mine which of all thofe that offer themfelves to our thoughts is the moft general.

When we obferv'd that the misfortunes of others, are a fort of mirrors, in which we meditate upon the fate ourselves are deftin'd to, wè might have establish'd a distinction; which however may be more advantageously plac'd here, and which will ferve to discover the fource of at least one of thofe pleasures, the origin of which we are to enquire into, on this occafion.

The view of the miferies of others always is painful to us, when thofe miferies are fuch as ourfelves are equally expos'd to with those whom we fee fuffering them; but, on the contrary, we find a fort of confolation in looking upon thofe misfortunes which we fee others labouring under, and which we are convinc'd, by reason and the nature of things, can never fall to our own share. The reprefentation in this cafe gives us pride inftead of humility, and a peculiar kind of pleafure inftead of the common uneafinefs. The fource of all our affections on thefe occafions, is the bringing home to ourfelves, what we see reprefented as the fate of others; and we often receive from this, a fort of comfort in obferving, that people in thofe ftates of life, which are apt to attract our envy, are at times fubject to misfortunes, which our own more humble fituation perfectly and fecurely preferves us from.

We not only are taught by this leffon to bear our private misfortunes with more patience, but we congratulate ourfelves on finding that we are, comparatively to the reft of the world, lefs unhappy than we imagin'd we were.

While the misfortunes of others, however, fo long as they are greater that our own, comfort

us

us with the reflexion that if we are not more happy than we find ourfelves, we might have eafily been lefs fo; it does not follow that we muft neceffarily tafte the beauties of the piece, in order to our afflicting ourselves upon the occafion of the misfortunes of the principal perfon ages of it, when felf-love does not find its account in paying them this tribute..

The heroes whom we fee represented as famous for their misfortunes, have been alfo famous for their uncommon virtues; elfe they had not been heroes. The more we are affected by their fortune, the more we fhew that we underftand the rank and value of their virtues; and we flatter our own pride in being adequate judges of fuch exalted greatnefs. In other cafes, a fenfibility and feeling for the diftreffes of our fellow creatures, when it is conducted by the rules of difcretion, is itself a virtue; and we place our felves in the class of generous and noble fouls by beftowing on the illuftrious unfortunate, that compaffion which is their due.

It is peculiar to the forrow which we exprefs on occafion of theatrical reprefentations, that we grieve and afflict ourselves the more willingly in favour of thofe great and virtuous perfons, who we know beforehand will not long be the objects of this compaffion; when we know that the melancholy we are indulging, will not be of fo long a duration as to become troublesome, but that a happy change in their affairs will foon wipe away their mifery, and all the tears that flow for it.

Are we at a new play in fome degree deceived in this imagination? Does the heroe whofe fortune we have been compaffionating thro' the

piece at length fall a facrifice to injuftice or barbarity? we fet up our felves as judges between him and his enemies. It immediately appears to us, that if our felves had the choice offer'd us, whether we wou'd perifh like the heroe, or triumph like the murderers, we fhou'd not hefitate a moment to take the fuffering part, and we appear great in our own eyes for it.

Perhaps it wou'd be a vain attempt to think of diftinguishing which of thefe feveral caufes moft powerfully influence us in the pleasure we evidently take in being melancholy, and in fheding real tears at a tragedy. It is not improbable that they have their feveral predominancies in different people, and that any one of them becomes the molt or the leaft powerful in its effect, according to the natural turn of mind of the perfon it has to act upon. But we fhall entertain the reader no longer on a difquifition, which is at beft rather curious than important; but pafs to fome other confiderations more immediately relative to our fubject.

What can be the reafon why fome players, as is very often found to be the cafe, are strongly affected, when they hear the author read their parts to them, and yet are very cold and lifelefs when they come to fpeak them themselves? And what can be the reafon of another thing that appears yet more ftrange, that the very fame scene which wou'd draw tears from them if perform'd by any body elfe, fhall fcarce make any impreffion on them while they play it themselves?

It fhould appear that this fingularity is to be attributed in general to the inactivity and fluggifhnefs of thefe players fouls, which are in themelves infenfible to the finer touches of an affec

ting

ting fentiment, and can only be mov'd by what pleads to the external fenfes.

These people are infinitely more ftruck by the tone of voice, than by the fenfe that is exprefs'd by it; and are scarce at all affected by the fituation of the perfon who fpeaks what fo ftrongly affects them. They are not to be roufed, in short, into fenfibility, except a striking manner of delivery tells them that they ought to be fo.

.

There are other perfons in this way of life with whom the odd contrariety we have been fpeaking of, is to be attributed to quite another origin: Namely, to the natural inclination of their hearts, to a ftate of freedom and independance; from which principle they are always influenced to perform that much better which is wholly voluntary, than that which they are enjoin'd to do.

Others fhew all the coldness and infenfibility we are complaining of in their playing, from a much worfe reafon than either of the former, from their being but very badly acquainted with the fenfe and meaning of their parts: These have their minds kept in a continual attention to the remembring what they are to fay next; and as they are wholly taken up with the remembrance of the words, they can never give themfelves up to thofe emotions, which the part of the character they are reprefenting requires, and by means of which alone, they can pleafe any body that is worth pleafing.

Finally, there is yet another caufe for this worst of all faults in playing: we mean the terrors of an audience. This principally affects thofe of the performers, who have not arrived at the happiness of a general applaufe. With thefe the

fear

fear of difpleafing that formidable circle the pit, confounds and renders them unable to exprefs even what they feel very juftly, and have talents to convince us that they do, if they were not thus prevented from exerting them. These players are much in the condition of those boys in a fchool, who with much merit, as is often the cafe, have much diffidence; and whofe timid difpofitions will not permit them to fhew their good qualities before a fevere mafter.

The actreffes have in general been found to fuffer more from this fort of fa'fe modefty than the actors. We do not at all underftand this foible, if we confound it with want of fpirit; for it often has been the ruin of thofe who have not been deficient in that great article, but have thro' this mifchievous backwardnefs and timidity, been wholly incapable of exerting it.

The world will allow, that excellent actrefs Mrs. Pritchard, is as far as any body from wanting fpirit; yet how many years did this bafhful folly confine her to the parts of chambermaids and the heroines of farces, with all the merit that now makes fuch a figure about her; and how were we furpriz'd, when by fome good chance fhe had got the part of Rofalind affign'd her in the reviv'd play of As you like it, to hear her speak with a fpirit and juftice, that none of the then favourites of the ftage cou'd come up to,

Good my complexion, doft thou think that because I am caparifon'd like a man, I have a doublet and hofe in my difpofition-One inch of delay more is a South Sea difcovery-I prithee tell me who it is quickly, and speak apaceI wou'd