صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

the violence of the plague, which then raged in London; and he diverted himself with thinking on the theatres, as lovers do by ruminating on their absent mistreffes. He there juftifies the method of writing plays in verse, but confeffes that he had quitted the practice, because he found it troublesome and flow *.

In the preface we are informed, that the drift of this difcourfe was to vindicate the honour of the English writers from the cenfure of those who unjustly prefer the French to them. Langbaine has injurioufly treated Mr. Dryden on account of his dramatic performances, and charges him as a licentious plagiary. The truth is, our author, as a dramatift, is lefs eminent than in any other sphere of poetry; but, with all his faults, he is, even in that reSpect, the most eminent of his time.

The critics have remarked, that, as to tragedy, he feldom touches the paffions, but deals rather in pompous language, poetical flights, and defcriptions; and too frequently makes his characters fpeak better than they have occafion, or ought to do, when their sphere in the drama is confidered. "And it is peculiar to Dryden," fays Mr. Addifon, "to make his perfonages, as wife, witty, elegant, and polite as himfelf."

That he could not fo intimately affect the paffions, is certain; for we find no play of his in which we are much difpofed to weep;

*He might have added, 'twas unnatural,

and

and we are so inchanted with beautiful defcriptions, and noble flights of fancy, that we forget the business of the play, and are only at tentive to the poet, while the characters fleep. Mr. Gildon obferves, in his laws of poetry, That, when it was recommended to Mr. Dryden to turn his thoughts to a tranflation of Euripides, rather than of Homer, he confeffed that he had no relish for that poet, who was a great mafter of tragic fimplicity. Mr. Gildon further obferves, as a confirmation that Dryden's tafte for tragedy was not of the genuine fort, that he constantly expreffed great contempt for Otway, who is univerfally allowed to have fucceeded very happily in affecting the tender paflions. Yet Mr. Dryden, in his preface to the tranflation of M. Du Fresnoy, fpeaks more favourably of Otway; and, after mentioning thefe inftances, Gildon afcribes this tafte in Dryden to his having read many French romances.

The truth is, if a poet would affect the heart, he must not exceed nature too much, nor colour too high; distressful circumstances, fhort fpeeches, and pathetic obfervations, never fail to move infinitely beyond the highest rant, or long declamations, in tragedy. The fimplicity of the drama was Otway's peculiar excellence. A living poet obferves, that, from Otway to our own times,

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]

From bard to bard, the frigid caution crept,
And declamation roar'd while paffion flept.

Mr. Dryden feems to be fenfible that he was
not born to write comedy: "For," fays he,
"I want that gaiety of humour which is re-
quired in it; my converfation is flow and dull,
my
humour faturnine and referved. In fhort,
I am none of those who endeavour to break

jefts in company, and make repartees; fo that thofe who decry my comedies do me no injury, except it be in point of profit: reputation in them is the last thing to which I shall pretend *."

This ingenuous confeffion of inability, one would imagine were fufficient to filence the clamour of the critics against Mr. Dryden in that particular; but, however true it may be, that Dryden did not fucceed to any degree in comedy, I fhall endeavour to fupport my af sertion, that, in tragedy, with all his faults, he is ftill the most excellent of his time. The end of tragedy is to inftruct the mind, as well as move the paffions; and, where there are no fhining fentiments, the mind may be affected, but not improved; and, however prevalent the paffion of grief may be over the heart of man, it is cerrain that he may feel

Defence, or the Effay on Dramatic Poetry,

diftrefs.

diftrefs in the acutest manner, and not be much the wiser for it.

The tragedies of Otway, Lee, and Southern, are irrefiläbly moving; but yet they convey not fuch grand fentiments, and their language is far from being fo poetical, as Dryden's. Now, if one dramatic poet writes to move, and another to inchant and inftruct, as inftruction is of greater confequence than being agitated, it follows naturally, that the latter is the moft excellent writer, and poffeffes the greatest genius.

But perhaps our poet would have wrote better in both kinds of the drama, had not the neceffity of his circumftances obliged him to comply with the popular tafte. He himself, in his dedication to the Spanish Fryar, infinúates as much.

"I remember," fays he, "fome verfes of my own Maximin and Almanzor, which cry vengeance upon me for their extravagance. All that I can fay for thofe paffages, which are, I hope, not many, is, that I knew they were bad when I wrote them. But I repent of them amongst my fins, and, if any of their fellows intrude by chance, into my prefent writings, I draw a veil over all these Dalilahs of the theatre; and am refolved, I will fettle myself no reputation upon the applaufe of fools. "Tis not that I am mortified to all ambition, but I fcorn as much to take it from half-witted

[blocks in formation]

judges, as I should to raise an estate by cheating of bubbles.

"Neither do I difcommend the lofty file in tragedy, which is naturally pompous and magnificent; but nothing is truly fublime that is not just and proper."- -He says, in another place, That his Spanish Fryar was given to the people, and that he never wrote any thing in the dramatic way, to please himself, but his All for Love.

In 1671, Mr. Dryden was publicly ridi culed on the stage, in the duke of Buckingham's comedy, called the Rehearsal, under the character of Bays. This character, we are informed, in the Key to the Rehearsal, was originally intended for Sir Robort Howard, under the name of Bilboa; but the reprefentation being put a stop to, by the breaking out of the plague, in 1665, it was laid by for feveral years, and not exhibited on the flage till 1671; in which interval, Mr. Dryden being advanced to the laurel, the noble author changed the name of his poet from Bilboa to Bays; and made great alterations in his play, in order to ridicule feveral dramatic performances, that appeared fince the first writing it.

Thofe of Mr. Dryden which fell under his grace's lash, were, the Wild Gallant, Tyrannic Love, the Conquest of Granada, Marriage A-la-Mode, and Love in a Nunnery,

Whatever

« السابقةمتابعة »