ere Dramatick Performances are resorted to,
unless the Characters be always supposed to be of each respective
Nation; as for instance, in all _Shakespeare's_ Historical Plays. I say,
this never shocks us nor do we find any Difficulty in believing the
Stage to be _Rome_, (or _Denmark_, for instance, as in this Play;) or
_Wilks_ to be _Hamlet_, or _Booth_ to be a Ghost, &c. These Things, I
repeat it, appear difficult in Speculation; but we find, that in Reality
they do go down; and must necessarily do so, or else farewel all
Dramatick Performances; for unless the Distress and Woes appear to be
real (which they never can, if we do not believe we actually see the
Things that are represented) it is impossible our Passions should be
moved. Let any one fairly judge, if these do not seem as great
Impositions on our Reason, as the Change of Place, or the Length of
Time, which are found fault with in our Poet. I confess there are Bounds
set to this Delusion of our Imaginations, (as there are to every Thing
else in this World) for this Delusion is never perform'd in direct
Defiance of our Reason; on the contrary, our Reason helps on the Deceit;
but she will concur no farther in this Delusion, than to a certain Point
which she will never pass, and that is, the Essential Difference between
Plays which deceive us by the Assistance of our Reason, and others which
would impose upon our Imaginations in Despight of our Reason. It is
evident by the Success our Author's Pieces have always met with for so
long a Course of Time; it is, I say, certain by this general
Approbation, that his Pieces are of the former, not of the latter Sort.
But to go to the Bottom of this Matter, would lead me beyond what I
propose.

Since therefore it is certain, that the strict Observance of the
Critick's Rules might take away Beauties, but not always add any, why
should our Poet be so much blamed for giving a Loose to his Fancy? The
Sublimity of Sentiments in his Pieces, and that exalted Diction which is
so peculiarly his own, and in fine, all the Charms of his Poetry, far
outweigh any little Absurdity in his Plots, which no ways disturb us in
the Pleasures we reap from the above-mention'd Excellencies. And the
more I read him, the more I am convinced, that as he knew his own
particular Talent well, he study'd more to work up great and moving
Circumstances to place his chief Characters in, so as to affect our
Passions strongly, he apply'd himself more to This