n it; but yet
neither the two first are sufficiently acquainted with _England_, nor
the latter with _France_, to enter equally into the Genius of both
Nations; and consequently they cannot pass a just Sentence upon the
Performances of their respective Writers.

"Tis a great piece of Injustice in us, to charge the _French_ with
Fickleness; for, to give them their due, They are ten times more
constant in their Judgments, than we; Their _Cid_ and _Iphigenia_ in
_Aulis_, are Acted at this very day, with as much Applause as they were
thirty Years ago: All _London_ has admir'd the _Mourning Bride_ one
Winter, and endeavoured to find fault with it the next.

"_Philo_ comes _piping hot_ out of the College, and having his Head full
of Poetical Gingles, writes an _Elegy_, a _Panegyrick_ or a _Satyr_ upon
the least frivolous Occasion: This brings him acquainted with all the
_Second-Rate Wits_; One of these introduces him at _Will's_, and having
a Play upon the Stocks, and ready to be Launch'd, he prevails with
_Philo_ to write him a _Song_, a _Dialogue_, a _Prologue_ and
_Epilogue_, in short, the Trimming of his Comedy. By this time, _Philo_
begins to think himself a great Man, and nothing less than the writing
of a Play, can satisfie his towring Ambition; well, the Play is writ,
the Players, upon the Recommendation of those that lick'd it over, like
their Parts to a Fondness, and the _Comedy_, or _Tragedy_, being
supported partly by its real Merit, but most powerfully by a _Toasting_,
or _Kit-cat-Club_, comes off with universal Applause. How _slippery_ is
_Greatness_! _Philo_ puff'd up with his Success, writes a second Play,
scorns to improve it by the Corrections of better Wits, brings it upon
the Stage, without securing a Party to protect it, and has the
Mortification to hear it _Hist_ to death. Pray how many _Philos_ do we
reckon in Town since the Revolution?

"The reason we have had so many _ill Plays_ of late, is this; The
extraordinary _Success_ of the worst Performances encourages every
Pretender to Poetry to Write; Whereas the indifferent Reception some
excellent Pieces have met with, discourages our best Poets from Writing.

"After all, one of the boldest Attempts of Human Wit, is to write a
taking _Comedy_: For, how many different sorts of People, how many
various Palates must a Poet please, to gain a general Applause? He must
have a _Plot_ and _Design_, _Coherence_ and _Unity_ of _Action_, _Time_
and _Place_, for t