern tranfactions, merely because they are modern. Lucan was much embarrassed by the proximity of the times he treated of. I take this occafion to obferve, that Rowe has taken the fable of his Fair Penitent, from the Fatal Dowry of Maffinger and Field. His very fpirited tranflation, which does not seem fufficiently regarded, is perhaps his beft work; and one of the beft translations in our language, of the only claffic, faid Addison, not explained for the ufe of the Dauphin. |