you fome fcattered thoughts upon that fubject, which may be of ufe towards the conducting your judgement, and directing your choice. The first thing then you are to obferve is the language, where the found should not exceed the fenfe, which is called bombast; nor yet run into the oppofite extreme, and talk in a low vulgar phrafe. When the fenience is burdened with particles fuch as of, for, and, fo, &c. it tires the ear, and grows naufeous, and therefore wherever you fee thefe fown with too liberal a hand, you may fafely condemn the performance in this particular. Tragedy is a ferious thing, and intend ed to reform men's manners, and fpur them to virtue, and therefore whatever borders upon finut, ribaldry, or double entendre, is not to be endured. The ancients are particularly modeft in that refpe&t; but the moderns have taken greater licence, and in their love Interviews intermixed what they call the lufcious; but this is fcarce excufe. able. To this head belong comparifons, the intention of which is to relieve the mind when it has been long engaged in attending the progress of a narration, or elfe to paint fomething in more lively colours to the imagination than could be done by plain defeription only. The first of thefe is mofily in ufe in heroick poetry, fuch as Dryden's Virgil, and Pope's translation of Homer, but the latter belongs likewife to that kind of poetry I am now speaking of. Beautiful examples of this you will find in Addifon's Cato, So the pure limpid fiream,' &c. And in Rowe's Tamerlane, • So chear's lome pious faint a dying finner,' &c. I inftance in thefe because they firft occur to my memory. You will find others fcattered throughout both thofe picces equally admirable in their kind. I cannot difinifs this part of my fubject without obferving to you that when thefe fimiles are too frequent in any compofition, they unbend the mind too much, and draw it off too far from the main fubject. And yet this is a fault that fome of our English writers have fallen into. A perfon in grief, or in anger, thould never make any comparifon, for that coolness of thought which is requisite for this is entirely inconfifient with the hurry and agitation of the blood upon, fuch occafions. A perfon that is fent upon any important 5 defign, or has determined with himself upon the execution of it, fhould never fay to make harangues, much less to make fimiles, which are the bufinefs of leifure and the sports of the imagination. And now I am engaged in treating of the language of tragedy, I must add, that rhime is very improper. Dryden did this in his Indian Emperor, but if I mistake not he has fomewhere else in his works condemned it. It is a thing fo contrary to reafon and fenfe, that nothing but a condefcenfion to please the rabble could have induced him to it; but the abfurdity of it will appear from any one's using it in ordinary life, and if there is a perfon of your and my acquaintance that is guilty of this practice in common converfation, when you fee him next, think of this and own the juftness of the remark. How or when rhime came firft into English poetry is difficult to fay, the oldeft that I have feen in our language is Chaucer, in 1358; but I am fure he was not the author. It is generally afcribed to the Monks, but I am apt to think they were only borrowers of the art. I have by me feveral Arabick pieces written in the fame manner. Which makes me inclined to think that the Moors brought it with them into Spain, whence they propagated it over thele Weftern parts. But I am vaftly deceived if it is not more ancient ftill, and have fome reason to think that a few of the Pfalms at least are written in this manner. But of this perhaps more than enough. The next thing you will obferve is the characters and fentiments. I join them together, because we can fearce speak of one without confidering the other too. When a King makes his appear. ance, he must difcover himself in every word and every fentence. Guards and attendants are but the trappings of roy alty, the language and the thoughts must befpeak the monarch. The parlour must never be brought into the kitchen, and it can never be fuppofed that fervants can have notions equally enlarged with their masters and miftrelics, Tales of Fairies and people led away by Will-o'-whitp, or fpirited through the air, may fuit well enough with Doll the dairy-maid, but can hardly be thought to be credited by Mrs. Abigail, my lady's woman When a perton famous for chafity and mildacts of temper temper is made to talk loofely or in rants (the faults of Lee's Scipio in his Sophonisba), it is an unpardonable crite. The formality of an old few aid, and the simplicity of country fervants, is well obferved in the Drummer: I mention this play because I know you have read it, and because it fully expreffes my meaning. Nor need its being a comedy be any objection, for in this both comedy and tragedy agree. Shakspeare has hit upon low humour in his Hamlet, under the perfons of his grave-diggers. But in a tragedy fuch vitticisms draw off the mind from that folemnity and compofure which should be maintained throughout the whole of fuch reprefentations, and therefore fhould never be admitted. When a libertine is introduced (though I think it thould be with great caution), he inay be allowed to fpeak a little injuriously of a Providence, as not being fuppofed to have confidered its by Rerious and in tricate, yet regular, proceedings. And If he ufes the fair fex in general with the fame freedom, it is no more than what may be expected from his inter courfe with none but the corrupt part of the fex; for that fuch there are I know you will readily grant me. But when fuch reflections are put in the mouth of a perfon of piety and virtue; it is an open infult upon good fenfe, and contrary to all the laws of religion and poetry. It is faid of an ancient philofopher, that being in the theatre one day, and hearing in the drama a perfon of eminent probity and worth fay fomething reflecting upon heaven, he inmes diately went out, left by his ftay he fhould feem in the leaft to countenance or approve his words. And this was the more remarkable because the poet was his intimate friend, Again: a Heathen can never with any propriety be made to talk like a Chrif tian, or a Barbarian like a philofopher; and yet Dryden has been guilty of both thefe errors As tragedy is defigned to raise the paffions and affections, great care is to be ufed by the poet that they be placed upon proper objects; end where he has failed in this, his auditors ought to con demn hin. Venice Preferved is an example of this kind, for there we are made to pity a pack of abandoned villains, whofe intention was the ruin and deftruction of their country. And this is what is meant when it is faid that a play is founded upon a wrong moral. The mind of a rational being can never be fatisfied with any thing void of probability, and therefore the reprefentation must take in only a proper quantity of time, juft fo much as we can fuppofe fuch a number of facts could be performed in. And the fame may be faid with regard to place. We can never poffibly imagine, for instance, that within the fpace of two or three liours the transaction of a year, much lefs eight or nine, can be included. Nor can we allow fo fmall a fpace of time for a journey from France to England; and back again from thence to France; and yet Shakspeare has offended in both thefe cafes. It is time now to confider the conduet of a play. Thofe of the Spaniards confift but of three acts, and that form has been introduced within this year or two upon the English stage; but, as the beft in our language confift of five, my reflections fhall regard thefe. How the number five came to be pitched upon E cannot tell, but it is certain that this was a rule 1500 years ago, as you willfee in Rofcommon's tranflation of Horace's Art of Poetry: In the first act, the principal characters only juft make their appearance upon the stage, and fhew themfelves to the audience. In the fecond, the defign of the piece juft unfolds itself; and in the third, it fecis near a conclufion; but in the fourth, an unlucky train of accidents confpice to embroil the action and throw every thing into confufion. This is called the plot, and is the principal thing to be regarded in a play, and is the better the deeper it is laid. In the laft act, the clouds are again difpelled, and the intricacies of the plot unfolded, and the whole brought to a conclufion, which is all that is meant by that hard word catastrophe. And now it might be expected that I fhould fay fomething relating to that question, Whether a tragedy thould end happily or no? But I think it modefter to fufpend my judg ment upon fo nice a cafe. We have of both forts in our language, and both held in efteer. But, I must confefs, I am rather inclined to think it should not. There is another thing which is much talked of, and that is poetical juice; they think the good man should always be rewarded at last, and the wicked profligate be disappointed and punished. punished. But this the ancients were utterly unacquainted with, who, I believe I may fay, always leave him overborne by the waves of fortune. Could we frame to ourfelves the notion of a perfectly good man, there might be fome pretence for this, but fince the beft of us are but weak and frail beings, continually fubject to tranfgrefs, there is nothing that we can fuffer here but what our fins may july deferve. But I must force myfelf to break off here, left from writing of plays I fhould infenfibly begin to preach; but this I muft add, that I hope that whenever the comedy of courtship is over, you will obferve this piece of poctical juftice, and yield your hand to the most deferving it, under penalty of making your whole life after a continued tragedy. What I have here fent you are only a few loose suggestions, just as they occurred to my mind, without confulting any one author upon the fubje&t. You ftand in fo near a relation to me that I cannot but be affected with every wrong choice you make. It is a misfortune that we have not more of thefe things purpofely adapted to women's ufe, but at prefent their education and inftruction are monftroufly neglected. And if they prefer to their beds fops, fools, and madmen, it is owing to mothers, nurfes, and dancing-fchools. Of this I am fatisfied, that, were their younger years but more taken care of, we thould not have fo many complaints of their bafenefs, levity, and indifcretion. I believe I may by this time grow fuff ciently tirefome, and fhall only add, that, however I may be in my remarks, I am fure I am not miftaken when I fay, I am, with the tendereft concern for your good, your moft obliged, moft affectionate brother, G. C. Wad. Coll. Dec. 21, 1732. Prophecy is a fort of anticipated biftory; where, in a fiyle more or lefs literal, or figurative, with ftronger or fainter colours, it gives us fome characteristic, diftinguhing ftrokes, outlines, or features of facts and events, that are yet to come: and which muft therefore happen alfo at fome fulare particular time and place, and under various other particular circumftances, there and then more fully cognifable. Neither can any doubt be made but that their accomplishment will, to eyes pro perly and divinely difpofed, appear perfectly to tally with the sketch before given of them: Like the prefence of the perfon before his well-drawn picture, it will do honour to the unparalleled divine limner, before whofe omnifcient and omniprefent view, paft, prefent, and to come, is, as it were, the fame thing. Ifai. xli. 22, 23. xlvi. 8, ra. Now, as he who with the Apostle Paul (Gal. iv. 24) allegorifes paf, hiftorical occurrences, muft not, cannot thereby deny, or any ways difannul the reality of fact, upon which the allegory is grounded, and to which it alludes; fo neither ought any one, who fpiritualizes thefe leading features, the fketch, or outlines of future events, prophetically drawn in fcripture, to deny or invalidate the external and literal reality of their justly to be expected fulfilment.-And yet we often fee this, in effect, done by fome of the very best fpiritual writers. The WHORE of BABYLON, ANTICHRIST, &c. &c. are (fay they) no external things to be found in this or that place; but merely fuch as are to be found in every man's own heart. It is confeffed, however, that such an allegorical myftical phraseology has alf its good ground in fcripture, and may have a very practical, experimental, and edifying fenfe: Moreover, that where any future facts or events have not yet, in the precife, literal, and full manner of their accomplishment, been clearly and infallibly revealed, and made known by the fame fpirit, whe firft foretold them; it is certainly more fafe, as well as far more edifying, to myfterife fuch future things, just as we may allegorife pait ones, according to the analogy of faith, or the general tenor of God's written word. And it must be confefled, that fome deep and valuable writers have exereifed a very laudable and ufeful talent, and fhewa great ingenuity in this way. But, But, be this as it may, if all prophecy is given by infpiration of God, and muft once have its full, literal, and external accomplishment, in its own proper time, place, and other circumftances, (Man confifting here of body, as well as of foul) then ought no merely fpiritual meaning to be ever exclufively fubftitued to the detriment of the ade quate, literal, and proper one. What God hath foretold, as once to happen in this world, muft inevitably be fulfilled in every the leaft jot or tittle of its meaning. Heaven and Earth may pafs away, but the words of Christ shall not pafs away, till ALL be fulfilled." Luke xxi. 32, 33. Mark xiii. 31, compared with Matt. v. 17, 18, Note withal, that there feems to be two general ends of all prophecy. The firft is God's own glory; who, above all competition, is alone capable of giving it. Ifai. xli. 22, 23. xlvi. 9, 10. The fecond is for needful direction and encouragement of his own dear children and fervants, efpecially at or near the time of accomplishment, amidst dark, difficult, and dangerous circumftances. Rev. i. 1. Pfal. cxix. 125. Dan. xii. 10. This accounts alfo for the remarkably metaphorical, or parabolical ftyle of fcripture-prophefy. Matt. xiii. 10, 17, feems to be here very applicable. "And the difciples came and faid to him, Why fpeakeft thou unto us in parables? He answered and faid unto them, because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given, Therefore fpeak I unto them in parables, becaufe they feeing fee not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they unfterstand. But bleffed are your eyes, for they fee, and your cars for they hear!" And again" (Luke xxiv. 44, 47.) Thefe are the words which I fpake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Mofes, and in the Prophets, and in the Pfalins, concerning me. Then opened be their understanding, that they might understand the feriptures; and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Chrift to fuffer, and to rife from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remiflion of fins fhould be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerufalem." Thus did the evident ftate of things, in fact, then verify the literal accom The profeffion of a bard, or minstrel, or itinerant musician, which in former ages was held in great eftimation, is now almoft dwindled into contempt. The word is become obfolete, and is used in our ftatute books to fignify a vagrant, or ftroller, with whom the world has no communication. The minstrel in former ages was the companion of the monarch and the hero. In peace, his fong amufed them in their hours of feftivity, and in war animated them to the fight. It was cuftomary in that rude, though more fimple period, for every great man to retain one in his fervice. Their employment was to recite the great ac tions of their patrons in a fort of metrical verse, which they fometimes fung and accompanied with their harps. Love, that artificial paffion of the human breaft, founded on the inter'courfe of the fexes, was ennobled and refined by them; they fuper-added fentiment to it, which exalted and dignified the mere animal appetite, and rendered it an incentive to the most daring and heroic exploits. Animated to heroifm by the united powers of poetry and music, they braved every peril to approve themfelves and their valour in the eyes of their mistress, whom they adored, and they thought themselves amply rewarded for the most hazardous toils by their fmiles. From hence fprung thofe brilliant actions, which, like stars in a dark night that glitter in the hemifphere, embellished the history, and dispelled the horrors of thofe unenlightened times. The Great, in thofe days of rudeness, did not think themfelves difhonoured by appearing in the garb and character of minstrels. Alfied, under the disguise of a harper, vifited the Danish camp; and, according to our hiftorians, the Normans at the battle of Haltings were infpired by the the he oic deeds fung in the ballad of Rollo. It might be worth our while to purfue this fubjet a little farther, and trace the fervices and confequence of the minstrels in former times. It was the bard Blondel who delivered Richard the Firft from the captivity in which his imprudence had involved him. The fignal fervices they performed in compelling the Welch to raife the frege of Chefter, occafioned the infertion of a claufe in the Vagrant Act, which invested the heirs of the family of DUTTON with the privilege of licenfing vagrants under conditions therein expreffed. I do not pretend to be exactly chro nological; I only intend to mention facts as they arife to memory. Edward the First, according to a tradition curs rent in Wales, after he had completed the conqueft of that country, ordered all the bards or miuftreis (for their names were then fynonymous) to be put to death, being apprehenfive that hey, would keep alive the glowing flame of liberty, by reminding the vallquished of the great deeds of their anectors. This incident furnished the ingenious Mr. Gray with the fubject of his beautiful Pindaric Ode, intituled the BARD, beginning "Ruin feize thee, ruthless King." Othan, a doubtful character, fung the heroic exploits of his father Fingal: his voice was the only record of the great actions of that here; and oral tradition has handed down his fongs to us, from race to race, for upwards of 1400 years. Mr. Macpherson luckily difcovered them in the Highlands, and brought them to light and the public notice. His version of this northern bard, and Dr. Blair's learned Diflertation, could not fecure him from invidious cenfure. Dr. Blair might perhaps be mistaken, for a learned critic thinks Offian ftill "thallow fellow." However this may be, we are much indebted to the labours of thefe minftrels. Hiftory owes to them all her in formation on the manners and cuftoms of their countries. Witnefles of the utages of their respective places, they have tranfmitted to us the manners and cuftoms of their time, pure and unmixed. Oh that as much might be faid in pra:fe of thofe numerous compofitions fung in public and private, and by thofe oppofites to fimplicity-people fashion! de Burn's Juftice. If we look into the ballads which have been refcued from oblivion, we thall admire their elegant fimplicity, and the pathetic ftrokes with which they abound; nor are they always founded on fiction. The fame fpirit which animated the nobles in thofe days was adopted by their valals, whe were defirous of imitating their fuperiors. Though Fame, who is always the herald of the great, has feldem deigned to tranfmit their exploits to pofterity (for it is commonly the fate of thofe whom fortune has placed in the vale of obfcurity to have their noble actions buried in oblivion); yet thefe verfes have preferved many inftances of domeftic woc, or felicity. The vulgar are the most numerous in all focieties and why should not their meritorious actions be preferved to potterity? Thefe conftitute the principal ornaments of human life; and why should they not be recorded, as well as the exploits of turbulent ambition, which has for its object devaftation and the destruction of the human fpecies? Many an inftance of conftancy, generofity, and friendship, which might have done honour to humanity, has been fuffered to float unregarded down the stream of time, and perish in the gulph of oblivion; while the atchievements of madmen, mifcalled heroes, have been. blazoned with the adventitious ornaments of rhetoric, and held up in every age as the proper examples for youth to follow in their purtuit of glory. Calamities make a lafting impreffion on the human mind, while the traces of profperity are foon effaced. Plagues, whirlwinds, earthquakes, fires, &c. &c. dwell on the memory, and ferve to mark an æra, while aufpicious feafons roll away unheeded. The bright cxamples of conjugal fidelity, which are to be found in many of our ancient ballads, are proofs that love and honour were the idols of our ancestors in those barbarous ages. The fpirit of gallan try fupplied the place of, and fometimes exceeded, that civilization and refinement which at prefent reign in most parts of Europe. We cannot take a view of thefe uncultivated ages without a regret mingled with veneration. Courage, chastity, hofpitality, and ge nerofity were the characteristics of thofe times; they wanted nothing bur that foftnefs of inanners which diftinguifhes the prefent age, to render them complete. |