What has the French writer done in this cafe? he dares not introduce fuch a number of perfonages on the fcene, and is therefore obliged to make Renaud, under the name of Rutilus, repeat a small part of this speech which, he says,. he had before made to the confpirators. You conceive from this very account, how much fuperior the English drama must be to the French, though Otway's play should be, in other respects, monstrous.

With how much pleasure I faw in London your tragedy of Julius Caefar, which has been the delight of your nation for a century and a half paft! I do not indeed pretend to approve the barbarous irregularities with which it abounds. It is only furprizing that there are not still greater defects in a work, wrote in an age of igno. rance, by a man who did not even understand Latin, and whofe only master was his genius *.

*This notion hath been abundantly refuted. The present bishop of Gloucefter has ftrongly contended for Shakefpear's learning, and has produced many imitations and parallel paffages with antient authors.

I am inclined, fays Mr. Pope, to think this opinion proceeded originally from the zeal of the partizans of our author and Ben Johnson; as they endeavoured to exalt the one at the expence of the other. It is ever the nature of parties to be in extremes; and nothing is fo probable, as that because Ben Johnson had much the moft learning, it was faid on the one hand, that Shakespear had none at all; and because Shakespear had much the moft wit and fancy, it was retorted on the other, that Johnfon wanted both. Pref. to Mr. Pope's Edit. of Shakespear.

But amidst so many grofs faults, with what ecftacy did I fee Brutus ftill holding the poynard stained with the blood of Caefar! and having affembled the Roman people, addressing himself to them in the following manner:

Cen

"Romans, countrymen, and friends! hear for my cause; and be filent, that you may hear. Believe me for mine honour, and have respect to mine honour, that you may believe. fure me in your wisdom, and awake your fenfes that you may the better judge. If there be any in this affembly, any dear friend of Caefar's, to him I say, that Brutus's love to Caefari was no lefs than his. If then that friend demand, why Brutus rose against Caefar, this is my anfwer: not that I loved Caefar less, but that I loved Rome more. Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all flaves; than that Caefar were dead, to live all freemen? As Caefar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice. at it; as he was valiant, I honour him; but as he was ambitious, I flew him. There are tears for his love, joy for his fortune, honour for his valour, and death for his ambition. Who is here fo base, that would be a boundman? If any, fpeak; for him have I offended. Who is here fo rude, that would not be a Roman? If any, fpeak; for him have I offended. Who is here fo vile, that will not love his country? If any, fpeak; for him have I offended.

-I pause

Then none have I offended

I have done no more to Caefar than you fhall do to Brutus. The question of his death is enrolled in the capitol; his glory not extenuated, wherein he was worthy; nor his for which he fuffered death.

offences enforced, Here comes

his body, mourned by Mark Antony: who, though he had no hand in his death, fhall receive the benefit of his dying, a place in the common-wealth; as which of you shall not? with this I depart, that as I flew my beft lover for the good of Rome, I have the fame dagger for myself, when it shall please my country to need my death.

Live, Brutus, live!"

Romans.

After this fcene, Mark Antony comes to raise the compaffion of the very Romans, in whom Brutus had just inspired all his fternnefs and inhumanity. Antony, by an artful oration, brings back infenfibly these proud minds; and when they are softened into pity, then he difcovers to them the corps of Caefar; and by a difplay of the most pathetic expreffions, and most moving complaints, he stirs them up to mutiny and revenge.

Perhaps the French would not fuffer upon the ftage a chorus compofed of Roman plebeians and artizans: or the bloody corps of Caefar exposed to the eyes of the multitude; and, that multitude provoked to revenge from the roftrum. It is custom alone, the governor of the world, that can change the tafte of nations, and turn

into entertainment what was before the object of

their antipathy.

The Greeks have hazarded fpectacles which would not be lefs difagreeable to us.

Hypolitus, fhattered by his fall, comes on the stage to count his wounds, and to utter doleful cries. Philoctetus falls into his melancholy fits, and blackish blood gushes from his fores.

Oedipus,

after pulling out his eyes, enters, yet bloody, on the stage, inveighing against gods and men. The moans of Clitemneftra are heard by the spectators whilst her own fon is murdering her, and her daughter Electra encouraging him from the ftage, and faying, " ftrike, do not fpare her; "fhe did not spare our father." Prometheus is bound to the rocks with nails which are drove into his body and limbs. The furies answer the bloody ghost of Clitemneftra with howling and confufed noife. Several Greek tragedies, in a word, are full of this kind of terror pushed to the greatest excess,

I am convinced, the tragic writers of Greece, in other refpects, fuperior to the English, have miftook horror for terror, and what is really loathfome and incredible, for the tragical and marvellous. The art was in its infancy at Athens in the time of Æfchylus, as it was in London in Shakespear's time; but among the glaring faults of the Grecian poets, and, even of yours, we find a true pathos, and many extraordinary beauties; and if fome Frenchmen, who are acquainted with foreign manners, only by translators or by hear-fay, condemn them with

B

out reftriction; they may be compared, methinks, to those blind men who infift, that the

rofe cannot have lively colours, because they feel the thorns, as they grope along

But as the Greeks, and especially the Eng lifh, have paffed the bounds of decency, and given fpectacles which are really horrible, when they only meant them to be terrible; we Frenchmen on the other hand, as backward as you have been bold, ftopt too foon for fear of going too far, and some times do not arrive at the tragic point, left we should pafs its limits.

I am far fron propofing that the ftage fhould become a scene of flaughter and deftruction, as it is in Shakespear and in his fucceffors; who, not being poffeffed of his genius, have only imitated his faults; but I dare affert, that there are situations which now appear difagreeable and horrible to the French, which, if they were well conducted, and artfully represented, and, especially, if foftened by the charms of fine poetry, would create a kind of pleafure, of which, we have not, at prefent, the least conception.

*Il n'eft point de ferpent ni de monftre odieux. Qui par l'art imité ne puiffe plaire aux yeux.

Boileau.

*The most hideous monfters, when nicely imitat ed by art, may be made pleafing to the eye.

Monfieur de Voltaire, in most of the paffages which he quotes from English poets, tranflates them into profe. If fuch a poetic genius did not think fit to tranflate into verfe what was in verfe in the o+iginal; how much more juftifiable and proper muft