are tranfmitted down to us. He excelled in a fpirit of fatire or lampoon, and the Attic falt of the Greeks abounded more in him than in any other writer, but the rufticity of the age in which he lived is visible in the plainness of his characters. He drew them fuch as they were from life, but was not always happy in the choice; he had great faults and great beauties. His ftile being warm, lively, and natural, and his characters just, he could not fail of pleasing a common taste; but the keenness of his wit did not entirely attone for his perfonal abuse, and low buffoonery. What amends could he make fociety for not only publicly abufing Socrates, but even going fo far as to name him upon the Stage, when he himself was prefent. But as even the most innocent designs may be perverted to the worst purposes, the poig nancy of their fatire, no longer pointed at the wicked, but was levelled at religion, virtue, and the most respectable characters, either by naming them publicly, or having masks painted to fuch a likeness that none could miftake them. This at length obliged the state to interpose, and to enact laws against all perfonal fonal invective for the future. From a confideration of the nature of the exhibitions at this time permitted on the Greek Theatre, we are led to fuppofe that Aristophanes was then the Foote of Greece; and in many things the English is not inferior to the Grecian mimic. The Poets being reftrained from perfonal abuse, foon found means to elude the law, and affixed feigned names to their characters, but still drew them fo like, that the spectators could not be easily mistaken by this means they enjoyed a double advantage, that of bestowing their cenfure where they pleased, or where it was merited, with impunity, and at the same time of enjoying the delicate fatisfaction of their Audience's finding out and comparing the portraits which they drew with their originals; this continued customary till the time of Alexander the Great, who obferving that the licentious freedom of the Poets encreased daily, totally fuppreffed it. From hence the new Comedy arose, which no longer glanced at, or described particular perfons. The names and events were fictitious; and as the characters and manners were taken at large from real life, no parti cular cular offence could be taken. Menander was the inventor or improver of this kind of Comedy, which was the finest and most useful of any; he introduced into his dramatic pieces an agreeable and refined vein of spirit and humour, confined within the ftricteft bounds of decency, to which his predeceffor Aristophanes was almost a stranger. There are little or no remains of this excellent Poet handed down to us, though he is faid to have wrote and prepared upwards of a hundred Comedies for the Stage. We may form an idea of his merit from the character Quintilian has left of him, "That the brightness of his merit had entirely eclipsed the reputation of all the preceding writers in that way." Terence has derived the greatest part of his fame from him, by tranflating a few felect Comedies of his; and though the Latin bard is in general allowed to be very excellent, yet he is thought by the best judges to have fallen very short of his great original. CHAP. CHA P. IV. Of the Roman theatrical entertainments, and dramatic Authors. WHEN HEN the Romans began to enjoy the bleffings of peace, they gradually refined themselves from that favage rufticity which their fimple manner of living, and restlefs military genius had enured them to. The Greeks were their models both of learning and politeness; and from them they derived their firft theatrical hints. Græcia capta ferum victorem cepit & artes HOR. About one hundred and thirty years after the Grecian Theatre had reached its full fplendor, dramatic entertainments began to be encouraged in Rome; like the Grecian it took its rife from the rural jocularity of the common people. At first they entertained themselves in their feftivals with irregular verses, the product of jollity and wine, full of gross raillery, attended with dances and low buffoonery. These were called Fefcennine verses, from Fefcen 4. Fefcennia, a city of Etruria, from whence they were brought to Rome. Fefcennina per burt inventa licentia morem HØR. These afterwards were exchanged for more innocent entertainments, called Satyre. They only confifted of inoffenfive raillery, from whence all obfcenity was banifhed; and they were the favourite diverfion of the people, till Livius Andronicus and fome others prefented the people with several innocent characters in both kinds, which they had translated from the Greek; but none of their works have reached us. The only Poet of any note among them was Plautus. Nineteen of his theatrical pieces have been handed down to us. He was the fame among the Romans as Aristophanes as among the Greeks; but is reputed to have come nearest of all the dramatifts to the true Attic wit, which included every thing perfect. In some of his writings he has excellent maxims for the conduct of human life; but in others he often degenerates into abfurdity and obscenity; which indeed was the fault of the Pagan world: Ο yet |