Imatges de pàgina
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through the deceit which he employs for public-fpirited ends, bringing deftruction on all whom he loved: thefe are the examples which tragedy now difplays, by ⚫ means of which it inculcates on men the proper government of their paffions.' I am afraid, if we appeal to the feelings of the audience at the conclufion of any of thole pieces, we fhall not find the effect to be what is here fuppofed. Othello we rather pity for his jealoufy, than hate as a murderer. With Jaffier and his affociates we are undoubtedly leagued against the Fulers of Venice; and even the faith and tenderness of Belvidera hardly make us forgive her for betraying their fecret. The fentiments of Siffredi, however wife and juft, are difregarded where they impeach the dignity and fupereminence of love. His deceit indeed is blamed, which is faid to be the moral of the piece: but it is blamed because it hindered the union of Tancred and Sigifmmunda, which, from the very beginning of the play, is the object in which the reader or spectator is interested. Reverse the fituation, make it a contrivance to defeat the claim of the tyrant's daughter, to give the throne to Tancred, and to place Sigifmunda there at his fide, the audience would admire its ingenuity, and rejoice in its fuccefs.

"In the mixture of a plot, and amidst the variety of fituations, where weakneffes are flattered and paffions indulged, at the fame time that virtues are displayed and duties performed, one fet of readers will enjoy the pleasure of the first, while thofe only who have lefs need to be inftructed will feize the inftruction of the latter. When Marcus dits for his country, the ladies in the fide-boxes only confider his death

as removing the bar to the marriage of Lucia with his brother Portius.

"In tragedy as in novel, which is fometimes a kind of tragedy, the author is obliged, in juftification of weak characters, to elevate villanous ones, or to throw round their vices a bewitching addrefs, and captivating manners. Lovelace is made a character which the greater number of girls admire, in order to justify the feduction of Clariffa. Lothario, though very inferior, is fomething of the fame caft, to miti gate the crime of Caliita. The story would not be probable clfe ;granted: but in proportion to the art of the poet, in rendering it probable, he heightens the immoral effect, of which I complain.

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"As the incidents must be formed, fo must the fentiments be introduced, according to the character and condition of the perfon fpeaking them, not according to the laws of virtue, or the dictates of prudence. To give them this propriety, they must often be apolo gies for vice and for fraud, or contain ridicule against virtue and honefly. It is not fufficient to answer, that if the perfon uttering them is punished in the courfe, or at the end of the play, the expiation is fufficiently made; if the fentiments at the time are fhrewdly imagined, and forcibly expreffed, they will have a powerful effect on the mind, and leave impreffions which the retribution of poetical justice will hardly be able to efface.

"On poetical justice, indeed, I do not lay fo much ftrefs as fome authors have done. I incline to be of the opinion of one of my predeceffors, that we are frequently more roused to a love of virtue, and a ha tred of vice, when virtue is unfortunate, and vice fuccefsful, than

when

when each receives the recompence it merits. But I impute more to ftriking incidents, to the fentiments running through the tenor of a piece, than to the general impreffion of its denouement. Monf. d'Alembert fays, that in any fort of fpec-. tacle which would leave the poet more at liberty than tragedies taken from history, in the Opera, for example, the author would not eafily be pardoned for allowing vice to go unpunished. I remember to have feen,' continues he, a MS. opera of Atreus, where that monster perifhed by a thunderbolt, exclaiming, with a favage fatisfaction,

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Tonnez, Dieux impuiffans:
Frappez; je fuis vengé!'

This would have made one of the happiest denouements that can well be imagined.' As to theatrical effect, I am quite of his opinion; but as to the moral, I cannot agree with him. The line which he quotes, brilliant, forcible, and bold, would have remained with the audience, not to recal the punishment of guilt, but to mark the pleafure of revenge.

But it is not only from the vices or imperfections of tragic characters that we are to fear the danger of familiarifing the approach of evil, or encouraging the growth of error. Their very virtues, I fear, are often dangerous to form the principles, or draw the imitation of their readers. Theirs are not fo much the ufeful, the productive virtues (if I may be allowed the expreffion) of real life, as the fhining and howy qualities which attract the applaufe, or flatter the vanity of the unthinking. The extreme, the enthufiafm even of a laudable propenfity, takes from its ufefulness to others, and degene.

rates into a blind and headlong indulgence in the poffeffor. In the greatest part of modern tragedies, fuch are the qualities of the perfons that are most in favour with the public. In what relates to paffive excellence, prudence to avoid evils, or fortitude to bear them, are not the virtues of tragedy, converfant as it is with misfortune; it is proud to indulge in forrow, to pour its tears without the controul of reafon, to die of disappointments which wisdom would have overcome. There is an era in the life of moft young people, and thofe too the moft amiable, where all this is their creed of excellence, generofity, and heroifm, and that creed is drawn from romance and tragedy.

"In the remarks which in this and two former papers I have made on Novel and on Tragedy, two of the most popular of all kinds of writing, I have ventured, in the hardihood of a moralift, rather beyond the ufual caution of a periodical paper, that wishes to conciliate the favour of the public. By those whofe daily and favourite reading is craffed by my obfervations, I fhall be asked, if I mean to profcribe every novel and every tragedy, or of what kind of each I am difpofed to allow the perufal, and to what clafs of readers their perufal may be trufted? To fuch I would anfwer in general, that if I had influence enough to abridge the lift of both fpecies of reading, I believe neither morals nor tafte would fuffer by the restriction. I have pointed out the chief dangers to which I conceive the perufal of many fuch works is liable.

"I am not, however, infenfible of the value, perhaps but too fenfible of the power, of thefe productions of fancy and of genius. Nor am I fo much a bigot to the opinions I have

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I have delivered, as to deny that there are uses, noble ufes, which fuch productions may ferve, amidit the dangers to which they fometimes expofe their readers. The region of exalted virtu, of dignified fentiment, into which they traufport us, may have a confiderable effect in changing the cold and unfeeling temperament of worldly minds; the indifferent and the felfith may be warmed and expanded by the fiction of diftrefs, and the eloquence of feeling. In the prefent age, and among certain ranks, indifference and felfihnefs have become a fort of virtues, and fashion has fometimes taught the young to pride themselves on qualities fo unnatural to them To combat thefe "Giants of the Rock," romance and tragedy may be very ufefully employed; and that race must have become worthlefs and degenerate indeed, whom their terrors fhall fail to route, and their griefs to melt,

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"Nor, as an amufement, can the elegance of that which is drawn from the perufal of a well-written novel, or the reprefentation of a

well-compofed tragedy, be difputed. It certainly is as much a nobler, as it is a more harmless employment of time, than its wafte in frivolous diffipation, or its abufe in the vigils of play. But there is a certain fort of mind common in youth, and that too of the most amiable kind, tender, warm, and vifionary, to which the walks of fancy and enthufiafm, of romantic love, of exaggerated forrow, of trembling fenfibility, are very unfafe. To readers of this complexion, the amusement which the works above mentioned afford, fhould, I think, bę fparingly allowed, and judiciously chofen. In fuch bofoms, feeling or fufceptibility must be often repreffed or directed; to encourage it by premature or unnatural means, is certainly hurtful. They refemble fome luxuriant foils which may be enriched beyond a wholefome fertility, till weeds are their only produce; weeds, the more to be re gretted, as, in the language of a novellift himself, they grow in the "foil from which virtue should "have fprung."

PECULIAR FEATURES of ENGLISH LANDSCAPE.

[From the First Volume of Gilpin's Obfervations relative chiefly to Ficturefque Beauty.]

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a distance it is the fource of great beauty. On the fpot, no doubt, and even in the firit diftances, the marks of the fpade, and the plough; the hedge, and the ditch; together with all the formalities of hedge-row trees, and fquare divitions of property, are difgutting in a high degree. But when all thefe regular forms are foftened by diftance when hedge-row trees begin to unite, and lengthen into streaks along the horiz n-when farm houfes, and ordinary buildings lofe all their vulgarity of fhape, and are fcattered about, in formlefs fpots, though the feveral parts of a ditance-it is inconceivable what richness, and beauty, this mafs of deformity, when melted together, adds to landscape. One vaft tract of wild, uncultivated country, unlefs either varied by large parts, or under fome peculiar circumftances of light, cannot produce the effect. Nor is it produced by unbounded tracts of cultivation; which, without the intermixture of wood, cannot give richness to diftance. Thus English landfcape affords a fpecics of rich distance, which is rarely to be found in any other country.--You have like wife from this intermixture of wood and cultivation, the advantage of being fure to find a tree or two, on the foreground, to adorn anv beautiful view you may meet with in the distance.

"Another peculiar feature in the landicape of this country, arifes from the great quantity of English oak, with which it abounds. oak of no country has equal beauty: The nor does any tree anfwer all the purposes of fcenery fo well. The ak is the nobleft ornament of a fore-ground; fpreading, from fide to de, its tortuous branches; and foliage, rich with fome autumnal

tint. In a distance alfo it appears with equal advantage; forming itfelf into bea titul clumps, varied more in fhape: and perhaps more in colour, than the clumps of any other tree.

its beauty, hanging over the broThe pine of Italy has ken pediment of fome ruined temple. The chefnut of Calabria is confecrated by adorning the foregrounds of Saivator. The elm, the afh, and the beech, have all their rfpective beauties: but no trce in the forcit is adapted to all the purposes of landfcape, like English oak.

of English landfcape, may be added Among the peculiar features the embellifhed garden, and parkfcene. In other countries the environs of great houfes are yet un The wonder working hand of art, der the direction of formality. with it's regular cafcades, fpouting fountains, flights of terraces, and other archievements, hath ftill poffeffion of the gardens of kings, and princes.

model of nature is adopted.

In England alone the

of the fylvan kind. As we feek aThis is a mode of fcenery intirely mong the wild works of nature for the fublime, we feck here for the beautiful: and where there is a variety of lawn, wood, and water; and thefe naturally combined; and ings, nor difgra ed by fantastic ornot too much decorated with buildfeape, which no country, but Ennaments; we find a fpecies of landgland, can difplay in fuch perfection: not only because this just tale in decoration prevails Do where elfe are found fuch proper where elfe; but also, because no materials.

oak, as we have juft obferved, can The want of English never be made up, in this kind of landfcape efpecially. Nor do we any where find fo close and rich

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verdure. An eafy fwell may, every where, be given to ground: but it cannot every where be covered with a velvet turf, which conflitutes the beauty of an embellished lawn.

"The moisture, and vapoury heaviness of our atmosphere, which produces the rich verdure of our lawns; gives birth alfo to another peculiar feature in Englif landfcape that obfcurity, which is often thrown over ditance. In warmer climates especially, the air is purer. Thofe mits and vapours which fteam from the ground at night, are difperfed with the morning-fun. Under Italian fkies very remote objects are feen with great diftinctnefs. And this mode of vition, no doubt, has it's beauty; as have all the works, and all the operations of nature. But, at beft, this is only one mode of vifion. groffer atmosphere (which likewife hath it's feafons of purity) exhibits various modes; fome of which are in themfelves more beautiful, than the most diftinct vision.

Our

"The feveral degrees of obfcurity, which the heaviness of our atmosphere gives to landfcape, may be reduced to three-hazinefs, mifts, and fogs.

"Hazinefs just adds that light, grey tint-that thin, dubious veil, which is often beautifully fpread over landscape. It hides nothing. It only fweetens the hues of nature -it gives a confequence to every common object, by giving it a more indiftinct form-it corrects the glare of colours-it foftens the harfhnefs of lines; and above all, it throws over the face of landfcape that harmonizing tint, which blends the whole into unity, and repofe.

"Mist goes farther. It fpreads ftill more obfcurity over the face of nature. As hazinefs foftens, and adds a beauty perhaps to the

correcteft form of landscape; mist is adapted to those landscapes, in which we want to hide much; to foften more: and to throw many parts into a greater diftance, than they naturally occupy.

"Even the fog, which is the highest degree of a grofs atmofphere, is not without it's beauty in landfcape; efpecially in the mountain-fcenes, which are fo much the objects of the following remarks. When partial, as it often is, the effect is grandeft. When fome valt promontory, iffuing from a cloud of vapour, with which all it's upper parts are blended, fhoots into a lake; the imagination is left at a lofs to difcover, whence it comes, or to what height it afpires. The effect rifes with the obfcurity, and the view is fometimes wonderfully great.

"To thefe natural features, which are, in a great degree, pe, culiar to the landscape of England, we may laftly add another, of the artificial kind-the ruins of abbeys; which, being naturalized to the foil, might indeed, without much impropriety, be claffed among it's natural beauties.

"Ruins are commonly divided into two kinds; caftles, and abbeys. Of the former few countries perhaps can produce fo many, as this ifland; for which various caufes may be affigned. The feudal fyftem, which lafted long in England, and was carried high, produced a number of castles in every part. King Stephen's reign contributed greatly to multiply them. And in the northern counties, the continual wars with Scot land had the fame effect. Many of thefe buildings, now fallen into decay, remain objects of great beauty.

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