which, before he could excel, he had three impediments to triumph over. The first was a thickness and hurry in fpeech, which he cured by speaking with a pebble in his mouth; the fecond a shortnefs of breath, which he conquered by clambering daily up a steep hill and the third was a weak fhrill voice, which he ftrengthened by declaiming upon the rocks. near the fea- fide, where the waters roared round him like heaven's thunder. I have seen an Actor whose talents were fine, with a figure rather mean than recommendatory, ftep the Stage with real majefty, fupport dignity, and infuse awe, while another whose person was tall, and finely formed, has rather looked like a peasant than a prince: he has poked his head forward, as if he had a mind to dart it into the lady's face to whom he was supposed to make love; his figure has been ungainly, his motions aukward, and his whole deportment rather like Prim Stiff, the mercer on Ludgate-Hill, than Hamlet the Dane, or the Wild Harry who fhook the throne of France, and gave univerfal formidability to the name of Britain.

СНАР.

CHA P. IV.

Of Paffion and Elocution: how to manage and preferve the Voice: Aaron Hill on this fubject.

A Poet, in the enthusiasm of his writing,

very rarely thinks of the particular tone of Voice and mode of Action belonging to each speech of his character: he thinks it fufficient if he animates it with a proper infufion of Paffion and ftrength of fentiment, or to enliven it with wit and humour; and leaves it to the judgment and taste of the Actor, to give his conceptions their full force by a fuitable conformity of each. Now there are some paffages where the paffions are fo plainly pointed out, that he must have a very dull genius indeed who cannot at first sight discern where the propriety ought to lie. For inftance, take a few of the following fpeeches:

In the fourth Scene of the first Act of Henry the Sixth, Part II. where Duke Humphry and his wife are difcourfing, fhe begins thus:

Why droops my lord, like over-ripened corn · Hanging the head with Ceres' plenteous load?

Why doth the great Duke Humphry knit his brows, As frowning at the favours of the world!

Why are thine eyes fixt to the fullen earth,

Gazing at that which feems to dim thy fight? What feeft thou there? - - - -

And in Othello, where Defdemona fays to him,

Alas! why gnaw you so your nether lip? Some bloody paffion fbakes your very frame. And Lenox in Macbeth,

What hafte looks thro' his eyes!

So fhould be look that feems to speak things ftrange.

Many other instances might be given; but thefe are fufficient to fhew where the Action, &c. are implied and pointed out in the very description.

One of the most beautiful figures in Poetry, is where the verse paints the very thing it defcribes but what avails the Poet's excellency in this particular, if the Actor, for want of a juft difcernment, or from an infipid languor of fpirit, lofes one of his chief beauties, and cannot make the found of his voice an echo to the Poet's fenfe?

Now,

Now, in comic characters the tone of voice, and action proper to each, is vifible almost at first fight; and this may be the reason why more fucceed in comic than tragic characters: for as all men are not born heroes, fo all are not born Tragedians; nor have that dignity of foul, or tenderness of affection, which is fo effential to a tragic hero; but all are naturally judges of humour in fome shape, and can much fooner difcern an impropriety in one than in the other.

Formerly a turgid vociferation or effeminate whine, accompanied with the most outrageous and unnatural rants, were mistaken for the beft difplay of the heroic and tender paffions; but as the established maxim of our modern Stage is always to keep Nature in view, a great part of this vicious action and utterance has been deservedly exploded; and I believe that, for this reason, Acting is in far greater perfection than ever it was in the days of our forefathers. As Shakespeare's writings are the very language of Nature, it is probable, that, while he continued an Actor, he fuited his voice and action to it; and as we know he did not care to have "a passion torn

to

to tatters," by this madnefs of gesture and voice, we may juftly infer, that his judicious regulation of both was not relished by the vitiated taste of the audience of his days, and that he was cenfured as a bad Actor undefervedly *.

It has been the opinion of an eminent writer, "that if a Player enters thoroughly into the nature and circumstances of his part, a proper action will neceffarily follow;" but, if this affertion be true, there will then be no neceffity of study or previous preparation, and genius, unaffifted by art, is alone fufficient; but, in the mean time, where fhall we fix the standard of genius and perfection, fince judg

* That this was the tafte very lately, appears in the following extract of a letter from Mr. Wilkes to Aaron Hill, Efq; dated February 25, 1730.

"It were to be wifhed, that every spectator "had your penetration, and could fo juftly diftinguish "the different paflions, and the manner of working "them: no A&tor, then, could hope for a favourable "reception, but from his endeavours, upon all occa

ge

fions, to copy Nature. But, alas! the talte ing "neral is fo depraved, that there is little or no applaufe to be gained in Tragedy, but at the expence "of lungs."

See a Collection of Letters written by A. Pope, Efq; and others, to Mr. Hill.

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