1000000030

e o

bOl

as har'¡'IIlAtchcd rivals for renown; lhenmoderos, by

lhe longevity of Iheir lahours, might one day brrome

aneients Ihemfd,'es: and old lime, Ihat [,efi wcigh<r of

merits, 10 kCl"p hi! balance cven, ltIighl have the golucn

weighl of an AlIgufian age in bOlh his feal,s: or rather,

feale might de[eenu: and that o[ anliquily (as a

mocleto malch for it flr00gly[peaks) mighl

licl lhf b(QI!l.

Why eondemoed Maro his admirable cpic 10 Ihe

lIamcs ? Was il 001 bceallfc his difeeroiog eye falV fome

lenglh of perfeétioo beyood il ? Aod whal he [aw, may

nOl olhen reaeh? And who bid fairer Ihan our eouolry'

men for Ihal glory? Something OCIV may be expeéted

from Britoos paniewlarly; who [eem001 10 be more

Ce·

vmd from lhe refi of mankind by Ihe [urroundiog [ea,

than by Ihe eurrent in their veins

and of whom linle

more appears to be required, in order to give us origi.

n'als, Ihan a eonfilleney of ehméter, and making Iheir

c\lmpoficions of

pieee wilh Iheir lives. May our genio

us fllinc

and proclaimus in lbal noble view!

-mil/illlll

c~nltnJol

nofi( Bl'ilalln'J.

VIRG .

Aod [o il does; for in polite eompofition, io oalu,

ral and Inalhemalical koolVledge, we hal"e greal origi.

nals already: Ilaeon, Boyle, Newtoo, Shakefpem,

Millon, have fho\Ved

liS,

Ihal all Ihe winds eaoool blow

Ihe Jlrilirn flag fArlher, Ihao an original fpiril eao eonvey

Ihe Brilifh fame

Iheir oames go round Ihe world

aod

whal foreign genius ílrikes 001 as lheypaCs? Whyfhou ld

not Iheir pollerilY embark in Ihe [ame bold bonom of

ne\V eOlerpri[e, and hope lhe C¡me fueeeCs? Hope it Ihey

may; or we mufi alfen, eilher Ihal !ho[e origioals,

which \Ve already eojoy, were \Vritten by aogels, or deny

Ihat \Ve are men, As Simooidcs faid

PauCaoias, rea·

foo fhould Cay to the writer, " Remember tbou

art

man."

Aod for mao OO! 10 gra[p at all whieh is lauda

b!e withio his reaeh, is a difltOoour to human oature,

mid a difobedieoce to the divioe; for as Heaven does no·

Ihing in vaio, ils gift of taleots implies an injunétioo of

lheir uCe.

Joho(on io the [erious drama, is as mueh an imitalor

as Sh. kefpeare is an original. He was very learned, as

Sampfoo \Vas very firoog, 10 his own hun. Blind 10 Ihe

nuure of mgedy, he pullcd down all aotiquilY on hls

Ilead, and buried him[elf uoder it; we fee oOlhiog of

Johofon, oor iodeed of his admired (but alfo murdered)

aneieot!; for \Vhat fhooe in the hifiorian is a cloud 00

lite poet

and Calilioe might have beeo a good play if

S,lIufi had oever wrilteo.

Dryden, defiilutc of Shake[peare's geoius, had al–

mon as mueh Imoiog 2S JOhD(OO, aod, for Ihe bun(io,

quile as little lafie. He was a firanger to the pathos,

and, by oumbers, exprenioo, [eotiment, aod every other

dramalie cheat, I!rove tO make ameods for il; as if a

faiot eould make ameods (or Ihe waot of eoofcieoee; a

foldier, for Ihe want of valour

or a veflal, of mode–

lIy. The ooble oalure of Vagcdy diCcI,ims ao equiva·

leO!; like vinue, il demands Ihe hcan; aod Df)'deo had

oone 10 r,ive. Lel cpie pom

l/¡jllf,

Ihe IrageJiao's

poiot is rat:llr lO

/<,/;

fuch diflaot Ihiogs

ate •

trage–

rlino aod a poet, Ihal Ihe latter

indul~ed,

denroys Ihe

[onoer. Lu(,k

011

B ..

rol':dl, ao I EIf. x, aod Cee holV as

IhcC: diflant ehnétcrs

Oryd~o

ex,els, aoJ is e¡¡eel·

e o

led. But Ihe nrongen demoofir.tioo of his oo·tafic for

~ be

b."fl(io, are

~lis

mgedies frioged l'Iilh Ihyme; whieh,

lOeple poelry,

a Core diCeafe; in Ihe mgic, ab(olute

dealh. To Drydeo's eoormilY, Pope's was a light of.

feoee. .As I.aeemco are foes 10 mouroiog, IheCe two au.

Ihors, TiCh 10 rhyme, were 00 greal frieods 10 thore (o–

lemo oroameolS, whieh the noble oature of their \York!

requiren,

Mul! rhyme theo, it may be raid, be baoifhed

ki•.

to be wifhcu Ihe oature of our laoguage eouk'

bea~

il!

eotire rxpulfion; but our lelfer poelry I!aods in ored

a tolera!ioo for il; it raifes that, but fioks Ihegreat;

[paogles adoro ehildreo, bUI expofe men,

Amoog Ihe brigblel! of Ihe moderos,

r Addtfoo

mufi take his place. \Vho cloes not approaeh his eha–

ra{ter wilh gre'l reCpeét? They who refufe 10 cloCe wilh

the publie io hil praife, refu[e al Iheir peril. BUI, if

meo will be food of their owo opioioDS, fome hazard

mufi be ruo, He had, \Vh.t Drydeo aod johofonwant·

ed, a wann, and feeliog heart; but, beiog of

grave

and baOlfu l O¡IUre, Ihrough a philo(ophic r& rve, aDd a

[on of moral prudery, he coneealed it, whm he fhould

ha\'e let 100Ce all his lire, aod have fltowed the mon len–

der reofibilily of hean. At his eelebraled CalO, CelV'

tears are Oled, but Calo's owo; whieh ioneed are

truly grear, bUl uoaffe{tiog, exeepl 10 Ihe noble few

\Vho love. their eounrry better Ihan Ihem(e!ve. . The

bulk of maokiod \Vaol vinue enougb to be louehed by

them. His fircttglh of genius has reared up ooe gloriou.

image, 010," 10f1Y, and Iruly goldeo, thao .tbat in the

plaio of Dura, for eool admirAliootogne·al, and warm

patrioliCm (how ral e!) 10 worJhip; while IhoCe two

throbbiog pu lCes of Ihe diaou, by whiehalone il is fhown

lolive,

lerror

aod

pi/y.

oegle{ted IhrQugh the whole,

leave our uDOloleficd hearts at perfeét peaee. Thus

Ihe poet, like his hero, Ihrough mifiakeo exeelleoce"

aod vinue overllraioed, beeomes a ron of [uieide

and

that whieh is mofi drarnatic in Ihe drama, dies. Al!

bis eharms of poetry are but as funeral flowers wbieb

adoro, all hi. Doble Centimeots but as rieb [piees whieh

emb.lm

, the tragedy dem{ed.

Soerates frequenred Ihe plays of EU lipides; aod, what

liviog Soerales \Vould declioe Ihe Ihealre, at ¡he repre–

fenlalioo of Calo? Tully'sarranios fouod him io his litter,

readiog the Medea of Ihe

reeiao poel, to prepare him–

felf for death, Pan óf Cato might be read 10 Ihe [ame

eod. In Ihe \Veight aod digoity of moral reAeétioo, Ad–

diCon reCemhles Ihal poct, ;vho was ealled Ihe dramalie

phllo[opher; .nd is him(elf, as he (ays of Cato,

. ",bili-–

oujly /l" lelll;olll.

But as to Ihe fingular talcnt [o re–

markable io Euripides, al mehiog dowo hearts inlo the

teoder flreams of grief aod pity, Ihere Ihe reCemblaoee

fails. His beauties (parkle, but do oot warm : Ihey

fparkle as fiars io a (rofiy oigh!' Thm is, indeed, a

eoofiellalioo in his play; Ihere i, Ihe philofopher, P,I–

,riot, oralor, aod poet; but \Vhere is Ihe tra&cdiao!

And, if Ihat is waolings,

Cur;/J It(alrum

C.IO/tVfrt

wlijli?

MART.

(pie

.nd dr.,.•

gl;c CompojiliMl .

Tr:tgedy

ando

Ih~

erie pOCIlt dilft r litll, in [ubfiuoti.h: