death appears moft eminent when we are able to meet it with the greatest tranquility. We owe too much refpect to the players, for whose fake we have given these hints, to expose their errors in paffages, where they have fail'd in the common way: to have applaufe at prefent is not always a proof that one deserves it; and perhaps these parallel inftances may give occafion to our feeing two of the greatest characters on the ftage play'd infinitely more to the fatisfaction of every body that is worth pleafing, by those whom we are fure, if the alternative be offer'd them, wou'd chufe to deferve applaufe rather than to have it. In confequence of thefe obfervations, we flatter ourfelves that we fhall be allow'd what has been advanced in the former parts of this treatife, that an elevation of fentiments is a neceffary condition to the playing tragedy well; and that no one will ever act a great man with fuccefs, who has not himself a great foul. An actor who has not an elevated mind will be fo far from having the power to use the contrafts we have been recommending, that he will never be able to conceive or understand them. How fhou'd he, who does not know from his own heart in what manner a heroe wou'd behave in fuch circumftances, know how to represent him as he ought to be pictured? How will he ever be able to make thofe nice dictinctions, that the whole juftice of a character often depends upon, and which the author in vain makes in the fentiment, if the actor does not express them in his deportment? And, in confequence, how will he ever please those who are able to judge? The The judicious performer will find that the avoiding the pomp of what we generally call tragedy-fpeaking, is not only neceflary on these and a thousand other occafions, to give an air of true greatness and dignity to a character; but that there are a great many other instances in which it is of excellent ufe, and will procure him the applause of all who have tafte. Poets are far from being infallible, or incapable of error. Our best tragedies abound with redundant ornaments, which offend the ear of every one who underftands the true fpirit of dramatick writing. Thefe however may be vaftly fhaded by the actor, and the paffages most blameable render'd at leaft paffable, only by this fimplicity in the manner of delivering them. When a profufion of figures are thrown into the mouth of a character, where nature wou'd have dictated nothing but what was fimple and affecting, the more pompoufly fuch falfe beauties are deliver'd, the more they fhock the understanding; and those very paffages which one fees all the judicious faces in the pit frowning upon as they are spoken in many of our favourite plays, if delivered more unaffectedly, and the more glaring foibles funk in the fpeaking, wou'd affuredly pafs without offence; tho' they cou'd never be made to deferve applause. Tho' there are many occafions in which this plain manner of fpeaking has great charms, yet it is to be acknowledg'd that there are many others, in which all the pomp and dignity which the actor is able to bestow upon the words in the delivery of them, is fcarce fufficient. Sometimes by means of mere vehemence, fometimes by means of what we more properly exprefs by N the the word dignity (for there is a wide difference between thefe, tho' the galleries do not always find it out,) the artful player hides the defects of the poet, and gives a feeming meaning to what has really in itself scarce any. The player who is able to examine strictly and critically the dialogue in that part of a tragedy, in which the character he is to reprefent is concern'd; to avoid in his recitation every thing that is faulty in the author, or that is only likely to feem fo to the audience; to hide real blemishes, and to palliate exceptionable paffages; and, in fine, to give a new luftre to the beauties in his part, by a well apply'd energy or by a judicious eafe and fimplicity; will always obtain the valuable character of a player, who understands the fineffe of tragedy. This is the highest applaufe his art can bestow, and which he will have fewer rivals in, than in moft other excellencies that fall in his way: But the acquiring such a reputation is not all that he has to take care of, there must be a conftant fund of merit to sustain it, and in fome scenes of diffimulation the greateft delicacy of turn can hardly preferve it. There are but very few men or women upon the prefent ftage who have the happy talent of uniting, as is neceffary to the fineffe of tragedy, all the majesty of the king, or heroine, to all the addrefs and artifice of the player. We have had occafion, in the course of this work, fometimes to mention the very juftly celebrated Mr. Garrick as inferior to the heroe of another ftage; but we muft do him the juftice to obferve, that when he is upon his guard, no man ever made this difficult combination with fo much fuccefs. There are many parts of King Richard, Richard, in which he excells all the players who ever appeared in that favourite and difficult character, in this nice particular; and in Macbeth there is not a fcene toward the latter end of the play, in which he does not give us inftances of it, that please and charm every body who is able to take in this uncommon as well as eminent beauty. There are indeed few of our performers, who even have the fineffe neceffary to preferve the diftinction between what is properly tragedy, and what, tho' call'd by the fame name, often deferves no other appellation than that of heroic comedy. Perhaps it wou'd be a judicious scheme to adapt a peculiar middle manner between these two, and in that always to play the characters of the modern Heroes in tragedy. We are not to fuppofe the fame dignity and elevation of ftyle neceffary for a Torrifmond, that is for a Brutus; nor wou'd we have an Altamont dehiver himself with the pomp of a Cato. Lord Townley may be deliberate in his speech, and give a great deal of force and energy to fome paffages, but he has no bufinefs to imitate Bajazet or even Tamerlane in his delivery. There is no fault but has alfo its contrary in the oppofite extreme. As we have fome players who pronounce what they have to fay in the fame tone and accent, whether it be a Manly or an Alexander who fpeaks; fo we have fome others who are fo fond of connecting the ideas of antiquity and heroifm together, that put them out of a Greek or Roman habit, and they think they have loft the privilege of fpeaking with dignity. We have very few players who feem at all to comprehend that greatness has as many peculiar manners of expreffion, as tenderness, or any other of the grand characters of tragedy. That among fome nations it has always a rigid and fe. vere air; among others a great deal of lenity and sweetness; and that it fometimes has as much distance between what it is in one man merely in regard to his manner and temper, and another under the fame circumstances, as there is between the times in which they liv'd. No body will queftion but that there is true greatnefs both in the character of Caled, and in that of Eumenes, in the fiege of Damafcus. Yet the real difference between Turkish and Chriftian greatnefs is fo very great, that the actor wou'd play a very contemptible part, who fhou'd in one of them attempt to imitate that fort of dignity which he faw fucceed in the other. The ftage would be greatly more esteemed than it is at prefent, if the generality of our players wou'd apply themselves in earnest to study, not cnly thefe effential differences, but thofe alfo which diftinguifh the fame paffions in people of different countries and of different ages. It is remark'd that on the French ftage, the heroe, be he Greek, Roman or Egyptian, is quite the Frenchman in his air and deportment. It is but justice to acknowledge that in Mr. Quin, Zanga is a Moor, Bajazet a Turk, and Brutus a Roman; but we are afraid that even the best of our actors, after this confummate player, will be cenfur'd for turning heroes of the most distant parts of the earth into very Englishmen. The mifchief has been attempted to be remedied in France, but in vain: An audience of Frenchmen, fond of the |
