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able to perfuade ourselves that what is in reality but a copy, is an original, and that the very events themselves, and the very persons concern'd in them, are really and truly present before our eyes.

CHAP. Χ.

In which fome important Rules are added to the Principles before establish'd, of the Truth of Action and Recitation.

T

HE reflexions and observations which are to compose this chapter, naturally arise from the remarks we have already made of the neceffity there is of an actor's playing with truth, in order to his playing with applause: this neceffity naturally infers that of understanding the several degrees by which the greater emotions are to be rais'd to their due height, and of being able to shade the tranfitions thro' which he is to run from one to another of them.

The dramatic poet, who is a master of his art, always very carefully hides from the audience the end to which he is making; and the player ought also to regulate his conduct by that of his author, and not to let us perceive what will be the event of the action till we are just upon it: we do not defire to be able to guess beforehand what it is that is referv'd for our entertainment in the conclusion of the piece; but at the same time it is to be observ'd, that we would not be misled and deceived by the performer in regard to it.

We are very well fatisfy'd with seeing incidents occur which we did not expect; but we are never pleas'd at being made to expect that which is not to happen.

3

In the tragedy of the Distress'd. Mother we are judicioufly kept in ignorance, by the author, of what is to be the catastrophe, 'till we arrive at it. We fee indeed thro' the conduct of the whole play that Pyrrhus will not marry Hermione; but we do not foresee that he will be kill'd in the temple, or that the distress'd Andromache will be made happy. Tho' we have no expectation of this, we are not at all displeas'd with feeing it happen; but we should have been violently displeas'd, if, after all that is hinted to us to the contrary, Pyrrhus should have marry'd Hermione, and facrific'd both the widow and her fon; the former to the resentments of her rival, and the other to those of Greece.

'Tis true that the author has in this case so carefully and judiciously kept up the character and manners of his heroe, that we fee plainly enough what will not be the end, tho' we do not fee what will be fo: but it is in vain that the poet takes all the care in the world to do this, if the actor does not enter into the spirit of it, and keep up his part in it.

Pyrrhus is one of the characters in which Mr. Quin has been accus'd of monotony, and his enemies have censur'd him also as wanting vehemence in many of the speeches of it, when he fays to Andromache, who is terrify'd to death at the news of her fon's life being demanded by the Greeks,

Dry up those tears, I must not see you weep,
And know I have rejected their demands ;
The Greeks already threaten me with war,
But should they arm, as once they did for Helen,
And hide the Adriatick with their fleets;

Should

Should they prepare a second ten years fiege,
And lay my towns and palaces in duft,
I am determin'd to defend your fon,
And rather die myself than give him up.

But, madam, in the midst of all these dangers, Will you refuse me a propitious smile ? Hated of Greece, and press'd on every fide, Let me not, madam, while I fight your cause, Let me not combat with your cruelties, And count Andromache amongst my foes.

And when he afterwards, on the coldness of her reply to this, goes on,

Will your resentment then endure for ever?
Must Pyrrhus never be forgiven?-'Tis true
My fword has often reak'd in Phrygian blood,
And carry'd havock thro' your royal kindred;
But you, fair princess, amply have aveng'd
Old Priam's vanquish'd house!

It has been objected to him that he robs these speeches of half their beauty, by not giving them more fire; but let us confider that the events of a heroe's actions are only to be judg'd of by his temper. Conftancy of mind is one of the great characteristics of this part, and is that which makes us foresee that he will not forfake the interests of Andromache. Should an actor of less judgment throw all that violence into these speeches that fuch half judges seem to require, he would destroy that character which the poet had fo artfully preserv'd in every sentence, and on which the probability of the whole play depends; we should naturally expect that the continued refufal

of

of Andromache would throw a man of his violent temper into the arms of Hermione in mere revenge, and should blame the author for deviating from probability in keeping up to the constancy of his love to the Trojan captive.

I

CHAP. XI.

Of natural Playing.

T is not impoffible that the performance of an (actor, tho' it be regularly adjusted to the greater part of the rules hitherto laid down, nay, tho' it take in the greater part of the conditions which have been mention'd as necessary to perfection, and in consequence of all this, have the principal characters on which the truth both in action and recitation depend,) may yet not be natural.

It will be perhaps demanded, after this assertion, whether it be always necessary that a theatrical representation be natural? and this is a question which stands in need of some explanation.

If we are to understand by natural playing that only which has not an air of constraint and trouble to the player, then every actor in the world, whether his part for the night requires a fimple and unaffected manner, or whatever other, is under a necessity as far as he can to play naturally. But even in this determination we must use a caution in diftinguishing, and must not confound negligent and careless with easy and unaffected playing; the latter, tho' it does not express any study or labour to the eye, is yet always the effect of a great deal of both; the former is the effect of an infolent indolence, and is an affront upon the understandings of an audience.

The reason why we sometimes discover the

study'd action of the player, is not because he has been at the pains of studying it beforehand, but because he has not study'd it enough: the laft touches of his application in this kind, should be those employ'd to conceal that there ever was any labour bestow'd at all upon what he is doing; and the rest, without this, always hurts instead of pleasing us.

Among the several manners of playing with truth and justice, that which is most of all divested of the pomp and ceremony of playing is frequently what has most of all been labour'd by the performers: 'tis in this as in poetry, those pieces which seem to the reader the easiest and most familiar of all, are frequently those which have cost the author the most trouble.

There is not any thing in modern tragedy that has so much the air of nature, of ease, and unaffected plainness in the delivery, as the relation Pierre gives to Jaffier of the ruin of his affairs, as the justly celebrated player above mention'd delivers it; and yet, perhaps there is not any thing in all the parts he shines in, that has cost him so much study: nothing less than a repeated consideration of every sentence could give him the power to speak as he does,

I pass'd this very moment by thy doors,
And faw them guarded by a troop of villains;
The fons of public rapine were destroying :
They told me, by the sentence of the law,
They had commission to seize all thy fortune;
Nay more, Priuli's cruel hand had fign'd it.
Here stood a ruffian with a horrid face,

Lording it o'er a pile of massy plate,

Tumbled

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