212 Poetry. 



more correct and refined, and their whole struc- 

 ture more elegant than those of any preceding age. 

 The English Comedies which have attracted 

 attention, and to which great excellence is at- 

 tributed, are numerous. The Careless Husband, ol 

 Cibber, first performed in 1704, is generally ranked 

 among the most respectable of this class, though 

 it can scarcely be said to be perfectly pure in its 

 moral tendency. The Recruiting Officer, and the 

 Beaux Stratagem, by Farquhar, though liable to 

 still greater blame, for the same kind of fault, have 

 long been popular plays. The Conscious Lovers 3 

 of Sir Richard Steele, for purity and tenderness 

 of sentiment, and chasteness of language, has 

 generally received warm commendation. The 

 Suspicious Husband, by Hoadly, also ranks high 

 in this list. The Jealous Wife, and the Clandes- 

 tine Marriage, by Colman, have had a degree of 

 popularity much beyond ordinary comic produc- 

 tions. The Good-natured Man, and She Stoops to 

 Conquer, by Goldsmith, have generally a place 

 assigned them among the superior works of this 

 class. The School for Scandal, by Mr. Sheridan., 

 is pronounced, in a literary view, the best comedy 

 of the age; but when measured by a correct moral 

 standard, considerable deduction must be made 

 from its merit. The West Indian, and the Wheel 

 of Fortune, by Mr. Cumberland, have been much 

 applauded by judges of dramatic excellence. The 

 comic productions of Garrick, though certainly 

 not deserving of a place in the highest rank, are 

 yet lively and pleasing, and in general free from 

 the charge of immoral tendency. The Heiress, 

 of General Burgoyne, for taste and wit, stands 

 high in the opinion of connoisseurs. The comedies 

 of Mr. Holcroft are entitled to considerable 

 praise, as efforts of genius ; but the errors of the 

 author's moral and philosophical principles are 



