the weight of its character forced its way into the late collection, is unquestionably the nobleft production of Addison's genius. Of a work fo much read, it is difficult to fay any thing new. About things on which the publick thinks long, it commonly attains to think right; and of Cato it has been not unjustly determined, that it is rather a poem in dialogue than a drama, rather a fucceffion of juft fentiments in elegant language, than a representation of natural affections, or of any ftate probable or poffible in human life. Nothing here excites or affuages emotion; here is no magical power of raising phantaftick terror or wild anxiety. The events are expected without folicitude, and are remembered without joy or forrow. Of the agents we have no care: we confider not what they are doing, or what they are fuffering; we wish only to know what they have to say. Cato is a being above our folicitude; a man of whom the gods take care, and whom we leave to their care, with heedlefs confidence. To the reft, neither gods nor men can have much attention; for there is not one amongst them that strongly attracts either affection or eftcem. But they are made the vehicles of such fentiments and fuch expreffion, that there is scarcely a fcene in the play which the reader does not wifh to imprefs upon his memory.

When Cato was fhewn to Pope, he advised the author to print it, without any theatrical exhibition; fuppofing that it would be read more favourably than heard. Addifon declared himself of the fame opinion; but urged the importunity of his friends for its appearance on the ftage. The emulation of parties made

* Spence.

it

it fuccefsful beyond expectation, and its fuccefs has introduced or confirmed among us the ufe of dialogue too declamatory, of unaffecting elegance, and chill philofophy.

The univerfality of applaufe, however it might quell the cenfure of common mortals, had no other effect than to harden Dennis in fixed diflike; but his dislike was not merely capricious. He found and fhewed many faults; he fhewed them indeed with anger, but he found them with acuteness, fuch 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 opprefs.

Why he pays no regard to the opinion of the audience, he gives his reafon, by remarking, that

"A deference is to be paid to a general applause, when it appears that that applaufe is natural and fponta"neous; but that little regard is to be had to it, when "it is affected and artificial. Of all the tragedies "which in his memory have had vaft and violent runs,

not one has been excellent, few have been tolerable, "most have been fcandalous. When a poet writes à "tragedy, who knows he has judgement, and who "feels he has genius, that poet prefumes upon his 66 own merit, and fcorns to make a cabal. That peo"ple come coolly to the reprefentation of fuch a tra

66

gedy without any violent expectation, or delufive "imagination, or invincible prepoffeffion; that fuch "an audience is liable to receive the impreffions which "the poem fhall naturally make in them, and to judge

by their own reason, and their own judgements, and "that reafon and judgement are calm and ferene, not formed by nature to make profelytes, and to controul

" and

"and lord it over the imaginations of others. But "that when an author writes a tragedy, who knows he "has neither genius nor judgement, he has recourse to "the making a party, and he endeavours to make up "in industry what is wanting in talent, and to fupply

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by poetical craft the abfence of poetical art: that "fuch an author is humbly contented to raise men's "paffions by a plot without doors, fince he despairs of "doing it by that which he brings upon the stage. "That party and paffion, and prepoffeffion, are cla"morous and tumultuous things, and fo much the more clamorous and tumultuous by how much the "more erroneous: that they domineer and tyrannize over the imaginations of perfons who want judgement, and fometimes too of those who have it; and, "like a fierce and outrageous torrent, bear down all "oppofition before them."

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He then condemns the neglect of poetical jufwhich is always one of his favourite princi

tice;

ples.

""Tis certainly the duty of every tragick poet, by "the exact diftribution of poetical juftice, to imitate "the Divine Difpenfation, and to inculcate a par"ticular Providence. 'Tis true, indeed, upon the

ftage of the world, the wicked fometimes profper, "and the guiltlefs fuffer. But that is permitted by "the Governor of the world, to fhew, from the attri"bute of his infinite juftice, that there is a compenfa"tion in futurity, to prove the immortality of the “human foul, and the certainty of future rewards and

punishments. But the poetical perfons in tragedy "exist no longer than the reading, or the reprefenta"tion; the whole extent of their entity is circum

"fcribed

"fcribed by thofe; and therefore, during that reading "or representation, according to their merits or de"merits, they must be punished or rewarded. If this "is not done, there is no impartial diftribution of poe"tical juftice, no inftructive lecture of a particular "Providence, and no imitation of the Divine Difpen"fation. And yet the author of this tragedy does not

only run counter to this, in the fate of his principal "character; but every where, throughout it, makes "virtue fuffer, and vice triumph: for not only Cato "is vanquished by Cæfar, but the treachery and perfi"diousness of Syphax prevails over the honeft fim"plicity and the credulity of Juba; and the fly fub"tlety and diffimulation of Portius over the ge"nerous frankness and open-heartedness of Marcus."

Whatever pleasure there may be in feeing crimes punished and virtue rewarded, yet, fince wickedness often profpers in real life, the poet is certainly at liberty to give it profperity on the stage. For if poetry has an imitation of reality, how are its laws broken by exhibiting the world in its true form? The Stage may fometimes gratify our wishes; but, if it be truly the mirror of life, it ought to fhew us fometimes what we are to expect.

Dennis objects to the characters that they are not natural, or reasonable; but as heroes and heroines are not beings that are feen every day, it is hard to find upon what principles their conduct fhall be tried. It is, however, not useless to confider what he fays of the manner in which Cato receives the account of his fon's death.

"Nor is the grief of Cato, in the fourth act, one jot more in nature than that of his fon and Lucia in

"the

"the third. Cato receives the news of his fon's death "not only with dry eyes, but with a fort of fatisfac"tion; and in the fame page fheds tears for the cala"mity of his country, and does the fame thing in the "next page upon the bare apprehenfion of the danger "of his friends. Now, fince the love of one's country "is the love of one's countrymen, as I have shewn upon another occafion, I defire to ask these questions: "Of all our countrymen, which do we love most, "those whom we know, or those whom we know not? "And of those whom we know, which do we cherish

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moft, our friends or our enemies? And of our << friends, which are the dearest to us? those who "are related to us, or those who are not? And of all

66

our relations, for which have we moft tenderness, "for those who are near to us, or for those who are remote? And of our near relations, which are the "neareft, and confequently the dearest to us, our offfpring or others? Our offspring, moft certainly; as nature, or in other words Providence, has wifely "contrived for the prefervation of mankind. Now, "does it not follow, from what has been faid, that "for a man to receive the news of his fon's death with

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dry eyes, and to weep at the same time for the cala"mities of his country, is a wretched affectation, and "a miferable inconfiftency? Is not that, in plain Eng

lifh, to receive with dry eyes the news of the deaths "of those for whofe fake our country is a name fo "dear to us, and at the fame time to fhed tears for "thofe for whofe fakes our country is not a name "dear to us?"

fo

But this formidable affailant is leaft refiftible when he attacks the probability of the action, and the reasonablenefs

5