COMEDY. 



the refinement of Terence, and Terence 

 the humour of Plautus. 



The modifications of comedy in its first 

 stages, and the varieties observable in it 

 at the present day, all originate in the 

 predominating character of each particu- 

 lar people, and in their respective forms 

 of government. Thus, in a democratical 

 state, the administration of government, 

 and the conduct of the leading men, be- 

 ing the chief objects of animadversion 

 and censure, the Athenian people, ever 

 discontented and restless, delighted in 

 theatrical satires, which exposed not only 

 the vices of individuals, but the concerns 

 of government, the prevarications of ora- 

 tors, the faults of generals, and even their 

 own facility to be duped and corrupted. 

 Hence their applause at the political sa- 

 tires of Aristophanes. This licence was 

 repressed as the government grew less 

 popular, as may be seen in the later co- 

 medies of that author, and in what ves- 

 tige remains of those of Menander In 

 these the state was always respected, and 

 private intrigues were substituted for 

 public cabals. 



The Romans under the consuls, as 

 jealous of liberty as the Athenians, but 

 more jealous of the dignity of their go- 

 vernment, never suffered the republic to 

 be exposed to the shafts of poetic ridi- 

 cule : hence their first comic authors ven- 

 tured upon personal, but never upon po- 

 litical, satire. 



The low popular comedy was always 

 freely tolerated, and the comedy of Gre- 

 cian manners, called Palliata, enjoyed 

 equal indulgence ; .but when the nobles 

 of Rome were introduced on the stage, 

 as in the pieces called Practextze and 

 Togatze, the action was more restrain- 

 ed, and ridicule was banished. This 

 style, as Seneca observes, holds a middle 

 rank between comedy and tragedy. But 

 as luxury gradually softened the man- 

 ners of Rome, comedy lost its keenness 

 and severity; and the Romans, having im- 

 bibed the vices of the Greeks, Terence, 

 to pourtray them, had only to copy Me- 

 nander. 



The same influence of public taste and 

 political institutions has determined the 

 character of comedy in every nation in 

 Europe, since the revival of letters. A 

 nation, which once affected a proud so- 

 lemnity of manners, and a romantic pride 

 of sentiment, formed the model of its 

 drama or intrigues full of incident, and on 

 characters replete with hyperbole. Such 

 is the Spanish theatre, their dramatic au- 

 thors display a forced exaggeration, and 

 a freedom of imagination, which violates 



all rules. Yet with these faults, added to 

 a fondness for puerile conceits, and far 

 fetched equivoques, Lope de Vega has 

 attained to the first rank among modern 

 poets. He unites the happiest discrimi- 

 nation of character to a strength of in- 

 vention, which even Corneille could ad- 

 mire. He took from Lope the character 

 of his Menteur, and he declares he 

 would have given two of his best pieces 

 to have imagined it. 



The Italian comedy is strongly indica- 

 tive of the disposition of the people. 

 Points of honour, amours, revenge for 

 falsehood in affairs of gallantry, furnish 

 abundance of perilous intrigues for lo- 

 vers, and of endless play for the coque- 

 tries of valets and waiting women. The 

 rage of pantomime and caricature is con- 

 spicuous in all the comedies of the Ita- 

 lians, and they indulge it at the expense 

 of their better judgment. Their plots 

 are devoid of ingenuity, sense, and wit. 

 There is hardly one among the immense 

 collections of their pieces, which a man 

 of taste would bear to read to the end. 

 Indeed, the Italians at last began to be 

 sensible of this, and Florence set the ex- 

 ample of substituting for these miserable 

 farces the best comedies of Moliere 

 translated into Italian. Other states fol- 

 lowed the example, and in all probability 

 the French comedy will soon become ge- 

 neral in Italy. 



A nation, formerly counted the first in 

 politeness and refinement, when every 

 individual made it a duty to conform his 

 sentiments and ideas to the manners of 

 society, when prejudices were princi- 

 ples, and usages laws ; this nation could 

 afford few originals, its characters were 

 softened by deference, and its vices pal- 

 liated by good-breeding. The French 

 comedy has, however, served to improve 

 the English stage as much as the differ- 

 ence of manners would allow. Moliere 

 is certainly a just model of comic excel- 

 lence : he possesses that philosophic 

 penetration, which seizes extremes as 

 well as their intermediate degrees, and 

 that power of contrast, which gives force 

 to his painting, which the delicacy of his 

 pencil might otherwise have lost. 



In a country like ours, where every in- 

 dividual glories in his privilege of think- 

 ing for himself, originals must always 

 abound. Hence the English comedy ex- 

 cels all others in|strength of character, 

 and in the true expression of nature : it 

 is simple, consistent, and philosophical. 

 The genius of Shakespeare has been con- 

 sidered by some as most happy in come- 

 dy ; the truth is, that in every depart- 



