mes in
the very words, Sir Robert's views in the Preface to his plays, in which
he had animadverted on Dryden's dedication to the "Rival Ladies," while
Neander combats them; and it may be observed, that the worthy Baronet is
made to speak forcibly and well--much better indeed, on the whole, than
he does in his own preface. From beginning to end there cannot be
imagined a more fair and gentlemanly dialogue. But first, we cannot
resist giving the very beautiful close.

"Neander was pursuing this discussion so eagerly, that Eugenius had
called to him twice or thrice ere he took notice that the barge
stood still, and that they were at the foot of Somerset stairs,
where they had appointed it to land. The company were all sorry to
separate so soon, though a great part of the evening was already
spent; and stood awhile looking back on the water, upon which the
moonbeams played, and made it appear like floating quicksilver. At
last they went up through a crowd of French people, who were
merrily dancing in the open air, and nothing concerned for the
noise of guns which had alarmed the town that afternoon. Walking
three together to the Piazza, they parted there; Eugenius and
Lisideius to some pleasant appointment they had made, Crites and
Neander to their several lodgings."

But now to the argument. Crites, who is not more long-winded than may be
permitted to a polite proser, at least on the Thames of a summer
evening, somewhat condensed, reasoneth thus.

A play being the imitation of nature, dialogue is there presented as the
effect of sudden thought; and since no man without premeditation speaks
in rhyme, neither ought he to do it on the stage. The fancy may be
elevated to a higher pitch of thought than it is in ordinary discourse,
for men of excellent and quick parts may speak noble things extempore;
but surely not when fettered with rhyme, for what more unnatural than to
present the most free way of speaking in that which is the most
constrained? The Greek tragedians, therefore, wrote in iambics, the
kind of verse nearest to prose, which with us is blank verse.

The champions of rhyme say that the quickness of repartees receives an
ornament from it in argumentative scenes. But do men not only light on a
sudden upon the wit but the rhyme too? Then must they be born poets. If
they do not seem in the dialogue to make rhymes whether they will or no,
it will look