e bad Taste of the Multitude, we find in
this Nation of ours, that a vile _Pantomime_ Piece, full of Machinery,
or a lewd blasphemous Comedy, or wretched Farce, or an empty obscure low
Ballad Opera, (in all which, to the scandal of our Nation and Age, we
surpass all the World) shall draw together crowded Audiences, when there
is full Elbow-Room at a noble Piece of _Shakespeare's_ or _Rowe's_.

Before I conclude, I must point out another Beauty in the Tragedy of
_Hamlet_, besides those already mentioned, which does indeed arise from
our Author's conforming to a Rule which he followed, (probably, without
knowing it,) only because it is agreeable to Nature; and this is, that
there is not one Scene in this Play but what some way or other conduces
towards the _Denoueement_ of the Whole; and thus the Unity of Action is
indisputably kept up by every Thing tending to what we may call the main
Design, and it all hangs by Consequence so close together, that no Scene
can be omitted, without Prejudice to the Whole. Even _Laertes_ going to
_France_, and _Ophelia's_ Madness, however trivial they may seem (and
how much soever I dislike the Method of that last mentioned) are
Incidents absolutely necessary towards the concluding of all; as will
appear to any one upon due Consideration. This all holds good,
notwithstanding it is my Opinion, that several of the Scenes might have
been altered by our Author for the better; but as they all stand, it is,
as I said, quite impossible to separate them, without a visible
Prejudice to the Whole. I must add, that I am much in Doubt, whether
Scenes of Prose are allowable, according to Nature and Reason, in
Tragedies which are composed chiefly of Blank Verse; the Objection to
them seems to be this, that as all Verse is not really in Nature, but
yet Blank Verse is necessary in Tragedies, to ennoble the Diction, and
by Custom is become natural to us, Prose mixed with it serves only,
methinks, to discover the Effects of Art, by the Contraste between
Verse and Prose. Add to all this, That it is not suitable to the Dignity
of such Performances.

In short, Vice is punished in this excellent Piece, and thereby the
Moral Use of it is unquestionable. And if _Hamlet's_ Virtue is not
rewarded as we could wish, Mr. _Addison's_ Maxim ought to satify us,
which is this, "That no Man is so thoroughly Virtuous as to claim a
Reward in Tragedy, or to have Reason to repine at the Dispensations of
Providence; and it is