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ferved in painting the natures or difpofitions of men varying with their years.

There is then no occafion for changing the text, with Dr. Bentley, into

Mobilibufque decor, maturis dandus et annis.

179. AUT AGITUR RES IN SCENIS, AUT ACTA REFERTUR, &c.] The connection is this. The misapplication, just now mentioned, deftroys the credibility. This puts the poet in mind of another misconduct, which hath the fame effect, viz. intus digna geri promere in scenam. But, before he makes this obfervation, it was proper to premise a conceffion to prevent mistakes, viz.

Segnius irritant animos, &c.

182. NON TAMEN INTUS DIGNA GERI PROMES IN SCENAM.] I know not a more ftriking example of the tranfgreffion of this rule, than in Seneca's Hippolytus; where Thefeus is made to weep over the mangled members of his fon, which he attempts to put together on the ftage. This, which has fo horrid an appearance in the action, might have been fo contrived, as to have an infinite beauty in the narration; as may be feen from a fimilar inftance in Xenophon's Cyropædia, where Panthea is represented putting together the torn limbs of Abradates.

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185. NE

185. NE PUEROS CORAM POPULO, &c.] Seneca, whom we before [1. 123] saw so folicitous to keep up. to one rule of Horace, here makes no fcruple to tranfgress another. For, in violation of the very letter of this precept, and of all the laws of decency and common fenfe, he represents Medea butchering her children in the face of the people; and, as if this too faintly painted the fury of her character, he further aggravates the cruelty of the execution, with all the horrors of a lingering act. This, feemingly inconsistent, conduct of the poet was, in truth, owing to one and the faine caufe, namely, "The endeavour to fuftain Medea's character." For, wanting true tafte to difcern the exact boundaries which nature had prescribed to the human character, or true genius to fupport him. in a due prefervation of it, he, as all bad writers use, for fear of doing too little, unfortunately does too much; and fo, as Shakespeare well expreffes it, o'erfteps the modesty of nature, inflating her fentiments with extravagant paffion, and blackening her acts with circumftances of unnatural horror. Though fome of these faults, I fufpect, he only copied. For, to say nothing of that of Ennius, Ovid's Medea was, at this time, very famous, and as, I think, may be collected from the judgment paffed upon it by Quinctilian, had fome of the vices, here charged upon Seneca.

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Ovidii Medea, fays he, videtur mihi oftendere, quantum vir ille præfare potuerit, fi ingenio fuo temperare, quàm indulgere, maluiffet. It is not poffible indeed to fay exactly, wherein this intemperance confifted; but it is not unlikely, that, amongst other things, it might fhew itself in the forceries and incantations; a fubject, entirely fuited to the wildness of Ovid's genius; and which, as appears from his relation of this story in the Metamorphofis, he knew not how to treat without running into some excess and luxuriance in that part. But, whether this were the caufe or no, the very treating a fubject, which had gone through fuch hands, as Euripides, Ennius, and Ovid, was enough to expofe a writer of better judgment, than Seneca, to fome hazard. For, in attempting to outdo originals, founded on the plan of fimple nature, a writer is in the utmoft danger of running into affectation and bombast. And indeed, without this temptation, our writers have generally found means to incur these exceffes; the very best of them being too apt to fill their plots with unnatural incidents, and to heighten their characters into caricatures. Though it may be doubted, whether this hath been owing fo much to their own ill taste, as to a vicious compliance with that of the public; for, as one fays, who well knew the expediency of this craft, and practifed accordingly, to write unnatural

unnatural things is the most probable way of pleafing them who understand not nature. [Dryd. Pref. to Mock Aftrol.]

193. ACTORIS PARTES CHORUS, &c.] See. alfo Ariftotle [wie. Woint. x. in.] The judgments of two fuch critics, and the practice of wife an-; tiquity, concurring to establish this precept concerning the chorus, it should thenceforth, one would think, have become a fundamental rule: and maxim of the ftage. And fo indeed it ap-, peared to fome few writers. The moft admired of the French tragic poets ventured to introduce it into two of his latter plays, and with such fuccefs, that, as one obferves, It should, in all reason, have difabufed his countrymen on this head: l'effai, beureux de M. Racine, qui les [choeurs] a fait revivre dans ATHALIE et dans ESTHER, devroit, ce femble, nous avoir detrompez fur cet article. [P. Brumoi, vol. i. p. 105.] And, before him, our Milton, who, with his other great talents, poffeffed a fupreme knowledge of antiquity, was fo ftruck with its ufe and beauty, as to attempt to bring it into our language. His Sampson Agonistes was, as might be expected, a master-piece. But even his credit hath not been fufficient to restore the chorus. Hear a late Profeffor of the art declaring, De choro nihil differui, quia non eft effentialis dramati, atque à neotericis penitus, ET, ME VOL. I. JUDICE,

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JUDICE, MERITO, REPUDIATUR. [Præl. Poet. vol. ii. p. 188.] Whence it hath come to pass that the chorus hath been thus neglected is not now the enquiry. But that this critic, and all fuch, are greatly out in their judgments, when they prefume to cenfure it in the antients, muft appear (if we look no further) from the double ufe, infifted on by the poet. For, 1. A chorus interpofing, and bearing a part in the progress of the action, gives the representation that probebility [d], and ftriking resemblance of real life, which every man of fenfe perceives, and feels the want of upon our stage; a want, which nothing but fuch an expedient as the chorus can poffibly relieve. And, 2. The importance of its other office [1. 196] to the utility of the representation, is fo great, that, in a moral view, nothing can compenfate for this deficiency. For it is neceffary to the truth and decorum of characters, that the manners, bad as well as good, be drawn in ftrong, vivid colours; and to that end that immoral fentiments, forcibly expreffed and fpeci

[d] Quel avantage ne peut il le poëte] pas tirer d'une troupe d'acteurs, qui rempliffent fa fcene, qui rendent plus fenfible la continuité de l'action, et qui la font paroitre VRAISEMBLABLE, puisqu'il n'eft pas naturel qu'elle fe paffe fans temoins. On ne fent que trop le vuide de notre Théatre fans cheurs, &c. [Le Théatre des Grecs,' vol. i. p. 105.]

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