In the representation of Ajax in a Phrenzy, the spectators took fuch violent impreffions from the acting Dancer who reprefented him, that they perfectly broke out into outcries; ftripped, as it were, to fight, and actually came to blows among each other, as if they had caught their rage from what was paffing on the theatre. At another time they melted into tears at the tender affliction of Hecuba. And upon whom were thefe lively impreffions produced? Upon the Cotemporaries of Mecenas, of Lucullus, Augustus, Virgil, and Pollio; upon men of the most refined taste, whofe criticism was as fevere as their approbation was honourable; who never fpared their cenfure or their applaufe where either was due. How, especially under the eyes of Horace, could any thing pass the approbation of the public, unless under the feal of excellence in point of art and good tafte? Would Auguftus have declared himself the fpecial patron of a kind of entertainment, that had been deficient as to probability and genius? Would Mecenas, the protector of Virgil, and of all the fine arts, have been pleased with a fight that was not á ftriking imitation of beautiful nature?" In this place our Author has unhappily taken up arms against his own argument. Pantomimes were indeed greatly. encouraged in the time of Horace, but that Critic was fo far from affording them any countenance, that he condemns the reigning depravity of tafte which had fubftituted thefe to oral entertainments. -migravit ab aure voluptas Omnis ad incertos oculos et gaudia vana. This the Poet fcruples not to fay to that very Augustus, whom Mr. Gallini affirms to have been the great patron of the Pantomime Art. It is true that Pantomimes were not altogether difcouraged by Auguftus and Mecenas, more particularly the latter, whofe freedman was Bathyllus, the principal of the Pantomimes. But the countenance, or rather the connivance, which these great men fhewed to this art, proceeded moft probably from a political view. While the attention of the people was taken up with bulls and bears and Pantomimes, arbitrary power was fortifying herself unnoticed. Nay, the very conductors of the Pantomimes feem to have been fenfible to what they owed their encouragement; for when their party-quarrels had made great disturbance REV. May, 1762. among A. a. among the people, and Auguftus had fentenced Pylades, a principal of one of the Pantomime parties, to banishment, "Why, faid the Dancer to the Emperor, do not you let the people amufe themselves with our quarrels ?" It must be owned, however, in favour of these Pantomimes, that they had brought their theatrical dumb-fhew to a perfection scarce conceivable to us. It is even aftonishing, if it be true, what Athenæus tells us, that Memphir, a Pythagorean philofopher, expreffed by Dancing all the excellence of the philofophy of Pythagoras, with more elegance, more clearnefs, and energy, than the most eloquent Profeffor of Philosophy could have done: but furely this was impoffible! Nay, we are told, that even the rigid Cynic, who came with an intention to damn their performances, was fo overpowered by the expreffive force of their action, that he joined in applauding them. "It was in the reign of Nero that a Cynical mock-philofopher, called Demetrius, faw, for the firft time, one of these Pantomime compofitions. Struck with the truth of the representation, he could not help expreffing the greatest marks of aftonishment; but whether his pride made him feel a fort of fhame for the admiration he had involuntarily fhewn, or whether naturally envious and selfish, he could not bear the cruel pain of being forced to approve any thing but his own fingularities. He attributed to the mufic the ftrong impreffion that had been made upon him. As in that reign a false philofophy very naturally had a greater influence than the real, this man was, it feems, of confequence enough for the managers of the Dances to take notice of his partiality, or at least to be piqued enough, for their own honour, to lay a scheme for undeceiving him. He was once more brought to their theatre, and feated in a confpicuous part of the house, without his having been acquainted with their intention. "The Orchestra began; an actor opens the fcene; on the moment of his entrance the fymphony ceafes, and the representation continues. Without any aid but that of the steps, the pofitions of the body, the movements of the arms, the piece is performed; in which are fucceffively reprefented the amours of Mars and Venus, the fun discovering them to the jealous Husband of the Goddefs, the fnares which he fets for his faithlefs Spouse and her formidable Gallant; the quick effect of the treacherous net, which, while it compleats the revenge of Vulcan, only publishes his fhame, the confufion of Venus, the rage of Mars, the arch mirth of the Gods, who came to enjoy the fight. "The whole audience gave to the performance its due applaufe; but the Cynic, out of himself, could not help crying out in a tranfport of delight, No! this is not a representation; it is the very thing itself." The following little story will give our Readers a still more agreeable idea of that perfection to which the Ancients had brought the Pantomimic Art. "Pylades had been publickly challenged by Hylas, once a pupil of his, to represent the greatnefs of Agamemnon. Hylas came upon the stage with buskins, which, in the nature of ftilts, made him of an artificial height; in confequence of which he greatly over-topped the crowd of actors who furrounded him. This paffed well enough till Pylades appeared, with an air ftern and majeftic. His ferious ftep, his arms a-cross, his motion fometimes flow, fometimes animated, with paufes full of meaning, his looks now fixed on the ground, now lifted to heaven, with all the attitudes of profound penfiveness, painted strongly a man taken up with great things, which he was meditating, weighing, and comparing, with all the dignity of kingly importance. The fpectators, ftruck with the juftnefs, with the energy, and real elevation of so expreffive a portraiture, unanimoufly adjudged the preference to Pylades, who coolly turning to Hylas, faid to him, Young man, we had to reprefent a King, who commanded over twenty Kings; you made him tall, I fhewed him great." But notwithstanding all that may be faid in behalf of the antient Pantomimes, we must own that we should be forry to see them encouraged to any great degree in our own times, and in our own country; for we could not help looking upon fuch an event as ominous of the total decay of letters and good tafte. However, in a country where opulence has diffused luxury through all ranks of people, the mob will generally direct the tafte of public diverfions. Hence our numerous ridiculous Farces! And hence, in procefs of time, it is poffible that Shakespear may be driven off the stage, to make way for a Greenland Bear! The accounts which our Author has given us of the different kinds of Dances, in different countries, are not unentertaining.—But the spirit of Dancing, it seems, prevails no where fo much as in Africa. 356 An Elegy, written among the Tombs in Westminster Abbey. "Upon the Gold-Coaft efpecially, the inhabitants are fo paffionately fond of it, that in the midst of their hardest labour, if they hear a perfon fing, or any musical inftrument played, they cannot refrain from dancing. 1 "There are even well-attefted ftories of fomeNegroes Ainging themselves at the feet of an European playing on a fiddle, entreating him to defift, unless he had a mind to tire them to death; it being impoffible for them to cease dancing whilst he continued playing. Such is the irrefiftible paffion for dancing among them.' "In Peru The Americans too have their peculiar Dances. the manner of dancing has fomething very particular. Inftead of laying any ftrefs on the motion of the arms, in most of their Dances, their arms hang down, or are wrapped up ín a kind of mantle, fo that nothing is feen but the bending of the body, and the activity of the feet. They have, however, many Figure Dances, in which they lay afide their cloaks or mantles; but the graces they add are rather actions than geftures. Among the Savages of North America, we are told, there are various Dances practifed, fuch as that of the Calumet, the Leader's Dance, the War-Dance, the Marriage-Dance, the Sacrifice-Dance, all which refpectively differ in the movements; and fome, amidst all the wildness of their performance, are not without their graces. But the Dance of the Calumet is esteemed the fincit; this is ufed at the reception of ftrangers whom they mean to honour, or of Ambassadors to them on public occafions. This Dance is commonly executed in an oval figure. Thus far we have attended Mr. Gallini in his ingenious Treatife on Dancing, partly from our own real eftimation of the art, but more out of complaifance to our Fair Readers; on whose account we have not been afraid of giving fome propriety to that curious line of the present Laureate, An Elegy, written among the Tombs in Westminster Abbey. 4to. I 6 d. Dodfley. T has been truly obferved, that there never was a good Poet who did not make a multitude of bad ones. The fuccefs of genius in any particular fpecies of writing, fets all the little An Elegy, written among the Tombs in Westminster Abbey. 357 Wits at work; and, like the Frog in the Fable, they strut and fwell their tiny Beings with the most ridiculous emulation. No one has done more harm in this refpect than the ingenious. Author of the Elegy written in a Country Church-yard. An Undertaker was never followed by a more numerous or a more ridiculous tribe of mourners, than he has been; nor is the proceffion yet over, for, behold, here is another Gentleman in black, with the fame funereal face, and mournful ditty; with the fame cyprefs in his hand, and affecting fentence in his mouth, viz. that we must all die! Hark! the Dirge begins. He fpeaks to the Abbey, Hail, hallow'd Fane! amid whofe mould'ring Shrines Her Vigils mufig Melancholy keeps, Upon her arm her harrow'd cheek reclines, And o'er the fpoils of human Grandeur weeps. This image of Melancholy is well defigned; but hark! again he addreffes the Abbey. Hail, aweful Edifice! thine ayles along, In Contemplation wrapt, O let me tray! How ferenely foft! how calm and gentle! how pure and placid! But hold! we are going to rife; and, in a lofty ftrainhumbly-to celebrate Jehovah's Praife. Far hence be banish'd every note profane, Where Heaven-infpir'd Devotion loves to raise Her Voice feraphic to each lofty strain, Attun'd to celebrate Jehovah's Praife. Stay! we have spoke to the Abbey; but we have forgot to call upon the Mufe, No making a Poem without that; d'ye fee! Come, heavenly Mufe, awake the plaintive ftring, Each vagrant Motion of the Mind controul; Exalt my Fancy on thy foaring wing, And with thy Pathos pure poffefs my foul. So the Mind, it feems, is not to have one vagrant Motion; What pleafing Sadnefs fills my thoughtful breaft, The honour'd Ashes of the British Race, A a 3 British |