"And if we should grant that the Greeks performed this better, perhaps it may admit "of difpute whether pity and terror are either "the prime, or at least the only ends of tragedy.

""Tis not enough that Aristotle has faid fo; "for Ariftotle drew his models of tragedy " from Sophocles and Euripides; and, if he "had feen ours, might have changed his mind. "And chiefly we have to fay (what I hinted

on pity and terror, in the last paragraph "fave one), that the punishment of vice and "reward of virtue are the most adequate ends "of tragedy, because most conducing to good

example of life. Now pity is not so easily "raised for a criminal, and the ancient tragedy "always reprefents its chief perfon fuch, as it "is for an innocent man; and the fuffering "of innocence and punishment of the offender is of the nature of English tragedy: contrarily, in the Greek, innocence is unhappy often, and the offender efcapes. Then we are not touched with the fufferings of any fort of men fo much as of lovers; and "this was almost unknown to the ancients: "fo that they neither administered poetical juftice, of which Mr. Rymer boasts, so well as we; nether knew they the best common place of pity, which is love.

"He therefore unjustly blames us for not building on what the ancients left us; for "it seems, upon confideration of the premises, "that we have wholly finished what they began.

My judgement on this piece is this, that it "is extreamly learned; but that the author of

Cc 2

"it

"it is better read in the Greek than in the

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English poets: that all writers ought to study "this critique, as the best account I have ever feen of the ancients: that the model of tragedy he has here given is excellent, and "extreme correct; but that it is not the only "model of all tragedy, because it is too much "circumfcribed in plot, characters, &c. and

laftly, that we may be taught here justly to "admire and imitate the ancients, without giving them the preference with this author, in prejudice to our own country.

"Want of method in this excellent treatise, "makes the thoughts of the author sometimes "obfcure.

"His meaning, that pity and terror are to "be moved, is, that they are to be moved as "the means conducing to the ends of tragedy, which are pleasure and instruction.

"And these two ends may be thus diftinguifhed. The chief end of the poet is to pleafe; for his immediate reputation depends

" on it.

"The great end of the poem is to instruct, which is performed by making pleasure the "vehicle of that inftruction; for poefy is an art, and all arts are made to profit. Rapin.

"The pity, which the poet is to labour for, "is for the criminal, not for those or him "whom he has murdered, or who have been "the occafion of the tragedy. The terror is "likewife in the punishment of the fame cri"minal; who, if he be reprefented too great

an offender, will not be pitied: if altogether innocent, his punishment will be unjust.

"Another

"Another obfcurity is, where he fays Sophocles perfected tragedy by introducing the "third actor; that is, he meant, three kinds " of action; one company finging, or ano"ther playing on the musick; a third danc«ing.

"To make a true judgment in this compe"tition betwixt the Greek poets and the Eng"lifh, in tragedy:

"a

"Confider, first, how Ariftotle has defined a tragedy. Secondly, what he affigns the "end of it to be. Thirdly, what he thinks "the beauties of it. Fourthly, the means to "attain the end proposed.

Compare the Greek and English tragick poets justly, and without partiality, according to those rules.

"Then, fecondly, confider whether Arif"totle has made a juft definition of tragedy; "of its parts, of its ends, and of its beauties " and whether he, having not feen any others "but thofe of Sophocles, Euripides, &c. had "or truly could determine what all the excel"lencies of tragedy are, and wherein they "confift.

"Next fhew in what ancient tragedy was "deficient: for example, in the narrowness "of its plots, and fewness of perfons, and try "whether that be not a fault in the Greek

poets; and whether their excellency was fo great, when the variety was vifibly fo little; "or whether what they did was not very easy. ❝ to do.

"Then make a judgement on what the Eng"lish have added to their beauties: as, for "example, not only more plot, but also new paffions;

1

paffions; as, namely, that of love, scarce "touched on by the ancients, except in this one example of Phædra, cited by Mr. Rymer; and in that how fhort they were of "Fletcher!

"Prove also that love, being an heroick "paffion, is fit for tragedy, which cannot be denied, because of the example alledged of "Phædra; and how far Shakespeare has out"done them in friendship, &c.

"To return to the beginning of this enquisc ry; confider if pity and terror be enough "for tragedy to move; and I believe, upon a "true definition of tragedy, it will be found "that its work extends farther; and that it is "to reform manners, by a delightful repre"fentation of human life in great perfons, by «Ε way of dialogue. If this be true, then not "only pity and terror are to be moved, as "the only means to bring us to virtue, but

generally love to virtue and hatred to vice; by fhewing the rewards of one, and punish"ments of the other; at leaft, by rendering "virtue always amiable, tho' it be fhewn un"fortunate; and vice deteftable, tho' it be "fhewn triumphant.

"If, then, the encouragement of virtue and
difcouragement of vice be the
proper ends of
poetry in tragedy, pity and terror, tho' good
means, are not the only. For all the paf-
fions, in their turns, are to be fet in a fer-
ment: as joy, anger, love, fear, are to be
"ufed as the poet's common-places; and a
general concernment for the principal actors
is to be raised, by making them appear fuch
"in their characters, their words, and acti-

ons,

ons, as will intereft the audience in their "fortunes.

"And if, after all, in a larger fenfe, pity comprehends this concernment for the good, " and terror includes deteftation for the bad, "then let us confider whether the English "have not answered this end of tragedy, as "well as the ancients, or perhaps better.

"And here Mr. Rymer's objections against "these plays are to be impartially weighed, "that we may fee whether they are of weight enough to turn the balance against our countrymen.

"

" "Tis evident thofe plays, which he arraigns, have moved both those paffions in a high degree upon the stage.

"To give the glory of this away from the poet, and to place it upon the actors, feems unjuft.

"One reason is, because whatever actors "they have found, the event has been the "fame; that is, the fame paffions have been "always moved; which fhews, that there is

something of force and merit in the plays "themselves, conducing to the defign of rai"fing these two paffions: and suppose them

ever to have been excellently acted, yet "action only adds grace, vigour, and more "life, upon the ftage; but cannot give it

wholly where it is not firft. But, fecondly, I "dare appeal to those who have never seen "them acted, if they have not found these two paffions moved within them: and if the general voice will carry it, Mr. Rymer's prejudice will take off his fingle teftimony.