FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133  
134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   >>   >|  
. Here, every one is a proper judge of what he sees. Nothing is represented but that with which he daily converses: so that, by consequence, all faults lie open to discovery; and few are pardonable. 'Tis this, which HORACE has judiciously observed-- "_Creditur ex medio quia res arcessit habere Sudoris minimum, sed habet Comedia tanto Plus oneris, quanto venice minus._ "But our Poet, who was not ignorant of these difficulties, had prevailed [? _availed_] himself of all advantages; as he who designs a large leap, takes his rise from the highest ground. "One of these Advantages is that, which CORNEILLE has laid down as _the greatest which can arrive_ [happen] _to any Poem_; and which he, himself, could never compass, above thrice, in all his plays, viz., _the making choice of some signal and long expected day; whereon the action of the Play is to depend_. This day was that designed by _DAUPHINE_, for the settling of his uncle's estate upon him: which to compass, he contrives to marry him. That the marriage had been plotted by him, long beforehand, is made evident, by what he tells _TRUE WIT_, in the Second Act, that 'in one moment, he [_TRUE WIT_] had destroyed what he had been raising many months.' "There is another artifice of the Poet, which I cannot here omit; because, by the frequent practice of it in his Comedies, he has left it to us, almost as a Rule: that is, _when he has any Character or Humour, wherein he would show a_ coup de maitre _or his highest skill; he recommends it to your observation by a pleasant description of it, before the person first appears_. Thus, in _Bartholomew Fair_, he gives you the picture of _NUMPS and COKES_; and in this, those of _DAW, LAFOOLE, MOROSE_, and the _Collegiate Ladies_: all which you hear described, before you, see them. So that, before they come upon the Stage, you have a longing expectation of them; which prepares you to receive them favourably: and when they are there, even from their first appearance, you are so far acquainted with them, that nothing of their humour is lost to you. "I will observe yet one thing further of this admirable Plot. The business of it rises in every Act. The Second is greater than the First; the Third, than the Second: and so forward, to the Fifth. There, too, you see, till the very last Scene, new difficulties arising to obstruct the Action of the Play: and when the audience is brought into despair that the business can n
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133  
134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Second
 

compass

 

highest

 
difficulties
 

business

 

picture

 

HORACE

 

appears

 

Bartholomew

 

LAFOOLE


converses

 
MOROSE
 

Collegiate

 
Ladies
 
person
 

judiciously

 

Humour

 

Character

 

proper

 

observation


pleasant

 

description

 

recommends

 

maitre

 

forward

 
greater
 

consequence

 

brought

 

despair

 

audience


Action

 

arising

 
obstruct
 

faults

 

pardonable

 

appearance

 

favourably

 

longing

 

expectation

 

prepares


receive
 
acquainted
 

admirable

 

observe

 

humour

 
Comedies
 

arrive

 
happen
 
greatest
 

Advantages