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"viftos upon the ftables and hog-fties, and fhowed "his friends that a man of tafte fhould always be "doing.

The next candidate for tafte and genius was a "Captain of a fhip, who bought the Garden because "the former poffeffor could find nothing more to "mend; but unfortunately he had tafte too. His

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great paffion lay in building, in making Chinese "temples and cage-work fummer-houfes. As the place before had an appearance of retirement and "infpired meditation, he gave it a more peopled "air; every turning prefented a cottage, or ice"house, or a temple; the Improvement was con"verted into a little city, and it only wanted in"habitants to give it the air of a village in the "Eaft-Indies.

"In this manner, in less than ten years, the Improvement has gone through the hands of as many proprietors, who were all willing to have "tafte, and to show their tafte too. As the place "had received its best finishing from the hand of "the firft poffeffor, fo every innovator only lent a "hand to do mischief. Those parts, which were ob"fcure, have been enlightened; those walks, which "led naturally, have been twifted into ferpentine "windings. The colour of the flowers of the field ❝is not more various than the variety of tastes, that "have been employed here, and all in direct con"tradiction to the original aim of the first improver. "Could the original poffeffor but revive, with what "a forrowful heart would he look upon his favourite fpot again! He would scarcely recollect a Dryad "or a Wood-nymph of his former acquaintance, "and might perhaps find himfelf as much a ftranger in his own plantation, as in the deferts of Siberia."

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ESSAY

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ESSAY XXII.

THE Theatre, like all other amusements, has its fashions and its prejudices; and when fatiated with its excellence, mankind begin to miftake change for improvement. For fome years Tragedy was the reigning entertainment; but of late it has entirely given way to Comedy, and our beft efforts are now exerted in thefe lighter kinds of compofition. The pompous train, the fwelling phrafe, and the unnatural rant, are displaced for that natural portrait of human folly and frailty, of which all are judges, because all have fat for the picture.

But as in defcribing Nature it is prefented with a double face, either of mirth or fadness, our modern writers find themselves at a lofs which chiefly to copy from; and it is now debated, whether the exhibition of human diftrefs is likely to afford the mind more entertainment than that of human abfurdity?

Comedy is defined by Ariftotle to be a picture of the frailties of the lower part of mankind, to diftinguish it from Tragedy, which is an exhibition of the misfortunes of the great. When Comedy therefore afcends to produce the characters of princes or generals upon the ftage, it is out of its walk, fince low life and middle life are entirely its object. The principal queftion therefore is, whether in defcribing low or middle life, an exhibition of its follies be not preferable to a detail of its calamities? Or, in other words, which deferves the preference? The weeping fentimental Comedy, fo much in fashion at prefent*, or the laughing and even low

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Comedy, which feems to have been laft exhibited by Vanbrugh and Cibber?

If we apply to authorities, all the great masters in the dramatic art have but one opinion. Their rule is, that as Tragedy difplays the calamities of the great; fo Comedy thould excite our laughter, by ridiculously exhibiting the follies of the lower part of mankind. Boileau, one of the best modern Critics, afferts, that Comedy will not admit of Tragic Distress:

Le Comique, ennemi des foupirs et des pleurs,

N'admet point dans fes vers de tragiques douleurs. Nor is this rule without the ftrongeft foundation in Nature, as the diftreffes of the mean by no means affect us fo ftrongly as the calamities of the great. When Tragedy exhibits to us fome great man fallen from his height, and ftruggling with want and adverfity, we feel his fituation in the fame manner as we fuppofe he himself muft feel, and our pity is increased in proportion to the height from which he fell. On the contrary, we do not fo ftrongly fympathize with one born in humbler circumftances, and encountering accidental. diftrefs: fo that while we melt for Belifarius, we fcarcely give halfpence to the beggar, who accofts us in the ftreet. The one has our pity; the other our contempt. Diftress therefore is the proper object of Tragedy, fince the great excite cur pity by their fall; but not equally fo of Comedy, fince the actors employed in it are originally fo mean, that they fink but little by their fall.

Since the first origin of the ftage, Tragedy and Comedy have run in diftinct channels, and never till of late encroached upon the provinces of each other. Terence, who feems to have made the nearest approaches, always judicioufly ftops fhort before he

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comes to the downright pathetic; and yet he is even reproached by Cæfar for wanting the Vis Comica. All the other comic writers of antiquity aim only at rendering Folly or Vice ridiculous, but never exalt their characters into bufkined pomp, or make what Voltaire humourously calls a Tradefman's Tragedy.

Yet notwithstanding this weight of authority, and the univerfal practice of former ages, a new fpecies of dramatic compofition has been introduced under the name of Sentimental Comedy, in which the vir tues of private life are exhibited, rather than the vices exposed; and the diftreffes rather than the faults of mankind make our intereft in the piece. Thefe Comedies have had of late great fuccefs, perhaps from their novelty, and alfo from their flattering every man in his favourite foible. In these plays almost all the characters are good, and exceedingly generous; they are lavish enough of their Tin money on the Stage; and though they want humour, have abundance of fentiment and feeling. If they happen to have faults or foibles, the fpectator is taught not only to pardon, but to applaud them, in confideration of the goodness of their hearts; fo that Folly, inftead of being ridiculed, is commended, and the Comedy aims at touching our paffions without the power of being truly pathetic. In this manner we are likely to lofe one great fource of entertainment on the Stage; for while the Comic Poet is invading the province of the Tragic Mufe, he leaves her lovely Sifter quite neglected. Of this however he is no way folicitous, as he measures his fame by his profits.

But it will be faid, that the Theatre is formed to amuse mankind, and that it matters little, if this end be answered, by what means it is obtained. If mankind find delight in weeping at Comedy, it

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would be cruel to abridge them in that or any other innocent pleasure. If those pieces are denied the name of Comedies, yet call them by any other name, and if they are delightful, they are good. Their fuccefs, it will be faid, is a mark of their merit, and it is only abridging our happiness to deny-us an inlet to Amusement.

These objections however are rather fpecious than folid. It is true, that Amusement is a great object of the Theatre; and it will be allowed, that these Sentimental Pieces do often amuse us: but the question is, whether the True Comedy would not amufe us more? The question is, whether a character fupported throughout a piece with its ridicule ftill attending, would not give us more delight than this fpecies of baftard Tragedy, which only is applauded because it is new?

A friend of mine, who was fitting unmoved at one of thefe Sentimental Pieces, was afked how he could be fo indifferent. "Why, truly," fays he, "as the Hero is but a Tradesman, it is indifferent "to me whether he be turned out of his counting"houfe on Fish-street Hill, fince he will still have "enough left to open fhop in St. Giles's."

The other objection is as ill-grounded; for though we fhould give these pieces another name, it will not mend their efficacy. It will continue a kind of mulish production, with all the defects of its oppofite parents, and marked with fterility. If we are permitted to make Comedy weep, we have an equal right to make Tragedy laugh, and to fet down in blank verfe the jefts and repartees of all the attendants in a funeral proceffion.

But there is one argument in favour of Sentimental Comedy which will keep it on the ftage, in fpite of all that can be faid againft it. It is of all others the most eafily written. Thofe abilities, that can

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