786 
POETRY. 
In comedy this author produced “ Les Plaideurs,” a 
fatirical attack on the popular orators of the day, in which 
be was afiifted by many witty and accomplifhed friends. 
The ambitious Voltaire, by whofe labours fo much of 
the enlightenment of the world has been effefted, had in 
view the reform of the ftage ; and accordingly he paid that 
attention to ftage-effeft which has never been forgotten 
by fuccefsful poets. The introduction of the cataifrophe 
before the eyes of the audience, which before his time was 
generally related by an aftor, was broughtabout by this au¬ 
thor. Though he is inferior to Corneille in concifenefs, in 
vigour of paflion, grandeur of fentiment, and to Racine in 
pathetic emotion and in elegance; yet in his portraiture 
of Ample unforced fprings of aftion, in his variety of 
character, and in his clever management of dialogue, he 
deferves much praife. The fourth aft of his Mahomet 
may vie with the works of the fecond-rate Englifh drama¬ 
tics. But, on the whole, Voltaire’s poetical merits chiefly 
reft on his tales, fatires, epiftles, and fmaller productions. 
In thefe cafual Tallies of genius, we are of opinion that the 
name of the author will ever be ranked among the moft 
celebrated, and will often be regarded as the firft. In 
thefe pieces he continually prefents us with ingenious 
fimilies, and allufions at once poignant and inftruCtive; 
we difcover in them the delicacy and lightnefs of the man 
of the world, united with the dignity and eafe of the phi- 
lofopher. His “ Henriade” was a fine bold attempt at the 
epic, and fhowed a great mafter of the refources of the 
French tongue; but the natural difficulty which the em¬ 
ployment of rhyme occafioned, the confined nature of his 
fubjeft, and his falfe admiration for the cold beauties of 
Lucretius, all tended to ruin the fire of his mufe; and 
this work, though famous in France, is not often read 
through in other countries. It is very deftitute of dra¬ 
matic effeCt; and, though abounding in fine defcriptions, 
thefe are evidently inferior to the claflic fources from 
which they are borrowed. Voltaire attempted comedy, 
but his works in this line contain little wit or humour, 
though a great deal of pedantry and affectation, fome grofs, 
equivoques and ribaldries. He may be contented, how¬ 
ever, without a high name for his poetry, who has left 
an eternal memorial of his exiftence in his profe. 
When Voltaire was growing into repute, Crlbillon was 
brought forward with great eclat, as his rival in tragedy. 
This author is a curious fpecimen of the poorfhift a man 
deftitute of genius is forced to make ufe of when he willies 
to perform great things. Having obferved the powerful 
intereft which terror excited in the hands of Corneille 
and the Greek tragedifts, he introduced the moft horrid 
and bombaftical fcenes on the ftage, which “ out-heroded 
Herod” with a vengeance. 
LaMotte, the well-known author offome pleafing fables, 
(which however were eclipfed by La Fontaine,) wrote a 
tragedy -called “ Ines de Caftro,” which, from its intereft- 
ing plot, ftill retains pofl'eflion of the ftage; but we (hall 
omitall notice of their minor productions, which are dead. 
In comedy the French boaft of little but of that kind 
which derives its intereft from local circumftances. Such 
are the works of Deftouches, of which only “ Le Glo- 
rieux” and the “ Philofophe Marie,”are ever now heard of. 
The “ Metronomanie”of Piron, “LeMechant” of Greffet, 
“L’Homme du Jour” and “ Les Dehors-Trompeurs” 
of Boifti, and laftly the “Turcaref’of Le Sage, are all 
mentioned with encomium by La Harpe in his View of 
French Literature; but we have never procured any of 
them, and haften with alacrity to fpeak of Moliere, at once 
the ornament of France for his private virtues and public 
talents. The comedy of the French affumed in the hands 
of this author a diftinguifhed rank, and a ftyle truly ori¬ 
ginal. It is a fucceflion of polite and delicate fatires on 
moral and philofophical errors, very like to the playful 
manner of Horace, though highly fuperior as a whole, 
becaufe the form of comedy is fuperior to every other 
method of fatirizing that is knowm. 
In refpeft to this light and laughing ftyle, the French 
comedy contrails curioufly with our own. We lafli errors 
much more ferioully. If Moliere be fomewhat like Horace, 
the Engiilh comic authors refemble Juvenal. They are 
earned: and farcaftic. This engenders in us a ftiffnefs; 
and we do not touch {lighter errors in manners fo cleverly 
as our French neighbours. But again, they carry their 
nonchalance too far, becaufe they are not much ofccupied 
in ridiculing the errors of the heart. They care little for 
the morals. The French have a great triumph over us 
in the mode they treat philofophical abfurdities. We 
have nothing like the “ Bourgeois Gentilhomme,” or the 
“Precieufes Ridicules.” It is odd that we never laugh' 
a little at bad fcience. Pedantry, queer theories, &c. are 
never brought on our ftage. In this point Moliere may 
be confidered a little Ariltophanic. And really this is to 
cultivated minds very entertaining; though, as the prin¬ 
ciples of knowledge are ever altering, the fubjeft mull be 
ephemeral; while, on the contrary, the principles of 
morals being fixed, plays founded on their corruption are 
eternal. 
Moliere is not to be judged by the whole of his works. 
We muft confider fome of his farcical pieces as merely 
written in conformity with the reigning tafte ; but in 
more finifhed productions we {hall find a dialogue never 
flagging, always tending to a point perfectly natural, and 
expreffed fo well in verfe, that one deludes onefelf into 
the reality altnoft as well as in profe. Characters very 
precife, though a little overdrawn; occaiionally good 
fituations; but, on the whole, meagre plots. But to 
this ftrifture he has brilliant exceptions. 
In didaftic poetry France has produced Boileau , a 
fatirift, who may juftly compete with our own or with the 
Roman poets. His “ Art of Poetry” has great merit in 
point of expreflion and verfification ; and the propofitions 
he lays down in it are illuftrated with great force. Thefe 
propofitions are however not very original, being chiefly 
borrowed from Horace or Ariftotle. 
La Fontaine is a poet of great elegance. He was fecond 
only to 'FEfop in Fable; and, for this reafon, the great 
beauty and facility of his verfe tempted him to prolong de- 
fcription, and thus the point, to which purity is fo highly 
conducive, was loft. But the Fables are models of a new 
ftyle. Compare “ The Miller, his Son, and his Afs,” 
with other analogous attempts. How fkilfully the age, 
fex, and ciiarafter, of the parties is varied ; how exaftly 
the taunt is adapted to the perfon criticizing; how lively 
and how natural is the entire feries of dialogue and per- 
fonification ! Indeed, this dramatic animation of his. 
aftors conllitutes the peculiar merit of La Fontaine ; and 
may be traced not only in thofe fables, fuch as “ the Girl 
with the Pail of Milk,” which introduce human beings, 
but in the “ Animals fick of the Plague,” or in the “ Fox 
and the Crow', the Frog and the Ox, the Wolf and the 
Bog,” &c. The pifturefque features, of every piece, may 
alfo vie with the dialogue for defcriptive effeft. Watch 
the flight of the rabbits ; 
Ces lapins. qui, fur la bruyere, 
L’ceil eveilld, l’oreille au guet, 
S’egayaient, et de thym parfumaient leur hanquet; 
or the peeping of the mice, who 
Mettent le nez a Pair, montrent un peu la tete. 
Puis rentrent dans leur nids a rats, 
Puis reffortant font quatre pas, 
Puis enfin fe mettent en quete. 
The Tales of La Fontaine have not fo high a value as 
his Fables. They' are prolix, and often tirefome. We 
urge not the objeftion of the moralift to his lewdnefs and 
libertinifm, but thofe of the critic to his fuperfiuity and 
exorbitancy. Even the decorous and moral (lory of 
“ Le Faucon” is-one of the bed among the tales; yet 
furely in no other language would fuch flow' drawling 
empty narration be tolerated; mark efpecially the dia¬ 
logue at table, while Clitia is dining on the falcon. Ex¬ 
uberance 
