EJfay on MaJJinger. 131 



fiderate beyond nature. But here we muft again 

 plead the laid neceflity under which our poet 

 laboured, of pleafing his audience at any rate. 

 It was the prevailing opinion, that the charadters 

 ought to approach towards each other, as little 

 as poffible. This was termed art, and in con- 

 fequence of this, as Dr. Hurd obferves*, fome 

 writers of that time have founded their cha- 

 radlers on abftradl ideas, inftead of copying from 

 real life. Thofe delicate and beautiful fhades 

 ,of manners, which we admire in Shakefpeare, 

 were reckoned inaccuracies by his cotemporaries. 

 Thus Cartwright fays, in his verfes to Fletcher, 

 fpeaking of Shakefpeare, whom he undervalues, 

 ** nature was all his art.'* 



General manners mull: always influence the 

 ftage; unhappily, the manners of MafTinger's 

 age were pedantic. Yet it mufl: be allowed that 

 our author's charaflers are lefs abftract than 

 thofe of Johnfon or Cartwright, and that, with 

 more dignity, they are equally natural with thofe 

 of Fletcher. His conceptions are, for the moft 

 part, juft and noble. We have a fine inftance 

 of this in the charafter of Dioclefian, who, very 

 differently from the ranting tyrants, by whom 

 the ftage has been fo long poflefled, is generous 

 to his vanquifhed enemies, and perfeciites from 

 policy as much as from Zeal. He attracts our 



* Eflay on the Provinces of the Drama. 



K 2 refpedl. 



