^o :=e> zi^ ZJ^ ZJJV :=?V -r> -O CX^' .r^ THE Roman and EngTiJb COM E D Y Considered and Compar'd. with R E M A R K s on the SUSPICIOUS HUSBAND. AND An Exam EN into the Merit of the prefent COMIC ACTORS. By S. F o o T E, Efq-, LONDON: Printed for T. Waller, in Eeei-ftreet, 1747.^ [ Price Om Shilling, } 50430 (3) fl3r THE Roman and Englijb COMEDY Consider'd and Compar'd. ROM the Indulgence fliewn to my Treatife on the Paffions, in whieh I have confider'd the Merit of the Tragic A dors only, I have been encouraged to extend that Dcfign ; and now venture to prefent the Pubhc with my Judgment on fuch of their Theatrical Ser- vants, as have diftinguiflied themfclves in G>medy. A 2 But ( 4 ) But In order to eftablifh my Credit with the Reader, it may not be amifs previoufly to ob- viate an Objedion or two, that have been made to my Criticifm on the Charadler of Lear, I have been condemned for impeaching Mr. Garrkk*s Manner of clofing the Curfe, at the End of the firft A61, with Tears ; and that becaufc Shakefpear (who bed knows his own Meaning) has by the following Expreffioh dilated fuch a Behaviour to the A6tor, / am ajham^df - ^at thou had Power tojhake my Manhood thus, 'ithat thefe hot Tearfy which break from me perforce, &c. This Obfervation, prima facie, has, I muft own, a tolerable Afpedt ; but if thefe Critics had been a litde more minute in their Enqui- ries, they would foon have difcovered, that thefe Words have no Relation to any Part of the Anathema, but allude to a Paflage that im- mediately fucceeds it : Go, go, my People, " The poor old King, enfeebled by Age, and his Spirits (s) Spirits almofl: exhaufted by the Rage and Vio- lence of the preceding Paffion, in attempting to recover from the Pofture of Kneeling, flag- gers, and is ready to fall 5 at that Jundure, re- ceiving the Affiftance of his Attendants, it oc- curs to his Mind, that he is foon to be depri- ved of their Service, and they of his Protedlion, either of which Refledlions are fufficient to alter the Mode of the Mind, render the Tran- fition from Rage to Tendernefs natural, and account for the Faffage that has occafioned this Difpute. , ' This Queftion being (I flatter myftlf^ pretty well fettled, I am at Liberty to purfue the Defign of the prefent Treatife, which is to draw a Comparifon between, Antient and Mo- dern Gomedy, and determine to which the Preference is due : To this I {hall add fomc Obfervations on the Comic A<flors of theprefenc Age. , ; The firft Defign of Dramatic Poetry, was to amend the HeaM, improve the Underltand- ing, and, at the fame Time, pleafe the Imagi- nation. To Tragedy, one Species of the Drama was allotted, the Defcription of thofe Paflions, which, when loofe and ungovcrned, re productive of the moft terrible Confe- quences (6) quences on the one Hand ; but if, on the o- ther, th y are kept within proper Limits, and chufe Realon for their Guide and Direflor, they become highly conducive to the Happi- nefs of Mankind. To Comedy was afligned the Corredion of Vices and Follies of an inferior fort. In the firfl Inftance, we are taught, by a Collcdion of fatal Events, to avoid Ruin and Mifery ; in the laft, by a Reprefentation of fafhionable Foibles, and particular extrava- gant Humours, to (bun Ridicule and Abfur- dity. Sir Richard Steele has apologized for his Mixture of the Tragic with the Comic, by faying, that there is a fort of Diftrefs too mean for Tragedy, and which fas it would be cruel to deprive the Werld of fuch ufeful Leflbns) ought to have a Place in Comedy. Did Tragedy owe its Effence to the Adven- tures and Misfortunes of People in High Life only. Sir i??V)&Ws Argument might have fome "Weight : But it is the Dfftrefles, not the Si- tuations of Mankind, that are its Objedls : If the Incidents are truly interefting, and the Story ( 7 ) Story afFeding the Rank and Quality of theP<?r- fon^e are of no great Confequence. Suffer me now to direfb your Obfervatlon to thofe amongfl: the Ancients, who are moft diftinguifhed for their Skill and Excellence in Dramatic Poetry. As Sophocles^ Euripides, and Seneca, are the Chiefs of the Epic, To are 4ri' fiophanes, Mcenander, Plant us, and Terence, a- mongft the Comic. It was the Pradbice of the Comic Poets, till the Time of Mcenander, to cxpofe on the Stage, by real Names, fuch of their Fellow- Cirizc;ns as had diftinguifhed themfelves for any emi- nent Vice or Folty : But the univerfai Cor- niption and Degeneracy of fubfequent Ages, having rendered that Cuftom both ufelefs and dangerous, Mcenander introduced the Method of expofing real Vices by the Afliftancc of feigned Charafters. But as the Works of this Author have fallen a Sacrifice to Barbarifm and Ignorance, we are obliged to the Confeflion of Terence, and the Obfervations of Cafar, for all the Knowledge we have of his Excellence. And if the Judgment of the latter may be relied on, Mcenander was happy in the Poffeffion of every Requifite that can delight and improve an Age. Terence (8) 'Terence has been faid to be but a fervile Copier of this Greek Writer ; but as the Co- medies of the latter are loft, we have a R'ght to treat the former as an Original, efpecially as he is propofed by our own Critics, who defpifc and decry all modern Produflions. Non quia Crajfe illepideve putetur Sed quia nuper^ as the Standard of Dramatic Perfedion : But as I have not all that Veneration for" Antiquity, I Ihall take the Liberty to examine his Works with the fame Freedom, as if he had lived but in the Diys of Bryden ; and if upon Enquiry I can difcover, that any Writer of our own Time has excelled him, I (hall , pay him the fame Honour, as if he and Homer had been Cotem- poraries. Were I not apprifed of the ridicu- lous Methods made ufe of by thofe who are appointed to inftrufl the Youth of this Nation in the Dead Languages, I fhould be aftonifhed at the abfurd Prc-pofleflions and Prejudices that moft Men entertain in Favour of the antient Writers. A Claffic is read only to be admired, a Mo- dern Writer only to be condemned. I believe I ( 9 ) 1 have more reafon to blame this unaccountable Partiality, than mod Men ; for to it I owe two Corredions in one Day, in the Morning I was jerk*d for reading a Comedy of Congreve*s, and in the Afternoon was again turn'd up for not being prepared in a bawdy Scene, between the two Maids in the Eunuch of Terence. If then In my Enquiry into the Reafbns, why what is wrong in one Writer, (hould be fanclified in another, I betray any Bitternefs or Ill-nature, I hope the Reader will lay the Defeat of my Brain to the Fault of my B , for I Cannot but remember fuch things were^ And, were maft grievous to me. But to our Purpofe. Terence (as I have before obferved) is faid to have pirated all his Plots and Charadlers from Mcenander ; nor has Plautus lefs Oblig:.tion to N the Greek Writers than Terence *, but as their Geniufes were different, they have been fuccefs- ful in different Imitations. Plautus, from the luxuriant Pleafantry of his Imagination, has been moil happy in hit- ting the Humour, or vis comica^ of his Mafter. Terence, from the Corrednefs of his Judgment, B and ( 10 ) and Chaftlty of his Manner; molt fortunate in the Condufl of his Plot, and Purity of his Dialogue. But as this Gentleman is the cri- tical Bell-weather, let us be a little .more mi- nute in our Enquiries after him. ' And firft for his Fable. There is fuch a tirefome Samenefs in the Plots and Incidents of Terence, that the Man 'who has read his firft Comedy, maybe fairly faid to have read them ail. Nor is he lefs barren in his Charafters. Two doating old Fools have a "Brace of fenfelefs Cubs for their Sons ; the latter have a fmart Servant allowed them, who has Wit enough to gull the old Gentlemen, and dire6t the young ones ; A Girl, who oftentimes exifts in Name only, is the Objed of young Mafters Affedi- ons ; but coming from the Lord knows where, and being the Lord knows who, why the Marriage is either impeded, or elfe great Per- plexity and Diftradion refults from it ; but, however, it turns out at laft, by the Means of a Nurfe, that Mifs is a Citizen, a Friend's Daughter, perhaps ; fo the Cafket and Trin- kets are produc'd, and all Matters made eafy. This is the general Plan and Plot : And as to what is called Humour in Comedy, the beft (II) beft Half of Mcenander^ I can only fay with Cajar, - ' JJtimm ut a^iunia. And here it may not be improper to exa- mine, what is, or ought to be meant, by the Words Cbara^ers of Humours. There is fcarce a Play-follower, or Dabler in Criticifm, but has that Expreflion conitantly in his Mouth ; and yet not one in five hundred of them, has a determinate Idea of what it means j fome mi (lake Wit for it, others Buf- foonry, ^c. t^c. Perhaps my Judgment may be as wrong as theirs,^ but as it will affift my prefent Enquiries, give me Leave to be abfo- lute in my Definition of, and Diilindion be- tween, the Humourill, and M.ui of Hu- mour. In my Senfe, then, thefe Charaders fhould be never feparated : The fir ft: is the Perfon to be expofed, and that by the Means and Afiift- ance of the lafl: ; the latter we laugh witli, .but at the former. ^ The Humourift is a Man, who, from fom^ Extravagance, or 'Difeafe of the Mind, is al- B 2 ways ( 12 )' Ways faying or doing fomething abfurd and ri* diculous -, but at the fame Time is firmly per- fuaded, that his Actions and ExprcfTions are exaflly proper and right. And fo abfolutely requifite is this laft Circumftance, to the Con- ftitution of a Humourift, that a very elegant and judicious Writer, has made it the Marie by which you are to diftinguiih him ; as Ridicule (fays he) is the Teft of Truth, lb is Gravity of Humour. , The Man of Humour, on the other Hand is always joyous and pleafantj the Humourift is his Food -, like the Carrion and Crow, they are never afunder ; it is to the Labour and Pleafiintry of the former, that you are in- debted for all the Entertainment you meet with in the latter. That this Hypothecs may not appear [alto- gether groundlefs, caft yout Eye on Lappet and the Mijer, on Gnatho and ^hrafo^ almoft the only Charafter of Humour in the Author be- fore us, and then tell me, whether you are not obliged for your Knotvledge of, and Laughter at, the Curmudgeon and Miles Gloriofus, to the Addrefs and Skill of the pert Chamber- maid, and obfequious artful Condu<5l of the Flatterer, If. ( 13 ) If, then, this be an accurate Account of the Charaders in queftion, you mail be content to go without them in all the Plays of Terence ^ except the Eunuch and Heaiitoniimoruvmios^ and depend on Plot, Incident, and Language, for your Entertainment. Our next Search muft muft be into Tthe Ex* cellence of Terence's Dialogue ^ and here, I believe, we muft agree with C^far, that he is, Puri fermonis omatQr ^ tliat is, that he is elegant in his Didlion, chafte in his Expreffion, and, if it be any Merit in the Writer of a living Language, gramatically juft. I don't know whether this Oblervation or Objedion (call it which you will j be juft, but I can't help thinking, that we Moderns have improved on this chief Excellence of the Latin Poet. Pray can you diftinguifli any great Difference in his Dialogue ? Is not the Lan- guage of the. one, the Language of all ? If there be any Difference, the polite Side is in Favour of the Servant : However, as Terence him- ( 14) himfclf was but a Libertus, this Partiality may be pardonable. I think I can difcern in the Englifh Poets a Unity of Dialogue, unattended to by the An- tients. I cannot conceive that you may ex- change one fingle Word in the humourous Charader of Vanburgh, for a better : Each Man has a Language peculiar to himfelf, and what indeed is the Language of that Charadler in the World, I can*t fay, the Manners of our Comedies are altogether fo chafte as thofe of lennce-^ but this may, in a great Meafure, depend on the different Taftes of different Ages ; and though I own a Poet's Views ihould not be con- fined to the narrow Limits of his own Time or Country j yet as it has been generally the MiC- fortune of thefe Gentlemen to want fomething more fubftantial than Applaufe, their Poverty muft be their Apology. Of even this Circumftance do different Ages judge differently. A young Lady fquawling out behind the Scenes, in the extreme Pangs of I,abour, did not Ihock the Delicacy of the Roman Matrons, but was a modern Poet to in- troduce a Jum ( 15) Juno Lucina fer opem, I very much doubt, whether that fingle In- cident would not damn his whole Piece. I think I can raife , an Objedion or two to the extreme Chaftity of this Writer : The ' ^id turn fatue, after the Defcription of the fuppofed Eunucb*i preparing to commit a Rape, is very near as exprefllve, as the Relation itfelf would have been ; at lead the Imagination has a pretty good Subjedt to work upon : A double En- tendre may be negledled, but that Mind muft be phlegmatic indeed, that does not proceed beyond the turn, and guefi at the fubfequent Bc^haviour of the lufty foever. And, pray, what is your Judgment of the Chambermaid's Nihil Pojfe, in her Defcription of a Eu- nuch. But, however, as it was abfolutely neceflary that the Audience fliould be acquainted with the feveral Circumftances that compofe the a- bove Scene, I believe few Writers would have expreflcd ( i6 ) cxpreffed the fame Thcraghts, with the fame Diilicacy ; therefore let lerence enjoy a Reputa- tion which our modern Poets fby their Prac ticc) don't envy him. But before I quit this Author,' I ought, in common Juftice, to take notice of a Charadt- cr, which though not abfolutely complete, yet is pofleflcd of fome Qualities, that were it c- riginal, would give the Writer a Rank, which his Cotemporaries have thought fit to deny him. The Charader I mean, is the Thrafo of the Eunuch. The Out-lines of this Charafler are the fame with the Miles Gloriofus of Plauius, and the Bully-Back of Congreve : And though I muft confefs, in the general Condudl of the Charadlers. he is excelled by both his Rivals, yet in one Inftance, he is at leaft equal to ei- ther of them. Tkrafo, in Confequence of a Prefent made to a Courtefan, called Ihais^ was, by Corn- pad, entitled to the fole and undifturbed Poflef- fion of that Lady for three Days. PhcsJria^ the fine Gentleman of the Comedy, had poffeffed the Perfon, and ftiil preferved the AfFedion ( 17 ) AflTedion of Thais. At his Requeft the Cap- tain was excKided before the expiration of his Term ; in order to revenge this Infult, Tbrafa martials all his Donieftics, from Gnatho to the Scullion, and leads them to attack the Manfion of Thaisy from whom he intends, by Force, to recover the Girl he had given her. Bat as from a Recital of this P-iflage, we can fcapce do Juftice to the Merit of the Author, and I don't recoiled, that the Spirit of this Scene has been preferved by any of his Tranflators, I Ihall takj the Liberty to prefent you with my Conception of the whole Inci- dent. ACT IV. SCENE VII. Enter Ihrafo, as General -, Gnatho^ Lieute- nant-General ; with Grooms, Cooks, Scullions, C5?f . ^c, &c. for private Men. Tbra. What! and (hall I pocket fo grofs an Indignity ? hey ! Gnatho ? No, e're that be faid, welcome grim Death. Simalio, Donan, Syrifius^ follow your Leader ; I will firft ftorm her Citadel. Gna. Right. Tbra. Then feize upon my Captive. C Gna. ( i8 ) Gfta. By all Means, ^ra. And as to the Harlot herfctf, her Punifhment fhall be proportioned to her Crime. Ga. Equitable. Tbra. Domn, to your Direflion I commit the Van : You, SimaliOj are to command the Left Wing ; and you, SyrifcuSy the Right. But where's Lieutenant Sanga ? Sang. Here I be. Thra. What's that thou Iqueezefl in thy Paw, a Difliclout? Death, Daftard, doftthott think we fight with Dilhclouts ? Sang. Being convinced of your Honour's Valour, and the Courage of your Soldiers, I gueffed that this Affair would not end without BloodQied, fo I brought this Difliclout to wafh their Wounds. 7hra. Where are the Remainder of my Troops ? Sang. Troops ! the Devil of any body li at home, but old Sannioy to take Care of the Houfe. ^bra^ Do you, Sanga, draw up the Forces, whilfl: I retire to the Rear, from whence my Orders fhall be ifTued. Gna. There's a mafterly Stroke ; confcious that the Succefs of an Army depends on the Security of the General, he curbs his Valour, and. ( 19 ) and, for the fake of his Soldiers, retires to a Place of Safety. Tbra. In this I condefcend to imitate the great Pirrhus. The Cowardice and Vanity of this Behaviour and Expreflion, are as llrong and delicate Marks of Charafber, as can be met with in any Writer i to which if you add the bluftering Behaviour of Thrafi before the Entrance of Tbais^ and the Pufillanimity and Cowardice of his fubfequent Conduft, I believe that you will confefs, that the whole Scene is fupported with great Spirit, Propriety, and Humour. rhave now finilhed my Obfervations on Tif- rence, and Ihall haflen to an Examination of thofe Writers of this Nation, who are fuppofed capable of contending for the Palm with this Hero of Antiquity. With which then (hall I begin, with Sbakejpear, Jobn/on, or thofe of later Date .? Or fuppofe, as our 'Comic Genii ^re fo various, we were firft to enumerate the feveral Rules required in a Comedy, and op- pofe (occafionally) our own Writers to each o- ther, and all to the Antients. To begin then with the Unities of Ariji^ky which regard Time, Place, and Action , to C 2 which ( 20 ) which we have added another, difregar^ed by the Writers of other Countries, Unity of Cha- rafler. The Rules prefcribed by thefe Unities are, that your Time be limited to a natural Day ; your Place unchanged ^ and your Aclion finglc. The fourth Unity requires, that your Charader be preferved to the End in every Circumftance i and that he neither fay, or do, any thing that- might as well have been faid, or done, by any other Perfon of the Play. As to the Unities of Time, Place, and Adion, I cannot fay that we have ftridly attended to them, unlefs in fome particular Inftances j fuch as the Alchymifi^ and moft of the Plays of Johnfon, Sbakefpear*s Merry Wives of Windfor j to which I might add fome others ; but, in ge- neral, thefe Bonds do not hit the Tafte and Genius of the free-born luxuriant Inhabitants of this Ifle : They will no more bear, a Yoike ii^ Poetry than Religion. No political nor critical Monarch lliall give Laws to them : They have indeed fometimes given Proofs, that they do not defpife thefe Mandates of Arijiotle, becaufe it is not in their Capacity to comply with them, but becaufe they ( 21 ) they will not be indebted to any other Country for what they can obtain witiiout its Aflitl- ance. I dp not believe, that it ever was in the Power of Man, to famifli out a more elegant, pleafing, and intereftmg Entertainment, than ^bake/pear has, in many Inftances, given us, without obferving any oie Unity, but that of Charader ; his adhering to that alone, with tliQ Variety of his Incidents, the Propriety of his Sentiments, the Luxu^iancy of his Fancy, and the Purity and Strength of his Dialogue, have produced, in one Inftance alone, more Matter for Delight and Inftruftion, than can be colL-v^ed from all tlie flarv'd, ftrait-lac'd Brats, that e^. very other Bard has producM. Can then our Contempt and Refentment be too ftrongly ex* 'prcflfed againft that iniblent French Panegyrift^ who firil denies Shakefpear ajmoft every Dra- matic Excellence, and then, in his next Play, pilfers from him almoft every capital Scene. I ,et thofe who want to be informed of this Man, and this Truth, read the Mahomet of Voltaire i and compare it with the Mackbetb of Shakefpear^ to this a4d Cif you have Patience) a Perufal of his Letters, you will then have, at one View, the Zoilus and the Plagiary, the carping ( 22 ) carping fuperficial Critic, and the low paltry Thief. But to proceed : The next Requifite, to an Obfervation of the Unities, Cif we allow it a Requifitej is the fim qua non^ the Eflfence of Comedy, Hu- mour i and in this Particular we ftand un- rivalM ; no Nation has more Comedies, no Co- medies more diverfified humourous Charaflers. This may indeed, in a great Meafure, be owing to the Nature of our Conftitution, and the Completion of our Inhabitants. In France^ one Coxcomb is the Reprefenta- tion of the whole Kingdom. In England fcarce any two are alike. I don* t know but this Va- riety of Humour may, in a great Meafure, de- rive its Source from Vanity. Property, with us, is fo equally difFufed, that the Difiihdlions arifing from it are very trifling. In order then to procure a Pre-eminence, we have re- courfe to particular Singularities, v/hich, though at firft affedled, are at laft by Habit fo clofely rivited to the Mind, as to make it impofllbla for the PolTeflbr ever to diveft himfelf of it. No ( 23 ) No Writer more abounds with Charaflers of this Caft, than Congreeve ; and had his Execu- tion been equal to his Imagination, he would have had a juft Title to be rank'd with the foremoft of our Comic Poets. All his Hu- mourifts are well fketch'd, and generally well begun, but ill conduced. The Author, from an Impatience to fhow his own Wit, throws it into the Mouths of Charaders, who are not, in Propriety, entitled to an Atom. And this is, indeed, the Failing of all young Writers : They jump at the Shadow, and lofe the Subftance : The main Article is neglected, and their Purfuit directed after Point, An- tithelis, and, what is called, fine Wri^ ting. Wit is not what it has been by many ima- gined to be, the Eflence of Comedy; fo far from it, that it is of no Ufe, but as it is fub- fervient to Charafter. And from this Miftake it happens, that the Quality which chiefly recommends the Works of Mr. Congreeve, to the Obfervation of the Million, is the very Circumftance that di- minifhes minilhes his Excellence with the Judici- ous;. Onr next Enquiry muft be directed after the Plots and Incidents of the Moderns : And in thtfe Indances we are as various as in our Cha- radicrs. There feems to have been always a Trial of Skill amongft the Anticnts, which fliould write beft on the fame Subjedt. The Story of Me- dea, Hercules, &c. are the Objefts of all their- Tragedies. Their Want of Variety in Comedy I have before objeded to. That the Antients were more chafte in the Conduft of their Plots, I fhall readily allow. Immoralities of all kinds have met with a favourable a Reception on the Englijh Stage, Collier*^ Complaint was but too juft. The Want of Decency, both of Expreflion and A6lion, is an Objedtion that may with Juftice be made to even our beft Comedies. There are fome kinds of Vice that it is impro- per to exhibit, though with a View of punifh- ing. What kind of Apology then can be made for thofe Writers, who have not only been fo imprudent as to introduce it, but, at the fame time, have dared to reward it. The ( 2i ) The moft blameable of all our Play-writers in this Inftance, are Congreeve and Vanhurgh, Nay, the latter, as if diftrufting his own Ta- lents for the Advancement of Wickednefs, has called in to his AfTiftance, the moft immoral Tlay that ever difgraced the Englijh Stage, the Confederacy of Dancour ; in which all the Men are Rogues, and all the Women as bad. The principal Perfonage is the Son of a Bawd, who after having robbed his Mother, impofed him- felf on the World in a ficlltious Charadter, and committed Adlions which had defervedly doom- ed him to the Gallows, is at laft made happy in the Pofleflion of a great Beauty and For- tune. The Moral of this pretty Piece is, then, that be difobedient, difhoneft, or any thing but vir- tuous, and you fliall not fail of being re- warded. But thefe Digrefllons have drawn me beyond my purpos'd Length , I (hall therefore cloie my Obfervations with a few general Remarks on the peculiar Excellencies of our principal Comic Writers. D ' Ben (26) Ben fohnfon is moft fuccefsful in his Plots, Congreeve in his Charaflers, and Vanburgh in, his Dialogue. The former poflfefled moft Know- ledge and Judgment, the fecond moft Fancy and Fire, the laft moft Propriety, Eafe, and Elegance. The firft, in order to preferve Cor- real nefs, was often flat ; Congree^je, too roving and unconfin'd ; and, Vanburgh, too immoral. Diveft this laft Writer of this Failing, and his Comedies arc unexceptionably the beft in the Language. ^ I ought to make ibme Apology for my fi- lence with regard to JVycherly, Olway, Farquar^ and Cibber \ but as thefe Writers poflefs the fame Beauties and Errors in common with thofe already mentioned, it will be iinneceflfary to trouble you with a particular Defcription of their Works ; I fliall therefore clofe this Trea- tife, but not before I have paid my Tribute to the Geuius of an Author, whofe firft Pro- dudion has given him a Claim to be rank*d in the firft Clafs. It will (I doubt not) be often mentioned by future Generations, that in the Year 1746, Dr; Hoadley produced a Comedy, called the Sufpicious Hujhand 5 in which he has found Means to give the ( 27 ) the higheft Delight, without having recourfe to the low ufual Arts of Bawdy and Buf- foonry. But that we may not appear tainted with the common Partiality that generally attends No- velty, let us venture at the Difcovery of thofe Qualities in this Piece, which have recommend- ed it to the general Favour of the Public, and have obtained for it our particular Appro- .bation. In the firft Place, then, mod of the Cha- racters are real, the Incidents are interefting, the Cataftrophe affeding, and the Language pure, fpirited, and natural. The Character of Mr. Slrkkland, (who names the Play) is as well drawn and fupport- ed, as any I have met with : And amongft the Scenes which the Author has defigned to ridicule the Folly and Abfurdiry of Sufpicion, none feems fo well calculated for the Purpofe, as that where Strickland is defirous, and yet a- fraid, of engaging one of his Domeftics in the Service of his Paflion : The Perplexity at which he fhall trufl:, or whether he fhall truft either ; with the Doubts, Refolutions, Hefi- tations, on that Occafion, make up fo natural D 2 and ( 28 ) and comic a Defcription of that Difcfafe of the Miijd, that the Play, on this Account only, defer ves the high eft Encomiums. Mrs. Sirickland is defcribed as fuch a Wo- man ought to be, in order t6 render the Huf- band's extravagant Humour without Excufe. Her Innocence, joined to her other amiable Qualities, intereft the Audience ftrongly in her Favour, and place the PaiTion of Jealoufy in a more hated and ridiculous Light. The two fine Gentlemen of this Comedy, are not ^as I can perceive j different from the fine Gentlemen of other Writers : They laugh, fing, fay good Things, and are in Love. The Rake is a lively Portrait of that Cha- racter in Life. His Errors arife from the want of Refle6lion ; a lively Imagination, with a great Flow of Spirits, hurries him into all the fafhionable Follies of the Town *, but throw the leafl: (hadow of Wickednefs or Difhonour on an Aftion, and he avoids it with the fame Care that lie would a Precipice. The natural good Qualities of this Youth, obtain for him on the Stage the fame Indul- gence ( 29 ) gence that attends him in the World : We are blind to his Foibles, entertained with his Ad- ventures, and wifli to fee (in which, I fuppofe, by the Condufl of the Author, we are , wrong j the wild Rogue reclaim'd. ' I fat (the firft. Night this Comedy was ex- hibited) by a plain, honeft, well-meaning Ci- tizen, whofe Imagination was ftrongly pof- fefled by the Incidents of the Play. At drop- ping of the Curtain, I could not help com- plaining to my Neighbour, that I was difpleafed at feeing Ranger go off as he came on. Could not, faid I, the Author throw this Youth, in the Courfe of his Nodurnal Rambles, into feme ridiculous Scene of Diftreft, which might, with Propriety, have reclaim'd him. But, as he now (lands, who knows but the Rogue, af- ter all the Pleafure he has given us, may fpend the Night in a Round-Houfe. By G d ! fays the Cit, if it happens in my Ward, I'll releale him ; for Pm fure he is too honeft a F'cllow to run away from his Biil. The amiable Light in which this Cliaradet appears, will, I am afraid, draw many a Tem^ plar into troublefome Scrapes. I have now no lefs than ten Friends, fmce the Appearance of Ranger, who are under Profecutions for ravifh- ing ( 30} ing Kinfes from Girls in the Street, and beating the Watch : It is therefore neceflary to let thefc fprightly Boys know, that thefc are not the Particulars of Ranger's Charafler that procure our Regard ; we are only tempted to overlook thefc Blemifhes in his Condud, on the fcore of fome amiable Beauties. But that we may not appear partial to the Produftions of this Author, let us take a View of fuch of his Charaders, as appear liable to Exception. That the Critics, then, might not be de- prived of their daily Food, the Poet has thrown them a Couple of Chara<5ters to nibble at, the Coquet, and the Coxcomb. The laft is of a Species pretty common a- mongft us, but hitherto negledled. The Im- portation of Fopperies from France, we have laughed at till we are tir'd : Our Author was willing to fee whether Italy could not furnifh us with a Fool, as ridiculous and diverting as her Neighbour ; and had the Charader in Queftion been fupported with the fame Spirit that it is begun, I doubt not but we fhould have been fully fatisfied : But no fooner has this merry Gentleman raifed our Attention, but he flips through ( 31 ) through our Fingers like an Eel, and we hear no more of him. Mr. Meggot does, in Truth, furvive the Lofs of his Monkey, but he never forgets his AfFcdtion fo far, as to be tolerable Company after. I did indeed flatter myfelf with the Hopes of feeing that Gentleman interefted in the Condu(fl of the Play, and every Minute exped:- ed to find my Friend Ranger very jocofe upon his Foible. But whether the Author did not chufe to ex- pofe fo good natur'd a Fellow, or was above being obliged to any Nation but his own, for the Entertainment he was to give us, Jackey Meggot is of very little more Confequence in the Sufpicious Hujhand, than is Lieutenant Story in the Commiitee. The next Charadler for the Snarlers to mumble is Clarinda. This Lady, at the opening of the Play, would put herfelf upon us for a finifh*d Coquet , but flie does it fo aukardly, that few of us arc impoTed upon j flie is, indeed, at firft a little waggifh with Jacintha^ about giving Eafe, 6ff. 'tout this was only a Copy of her Counteaance, ^ 'for for I dont*t find but (he is as ready to fatisfy the Defircs of her Lover (in an honourable Way) as the other. But all this while are not we impofing on our- felves ? How are we fure that Dr. Hoadley in- tended CUrinda for a Coquet ? Indeed fhe fome- times talks like one, but her A6tions are di- reftly oppofite ; and as I, for my own Part, chufe to rely more on the latter, than the for- mer, I fhan't fcruple to pronounce, that this Lady is no more a Coquet than facintha. The feveral Obje(5tions at the Perfonages of the Drama being (as far as the Affair will ad- mit of) thus clear'd up, let us attend to a Cavil or two at the Conduft of the Play, It is faid, that Frankley^s whole Scheme of. purfuing Clarinda, is borrowed from the Eunuch of Terence ; and that the Expreflion of, this I knoWi wherever Jhe is, Jhe cannot be long unknown^ is a literal Tranflation from the fame Author. Well, and what then ? Why do we take fuch Pains to create an Intimacy with the obfolete Gentry, if they don't help us out now and then at a dead Lift ? The Dodor has been at feme Pains and Expence to fubdue the Meaning of ^ihis Claflic to his own Comprehenfion j and has ( 33 ) has not he a Right, by the Law of Arms, to enjoy the Fruits of his Vidlory ? Pretty Reafon- ing, truly i and fo I fuppofe you will reckon the Man, who now and then decorates a Pe- riod with a Latin and Greek Quotation, a Pla- giary : Why, who the Devil would trouble himfelf to acquire thofe Languages, if it were not for the Reputation that Pradice procures him ? Oh, fie ! Bcfidcrs, in the prefent Cafe, the Doctor was under a Neceflicy of fhewing his Learning. The little Bits of Latin^ Italian, and French, which are here and there fcattered through the Play, are not introduced becaufe the Poet thought them neceflary, but becaufe the World (hou Id know, that it is not a fmall Matter of Knowledge that is required towards the Conftitution of a Dodor of PhyHc. But were we to anfwer all the trifling Re- marks of thefe eternal Cavillers, there would be no End to the Subjed ; therefore I Ihall dif- mifs them with one general Anfwcr, that I de- fy them to produce a Comedy, fince the Year Twenty-fix, that has a Tithe of the Merit of tibe Sufpicious Hujhand. And though we may be deficient as to the vis cotnica, and our Cha- jaders may not be altogether fo highly drawn, as might be wilhed, yet, upon the whole, we are at lead equal to the bed of the R:^m^n Co- E - inic ( 34 ) mic Poets, Terence ; and that is Reputatioi^j c- nough to fatisfy our Ambition. We have now given thee, Reader, an accu- rate Account of the public and private Judg- ment on the Sufpicious Hujband ; fuppofe we were to prefent thee with our Opinion of the Deportment of the A6tors in this Comedy : But as that would interfere with our general DeCign, I (hall defcend to no farther Particu- lars, thag that they Con this OccafionJ excelled themfelves ; but haften to view the Comic Players of the prefent Age in a more ex- ten five Light. Bat before thefe Gentlemen of the Sock are entitled to my Regard, I muft difcharge a Debt due to the Public, and pay their and my Ac- knowledgement to Mrs. Cibber, for the Pleafure fhe has given us in the Bufkin. This Lady, though by much the youngeft Aflrefs (I mean in point of Experience) on the Stage, has almoft all her Time reign'd un- rival'd in the Hearts of the People. There is a Delicacy in her Deportment, and a fenfible Innocence in her Countenance, that never faih to prejudice the Speflator in her Favour, even before fhe fpeaks. Nor does Mrs. CMer's fub- fequent (35 ) fequent Behaviour eraze thefe firft Impreflions. Her Expreffions of the Pa(|ion of Grief, fur- pafs every thing of the fort that I have feen. There is a mdancholly PJaintivenefs in her Voice, and fuch a D:jv:6lion of Countenance, (without Diftortion,) that I defy any Man, who has the leaft Drop of the Milk of Human Na- ture about him, to fit out the Diftreflls of Mo- nimia and Belvideray when rcprefented by this Lady, without giving the moll tender and afFefting Teftimonies of his Huma- nity. Nor has Mrs. Cibber lefs Force Cwhen Ihe pk-afes to exert it) in the different Modes of Rage. There is a Wildnefs in her Afpeft, and a Rapidity in her Utterance, that are ad- mirably fuited to the Charaders of Con- fiance^ in King John, and Alicia in Jans Shore, That Mrs. Cibber is now and then languid in the Part of Calijla^ may, I am afraid, be attributed to the natural Weaknefs of her Con- ftitution. The Charadler is of an unufual Length, and the Paflions of Rage, Scorn, Grief, and Difappointment, fo frequently and for- cibly repeated, that it requires more than a common ftock of Health and Spirits, to do E 2 equal (36) equal Juflice to the whole Part. I cannot pre- fume, that Mrs. Cibber^s Judgment isdetedivc^ nor is it lefs obvious, that (he is happy in the pofleflion of all the natural Powers required in- this Charadter : To what then can we attribute the little Ufe fhe here makes of thofe Powers, but to the Concioufnefs of weak Lungs, and a bad Conflitution. But leafl: the Imitators of Mrs. Cibber fliould miflake this Deportment of hers, for the Ef- fect of her Judgment, it may not be improper to obferve, that itoiv*? him felf has recommend- ed a Behaviour to the Player, and that it is her Duty, as near as fhe can, to anfwer and fupport the Portrait of Calijia^ given to the Audience by Lothario in the fir ft Adt : Mad as the Priejlefs of the Delphic God, Enthuftajiic Pajfton fwell*d her Breajl^ Enlarged her Foice, and ruffled all her Form. Though it may perhaps be deemed hyper- critical to obferve on trifling Faults, where there are fo many glaring Beauties, yet as thefe Trifles are eafily mended, and are, befides, ap- parent to the moft fuperficial Sped:ator, I hope I (hall have Mrs. Cibber*^ Pardon, if I defire her { 37 ) her funlefs Ihe has an ablblute Occafion for it) to put the Handkerchief in her Pocket ; And if fhe would not (hake her Head quite fo much, and pat her Hands together quite fo often, fhe would infinitely oblige me, and many more of her Admirers.. I believe I fhall eafily obtain the Reader's Pardon for detaining him a Minute from the Comic Aclors, when I tell him, it is to thank Mrs. Giffard for the Entertainment fhe has, in many parts, given both him and me. To which, if I add, that (he {lands unequaPd in the Character of Mackbeth, I but barely do her Juftice. Mrs. Pritcbard too has a Right to our Ob- fervation in this place : But as I am at prefent a good deal confined, fhe mufl be content with the Offerings I fhall make her in her Comic Call. And in this place I muft beg, that thofe Ladies and Gentlemen, whofe Names I may o- mit in this Treatife, would not impute my Negle(5t to the want of a fenfe of their Me- rit : We who write for the Public, are but too often obliged to condefcend to their Prejudices, and are therefore ncceffitated, in order to procure a fale for our Pamphlets, to take up with thofe 50430 ''^'""' ( 38 ) Names, which they are pleafed to recommend to our Obfervation. Mr. Neale is generally allowed to do Jun:ice to the Charafter of Launcelot, in the Merchant 'of Venice ; and yet I dare believe a Criticifm on IVIr. Garrick in the Part of Scrub, in which neither the Author nor Adlor are very capital, would be much better received, than a Com- ment on Mr. Neale's Excellence in the Jew's Man. This is undoubtedly an Hardfhip both on them and me. But to proceed. As there is, Reader, in the writing of Co- medies many different Species, fo is there alfo in the ading of them. But, for the fake of Brevity, fuffer me to confine the latter to two, the Comic, and the Comical. And, in order to give you a clear Idea of what I mean by the Diftindlion, caft your Eye on the Abel Drugger of G. and the Abel Drugger of C. I call the fimple, com- pofed, grave Deportment of the former Comic, and the fquint-ey'd grinning Grimace of the latter Comical. The firft obtains your Ap- plaufe, by perfuading you that he is the real Man. The latter indeed opens your Eyes, and gives you to under (land, that he is but per- fonating (39) fonating the -Tobacco- Boy : But then to atone for the Lofs of the Deception, you ar/? ready to fplit with Laughter, at the ridiculous Variations of his Mufcles. It may indeed be objefted, that this Conduct deflroys all Diftinftion of Cha- rafters, and may as well become Sir John Daw^ or Sir Amorous La 'tool^ as honeft Nah. "Well, and what then ? Don't Folks come to a Play to laugh ? And if that End be obtained, what matters it how ? Has not he the moft Merit, who pleafes the moft ? Suppofe G. has the Approbation of Twenty or Thirty Judges in the Pit, fhall I give up my Fun, which makes the Inhabitants of both the Gallerys my Friends, for his Humour ? No, hold a lit- tle, that will never do. And to convince the Public, that Mr. C. is not fingle in his Judg- ment, Mr. H y, JV--dd, Mr. T /, both approve and purfue his Plan. And here fuffer me to caution the young Aftors of both Houfes, that they be not too rafh in the Imitation of Mr. 0%. Manner ; let them firft confulr their Abilities. Few People are happy in the PoJGfeflion of fuCh ';d fett of Features. This Gendeman's are formed with fuch peculiar Pleafantry, that the Spefta- tor at furveying them in their natural ftate only, is (in the Words of the Commentator ' ' on (4) on Dr. Middleton) often ftruck with an un- exp.6led Ha, ha ! For what Mr. C. is in- debted to Nature, Mr. H y is obliged to Accident. This great Comedian was fo fortu- nate, as in his Infancy to fall in the 'Fire, by which Means the left Corner of his Mouth, and the Extremity of his Chin, became very near Neighbours : how often that lueky Circumftance has recommended him to the Approbation of the Sky-parlour Gentry, I fubmit to the Critics on the Ground Floor. Mr. ;^/, Mrs. Clivey and Mrs. Pritchard are fo injudicious as to build their Fame on the Comic Foundation. I own, I am weak enough to have a Regard for the Judgment of the latter ; and therefore as I have an Averfion to Controverfy, and the Difcovery of Faults is no very defirable Office, I (hall leave the Comical Gentry to the En- joyment of their Opinion, and feek out foit fome Particulars in the Comic Aftors, which may, at lead,, juflify my Partiality for them. To begin with Mr. uitt. Mr. (4i) Mr. ^/Vs Deportment, through the whole Call: of his Characlers, is natural and unaffcc^l- ed ; his Countenance expreflive, without the AfTiftance of Grimace; and he is indeed in e- very Circumftance fo much, the Pcrfon he re- prefcnts, that it is fcarce poflible for any atten- tive Speftaror to believe that the hypocritical intriguing Mafquell^ the fufpicious fuperan- nua*-ed Rake, the fiarling old Batchelor, ^nd the jolly jocofe Jack Falftaff, are imitated, but real Perlbns. And here I wifh I had Room and Abi- lity to point out the fev'^eral mafterly Strokes with which Mr. ^in has often entertained my Imagination, and fatisfied m.y Judgment ; but under my prefent Confinement, I can only re- commend the Man, who wants to fee a Cha- radter perfedly play'd, to Mr. .%/, in the Part of Faljiaff\ and if he does not exprcfs his Defire of fpending an Evening with that merry Mortal, why, I would not fpend one with him, if he would pay my Reckoning. Mrs. Clive (i\\t beft Aflrefs in her Walk, that T, or perhaps any Man living, Ijas feen) next claims our Attention. This Lady is pe- culiarly happy in hitting the Hamours ofCha- F . rafters { 42 ) rafters in low Life, The awkard Forwardnefs of a Country Girl, the ridiculous afFeded Airs of a Lady's Woman, or the pert Behaviour of an intriguing Chambermaid. Mrs. Clive has been a little unhappy in her Choice of fome Parts. There are Chara6lers in Comedy which re- quire a Delicacy of Figure, and an Elegance of B-liaviour , and as both Nature and Habit have denied Mrs. Clive the PofTeflion of thefe Requifites, I would advife her never to think of perfonating a fine Lady of any Kind or Condition, ucilefs the Auuiior (with a View of rendering the Part ridiculous) has endowed it with fome whimfical Peculiarity. You have already. Madam, a Caft of Cha- rafbers in which your Adlion will always com- mand the Attention and Applaufe of an Au- dience J don't, therefore, fuffer an idle Am- bition to deftroy that Confequejce , whfch, if you purfue the Bent of your Genius, you have It ftill in your Power to preferve. This Lady has now and then perhaps fowing to an Earnednefs for the Succefs of the Bufi- nefs^ ( 43 ) nefs) expreffed herfelf behind the Scenes In too loud and forcible a Manner. This Circumftance has CI am afraid) given Ibme part of the Audience not a very favour- able Opinion of her Temper. But when the Public are aflured, that this Vehemence is af- fumed in order to procure a more decent En- tertainment for themfelves, I doubt not but they will convert their Refentment to Appro- bation. The laft, though not the lead" ?erfon to be confidered, is Mrs. Priicbard, whofe unblame- able Condud in private Life, joined to her Theatrical Excellence, has juftly recommended her to the Efteem of the Town. Mrs. Pritchard is peculiarly happy in a good Voice, a pleafing Figure, and a correct Judg- ment. As Mrs. CUve\ Fort confifls in the Imita- tion of the Foibles and extravagant Humours of the Beau Monde ; this Lady*s Talent lies in the Reprefcntation of the graceful and be* coming Parts of their Charaflers. Not but I - have feen Mrs. Pritchard exert herfelf with gre^ Pertnefs, Propriety, and Spirit, in the Part ( 44 ) Part of a waggifh favourite Jbigal; and have obfurvc'd a Deportment, which I thought cx- tftmely engaging in her, when a Lady become extremely ridicnious, when awkardly niimick'd by her as an affcdcd Servant. But to fum up Mrs. Priicbard*s Qualities in a few "Words, from the various Caft of her Charaflers, in all of which fhe is pleafing, and the Eafinefs of her Difpofition, I would, were I a Patten tee, rafher have her in my Service, than any Woman in England. I believe I fhould with Difficulty obtain the pardon of the Public, if I neglcded to beftow a few Periods on their favourite Servant. I have feen, with infinite Satisfafbion, the Pays of my Youth reviv'd in the forward, va- cant, romping School-boy of Mr. Garrick. Nor have I received lefs Pleafure from the fimple credulous Condud and Countenance of Ji^el Drugger. I have, in fome Inftances, beheld with ex- quifite Delight, the ridicuolus Rapture of the vain felf-approved Poet ; though in others I have mified a Gravity of Countenance, and Dig- ( 45 ) 'Dignity of Deportment, which I have always l(though perhaps falfly^ aflbciated with my Idea lof that folemn and ferious Coxcomb. I think Garrick*s Rake a Iprightly, merry, lentertaining Fellow. I can't fay I am fond of iCultivating an Acquaintance with his Gentle- men. And as to his Fops, either lively of grave, I have them in utter Abhorrence. As to the Merit of Mr. Rafior^ Mr: C '3, Mr. Collins, with the long Ei <steras of both Theatres, they muft be content to have the Celebration of their Perfedlions de- ferred to another Scafon ; and I hope the Pur- chafer won't think that I exaggerate the Ex- cellence of thefe good People, when I (hall rate him for the Whole of it at no more than Three-pence. FINIS. 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