SECTION the FIRST. : Of the interior Qualifications which an Audience requires in the Players, who perform the capital Parts. CHAP. I. make A gaiety of Temper is absolutely necessary to the Players in Comedy, whose Business it is to us laugh. I F : we wou'd be determined by consulting the people of the highest taste in dramatic writings, we shou'd be for wholly banishing from comedy those characters of footmen, waiting maids and country ignorants, which at present take up fo much of our attention in the generality of the dramatic pieces of this class: And the fame tafte wou'd also discard a great many other perfonages of the drama, whom the author has introduc'd to excite our laughter by their pleasantries, or by their ridiculousness. These delicate judges are for making it a law, that no characters under a certain rank are to be introduc'd upon the frage; they tell us that it is a want of respect to the public to fuppose an audience can be entertain'd with people of less importance; and before they will condef cend to give their attention to an actor in a new comedy, comedy, they expect him to produce his credentials in the titles and qualities of the perfon he represents. It is not to be deny'd, that good comedies may be written without these subaltern characters; but Steel, Congreve, Farquhar, and many more of our own authors, who have succeeded best in this way; and among the French, Moliere, Reynard, Dancour, &c. shew us that these characters may be introduc'd into pieces, which are nevertheless allow'd to be excellent comedies: And indeed tho' we highly esteem those writers, who have given into the other method, and confin'd themselves folely to what we peculiarly call genteel comedy; yet we cannot allow they are the only authors who deserve applause in this kind of writing. Perhaps it is a pretty just observation, that the true end of comedy is to make us laugh; and tho' it may be made to fucceed very well in this attempt, when it employs only the higher characters that are allotted to it, yet surely it is no reproach to it to take in these other, tho' fomewhat lower ones, provided only that they are natural and decent. It is certainly poffible that a scene may give us in every sentence the true delicate genteel comedy, even tho' the characters are not taken from high life; and perhaps it may be faid with truth, that there is no such thing as low comedy, except that which discovers a low genius and a creeping spirit in the author. Let the poet therefore, who knows how to make a man of the common rank speak agreeably to his character and station in life, and at the fame time to throw an entertaining spirit into his disfcourse, discourse, never hesitate to bring him on the stage before the most polite or delicate audience: But let not the actor, who is naturally of a genteel and serious turn, chuse to exhibit himself in the merriment of a character of this rank. We have before observed, that the actress who wishes to succeed, shou'd always keep her mind in a state of ease, and be ready to take up every paffion her part for the night requires her to shine by the feeling of; and particularly not to fuffer the good or ill accidents of her private life to influence her to any peculiar settled turn of mind. The comic actor who wou'd excell and wou'd endeavour to please, is even more subject to this general rule, than those to whom we have originally apply'd it. The defire of applause on their just performing, is almost the only paffion that ought to be allow'd to actors in comedy: As to the general turn of their minds, they should be the most joyous people in the world, and have searce a sense of any thing but pleasure. Above all things the affluence or narrowness of their circumstances ought never to be allow'd to affect their tempers, nor ought they to be ins fluenced by the number of the audience, or the receit of the house. A person who acted in the double capacity of player and manager, wou'd be doubly subject to be affected by these chances; but it is our good fortune, that at one of the houses, the manager is not an actor at all; and at the other he is fuch an actor that he is out of the reach of an accident of this kind, as his performing will at any time command a crowded audience. The The ordinary players, tho' not immediately concern'd' in the profits of the house for any fingle night, are yet many of them affected by a thin company in a manner that very little favours the hopes of the manager of having better success afterwards. We are indeed in justice to excuse from any charge of this kind, the persons who might with most reason be touch'd by fuch a fight, we mean the better actors; but the others, to a man, are infufferable on these occafions. Let us recollect Mr. Quin, and his fellow tragedians, in such a situation. 'Tis a provoking circumstance to see a player like him act the part of Falstaff to empty benches; yet fuch is the caprice of the town, that we have had an opportunity of being witnesses to that within these few months, and of feeing at the fame time that he was above the reach of fuch an accident, while he knew the fault was not his own. He play'd on this occasion as well as he had ever done in his life; but the majesty of the great Worcester, Douglass and Glendower, was hurt by it beyond measure, and the whole fet of nameless things beside that fill the stage in tragedy, as the guards do at an opera, were fo highly enrag'd that the world paid so little refpect to their merit as to go to the other house, that not recollecting they were as much oblig'd to the few that were there, as if ten thousand more had join'd them, they skip'd over half their parts; deliver'd the rest with an indolence sufficient to prevent any person's coming again where they play'd; and took snuff, or talk'd of fomething else in whispers, in the most interesting scenes. The The house where Mr. Quin is engaged, cannot boast alone the honour of having fometimes empty benches; the Tempest, as acted lately at Drury Lane, had indeed an audience of Calibans in the gallery; but the pit mourn'd its vacant seats, and scarce ten people were to be numbered in the boxes. We are to observe on this occafion however, that the prefence of a master behind the scenes kept the people employed in this murdered comedy, as much in order, as the incouraging attention paid by a full house cou'd have done; and not a drunken failor but play'd his part at least as well as he ever did in his life, or is ever likely to do. We wish to fee the laugh of an infelt pleafure follow the comedians at every step; and we are never so perfectly pleas'd, as when we can discover that in diverting us, they are heartily entertaining themselves. 'Tis only by thoroughly relishing the comedy in their own breasts that they can ever represent it feelingly to us, or acquire our applause by it. When a man gives us all the wit and drollery of a comic character, without himself sharing in the diversion he affords us, the infipid coldness is easily perceiv'd, and we only look upon him as a mercenary drudge, who has taken up the profession of the player, because he had not industry enough to get his bread by any other. On the other hand, when the actor can bring himself to share the pleasure with his audience, he is always fure to please: A just relifn of the spirit of the character he represents, is the true infpiring God, the real Apollo of the comic player; and we shall never find a man who is joyous in the |