. Walpdiana, No. IV. 
Satire, many of its allufions mutt vanifh, 
as the objects it aims at correcting ceale 
to be m- vogue+-and perhaps that cet: 
fation, the natural death of- tathion, is 
often afcribed by an auejor to his own 
reproots. Ladies would have left off 
atching on the whig or tory fide of their 
tace, tho Mr. Addifon had ag writ- 
ten his excellent Spectator. Probably 
even they who might be corrected by his 
reprimand, adopted {ome new diftinction 
as ridiculous; not difcoverigg that his 
fatire was levelled at their partial animo- 
fity, and not at the mode ot placing their 
patches—for unfortunately, as the world 
cannot he ¢ured of being foolifh, a 
preacher who eradicates one folly, oe 
‘but make room for fome other. 
LXVII.° TRAGEDY AND COMEDY. | 
The critics generally confider a tra- 
gedy as the next effort of the mind to an 
_€pic poem, For my part I eftimate the’ 
difficulty of writing a good comedy to be 
greater, than that of compoling a good 
tragedy. Not only equal genius 1s re- 
quired ; but a comedy demainis a more * 
uncommon aflemblage of qualities— 
knowledge of the world, wit, good fenfe, 
&c. and thefe guatities fuperadded to 
thofe reqiifite for tragical’ compolition, 
Congreve is faid to have written a co- 
medy at eighteen. It may be—for I can- 
not fay that he has any characterittic of 
a comic writer, except wit, which may 
f{parkle bright at that age. His charac- 
fers are feldom gezuive—and his plots 
ave fometimes fitter for tragedy. Mr. 
Sheridan is one of the moft perfect comic 
writers I know, and unites the moft un- 
_¢ommon qualities—his plots are fuffici- 
ently deep, without the clumfy intagle- 
ment, and muddy profundity, of Con- 
greve—characters ftrictly in nature—wit 
‘without affectation. What talents! The 
complete orator in the fenate, or in Weft- 
minfter-hall—and the excellent dramatift 
in the mott dificult province of the drama! 
LXVIII. QMISSIONS NOT ALWAYS 
LAPSES. 
Lord * * * * did a fhocking job for 
which’ my father was blamed. There is 
a filly and falfe account of it, in the laft 
edition of the Biographia, in a life of 
him by Bifhop * * * * his fon. I had 
forgotten lord * * * * in the Catalogue 
of Royal and Noble Authors ; when this 
“was obferved ‘to me I waited on lord 
* % * & his fon, and begged a lift of his 
father’s’ works, apologizing at the fame 
time for the omiffion. ~ His lordfhip 
faid «* Sir I beg you will not mention 
ats. n 
437 
my father.”” He was confcious that it 
was 2 delicate matter to mention him. 
LXIX. IMPOSITIONS. 
Acute and fenfible people are often the 
moft cafily deceived. A deceit, of which 
it may be faid, <* It is impoffible for any 
one to dare it,’ always fucceeds. 
LxXX. REVOLUTIONS. 
Good men are newer concerned in reyo- 
lutions, becaufe they will not go the 
lengths. Sunderland caufed the revolu- 
tion of 1638, while Devonfhire ftood 
aloof—the Jatter was the angel, the for- 
mer the ftorm. Bad men, and poifonous 
plants, are fometimes of fuperlative ufe 
in {killful hands. 
LXXI. APPLAUSE THE NURSE OF. 
GENIUS. 
One quality I may fafely arrogate to 
mylfelf: I am not affraid to praife. Many. 
are {uch timid judges of compolition, that 
they hefitate, and wait for the public 
opinion. Shew them a manvicript, 
though they highly approve it in their 
hearts, they are affraid to commit them- 
felves by ipeakingout. Several excellent 
works have perifhed from this caule; a 
writer of real talents being often a mere 
fenfitive plant with regard t to his own pro- 
duStions, Some cavils of Mafon (how 
inferior a poet and judge!) had almoit in- 
duced Gray to deltroy his two beautiful 
and fublime odes. We fhould not only 
praife, but hatten to praife. 
LXXII. FRENCH TRAGEDY. 
I have printed at strawberry Hill the 
Cornetie Veffale, a tragedy by the prefident 
Henault. It is rather a dramatic poem 
than a drama—like the other French tra- 
gedics. The word drama is derived, I 
believe, ftom a Greek word fignifying to 
aé?. Now in the French tragedies there 
is little or no adtion; and they are in 
truth mere dramatic poems, compofed. 
wholly of confli€ts of interefls, paflions, 
aad ientimerts; exprefied, not in the 
language of nature, but in that of de» 
clamation.. Hence thefe interelts, paf- 
fions, and fentiments, {ecm all over{trained, 
and hors.de la nature. 
I do not mean ‘to deny juft praife to 
Corneiileand Racine--but their merit, like 
that of Metaftafio’s Operas, is of a pecu- 
fiar kind. It is not dramatic, not pity 
and terror moved by incident and aéfion, 
—but an intereft created by perplexity, 
mental conflict, and fituation. . An. 
Italian, an’ Englifhman, a German, €x- 
pects fomething very different in a dramia, 
real action, and frequent incident. 
LEXI. 
