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'to find fo many works tranflated from the French, while we have fuch numbers neglected of our own. In our opinion, notwithstanding their fame throughout the rest of Europe, the French are the most ⚫ contemptible reafoners (we had almost said writers) that can be imagined. However, nevertheless, ex'cepting, &c.' Another English writer, Shaftsbury, if I remember, on the contrary, fays that the French authors are pleafing and judicious, more clear, more methodical, and entertaining, than those of his own country.

From these oppofite pictures you perceive that the good authors of either country praife, and the bad revile each other; and yet, perhaps, you will be furprized that indifferent writers fhould thus be the most apt to cenfure, as they have the most to apprehend from recrimination; you may perhaps imagine, that fuch as are poffeffed of fame themfelves fhould be moft ready to declare their opinicns, fince what they fay might pass for decifion. But the truth happens to be, that the great are folicitous only of raising their own reputations, while the oppofite clafs, alas! are folicitous of bringing every reputation down to a level with their own.

But let us acquit them of malice and envy; a critic is often guided by the fame motives that direct his author. The author endeavours to perfuade us, that he has written a good book; the critic is equally folicitous to fhew that he could write a better, had he thought proper. A eritic is a being poffeffed of all the vanity, but not the genius, of a fcholar; incapable from his native weaknefs of lifting himself from the ground, he applies to contiguous merit for support; makes the fportive fallies of another's imagination his ferious employment, pretends to take our feelings under his care, teaches where to condemn, where to lay the emphasis of praise; and may with as much justice be

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called a man of tafte, as the Chinese who measures his wisdom by the length of his nails.

If then a book fpirited or humourous happens to appear in the republic of letters, feveral critics are in waiting to bid the publick not to laugh at a fingle line of it, for themselves had read it; and they know what is moft proper to excite laughter. Other critics contradict the fulminations of this tribunal, call them all spiders, and affure the publick, that they ought to laugh without reftraint. Another fet are in the mean time quietly employed in writing notes to the book, intended to fhew the particular paffages to be laughed at; when these are out, others ftill there are who write notes upon notes: thus a fingle new book employs not only the papermakers, the printers, the preffimen, the book-binders, the hawkers, but twenty critics, and as many compilers. In fhort, the body of the learned may be compared to a Perfian army, where there are many pioneers, feveral futtlers, numberlefs fervants, women and children in abundance, and but few foldiers. Adieu.

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THE English are as fond of seeing plays acted as

the Chinese; but there is a vaft difference in the manner of conducting them. We play our pieces in the open air, the English theirs under cover; we act by day-light, they by the blaze of torches. One of our plays continues eight or ten days fucceffively;

an English piece feldom takes up above four hours in the reprefentation.

My companion in black, with whom I am now beginning to contract an intimacy, introduced me a few nights ago to the play-houfe, where we placed ourfelves conveniently at the foot of the ftage. As the curtain was not drawn before my arrival, I had an opportunity of obferving the behaviour of the fpectators, and indulging thofe reflections which novelty generally inspires.

The rich in general were placed in the lowest seats, and the poor rofe above them in degrees proportioned to their poverty. The order of precedence feemed here inverted; thofe who were undermoft all the day, now enjoyed a temporary eminence, and became mafters of the ceremonies. It was they who called for the mufic, indulging every noify freedom, and teftifying all the infolence of beggary in exaltation.

They who held the middle region feemed not fo riotous as thofe above them, nor yet so tame as those below; to judge by their looks, many of them feemed ftrangers there as well as myfelf: they were chiefly employed, during this period of expectation, in eating oranges, reading the ftory of the play, or making affignations.

Those who fat in the lowest rows, which are called the pit, feemed to confider themselves as judges of the merit of the poet and the performers; they were affembled partly to be amufed, and partly to fhew their tafte; appearing to labour under that restraint which an affectation of fuperior difcernment generally produces. My companion, however, informed me, that not one in an hundred of them knew even the first principles of criticifm; that they affumed the right of being cenfors because there was none to contradict their pretenfions; and that every man

who

who now called himself a connoiffeur, became fuch to all intents and purposes.

Those who fat in the boxes appeared in the most unhappy fituation of all. The reft of the audience came merely for their own amusement; these rather to furnish out a part of the entertainment themselves. I could not avoid confidering them as acting parts in dumb fhew, not a curtefy or nod, that was not the refult of art; not a look nor a fmile that was not defigned for murder. Gentlemen and ladies ogled each other through fpectacles; for my companion obferved, that blindnefs was of late become fashionable, all affected indifference and eafe, while their hearts at the fame time burned for conquest. Upon the whole, the lights, the mufic, the ladies in their gayeft dreffes, the men with chearfulness and expectation in their looks, all confpired to make a moft agreeable picture, and to fill an heart that fympathizes at human happiness with an expreffible ferenity.

The expected time for the play to begin at laft arrived, the curtain was drawn, and the actors came on. A woman, who perfonated a queen, came in curtefying to the audience, who clapped their hands upon her appearance. Clapping of hands is, it feems, the manner of applauding in England; the manner is abfurd, but every country, you know, \has its peculiar abfurdities. I was equally furprised, however, at the fubmiffion of the actress, who fhould have confidered herself as a queen, as at the little difcernment of the audience who gave her fuch marks of applaufe before the attempted to deferve them. Preliminaries between her and the audience being thus adjusted, the dialogue was fupported between her and a moft hopeful youth, who acted the part of her confidant. They both appeared in extreme distress, for it feems the queen had loft a child fome fifteen years before, and ftill keeps its

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dear refemblance next her heart, while her kind companion bore a part in her forrows.

Her lamentations grew loud, comfort is offered, but the detefts the very found. She bids them preach comfort to the winds. Upon this her hufband comes in, who, feeing the queen fo much afflicted, can himself hardly refrain from tears or avoid partaking in the foft diftrefs. After thus grieving through three fcenes, the curtain dropped for the first act.

Truly, faid I to my companion, these kings and queens are very much difturbed at no very great misfortune; certain I am, were people of humbler ftations to act in this manner, they would be thought divefted of common fenfe. I had fcarcely finished this observation, when the curtain rofe, and the king came on in a violent paffion. His wife had, it feems, refufed his proffered tenderness, had fpurned his royal embrace; and he feemed refolved not to furvive her fierce difdain. After he had thus fretted, and the queen had fretted through the fecond act, the curtain was let down once more.

Now, fays my companion, you perceive the king to be a man of fpirit, he feels at every pore: one of your phlegmatic fons of clay would have given the queen her own way, and let her come to herself by degrees; but the king is for immediate tendernefs, or inftant death: death and tendernefs are leading paffions of every modern bufkined hero; this moment they embrace, and the next ftab, mixing daggers and kiffes in every period.

I was going to fecond his remarks, when my attention was engroffed by a new object; a man came in balancing a ftraw upon his nofe, and the audience were clapping their hands in all the raptures of applaufe. To what purpofe, cried I, does this unmeaning figure make his appearance; is he a part of the plot? Unmeaning do you call him? replied

my

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