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e o

\\'tre beings elevated one flep only

~bove

nmkinrl, aél'l–

ated by the Came pallions, and direéled by Ihe Cam·! mo–

tivesi therefore not altogether improper tO

mi~

wílh

men iD

ill1p6nant aéllOn.

In our creed, fupeno

beings are plaeed at ¡ilch a mighty dinance from

liS,

and

aTe of a nature fo

dilf~rent,

that with no propriety can

tbey appear IVith

liS

upon Ihe fame flage: man is a crea–

ture fo much inferior, that he lofes all dignilY when fe t

oppofition.

There can be no doubt, that an hinorieal poem ad–

mits the embellifhment of allegory, as IVell as of mm–

phor, fimile, or other figure. Moral trlHh, in particu–

lar, is finely illuflr:ned in the allegorical manner: it a–

muCes the faney to find abflraél terms, by a fon of magic,

cOovened into aélive beings i and it is deliglnful tO trace

general propofilion in a piélured event. !lut allegori–

éal beings fhould be conhned IVithin their oIVn fphere,

and oem be admiued to mix in the principal aélion,

DOr to co·operate in retarding or advancing the cata–

flrophe i which IVould I,ave a

f1i1l

IVorfe effefl than in–

, ifible pOIVers, and IVe are ready

anígn the reafon. The

imprellion of real exiflenee. errential to an epic potm, is

ineonfiflent with that figurative exiflence which is erren–

tial lo aD allegory: and therefore no method can be more

'effeélual to prevent the imprellion of reality, than to in–

troduce allegorical beings eo-operating IVith thofe whom

\Ve coneeive 10 be really exifling. The love-epifode in

the Henriade, infurrerable by the diCcordant mixture

of allegory with reallife, is eopied from that of Rinaldo

alId Armida in Ihe

Gi,rufa¡<TIlllu libaa'a,

which hath

co merit to intitleit to be copied. An allégorieal obje{l,

fuch. as Fame in the JEneiJ, and Ihe Temple of Love in

Ihe Henriade, may find place ill a deCcription: but to in–

troduce DiCeord as

real perConage, imploring the af–

fiflaoee of Love as another real perfonage, toeoervate the

courage of the hero, is making tbefe figurative beings

aél beyond ther

f~lere,

, Dd creatiog a fl raoge jumble of

truth and 6élion.

What is the truc notion of an epifode1 or how is it

be diflingulfhed from rhe prineip'alaélion 1 Everyinci –

dent that promotes or retards the eataflrophe, mun be a

pan of Ihe principal aélioo. This clearl Ihe nature of

In epifode; which may be de6ned, " An incideot con–

oeéled witf. the principal aéllon, but contribllling neither

to advance nor retard il." The defeent of lEneal ioto

hell doth not advance nor ret3rd the

cat~¡frophe

i and

th"eforc is ao epifode. Tbe floryof Nifus and Eurya–

JU!, produeing an alteratioo in the aff.irs of the con lend–

íng panies, is a pan of the principal aélion. The fa–

mily.fcene in the fixth book of the lIiad is of the fame

nature: by Heélor's retiring from the field of baule to

rifit his

wif~,

the Grecians had libmy ro breathe, and

even to prefs upon rhe Trojans. Such being the nature

of an epifode, the unavoidable erreét of ir mufl be, tO

hreak in upon the uoity of aétion i and Iherefore it

ought never to be iodulgtd, unlefs ro lInbenrl the miod

úter the fatigue of a long namoon. This purpore of

an epifode dcmands the followinr. conditions : it ought

be weJl conneéled with the principal a{lion: it ought

be lively and interefHng : it ooght to be Ihor!: and a

e o

time ought to be chofen when thc principal a{lion

re~

lents .

Next, upOn the peculiaritics of a dramatic poem.

Ami

the flrll we nlall mention is

double plot i one of

whir.h mufl be of the nature of an epifode in ao epic

poem; for it would diflraél the fpet'lalor, inflead of en–

tertJining him , if he were forced to attend, at the fame

time, to two capital plnts equally interefling. And even

fuppofing it an \Indcr-plot, of the nature of an epifode,'

it feldom hat h agood effeél in tragedy, of whieh fimpli–

city is a.ehief property; for an interening fubjeél . that

en~"ges

out' warOlea affeélions, oceupie! ou r whole at–

temion, anrl lcaves no room for any feparate concern.

Variety is more tolerable in eOOledy, whieh pretendi on–

Iy to amufe, wilhout totally oecupyiog the mind. But

even here tOmake a double plot agreeable, is no flight

erron of art : the under 'plot ooghr nor to vary greatly

in its tone from the principal i for difcordant psflions ale

unpleafant when jumblerl togethe ri \Vhich, by the way,

is an infuperable objeélion

0(0

tragi·comedy. Upon Ihi&

aceount, we blarue the l'rovokedHu(band: all the fcenes

that briog the family of the·Wrongheadl into aétion, be–

ing ludicrous and fa rcical, agree veryill with the princi–

pal fcenes, difplaying fevere and biuer expoHulations

b~tween lord Townly and his lady. The fame objeélioh

touches not the double plot of the Carelefs Hu(band.;

the difl'erent fubjetls being fweeliy conneéled, and ha–

ving only fo mueh valiet y as to refemble fh ades of

co–

lours harmooiouny mixed. But this is not

RII.

'fhe

under plot bllght

be .conneéled with that \Vhich

principal, fo mueh at lcafl as tO employ the fame perfon! :

the under-plot ougbt to occupy the interrals-or paofe! of

the principal atlion i and bOlh ought to be concluded

!O'

~elher.

Thi! is the cafe of ¡he Merry Wives of Wind–

fOl".

Violent

~{lion

ought never to bt reprefented

the

flage. While the dialogue runs on, a

tho~fand

partÜ:u-

1m conellr to delude

liS

ioto an imprcllion Of m liry,

genuino fentiments, palliODate languBge, and perfuafivt

geflure: Ihe fpeélator once engaged, is williog tO be de–

eeived, lofes fight of himrdf, and wilhout feruple en–

joys the fpeélacle

a reali l

From this 9bfent nate,

he is roufed by violent atlion: he wakes as from a plea–

Gag

dream, aod gathering hil fenfes aboul

hiru,

finds

all

to be a fiélion_

The Freneh crities join with Horace in exchl<ling from

the flage (he nltdding blood ; bm tbey hav.e

o~rlooked

the OlOn fubnantial objcélion, tllat above·menti?ned,

urging 0011

th~t

it i! barbarous, and fhocking to a polite

audie\le~.

But the Grceks had no notion of ¡úeh delicao

ey, or rather efFeminaeYi witncfs the murder of Clytem–

oeflra by her fon Orctfes, pafliogbehioa the fcene, al

Te'

prefented

Sophocles: her voiee is htar<l calling mil

for merey, bittercxpofllllations on his

part,

lOlld fhriek,

upon her being flabbcd, and Ihen a rlcep filenee.

appe~1

to every perfon of f,eling. whetber this {cene be

not more horrible, tban if the deed had been commilted

in fight of tI'e fpe/lators upoa a fudden gua o( paflion.

If Corneille. in reprefeoting the

~ffRir

between Horatills

and

bis fifler upoo which mllrdcr enfues bebiDd the fcen>:\

Aad