obscenity; his hedges were broken, his statues ❝and urns defaced, and his lawns worn bare. It "was now therefore necessary to shut up the gar"dens once more, and to deprive the publick of "that happiness, which had before ceased to be his

own.

"In this situation the Poet continued for a time "in the character of a jealous lover, fond of the Beauty he keeps, but unable to supply the extra66 vagance of every demand. The Garden by this "time was completely grown and finished; the "marks of art were covered up by the luxuriance "of nature; the winding walks were grown dark; "the brook assumed a natural sylvage; and the "rocks were covered with moss. Nothing now re"mained but to enjoy the beauties of the place, "when the poor Poet died, and his Garden was "obliged to be sold for the benefit of those, who "had contributed to its embellishment.

"The beauties of the place had now for some "time been celebrated as well in prose as in verse; "and all men of taste wished for so envied a spot, "where every urn was marked with the Poet's pen"cil, and every walk awakened genius and medi"tation. The first purchaser was one Mr. Truepenny, a button-maker, who was possessed of "three thousand pounds, and was willing also to "be possessed of taste and genius.

66

66

"As the Poet's ideas were for the natural wildness "of the landscape, the button-maker's were for the "more regular productions of art. He conceived perhaps that as it is a beauty in a button to be "of a regular pattern, so the same regularity ought "to obtain in a landscape. Be this as it will, he "employed the shears to some purpose; he clipped up the hedges, cut down the gloomy walks, made

" vistos

"vistos upon the stables and hog-sties, and showed "his friends that a man of taste should always be "doing.

The next candidate for taste and genius was a Captain of a ship, who bought the Garden because "the former possessor could find nothing more to "mend; but unfortunately he had taste too. His "great passion lay in building, in making Chinese "temples, and cage-work summer-houses. As the

place before had an appearance of retirement and "inspired meditation, he gave it a more peopled "air; every turning presented a cottage, or ice"house, or a temple; the Improvement was con"verted into a little city, and it only wanted in"habitants to give it the air of a village in the

"East Indies.

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66

"In this manner, in less than ten years, the Improvement has gone through the hands of as many proprietors, who were all willing to have taste, and to show their taste too. As the place "had received its best finishing from the hand of "the first possessor, so every innovator only lent a "hand to do mischief. Those parts, which were ob"scure, have been enlightened; those walks which "led naturally, have been twisted into serpentine "windings. The colour of the Howers of the field is "not more various than the variety of tastes, that "have been employed here, and all in direct con"tradiction to the original aim of the first improver. « Could the original possessor but revive, with what "a sorrowful heart would he look upon his favourite spot again! He would scarcely recollect a Dryad "or a Wood-nymph of his former acquaintance, "and might perhaps find himself as much a "stranger in his own plantation, as in the deserts of

"Siberia."

ESSAY

457

ESSAY XXII.

THE Theatre, like all other amusements, has its fashions and its prejudices; and when satiated with its excellence, mankind begin to mistake change for improvement. For some years Tragedy was the reigning entertainment; but of late it has entirely given way to Comedy, and our best efforts are now exerted in these lighter kinds of composition. The pompous train, the swelling phrase, and the unnatural rant, are displaced for that natural portrait of human folly and frailty, of which all are judges, because all have sat for the picture.

But as in describing Nature it is presented with a double face, either of mirth or sadness, our modern writers find themselves at a loss which chiefly to copy from; and it is now debated, whether the exhibition of human distress is likely to afford the mind more entertainment than that of human absurdity?

Comedy is defined by Aristotle to be a picture of the frailties of the lower part of mankind, to distinguish it from Tragedy, which is an exhibition of the misfortunes of the great. When Comedy therefore ascends to produce the characters of princes or generals upon the stage, it is out of its walk, since low life and middle life are entirely its object. The principal question therefore is, whether in describing low or middle life, an exhibition of its follies be not preferable to a detail of its calamities? Or, in other words, which deserves the preference? The weeping sentimental Comedy, so much in fashion at present *, or the laughing and even low

* 1773.

Comedy

Comedy, which seems to have been last exhibited by Vanbrugh and Cibber?

If we apply to authorities, all the great masters in the dramatic art art have but one opinion. Their rule is, that as Tragedy displays the calamities of the great; so Comedy should excite our laughter, by ridiculously exhibiting the follies of the lower part of mankind. Boileau, one of the best modern Critics, asserts, that Comedy will not admit of Tragic Distress:

Le Comique, ennemi des soupirs et des pleurs,

N'admet point dans ses vers de tragiques douleurs, Nor is this rule without the strongest foundation in Nature, as the distresses of the mean by no means affect us so strongly as the calamities of the great. When Tragedy exhibits to us some great man fallen from his height, and struggling with want and adversity, we feel his situation in the same manner as we suppose he himself must feel, and our pity is increased in proportion to the height from which he fell. On the contrary, we do not so strongly sympathize with one born in humbler circumstances, and encountering accidental distress: so that while we melt for Belisarius, wescarcely give halfpence to the beggar, who accosts us in the street. The one has our pity; the other our contempt. Distress therefore is the proper object of Tragedy, since the great excite our pity by their fall; but not equally so of Comedy, since the actors employed in it are originally so mean, that they sink but little by

their fall.

Since the first origin of the stage, Tragedy and Comedy have run in distinct channels, and never till of late encroached upon the provinces of each other. Terence, who seems to have made the nearest approaches, always judiciously stops short before he

comes

comes to the downright pathetic; and yet he is even reproached by Cæsar for wanting the Vis Comica. All the other comic writers of antiquity aim only at rendering Folly or Vice ridiculous, but never exalt their characters into buskined pomp, or make what Voltaire humourously calls a Tradesman's Tragedy.

Yet notwithstanding this weight of authority, and the universal practice of former ages, a new species of dramatic composition has been introduced under the name of Sentimental Comedy, in which the virtues of private life are exhibited, rather than the vices exposed; and the distresses rather than the faults of mankind make our interest in the piece. These Comedies have had of late great success, perhaps from their novelty, and also from their flattering every man in his favourite foible. In these plays almost all the characters are good, and exceedingly generous; they are lavish enough of their Tin money on the Stage; and though they want humour, have abundance of sentiment and feeling. If they happen to have faults or foibles, the spectator is taught not only to pardon, but to applaud them, in consideration of the goodness of their hearts; so that Folly, instead of being ridiculed. Is commended, and the Comedy aims at touching our passions without the power of being truly pathetic. In this manner we are likely to lose one great source of entertainment on the Stage; for while the Comic Poet is invading the province of the Tragic Muse, he leaves her lovely Sister quite neglected. Of this however he is no way solicitous, as he measures his fame by his profits.

But it will be said, that the Theatre is formed to amuse mankind, and that it matters little, if this end be answered, by what means it is obtained. If mankind find delight in weeping at Comedy, it

would