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tures feel a fimilar, a kindred pleafure, in the deep-wrought diftreffes of the well-imagined fcene? Here. the endeavour is, to introduce whatever is dreadful or pathetic, whatever can harrow up the feelings, or extort the tear. And the deeper and more tragical the fcene becomes, the more it agitates the feveral paffions of terror, grief, or pity-the more intenfely it delights, even the most polifhed minds. They feem to enjoy the various and vivid emotions of contending paffions. They love to have the tear trembling in the eye, aud to feel the whole foul rapt in thrilling fenfations. For that monent, they feem to forget the fiction; and afterwards commend that exhibition mott, in which they most entirely loft fight of the author, and of their own fituation, and were alive to all the unutterable vibrations of strong or melting fenfibility.

"Taking it, then, for granted, that in the contemplation of many fcenes of diftrefs, both imaginary and real, a gratification is felt, let us endeavour to account for it, by mentioning fome of thofe principles, woven into the web of human nature, by its benevolent Creator, on which that gratification depends.

"Dr. Akenfide, with his accuftomed ftrength and brilliancy of colouring, deferibes, and accounts for it in the following manner. will make no apology for the length of the quotation.

I

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Some helpless bark: whilst facred Pity
The general eye, or Terror's icy hand
Smites their diftorted limbs, or horrent
hair,

While every mother clofer to her breaft
Catches her child; and, pointing where
Foam through the fhattered vessel, shrieks

the waves

aloud,

As one poor wretch, that spreads his pi

teous arms

For fuccour, fwallowed by the roaring
furge,

As now another, dashed against the rock,
Drops lifelefs down. O deemeft thou in-

deed

No kind endearment here, by nature

given,

To mutual terror, and compassion's tears? No fweetly melting fuftnefs, which attracts

O'er all that edge of pain, the focial powers.

To this their proper action, and their

end?"

The Poet purfues the fentiment in the fame animated imagery, defcribing the strong, but pleafurable

fenfations

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does justice to the merit of that admirable painter of manners, contains a cenfure, on which occafion he inferts the following note, in which every fober chafte judgment muft heartily concur.

"There probably never was a more striking inftance of mifapplication of talents than in him

(Sterne): with fuperior powers for the pathos, he chofe to defcend to ribaldry, that affronted the tafte, and corrupted the morals of the public. What pity that the gold had not been feparated from the drofs, and the latter configned to an oblivion it fo richly merits."

"He pays the following compliment to the memory of my ingeni

ous friend Mr. Mortimer.

O! where is he, whofe thoughts fuch grandeur gave,

To bold Fitzwalter, and the barons brave, When rang'd in arms along their Thames's ftrand,

They fuatch'd their charter from a tyrant's

hand?

Thro' all the fcenes his rapid ftroke beftow'd,

Rofa's wild grace and daring spirit glow'd; In himah! loft ere half his powers

were shown,

Britain perhaps an Angelo had known.

"The volume is clofed with a few fonnets, and other copies of verfes written on temporary fubjects, fome of which are of a very early date (1766), and one dated as far back as 1756."

REMARKS on DYER'S GRONGAR HILL.

[From the late Mr. SCOTT's Critical Effays on fome of the Poems of feveral English Poets. ]

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both as to its nature and degree, ac cording to the scene and characters before us. The fhock of contending armies in the field, the ocean wrought to tempeft, and covered with the wreck of fhattered veffels, -and a worthy family filently, yet nobly bearing up against a multitude of furrounding forrows, will excite very different emotions, becaufe the component parts of the pleafurable fenfation confift of very different materials. They all excite admiration; but admiration, how diversified, both as to its degree and its caufe! Thefe feveral ingredients may, doubtlefs, be fo blended together, that the pleasure fhall make but a very small part of the mixed fenfation. The more agreeable tints may bear little proportion to the terrifying red, or the gloomy black.

"In many of the inftances which have been mentioned, the pleafure muft arife chiefly, if not folely, from the circumstances, or accompany ments of the scene. The fublime feelings excited by the view of an agitated ocean, relieve and foften thofe occafioned by the fhipwreck. And the awe excited by the prefence of thousands of men, acting as with one foul, and difplaying magnanimity and firmnefs, in the most folemn trial, tempers thofe fenfations of horror and of pain, which would arise from the field of battle.

"The gratification we are attempting to account for, depends alfo, in a very confiderable degree, upon a principle of human nature, implanted in it for the wifeft ends; the exercife which it gives to the mind, by routing it to energy and feeling. Nothing is fo infupportable, as that languor and ennui, for the full expreffion of which, our language does not afford a 1785.

term. How agreeable it is, to have the foul called forth to exertion and fenfibility, let the Gamefter witnefs, who, unable to endure the laffitude and famencfs of unanimated luxury, runs with eagerness to the place where, probably, await him all the irritation and agony of tumultuous paflions.

"Again; it a law of our nature, that oppofite paffions, when felt in fucceffion, and, above all, when felt at the fame moment, heighten and increase each other. Eafe fucceeding pain, certainty after fafpenfe, friendship after averfion, are unfpeakably ftronger than if they had not been thus contrafted. In this conflict of feelings, the mind rifes from paffive to active energy. It is roufed to intense sensation; and it enjoys that peculiar, exquifite, and complex feeling, in which, as in many articles of our table, the acid and the fweet, the pleafurable and painful pungencies are so happily mixed together, as to render the united fenfation amazingly more ftrong and delightful.

"We have not yet mentioned. the principle of curiofity, that bufy and active power, which appears fo early, continues almost unimpaired fo long, and to which, for the wifeft ends, is annexed fo great a fenfe of enjoyment. To this principle, rather than to a love of cruelty, would I afcribe that pleasure, which children fometimes feem to feel from torturing flies and leffer animals. They have not yet formed an idea of the pain they inflict. It is, indeed, of unfpeakable confequence, that this practice be checked as foon and as effectually as poffible, because it is fo important, that they learn to connect the ideas of pleafure and pain, with the motions and actions of the animal creation. And, to this principle may

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we

we alfo refer, no small share of that pleasure in the contemplation of distressful feenes, the fprings of which, in the human heart, we are now endeavouring to open.

"To curiofity, then-to fympathy-to mental exertion-to the idea of our own fecurity-and to the ftrong feelings occafioned by viewing the actions and paffions of mankind in interefting fituations, do we ascribe that gratification, which the mind feels from the furvey of many scenes of forrow. We have called it a pleasure; but it will approach towards, or recede from pleafure, according to the nature and proportion of the ingredients, of which the fenfation is compofed. In fome cafes, pain will predomi

nate. In others, there will be exquifite enjoyment.

"The final cause of this conftitution of the human mind is probably, that by means of this strong fenfation, the foul may be preferv. ed in continual and vigorous motion-that its feelings may be kept lively and tender-that it may learn to practise the virtues it admiresand to affift those to whom its fympathy can reach-and that it may thus be led, by these focial exer cifes of the heart, to foften with compaffion-to expand with benevolence-and generously to affist in every cafe, in which affiftance can be given. An end this fufficient,

"To affert eternal Providence, And justify the ways of God to man."

66

YOUR

ON COMEDY.
[From HERON'S Letters of Literature. ]

OUR opinion of the comedy of Le Mechant I heartily fubfcribe to, though Mr. Gray has pronounced it the beft comedy he ever read. It is perfectly in the style of the French tragedy, inactive, and declamatory. Yet I do not wonder at Mr. Gray's favourable opinion of it, when he admired the filly declamation of Racine fo much as to begin a tragedy in his very manner; which however he was fo fortunate as not to go through with.

"Our stage, thank heaven, refufes the infipidity of the French drama; and requires an action, a business, a vigour, to which the run of Gerontes and Damons, which all their comedies are stuffed with, are mere ftrangers. Moliere, in attempting to introduce laughter into the French comedy, has blundered upon mere

farce; for it is the character of that nation always to be in extremes. In fhort, if we except Fontaine, I know of no writer in the French language who has real claim to poetical merit. Their language is not the language of verfe; nor are their thoughts, or their costume, thofe of poetry. Fontaine ufes their language familiarly, in which way only it can be used to advantage. His thoughts are likewife in the style of mere familiar humour. Comic tales may be well written in French, but nothing elfe. Their profe writers, I readily allow, yield to none in the world; but of their poetry the bon mot faid by one of themfelves to Voltaire, which was, Les François n'ont pas la tête epique, may be with great justice enlarged thus, Les François n'ont pas la tête poetique.

"In English comedy Congreve, I believe, ftands without a rival. His plots have great depth and art; perhaps too much his characters are new and strong: his wit genuine; and fo exuberant, that it has been alledged as his only fault, that he makes all his characters inherit his own wit. Yet this fault will not be imputed by adepts, who know that the dialogue of our comedy cannot poffibly be too fpirited and epigrammatic, for it requires language as well as characters ftronger than nature.

"Shakspeare excels in the ftrength of his characters and in wit; but as plot must be regarded as an effential of good comedy, he must not be erected as a model in the comic academy; a lofs fufficiently compenfated by the reflection, that it were vain to place him as a model whofe beauties tranfcend all imitation.

Tragedy and comedy both ought certainly to approach as near the truth of life as poffible; infomuch that we may imagine we are placed with Le Diable Boiteux on the roof of the houfe, and perceive what paffes within. This rule in tragedy cannot be too ftrictly obferved, though it has efcaped almoft every writer of modern tragedy; the characters of which speak fimiles, bombaft, and every thing except the language of real life; fo that we are eternally tempted to exclaim, as Falstaff does to Pistol, "Pr'ythee fpeak like a man of this world."

"In comedy this rule ought by no means to be adhered to; as infi pidity is the worst fault writing can have, but particularly comedy; whofe chief quality it is to be poig nant. Now poignancy cannot be effected without trong character; but an excellent tragedy may be

written without a strong character in it, witnefs Douglas. The characters of tragedy therefore cannot have too much truth: but those of comedy ought to refemble the painted fcenes, which, if examined too nearly, are mere daubings; but at a proper diftance have the very truth of nature, while the beauties of more delicate paintings would not be perceived.

"Sentimental comedy, as it is called, though of late birth in England, is yet the comedy of Menander and of Terence. Terence is quite full of fentiment, and of a tenderness which accompanies it; and fo barren of wit and humour, that I only remember two paffages in his fix comedies that provoke a fmile; for a fmile is all they can provoke. The one is that fcene which paffes after the eunuch is fuppofed to have ravifhed a young lady. This is the only proof of the humour of Terence: and the only fample of his wit we have in the reply of an old mifer to one who he expected brought him tid ings of a legacy, but who inftead thereof makes very gravely a mo ral obfervation to the impatient old man, who peevishly retorts, "What! haft thou brought nothing here but

one maxim ?"

"Sentimental comedy bore a very fhort fway in England. Indeed it was incompatible with the humour of an English audience, who go to a comedy to laugh, and not to cry. It was even more ab furd, it may be added, in its faults than that of which Congreve is the model; for fentiments were spoken by every character in the piece, whereas one fentimental character was furely enough. If a man met with his miftrefs, or left her; if he was fuddenly favoured by fortune, or fuddenly the object of her ha

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tred;

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