APPENDIX. i 7 i 



the adventure belongs to them alone j they alone are the ob- 

 jects of companion and admiration ; but their bufmeis which 

 they carry on, is the general concernment of the Trojan camp, 

 then beleaguered by Turnus and the Latines, as the Chriftians I 

 were lately by the Turks : They were to advertife the chief 

 Hero of the diuretics of his fubjects, occafioned by his abfence, 

 to crave his fuccour, and folicit him to hairen his return. 



The Grecian Tragedy was at firft nothing but a Chorus 

 of Singers j afterwards one actor was introduced, which was 

 the Poet himfelf, who entertained the people with a difcourfe 

 in verfe, betwixt the paufes of the fmging. This fucceeding 

 with the people, more actors were added to make the variety 

 the greater ; and in procefs of time the Chorus only fung 

 betwixt the acts, and the Coryphaeus, or chief of them, fpoke 

 for the reft, as an actor concerned in the bufmefs of the Play. 



Thus Tragedy was perfected by degrees, and being arrived 

 at that perfection, the Painters might probably take the hint 

 from thence, of adding groupes to their pictures ; but as a 

 good Picture may be without a groupe, fo a good Tragedy 

 may fubfift without a Chorus, notw-ithftanding any reafons 

 which have been given by Dacier to the contrary, 



Moniieur Racine has indeed ufed it in his Eftber, but not 

 that he found any neceffity of it, as the French Critic would 

 infinuate. The Chorus at St. Cyr was only to give the young 

 Ladies an occafion of entertaining the King with vocal mufic, 

 and of commending their own voices. The play itfelf was 

 never intended for the public ftage-j nor, without any difpa- 

 ragement to the learned Author, could pombly have fucceeded 

 there, and much kfs in the tranflation of it here. Mr. 

 Wycherley, when we read it together, was of my opinion in 

 this, or rather I of his 5 for it becomes me fo to fpeak of fo 



Y 2 excellent, 



