lord it over the imaginations of others. But that when an author "writes a tragedy, who knows he has neither genius nor judgment, he has recourse to the making a party, and he endeavours to make up in in"dustry what is wanting in talent, and to supply by poetical craft the "absence of poetical art; that such an author is humbly contented to "raise men's passions by a plot without doors, since he despairs of doing it by that which he brings upon the stage. That party and passion, " and prepossession, are clamorous and tumultuous things, and so much "the more clamorous and tumultuous by how much the more erroneous: "that they domineer and tyrannize over the imaginations of persons

who want judgment, and sometimes too of those who have it; and, "like a fierce and outrageous torrent, bear down all opposition before " them."

He then condemns the neglect of poetical justice; which is always one of his favourite principles.

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"Tis certainly the duty of every tragick poet, by the exact distribution of poetical justice, to imitate the Divine Dispensation, and to inculcate "a particular Providence. 'Tis true, indeed, upon the stage of the world, the wicked sometimes prosper, and the guiltless suffer. But that is permitted by the Governor of the world, to shew, from the attribute of his "infinite justice, that there is a compensation in futurity, to prove the im"mortality of the human soul, and the certainty of future rewards and pu"nishments. But the poetical persons in tragedy exist no longer than the 56 reading, or the representation; the whole extent of their entity is circum"scribed by those; and therefore, during that reading or representation,

according to their merits or demerits, they must be punished or rewarded. "If this is not done, there is no impartial distribution of poetical justice, "no instructive lecture of a particular Providence, and no imitation of the "Divine Dispensation. And yet the author of this tragedy, does not only "run counter to this, in the fate of his principal character; but every "where, throughout it, makes virtue suffer, and vice triumph: for not "only Cato is vanquished by Cæsar, but the treachery and perfidiousness of Syphax prevail over the honest simplicity and the credulity of Juba; and "the sly subtlety and dissimulation of Portius over the generous frankness "and open-heartedness of Marcus."

Whatever pleasure there may be in seeing crimes punished and virtue rewarded, yet, since wickedness often prospers in real life, the poet is certainly at liberty to give it prosperity on the stage. For if poetry has an imitation of reality, how are its laws broken by exhibiting the world in its true form? The Stage may sometimes gratify our wishes; but, if it be truly the "mirror of life," it ought to shew us sometimes what we are to expect.

Den:

Dennis objects to the tharacters, that they are not natural, or reasona❤ ble; but as heroes and heroines are not beings that are seen every day, it is hard to find upon what principles their conduct shall be tried. It is, however, not useless to consider what he says of the manner in which Cato receives the account of his son's death.

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"Nor is the grief of Cato, in the fourth act, one jot more in nature than "that of his son and Lucia in the third. Cato receives the news of his "son's death not only with dry eyes, but with a sort of satisfaction; and "in the same page sheds tears for the calamity of his country, and does "the same thing in the next page upon the bare apprehension of the danger "of his friends. Now, since the love of one's country is the love of one's countrymen, as I have shewn upon another occasion, I desire to ask these "questions: Of all our countrymen, which do we love most, those whom we know, or those whom we know not? And of those whom we know, "which do we cherish most, our friends or our enemies? And of our friends, "who are the dearest to us, those who are related to us, or those who "are not? And of all our relations, for which have we most tenderness, "for those who are near to us, or for those who are remote? And of our near relations, which are the nearest, and consequently the dearest to us, our offspring or others? Our offspring, most certainly; as nature, or in "other words providence, has wisely contrived for the preservation of man"kind. Now, does it not follow, for what has been said, that for a man. "to receive the news of his son's death with dry eyes, and to weep at the "same time for the calamities of his country, is a wretched affectation, and "a miserable inconsistency? Is not that, in plain English, to receive with "dry eyes the news of the deaths of those for whose sake our country is a name so dear to us, and at the same time to shed tears for those for whose "sakes our country is not a name so dear to us?"

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But this formidable assailant is less resistable when he attacks the probability of the action, and the reasonableness of the plan. Every critical reader must remark, that Addison has, with a scrupulosity almost unexampled on the English stage, confined himself in time to a single day, and in place to rigorous unity. The scene never changes, and the whole action of the play passes in the great hall of Cato's house at Utica. Much therefore is done in the hall, for which any other place had been more fit; and this impropriety affords Dennis many hints of merriment, and opportunities of triumph. The passage is long; but as such disquisitions are not common, and the objections are skilfully formed and vigorously urged, those who delight in critical controversy will not think it tedious.

"Upon the departure of Portius, Sempronius makes but one soliloquy, "and immediately in comes Syphax, and then the two politicians are at

Vol. I.

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"it immediately. They lay their heads together, with their snuff-boxes in their hands, as Mr. Bayes has it, and feague it away. But, in the midst "of that wise scene, Syphax seems to give a seasonable caution to Sem"pronius:

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"There is a great deal of caution shewn indeed, in meeting in a governor's town hall to carry on their plot against him. Whatever opinion they have. "of his eyes, I suppose they had none of his ears, or they would never *have talked at this foolish rate so near:

"Gods thou must be cautious.

Oh! yes, very cautious: for if Cato should overhear you, and turn you "off for politicians, Caesar would never take you; no, Cæsar would never

<< take you.

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"When Cato, Act II. turns the senators out of the hall, under pretence of acquainting Juba with the result of their debates, he appears to me to do a thing which is neither reasonable nor civil. Juba might certainly have better been made acquainted with the result of that debate in some private apartment of the palace. But the poet was driven upon this absurdity to make way for another; and that is, to give Juba an- opportutunity to demand Marcia of her father. But the quarrel and rage of Juba and Syphax, in the same Act, the invectives of Syphax against the "Romans and Cato; the advice that he gives Juba, in her father's hall, to bear away Marcia by force; and his brutal and clamorous rage upon his refusal, and at a time when Cato was scarce out of sight, and perhaps "not out of hearing, at least, some of his guards or domesticks must necessarily be supposed to be within hearing; is a thing that is so far from being probable, that it is hardly possible.

..

"Sempronius, in the second Act, comes back once more in the same "morning to the governor's hall, to carry on the conspiracy with Syphax "against the governor, his country, and his family; which is so stupid, that "it is, below the wisdom of the O-'s, the Mac's, and the Teague's; even "Eustace Commins himself would never have gone to Justice-hall, to have "conspired against the government. If officers at Portsmouth should lay "their heads together, in order to the carrying off JG's niece or

The person meant by the initials J. G. is Sir John Gibson, Lieutenant-Governor of Portsmouth in the year 1710, and afterwards. He was much beloved in the army, and by the common soldiers called johnry Gibson. H.

daughter,

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daughter, would they meet in J- G-'s hall, to carry on that conspiracy "There would be no necessity for their meeting there, at least till they came. "to the execution of their plot, because there would be other places to meet. "in. There would be no probability that they should meet there, because." "there would be places more private and more commodious. Now there "ought to be nothing in a tragical action but what is necessary or pro

"bable.

"But treason is not the only thing that is carried on in this hall: that, " and love, and philosophy, take their turn in it, without any manner of necessity or probability occasioned by the action, as duly and as regularly, "without interrupting one another, as if there were a triple league between "them, and a mutual agreement that each should give place to and make way for the other, in a due and orderly succession.

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"We now come to the third Act. Sempronius, in this Act, comes into "the governor's hall, with the leaders of the mutiny: but as soon as Cato " is gone, Sempronius, who but just before had acted like an unparallel'd "knave, discovers himself like an egregious fool, to be an accomplice in "the conspiracy.

"Semp. Know, villains, when such paltry slaves presume

"To mix in treason, if the plot succeeds,

"They're thrown neglected by'; but, if it fails,"

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They're sure to die like dogs, as you shall do.

Here, take these factious monsters, drag them forth "To sudden death

'Tis true, indeed, the second leader says, there are none there but friends; but is that possible at such a juncture? Can a parcel of rogues attempt, <to assassinate the governor of a town of war, in his own house, at mid"day, and, after they are discovered and defeated, can there be none near << them but friends? Is it not plain from these words of Sempronius,

"and, from the entrance of the guards upon the word of command, that "those guards were within ear-shot? Behold Sempronius then palpably "discovered. How comes it to pass, then, that, instead of being hanged. with the rest, he remains secure in the governor's hall, and there "carries on his conspiracy against the government, the third time in the Ss 2

Сс same

same day, with his old comrade Syphax, who enters at the same time "that the guards are carrying away the leaders, big with the news of the "defeat of Sempronius; though where he had his intelligence so soon is "difficult to imagine? And now the reader may expect a very extraordinary "scene: thers is not abundance of spirit indeed, nor a great deal of passion, "but there is wisdom more than enough to supply all defects.

Syph. Our first design, my friend, has prov'd abortive;

"Still there remains an after-game to play :

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My troops are mounted, their Numidian steeds
"Snuff up the winds, and long to scour the desart;
"Let but Sempronious lead us in our flight,
"We'll force the gate, where Marcus keeps his guard,
، And hew down all that would oppose our passage ;
"A day will bring us into Cæsar's camp.

"Semp. Confusion! I have fail'd of half my purpose i
"Marcia, the charming Marcia's left behind.

"Well! but though he tells us the half purpose he has failed of, he does ર not tell us the half that he has carried. But what does he mean by

"Marcia, the charming Marcia's left behind?..

"He is now in her own house; and we have neither seen her nor heard of "her any where else since the play began. But now let us hear Syphax:

"Eut what does old Syphax mean by finding her out? They talk as if she were as hard to be found as a hare in a frosty morning.

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"Semp. But how to gain admission!

"Oh! she is found out then, it seems.

.

“ But how to gain admission ! for access

Is giv'n to none, but Juba and her brothers.

But, raillery apart, why access to Juba? For he was owned and received "as a lover neither by the father nor by the daughter. Well! but let that pass. Syphax puts Sempronius out of pain immediately; and, being a "Numidian, abounding in wiles, supplies him with a stratagem for admis"sion, that, I believe, is a non-pareille :

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Syph. Thou shalt have Juba's dress, and Juba's guards;

"The doors will open, when Numidia's prince

"Seems to appear before them.

"Sempronius