To impofe on the audience, with respect to the unity of place, there is an artificial contrivance of scenes. For my own part, I fee no great harm likely to accrue to the understanding, in thus accompanying the poet in his magical operations, and in helping on an innocent deceit; while he not only, raises or fooths the paffions, but transports me from place to place, juft as it pleases him, and carries on the thread of his ftory. This perpetual varying and shifting the scene, is a conftant cause of offence to many who set up for admirers of the ancients. Johnson, who thought In his prologue to Every man in his humour. Sir Philip Sydney, in his defence of poefie, has the following no bad remark. "Our tragedies and comedies, not with"out caufe cried out against, obferving rules neither of "honeft civilitie, nor fkilful poetrie. Excepting Gorbo" ducke (againe I say of those that I have seene) which "notwithstanding, as it is full of stately speeches, and well "founding phrases, climing to the height of Seneca his “stile, and as full of notable moralitie, which it doth most delightfully teach, and so obtaine the very end of poefie. "Yet in truth it is very defectuous in the circumstances, "which grieves me, because it might not remaine as an "exact modell of all tragedies. For it is faultie both in place and time, the two neceffarie companions of all corporal actions. For where the stage should alway repre 66 ❝ fent thought it a poetical fin to tranfgrefs the rules of the Grecians, and old Romans, has this glance at his friend Shakespeare. To "fent but one place; and the uttermoft time prefuppofed " in it should bee, both by Aristotle's precept, and common "reason, but one day; there are both many days, and "many places inartificially imagined. But if it be fo in "Gorboducke, how much more in all the reft? where you fhall have Afia of the one fide and Affricke on the other, "and fo many other under-kingdoms, that the plaier when "he comes in, must ever begin with telling where he is, or "else the tale will not be conceived. Now fhall you have "three ladies walke to gather flowers, and then we muft "beleeve the stage to bee a garden. By and by we heare "news of shipwracke in the fame place, then wee are to "blame if we accept it not for a rocke. Upon the backe of "that comes out a hideous monster with fire and smoke, " and then the miserable beholders are bound to take it for a cave: while in the mean time two armies flie in, repre" fented with foure fwordes and bucklers, and then what "hard heart will not receive it for a pitched field? Now of "time they are much more liberal: for ordinarie it is, that "two young princes fall in love; after many traverses shee "is is got with childe, delivered of a faire boy, hee is loft, "groweth a man, falleth in love, and is ready to get another "childe; and all this in two houres fpace: which how "abfurd it is in sense, even sense may imagine. *** But " befides thefe groffe abfurdities, how all their playes bee "neither right tragedies, nor right comedies, mingling kings and clownes, not because the matter fo carrieth it, To make a child now fwaddled to proceed And again in his play, Every man out of his humour: Mit. How comes it then, that in fome one play we fee fo many feas, countryes and kingdoms, paft over with fuch admirable dexteritie? "but thrust in the clowne by head and shoulders to play a "part in majesticall matters, with neither decency nor dif"cretion: fo as neither the admiration and commiferation, "nor the right sportfulnesse, is by their mongrell tragicomedy obtained. *** I know the ancients have one "or two examples of tragicomedies, as Plautus hath Amphitrio. But if we marke them well, we shall finde "that they never, or very daintily match horne-pipes and funerals. *** The whole tract of a comedie fhould be "full of delight, as the tragedie should be still maintained "in a well raised admiration." 4 Sefquipedalia verba. Hor. Art. Poet. . 97. 5 Those three plays relating the hiftory of K. Henry VI. are much the worft of Shakespeare's plays.. 6 In Shakespeare's K. Henry V. Cor. Cor. O, that but fhews how well the authours can travaile in their vocation, and out-runne the apprehenfion of their auditory. Whether the unity of time and place is fo neceffary to the drama, as fome are pleased to require, I cannot determine; but this is certain, the duration should seem uninterrupted, and the story ought to be one. A SECT. X. S dramatic poetry is the imitation of an action, and as there can be no action but what proceeds from the manners and the fentiments; manners and fentiments are its effential parts; and the former come next to be confidered, as the fource and cause of action. 'Tis action that makes us happy or miserable; and 'tis manners, whereby the characters, the various inclinations, and genius of the perfons are marked and distinguished. There are four things to be obferved in manners. I I. That they be good. Not only strongly marked and distinguished, but good in a moral fenfe, as far forth as the character will allow. η Ἓν μὲν καὶ πρῶτον ὅπως χρησα ᾖ. Ariftot. πες, ποιητ. xấp, so A Thais of Menander was as moral, as you could fuppofe a courtefan to be; and fo were all Menander's characters, as we may judge from his tranflator Terence. They were good in a moral, common, and ordinary acceptation of the word, not in a high philosophical fenfe. In Homer, the parent of all poetry, the angry, the inexorable Achilles has valour, friendship, and a contempt of death. In Virgil, the truest of his copyers, even Mezentius, the cruel and atheistical tyrant, finely opposed to the pious Aeneas, when he refolves not to furvive his beloved fon Laufus, raises some kind of pity in the reader's breast, Imo in corde PUDOR, miftoque infania luctu, Et furiis agitatus AMOR, et CONSCIA VIRTUS. Milton would not paint the Devil without fome moral virtues; he has not only valour and conduct, but even compaffionate concern, 3 Thrice be allay'd, and thrice in fpight of Scorn Tears fuch as Angels weep, burft forth. and prefers the general caufe, to his own safety and ease. 2 Virgil. Aen. X, 870. I 3 Milt, Par. 1. I, 619. |