“sed quoad fundamentum : for a fable, never so movingly "contrived to those ends of his, pity and terrour, will "operate nothing on our affections, except the characters, "manners, thoughts, and words, are suitable.

"So that it remains for Mr. Rymer to prove, that in all "those, or the greatest part of them, we are inferior to "Sophocles and Euripides; and this he has offered at, "in some measure; but, I think, a little partially to the

"ancients.

"For the fable itself, 'tis in the English more adorned "with episodes, and larger than in the Greek poets; con"sequently more diverting. For, if the action be but one, "and that plain, without any counterturn of design or "episode, i. e. underplot, how can it be it so pleasing as "the English, which have both underplot and a turned "design, which keeps the audience in expectation of the catastrophe? whereas in the Greek poets we see through "the whole design at first.

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"For the characters, they are neither so many nor so "various in Sophocles and Euripides, as in Shakspeare "and Fletcher; only they are more adapted to those ends "of tragedy which Aristotle commends to us, pity and

"terrour.

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"The manners flow from the characters, and consequently must partake of their advantages and disad❝vantages.

"The thoughts and words, which are the fourth and "fifth beauties of tragedy, are certainly more noble and "more poetical in the English than in the Greek, which "must be proved by comparing them somewhat more equitably than Mr. Rymer has done.

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"After all, we need not yield that the English way is "less conducing to move pity and terrour, because they "often shew virtue oppressed and vice punished; where they do not both, or either, they are not to be de"fended.

“And if we should grant that the Greeks performed "this better, perhaps it may admit of dispute, whether pity and terrour are either the prime, or at least the "only ends of tragedy.

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"'Tis not enough that Aristotle had said so; for Aris"totle drew his models of tragedy from Sophocles and

"Euripides; and if he had seen ours, might have changed "his mind. And chiefly we have to say (what I hinted on "pity and terrour, in the last paragraph save one), that "the punishment of vice and reward of virtue are the "most adequate ends of tragedy, because most conducing "to good example of life. Now, pity is not so easily "raised for a criminal (and the ancient tragedy always "represents its chief person such) as it is for an innocent "man; and the suffering of innocence and punishment of "the offender is of the nature of English tragedy: contrarily, in the Greek, innocence is unhappy often, and "the offender escapes. Then we are not touched with the "sufferings of any sort of men so much as of lovers; and "this was almost unknown to the ancients: so that they "neither administered poetical justice, of which Mr. Ry"mer boasts, so well as we; neither knew they the best "common-place of pity, which is love.

"He therefore unjustly blames us for not building on "what the ancients left us; for it seems, upon consider"ation of the premises, that we have wholly finished what 66 they began.

"My judgment on this piece is this: that it is extremely "learned, but that the author of it is better read in the "Greek than in the English poets; that all writers ought "to study this critique, as the best account I have ever "seen of the ancients; that the model of tragedy, he has "here given, is excellent, and extremely correct; but that "it is not the only model of all tragedy, because it is too "much circumscribed in plot, characters, &c. and, lastly, "that we may be taught here justly to admire and imitate "the ancients, without giving them the preference with "this author, in prejudice to our own country.

"Want of method in this excellent treatise makes the "thoughts of the author sometimes obscure.

"His meaning, that pity and terrour are to be moved, "is, that they are to be moved as the means conducing the ends of tragedy, which are pleasure and instruc❝tion.

to

"And these two ends may be thus distinguished. The "chief end of the poet is to please; for his immediate 66 reputation depends on it.

"The great end of the poem is to instruct, which is per

"formed by making pleasure the vehicle of that instruc"tion; for poesy is an art, and all arts are made to profit. "Rapin.

"The pity, which the poet is to labour for, is for the "criminal, not for those or him whom he has murdered, "or who have been the occasion of the tragedy. The ter"rour is likewise in the punishment of the same criminal, "who, if he be represented too great an offender, will not "be pitied; if altogether innocent, his punishment will be “unjust.

"Another obscurity is, where he says, Sophocles per"fected tragedy by introducing the third actor: that is, "he meant three kinds of action; one company singing, "or speaking; another playing on the musick; a third "dancing.

"To make a true judgment in this competition betwixt "the Greek poets and the English, in tragedy;

"Consider, first, how Aristotle has defined a tragedy. "Secondly, what he assigns the end of it to be. Thirdly, "what he thinks the beauties of it. Fourthly, the means ❝to attain the end proposed.

"Compare the Greek and English tragick poets justly "and without partiality, according to those rules.

"Then, secondly, consider whether Aristotle has made "a just definition of tragedy; of its parts, of its ends, and "of its beauties; and whether he, having not seen any "others but those of Sophocles, Euripides, &c. had or "truly could determine what all the excellencies of tragedy "are, and wherein they consist.

"Next, shew in what ancient tragedy was deficient: "for example, in the narrowness of its plots, and fewness "of persons; and try whether that be not a fault in the "Greek poets; and whether their excellency was so great, "when the variety was visibly so little; or whether what they did was not very easy to do.

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"Then make a judgment on what the English have "added to their beauties: as, for example, not only more

plot, but also new passions; as, namely, that of love, "scarcely touched on by the ancients, except in this one "example of Phædra, cited by Mr. Rymer; and in that "how short they were of Fletcher!

"Prove also that love, being an heroick passion, is fit

"for tragedy, which cannot be denied, because of the ex"ample alleged of Phædra; and how far Shakspeare has "outdone them in friendship, &c.

"To return to the beginning of this enquiry; consider "if pity and terrour be enough for tragedy to move: and "I believe, upon a true definition of tragedy, it will be "found that its work extends farther, and that it is to "reform manners, by a delightful representation of human "life in great persons, by way of dialogue. If this be "true, then not only pity and terrour are to be moved, as "the only means to bring us to virtue, but generally love "to virtue, and hatred to vice; by shewing the rewards of "one, and punishments of the other; at least, by render"ing virtue always amiable, though it be shewn unfor"tunate; and vice detestable, though it be shewn tri"umphant.

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"If, then, the encouragement of virtue and discourage "ment of vice be the proper ends of poetry in tragedy, pity and terrour, though good means, are not the only. "For all the passions, in their turns, are to be set in a "ferment; as joy, anger, love, fear, are to be used as the poet's common-places; and a general concernment for "the principal actors is to be raised, by making them ap66 pear such in their characters, their words, and actions, 66 as will interest the audience in their fortunes.

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"And if, after all, in a larger sense, pity comprehends "this concernment for the good, and terrour includes "detestation for the bad, then let us consider whether the "English have not answered this end of tragedy as well as "the ancients, or perhaps better.

"And here Mr. Rymer's objections against these plays " are to be impartially weighed, that we may see whether "they are of weight enough to turn the balance against "our countrymen.

""Tis evident those plays, which he arraigns, have "moved both those passions in a high degree upon the

"stage.

"To give the glory of this away from the poet, and to "place it upon the actors, seems unjust.

"One reason is, because whatever actors they have "found, the event has been the same; that is, the same "passions have been always moved; which shews that

"there is something of force and merit in the plays them"selves, conducing to the design of raising these two pas❝sions; and suppose them ever to have been excellently "acted, yet action only adds grace, vigour, and more life, "upon the stage; but cannot give it wholly where it is not "first. But, secondly, I dare appeal to those who have never seen them acted, if they have not found these two "passions moved within them: and if the general voice "will carry it, Mr. Rymer's prejudice will take off his "single testimony.

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"This, being matter of fact, is reasonably to be esta"blished by this appeal; as, if one man says it is night, "when the rest of the world conclude it to be day, there "needs no farther argument against him, that it is so.

"If he urge, that the general taste is depraved, his "arguments to prove this can at best but evince that our

poets took not the best way to raise those passions; but "experience proves against him, that those means, which "they have used, have been successful, and have produced "them.

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"And one reason of that success is, in my opinion, "this; that Shakspeare and Fletcher have written to the genius of the age and nation in which they lived; for "though nature, as he objects, is the same in all places, "and reason too the same; yet the climate, the age, the 66 disposition of the people, to whom a poet writes, may be 66 so different, that what pleased the Greeks, would not satisfy an English audience.

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"And if they proceed upon a foundation of truer reason "to please the Athenians, than Shakspeare and Fletcher "to please the English, it only shews that the Athenians were a more judicious people; but the poet's business is certainly to please the audience.

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"Whether our English audience have been pleased "hitherto with acorns, as he calls it, or with bread, is the "next question; that is, whether the means which Shakspeare and Fletcher have used, in their plays, to raise "those passions before named, be better applied to the ends "by the Greek poets than by them. And perhaps we shall "not grant him this wholly: let it be yielded that a writer "is not to run down with the stream, or to please the "people by their usual methods, but rather to reform their