believe, it was made for any thing but a masquerade frolic. Poets who mean to please posterity, thould therefore work as Painters, not as Taylors, and give us peculiar features, rather than fantastic habits: but where there is fuch a prodigious variety of well-drawn portraits as in this play, we may excuse one piece of mere drapery, especially when exhibited to expose an abfurd and troublesome fashion.

Mine hoftefs Quickly is of a fpecies not extinct. It may be faid, the author there finks from comedy to farce, but she helps to compleat the character of Falstaffe, and fome of the dialogues in which the is engaged are diverting. Every scene in which Doll Tearsheet appears is indecent, and therefore not only indefenfible but inexcufable. There are delicacies of decorum in one age unknown to another age, but whatever is immoral is equally blamable in all ages, and every approach to obfcenity is an offence for which wit cannot atone, nor

the

the barbarity or the corruption of the times excuse.

Having confidered the characters of this piece, I cannot pass over the conduct of it without taking notice of the peculiar felicity, with which the fable unfolds itself from the very beginning,

The first scenes give the outlines of the characters, and the argument of the drama. Where is there an instance of any opening of a play equal to this? And I think I did not rafhly affert, that it is one of the most difficult parts of the dramatic art; for that furely may be allowed fo, in which the greatest masters have very feldom fucceeded. Euripides is not very happy in this refpect. Iphigenia in Tauris begins by telling to herself, in a pretty long foliloquy, who fhe is, and all that happened to her at Aulis. As Ariftotle gives this play the highest praise, we may be affured it did not in any respect offend the Greek tafte: and Boileau not injudiciously prefers this

fimple

fimple expofition, deftitute as it is of any grace, to the perplexed and tedious declamation of the modern stage.

Que dés les premiers vers l'action préparée,
Sans peine, du fujet applaniffe l'entrée,,

Je me ris d'un acteur, qui lent à s'exprimer,
De ce qu'il veut, d'abord ne fait pas m'informer ;
Et qui, debrouillant mal une pénible intrigue,
D'un divertiffement me fait une fatigue.
J'aimerois mieux encor qu'il déclinât fon nom,
Et dit, Je fuis Orefte, ou bien Agamemnon :
Que d'aller par un tas de confufes merveilles,
Sans rien dire à l'efprit, etourdir les oreilles.

That the fimplicity of Euripides is preferable to the perplexity or bombaft of Corneille's manner in developing the story of feveral of his tragedies, no perfon of just taste I believe will difpute. The first scene of the Cinna has been ridiculed by Boileau. That of Sertorius is not very happy. His famous play of Rodogune is opened by two unknown perfons, one of whom begins, Enfin ce jour pompeux, cet heureux jour, nous luit;

and

and, after un tas de confufes merveilles iti the most wretched verfe, extended to the length of feventy lines, when the reader very impatiently expects to be informed of the whole of the narration, ftops fhort with these words,

Je vous acheverai le refte une autre fois.

Two brothers united by the most tender friendship, living in the fame palace, having been long in love with the fame princess, have never yet intimated their paffion to each other, not from motives of jealoufy or distrust, but that their confidents may tell it the spectator, and make him fome amends for the abrupt conclufion of the former converfation. However, ftill the poor fpectator is much in the dark, till the queen, who is a perfect Machiavel, relates, merely from the love of talking, all the murders the has committed, and thofe fhe still intends to commit, to her waiting woman, for whose parts she expreffes at the same time a fovereign contempt.

Here

Here I cannot help taking notice, that as the poet's want of art made it neceffary to fet the queen to prate of her former crimes, to let us into the fable; his ignorance of human nature betrayed him in a fucceeding scene, into the enormous abfurdity of making both Rodogune and the queen without hesitation, the one advise the lover to murder his mistress, the other the fon to murder his mother. Here again an instance offers itself of our Shakespear's fuperior knowledge of the heart of man. King John wishes to instigate Hubert to kill Prince Arthur, but obferve with what difficulty he expreffes his horrid purpose.

King JOHN.

Come hither, Hubert. O my gentle Hubert,
We owe thee much; within this wall of flesh
There is a foul counts thee her creditor,
And with advantage means to pay thy love;
And, my good friend, thy voluntary oath
Lives in this bofom, dearly cherished.
Give me thy hand, I had a thing to fay-
But I will fit it with fome better time.

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