116 
Dramaturgie de Hambourg.” His 
plays, accordingly, though not, ex” 
actly conformable to the Ariftote-- 
lian ftandard, approach pretty near 
to it in the observation of the uni- 
ties. H_ is faid to have got into a 
difpute with Goethé on this fabjeét, 
in which, from a degree of timidity 
in his nature, he rather yielded to 
his antagonift. I am not fure if he 
~ has profited by confining himfelf 
more than fome other of his coun- 
trymen within the bounds of the 
regular drama. The fable of Emilie 
de Galotti, as well as of his other. 
tragedies, is more regular than hap- 
py, and the denouement neither na- 
tural nor pleafing. It is founded 
on circumftances fomewhat fimilar 
to thofe in the ftory of Virginia. 
A prince of Guaftalla is defperately 
enamoured of Emilie de Galotti, 
who is» jut about to be married to 
a man of rank and fortune, the 
Cottnt Appiani. On the day of his 
marriage, he is way-laid by order 
of a wicked minilter of the prince, 
and murdered. His bride is brought 
to the prince’s country-feat, where, 
to prevent any chance cf her.dif- 
honour, her father kills her. 
After the firft reading of Zmzlie, 
I was difpofed to wonder at the re-- 
putation it had acquired; but a fe- 
cond placed it higher in my eftima- 
tion. This was naturally the cafe 
in a performance where the whele 
was neither fo perfeét ner fo inte- 
refling as fome of the {cenes in de- 
tai were forcible and ftriking. 
The heroine Emilie de Galotti is 
but imperfeétly drawn, and not very 
well fupported. Indeed, it may in 
general be obferved in thefe pieces, 
that the charaéters of the female 
perfonages are by much the moft 
defective, both in beauty and in 
force. This may perhaps be af- 
sribed to she ftate of fociety in Ger- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1790. 
many, where the [ex is lefs an ob- 
jet of confideration and refpect 
than in France, and fome other 
parts of the Continent. But there 
is another lady in this t agedy, the 
Counte/s d’Orfina, the betrayed and 
abandoned miftrefs of the prince, 
whofe charaéter the poet has deli- 
neated with-great ability ; and one 
fcene, in which fhe is introduced: 
along with the father of Emilie, in 
genuine expreflion of paffion, and 
pointed force of dialogue, may be © 
compared to fome of the beft which 
the modern flage can beatt. “in 
In the developement of the fecret. 
foldings of the heart, Leffing feems. 
deeply fkilled, and the opening 
{cenes of this tragedy contain fome 
of thofe little incidents that mark 
an intimacy with human nature, 
which genivs alone can claim. 
But in its progrefs we find, in fome. 
degree, a want of that firong and 
juit delineation and fupport of cha- 
racter, but chiefly of that probable 
conduct and interefting fituation, 
which are the great and peculiar re- 
quifites of dramatic excellence. It 
feems alfo defective in the pathetic, 
for which certainly the fubjeé& af-. 
forded very great room, and which,. 
in a fimilar fituation, eur country~' 
man Rowe has contrived fo ftrongly 
to excite. 
Of Leffing’s performances in thefe 
volumes, the next in merit, though, 
in my opinion, at a confiderable — 
diftance, is Sara Sam/fon, an Englifh ~ 
ftory, of which the idea feems chiefly 
taken from Clariffa, though one 
character m it, that ofa violent and 
profligate woman, is evidently bor~ 
rowed from Mi//zvcod in George Barne 
ewell. I muft venture to doubt, 
whether a character of this fort be 
proper for filling a principal place 
an tragedy.. There is a degree of 
infamy in the vice of fuch a perfon F 
; 5 "thas. 5 
