ful mirrour appear beautiful, or if it appear deformed, the mirrour ought neither to be praised nor blamed. It does not make the object; it only fhews it. It was my first intention to have given a complete tranflation of Advice to a young poet. I have fince found, that the author has foreftalled me by inferting in his Letters * feveral extracts from his Italian book. It would be an impofition on the public to offer them as new what they already know. The digreffion on Shakspeare and the paffages which I have juft quoted are the only interesting parts of this little work, which Mr. Sherlock has not introduced in his Letters. * Volume II; of which an English translation was printed, for the author, by Mr. Nichols. A FRAG T is the who was thy book, O Shakspeare; it is fhe who was thy ftudy day and night; it is fhe from whom thou haft drawn thofe beauties which are at once the glory and delight of thy nation, Thou wert the eldest fon, the darling child, of Nature; and, like thy mother, enchanting, aftonishing, fublime, graceful, thy variety is inexhaustible. Always original, always new, thou art the only prodigy which Nature has produced. Homer was the first of men, but thou art more than man. The reader who thinks this elogium extravagant is a stranger to my fubject. To say that Shakspeare had the imagination of Dantè, and the depth of Machiavel, would be a * The work from which it is taken is mentioned by Mr. Sherlock, in Letter xx, vol. I, weak 14 A FRAGMENT weak encomium: he had them, and more. To fay that he poffeffed the terrible graces of Michael Angelo, and the amiable graces of Correggio, would be a weak encomium: he had them, and more. To the brilliancy of Voltaire he added the strength of Demofthenes; and to the fimplicity of La Fontaine, the majefty of Virgil.-But, fay you, we have never feen fuch "a being." You are in the right; Nature made it, and broke the mould. The merits of this poet are so extraordinary, that the man, who should speak of them with the most rigid truth, would seem to the highest degree extravagant. But what fignifies what I feem, if really I be true? I will therefore fay, because a more certain truth was never faid; Shakspeare possessed, in the highest degree of perfection, all the most excellent talents of all the writers that I bave ever known. "Horace," fays Bacon, " is the most popular of all "the poets of antiquity, because he contains most ob"fervations applicable to the business of human life." Shakspeare contains more of them than Horace. One of the chief merits of the Greek tragic poets (principally of Euripides) is, that they abound with morality. Shakspeare has more morality than they. Dramatic poetry is a picture made to be seen at a certain point of view. This point of fight is the theatre. Moliere, who was an actor, had occafion, when he was on the stage, to obferve the effects produced during the representation. This advantage is one of the reasons of Moliere's being fuperior in theatric effect to all the comic actors of his nation. Shakspeare had the fame advantage: he was alfo an actor; and in that perspective perspective of poetry (if I may be allowed the expreffion) Shakspeare is equal to Moliere. Other poets have made men speak by means of words: Shakspeare alone has made filence speak *. Othello, a man of a noble heart, but violent to an extreme, deceived by a villain, thinks that his wife, whom he adores, is unfaithful to him, and kills her. In fuch a fituation another poet would have made Othello fay; Good God! what a punishment! what miferies are equal to mine!-Shakspeare petrifies his Othello; he becomes a ftatue motionless and dumb. Tacitus and Machiavel together could not have painted nor fupported the character of a villain better than that of Iägo. What is a poet, if he be ftripped of his language and harmony? See then what Shakspeare is, deprived of these advantages. (He is fpeaking of two princes.) They are foft as the Zephyrs which blow on the violet without moving its fragrant head; but, when their royal blood is kindled, they are furious as the ftorm which feizes by the top the mountain pine, and makes it bend down to the valley. With other poets a fimile is a principal beauty: in Shakspeare the most beautiful fimiles are frequently loft in a croud of fuperior beauties. I will explain myfelf. Whoever has obferved Nature knows, that, when a man of courage is once provoked, he endeavours to *Surely not alone, when we recollect the expreffive filence of the ghoft of Ajax in the Odyffey, imitated by Virgil in his Dido; both which have been always justly admired. A differtation on the latter, by the earl of Corke, was printed in the paper called The Old Maid, 1755. English Translator. strengthen |