You know my blunt way, and my love to truth: This honourable advice is rejected with contempt: Novall, in whofe mean bofom there does not feem a trace of virtue, avows a determined perfeverance; and the poet having in this hafty manner compleated thefe inaufpicious nuptials, clofes the fecond act of his tragedy, W No. LXXVIII. E have now expended two entire acts of The Fatal Dowry, in advancing to that period in the fable, at which the tragedy of The Fair Penitent opens. If the author of this tragedy thought it neceffary to contract Maffinger's plot, and found one upon it of a more regular construction, I know not how he could do this any otherwife, than by taking up the ftory at the point where we have now left it, and throwing the antecedent matter into narration; and though these two prefatory acts are full of of very affecting incidents, yet the pathos which properly appertains to the plot, and conduces to the catastrophe of the tragedy, does not in ftrictnefs take place before the event of the marriage. No critic will fay that the pleadings before the judges, the interference of the creditors, the diftreffes of Charalois, or the funeral of the Marthal, are neceffary parts of the drama; at the fame time no reader will deny (and neither could Rowe himself overlook) the effect of thefe incidents: He could not fail to foresee that he was to facrifice very much of the intereft of his fable, when he was to throw that upon narration, which his original had given in spectacle; and the loss was more enhanced by falling upon the hero of the drama; for who that compares Charalois, at the end of the second act of Maffinger, with Rowe's Altamont at the opening scene of The Fair Penitent, can doubt which character has moft intereft with the fpectators? We have feen the former in all the most amiable offices which filial piety could perform; enduring infults from his inveterate oppreffors, and voluntarily furrendering himself to a prison to ranfom the dead K4 dead body of his father from unrelenting creditors. Altamont prefents himself before us in his wedding fuit, in the splendour of fortune, and at the fummit of happiness; he greets us with a burst of exultation Let this aufpicious day be ever facred, Choose it to bless their hopes and crown their wishes; The reft of the fcene is employed by him and Horatio alternately in recounting the benefits conferred upon them by the generous Sciolto; and the very fame incident of the feizure of his father's corpfe by the creditors, and his redemption of it, is recited by Horatio When his hard creditors, Urg'd and affifted by Lothario's father, (Foe to thy house and rival of their greatness) By fentence of the cruel law forbade His venerable corpfe to reft in earth, Thy hopeful youth to Llaves, who ne'er knew mercy. It It is not however within the reach of this, or any other description, to place Altamont in that interesting and amiable light, as circumstances have already placed Charalois; the happy and exulting bridegroom may be an object of our congratulation, but the virtuous and fuffering Charalois engages our pity, love, and admiration. If Rowe would have his audience credit Altamont for that filial piety, which marks the character he copied from, it was a small overfight to put the following expreffion into his mouth Oh, great Sciolto! Oh, my more than father! A closer attention to character would have reminded him that it was poffible for Altamont to exprefs his gratitude to Sciolto without fetting him above a father, to whofe memory he had paid fuch devotion. From this contraction of his plot, by the defalcation of fo many pathetic incidents, it became impoffible for the author of the Fair Penitent to make his Altamont the hero of his tragedy, and the leading part is taken from him by Horatio, and even by Lothario, K 5 Lothario, throughout the drama. There are feveral other reasons, which concur to fink Altamont upon the comparison with Charalois, the chief of which arifes from the captivating colours in which Rowe has painted his libertine: On the contrary, Maffinger gives a contemptible picture of his young Novall; he makes him not only vicious, but ridiculous; in foppery and impertinence he is the counterpart of Shakefpear's Ofrick; vain-glorious, purfe-proud, and overbearing amongst his dependants; a fpiritlefs poltroon in his interview with Romont. Lotharic (as Johnson obferves) with gaiety which cannot be hated, and bravery which cannot be despised, retains too much of the fpectator's kindness. His high spirit, brilliant qualities, and fine perfon are so described, as to put us in danger of false impreffions in his favour, and to fet the paffions in oppofition to the moral of the piece: I fufpect that the gallantry of Lothario, makes more advocates for Califta than the ought to have. There is another confideration, which operates against Altamont, and it is an indelicacy in his character, which the poet should have provided against : |