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ftudiously beware of making fuch representations of life, as would render virtue an object of averfion.

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Unmixed characters, either of good or ill men, are not in the opinion of Aristotle fit for tragedy. diftreffes of the former, as unmerited, hurt us; fufferings of the latter excite no compaffion. Mixed characters afford the beft field for difplaying, without injury to morals, the viciffitudes of life. They interest us the most deeply; and their diftreffes are most instructive, when reprefented, as fpringing out of their own paffions, or as originating in fome weakness, incident to human nature.

The Greek tragedies are often founded on mere deftiny and inevitable misfortunes. Modern tragedy aims at a higher object, and takes a wider range; as it shows the direful effects of ambition, jealoufy, love, refentment, and of every strong emotion. But of all the paffions, which furnish matter for tragedy, love has moft occupied the modern ftage. To the antient theatre love was almost unknown. This proceeded from the national manners of the Greeks, which encouraged a greater separation of the fexes, than takes place in modern times; and did not admit female actors upon the antient stage; a circumstance, which operated against the introduction of love ftories. No folid reafon however can be affigned for this predominancy of love upon the stage. Indeed it not only limits the natural extent of tragedy, but degrades its majefty. Mixing

it with the great and folemn revolutions of human fortune tends to give tragedy the air of gallantry and juve nile entertainment. Without any affistance from love the drama is capable of producing its higheft effects, upon the mind.

Befide the arrangement of his fubject, and the conduct of his perfonages, the tragic poet must attend to the propriety of his fentiments. These must be fuited to the characters of the perfons, to whom they are attri buted, and to the fituations, in which they are placed. It is chiefly in the pathetic parts, that the difficulty and importance of this rule are greateft. We go to a tragedy, expecting to be moved; and, if the poet cannot reach the heart, he has no tragic merit; and we return cold and disappointed from the performance.

To paint and to excite paffion ftrongly are preroga tives of genius. They require not only ardent fenfibility, but the power of entering deeply into characters. It is here, that candidates for the drama are leaft fuccefsful. A man under the agitation of paffion makes known his feelings in the glowing language of fenfibility. He does not coolly describe, what his feelings are; yet this fort of fecondary description tragic poets often give us inftead of the primary and native language of paffion. Thus in Addifon's Cato, when Lucia confeffes to Portius her love for him, but fwears that she will never marry him; Portius inftead of givA a z

ing way to the language of grief and astonishment only defcribes his feelings;

Fix'd in astonishment, I gaze upon thee,

Like one just blasted by a stroke from heaven,
Who pants for breath, and stiffens yet alive
In dreadful looks; a monument of wrath.

This might have proceeded from a bystander, or am indifferent perfon; but it is altogether improper in the mouth of Portius. Similar to this defcriptive language: · are the unnatural and forced thoughts, which tragic: poets fometimes employ, to exaggerate the feelings of perfons, whom they wish to paint, as ftrongly moved.. Thus, when Jane Shore on meeting her husband in dif trefs, and finding that he had forgiven her, calls on the rains to give her their drops, and to the fprings to lend. her their streams, that the may have a constant fupply of tears; we fee plainly that it is not Jane Shore, that fpeaks; but the poet himfelf, who is ftraining his fancy, and fpurring up his genius, to fay fomething uncommonly strong and lively.

The language of real paffion is always plain and fimple. It abounds indeed in figures, that exprefs a difturbed and impetuous ftate of mind; but never employs any for parade and embellifhment. Thoughts, fuggefted by paffion, are natural and obvious; and not the offspring of refinement, fubtilty, and wit. Paf fion neither reafons, fpeculates, nor declaims; its language is fhort, broken, and interrupted. The French

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tragedians deal too much in refinement and declamation. The Greek tragedians adhere moft to nature, and are most pathetic. This too is the great excellency of Shakespeare. He exhibits the true language of nature and paffion.

Moral fentiments and reflexions ought not to recur very frequently in tragedy. When unfeasonably crowded, they lose their effect, and convey an air of pedantry.. When introduced with propriety, they give dignity to the compofition. Cardinal Wolfey's foliloquy on his fall is a fine inftance of the felicity, with which they may be employed. Much of the merit of Addifon's Cato depends on that moral turn of thought, which distinguishes it.

The ftyle and verfification of tragedy fhould be free, eafy, and varied. English blank verfe is happily fuited to this fpecies of compofition. It has fufficient majefty, and can defcend to the fimple and familiar; it admits a happy variety of cadence, and is free from the con-ftraint and monotony of rhyme. Of the French trage-

dies it is a great misfortune, that they are always in. rhyme. For it fetters the freedom of the tragic dialogue, fills it with a languid monotony, and is fatal to the power of paffion.

With regard to thofe fplendid comparisons in rhyme, and thofe ftrings. of couplets, with which it was fome time ago fashionable to conclude the acts of a tragedy,

and fometimes the most interesting scenes, they are now laid aside, and regarded not only, as childish ornaments, but as perfect barbarisms.

GREEK TRAGEDY.

THE plot of Greek tragedy was exceedingly fimple ;

the incidents few; and the conduct very exact with regard to the unities of action, time, and place. Machinery, or the intervention of gods, was employed; and, what was very faulty, the final unravelling was fometimes made to turn upon it. Love, one or two inftances excepted, was never admitted into Greek tragedy. A vein of morality and religion always runs through it; but they employed less, than the moderns, the combat of the paffions. Their plots were all taken from the antient traditionary stories of their own nation.

Efchylus, the father of Greek tragedy, exhibits both the beauties and defects of an early original writer. He is bold, nervous, and animated; but very obscure, and difficult to be understood. His ftyle is highly metaphorical, and often harfh and tumid. He abounds in martial ideas and descriptions, has much fire and elevation, and little tendernefs. He alfo delights in the

marvellous.

The moft mafterly of the Greek tragedians is Sophocles. He is the most correct in the conduct of his

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