above our solicitude; a man of whom the gods take care, and whom we
leave to their care with heedless confidence. To the rest neither gods
nor men can have much attention; for there is not one amongst them that
strongly attracts either affection or esteem. But they are made the
vehicles of such sentiments and such expression that there is scarcely
a scene in the play which the reader does not wish to impress upon his
memory.

When Cato was shown to Pope, he advised the author to print it,
without any theatrical exhibition, supposing that it would be read more
favourably than heard. Addison declared himself of the same opinion, but
urged the importunity of his friends for its appearance on the stage.
The emulation of parties made it successful beyond expectation; and its
success has introduced or confirmed among us the use of dialogue
too declamatory, of unaffecting elegance, and chill philosophy. The
universality of applause, however it might quell the censure of common
mortals, had no other effect than to harden Dennis in fixed dislike; but
his dislike was not merely capricious. He found and showed many
faults; he showed them indeed with anger, but he found them indeed with
acuteness, such as ought to rescue his criticism from oblivion; though,
at last, it will have no other life than it derives from the work which
it endeavours to oppress. Why he pays no regard to the opinion of the
audience, he gives his reason by remarking that--

"A deference is to be paid to a general applause when it appears that
the applause is natural and spontaneous; but that little regard is to be
had to it when it is affected or artificial. Of all the tragedies
which in his memory have had vast and violent runs, not one has been
excellent, few have been tolerable, most have been scandalous. When a
poet writes a tragedy who knows he has judgment, and who feels he has
genius, that poet presumes upon his own merit, and scorns to make a
cabal. That people come coolly to the representation of such a tragedy,
without any violent expectation, or delusive imagination, or invincible
prepossession; that such an audience is liable to receive the
impressions which the poem shall naturally make on them, and to judge by
their own reason, and their own judgments; and that reason and judgment
are calm and serene, not formed by nature to make proselytes, and to
control and lord it over the imagination of others. But that when an
author writes a tragedy wh