mick stuff with tragick sadness and gravity; or introducing trivial and vulgar perfons, which by all judicious hath been counted abfurd and brought in without difcretion, corruptly to gratify the people. And though Ancient Tragedy ufe no prologue, yet ufing fometimes, in cafe of felf-defence, or explanation, that which Martial calls an epiftle; in behalf of this tragedy coming forth after the ancient manner, much different from what among us paffes for beft, thus much before-hand may be epifiled; fpeare, or Beaumont and Fletcher, or other dramatick writers of that time. Dryden alfo, who, when Samfon appeared, was the active play-wright of the age, frequently at that period wrote Tragi-Comedies. His earliest piece of the kind was Secret Love or the Maiden Queen. In the preface to his Spanish Friar he defends this ftyle of writing, at least he fays the tafte of the age required it. "The truth is," fays he, "the audience are grown weary of continued melancholy scenes. And I dare venture to prophefy, that few tragedies, except those in verse, shall fucceed in this age, if they are not enlightened with a courfe of mirth." The Spanish Friar was a particularly favourite play with Charles the fecond; to pleafe whom Dryden perhaps firft began to enlighten his tragedies with a courfe of mirth; as the levity of the king's difpofition would hardly have reconciled itfelf to five acts of continued melancholy fcenes. Milton, we may well fuppofe, thought of thefe interludes, in which comick ftuff was intermixed with tragick fadnefs, much in the fame way as he did of their admirers; whofe vitiated tatle, and weak levity of difpofition, he most probably held in no fmall degree of contempt. DUNSTER. though Ancient Tragedy ufe no prologue,] That is, no prologue apologising for the poet, as we find the Ancient Comedy did. See Terence's Prologues. HURD. that Chorus is here introduced after the 8 Greek manner, not ancient only but modern, and still in use among the Italians. In the modelling therefore of this poem, with good reason, the Ancients and Italians are rather followed, as of much more authority and fame. The measure of verfe ufed in the Chorus is of all forts, called by the Greeks Monoftrophick, or 7 Chorus is here introduced] The reader will find a mafterly account of the old Chorus in Mr. Cumberland's Obfervations on this tragedy." But," to use the words of Dr. Warton, “what fhall we fay to the ftrong objections lately made by fome very able and learned criticks of the ufe of the Chorus at all? The criticks I have in view, are Metaftafio, Twining, Pye, Colman, and Johnson; who have brought forward fuch powerful arguments against this fo important a part of the ancient drama, as to shake our conviction of its utility and propriety, founded on what Hurd, Mafon, and Brumoy, have fo earnestly and elegantly recommended on the fubject." See Warton's Pope, vol. i. p. 158. TODD. not ancient only but modern, and fill in ufe among the Italians.] So, in The Warres of Cyrus, 1594, the Addrefs to the Audience obferves, that all "antickes, imitations, fhews, or new devices fprung a late, are exhilde from their tragick ftage, as trash, &c. "For what they do "Inftead of mournful plaints our CHORUS fings; "Yet, warranted by graue antiquitie, "We will reuiue the which hath long beene done." The obligations we owe to Italy in regard especially to Tragedy, as well as the hiftory and nature of the Italian-drama, are illuftrated with great learning, precision, and elegance, in an Hiftorical Memoir on Italian Tragedy, 4to. 1799, and in an Hiftorical and Critical Efay on the Revival of the Drama in Italy, 8vo. 1805; both by Jofeph Cooper Walker, Efq. to which I refer the reader for the fulleft information on this fubject. TODD. rather Apolelymenon, without regard had to Strophe, Antiftrophe, or Epode, which were a kind of ftanzas framed only for the mufick, then ufed with the Chorus that fung; not essential to the poem, and therefore not material; or, being divided into stanzas or pauses, they may be called Allæoftropha. Divifion into act and fcene referring chiefly to the stage (to which this work never was intended) is here omitted. It fuffices if the whole drama be found not produced beyond the fifth act. Of the style and uniformity, and that commonly called the plot, whether intricate or explicit, which is nothing indeed but fuch economy, or difpofition of the fable as may stand beft with verfimilitude and decorum; they only will beft judge who are not unacquainted with Æfchylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, the three tragick poets unequalled yet by any, and the best rule to all who endeavour to write tragedy. The circumfcription of time, wherein the whole drama begins and ends, is according to ancient rule, and best example, within the space of twenty-four hours. 9 Apolelymenon,] Free from the reftraint of any particular measure, not from all measure whatfoever. HURD. PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS ON SAMSON AGONISTES. (a) IT is required by Ariftotle to the perfection of a tragedy, and is equally neceffary to every other fpecies of regular compofition, that it fhould have a beginning, a middle, and an end. "The beginning," fays he, "is that which has nothing neceffarily previous, but to which that which follows is naturally confequent; the end, on the contrary, is that which by neceffity, or at least according to the the common courfe of things, fucceeds fomething elfe, but which implies nothing confequent to itfelf; the middle is connected on one fide to fomething that naturally goes before, and on the other to fomething that naturally follows it." Such is the rule, laid down by this great critick, for the difpofition of the different parts of a well conftituted fable. It muft begin, where it may be made intelligible without introduction; and end, where the mind is left in repofe, without expectation of any further event. The intermediate paffages muft join the last effect to the first cause, by a regular and unbroken concatenation; nothing must be therefore inferted which does not apparently (a) From Dr. Johnfon's Rambler, vol. iii. No. 139, and No. 140. arife from fomething foregoing, and properly make way for fomething that fucceeds it. This precept is to be understood in its rigour, only with respect to great and effential events, and cannot be extended in the fame force to minuter circumftances and arbitrary decorations, which yet are more happy as they contribute more to the main defign; for it is always a proof of extensive thought and accurate circumfpection, to promote various purposes by the fame act; and the idea of an ornament admits ufe, though it feems to exclude neceffity. Whoever purposes, as it is expreffed by Milton, "to build the lofty rhyme," muft acquaint himself with this law of poetical architecture, and take care that his edifice be folid as well as beautiful; that nothing ftand fingle or independent, fo as that it may be taken away without injuring the reft; but that from the foundation to the pinnacles one part reft firm upon another. This regular and confequential diftribution is among common authors frequently neglected; but the failures of thofe, whofe example can have no influence, may be fafely overlooked, nor is it of much ufe to recall obfcure and unregarded names to memory, for the fake of fporting with their infamy. But if there is any writer whofe genius can embellish impropriety, and whofe authority can make errour venerable, his works are the proper objects of critical inquifition. To expunge faults where there are no excellencies, is a tafk equally ufelefs with that of the chemift, who employs the arts of feparation and refinement upon |