the customs of their own country, cou'd not bring themselves to approve the manners of another, even the proper ones of the characters reprefented; but perfeverance probably wou'd have brought them over: 'Tis hard to break through old customs, but not impoffible: we have a proof, in the new manner of playing in tragedy, which has fo happily taken place among us, of the unnaturally pompous one fo highly applauded by our fathers, that what from its novelty may appear very fhocking to the common ear at firft, will, provided it have justice on its side, soon make its way by perfeverance.

CHA P. XIV.

Of the Fineffes in playing, peculiar to Comedy.

TH

HE performer in tragedy ought always to prefent himself before us in the most advantageous manner, and under the most graceful figure he can. But this is far from being the cafe in every part in comedy; he is there very frequently to exhibit himself in the leaft pleafing light, and 'tis often his chief business to make himself as foolish, as extravagant, and as abfurd as he can.

We have already obferved that the generality of thofe, who at prefent fet up for criticks in dramatick writings, make a very great difference between genteel Comedy, and what they improperly have debafed by the name of low Comedy. If we examine, with an impartial and difcerning eye, many of the pieces which they throw into the latter clafs, we fhall find

in them at least as great a fhare of invention, and as much wit and fpirit, as in those other pieces for which they exprefs fo high an efteem; and it is not lefs true, that there requires full as much genius and merit in an actor to fucceed in thefe low parts, as wou'd ferve him to make a principal figure among the high ones; or that the performers who acquit themselves well in thefe, deferve as much applaufe, as thofe who excell in the others

Perhaps there is as much wit in the part of the fimple Tom in the Confcious Lovers, as in the favourite Bevill; and tho' the generality of our audiences, for want of the advantages of a powder'd perriwig and lac'd coat, have not chanc'd to find it out, yet till Mr. Barry play'd Bevill, there has been generally as much merit in the performance of the man, as in that of the mafter. We are ready to allow that there are fome qualifications neceffary for the performer in genteel comedy, which the player of the lower characters may do without; among these are a good perfon, a genteel deportment, and an acquaintance with the manner of people in high life; and yet 'tis but very lately that we have found people who thought these abfolutely neceffary to the playing them.

Both kinds find it their bufinefs to prefent us with copies of human nature: But the performer in genteel comedy, never fhews us nature otherwife than as polifh'd by education; whereas the player of low comedy gives it us without this advantage and improvement. Setting afide this. difference, both have not only the fame end to purfue, which is to ridicule our own foibles to us, or to entertain us with the representation

of

of the fallies of an extravagant imagination, or the weakneffes of an unfettled heart; but both draw all the peculiar excellencies in their art, all the fineffes of their play, from the very fame fources. The actors in low comedy, entertain us either by the whimsical air they give their own characters, or by the talent they have of making us merry at the expence of the other perfons in the play.

There are a thoufand different ways of executing the firft: That to which the player however ought of all others to have the firft recourse, is to profit of all the circumstances which may fall in his way to make his character striking to the audience. Is it a mifer that he reprefents? If he enters his apartment, and finds two candles burning upon the table, he ought very carefully to put out one of them. Is it a man who af fects liberality, extravagance and a perfect carelefnefs about money? If he is conftrain'd to beftow fomething upon any perfon that is on the ftage with him, let him exprefs in his countenance an unwillingness to part with his money, tho' he pretends to give it with the utmoft profufion and ease; let him alfo purposely drop a few pieces, and as foon as the man's back is turn'd, let him carefully pick them up, and put 'em up into his purfe again.

There is fcarce any one of those which we diftinguish by the name of fimple characters, but is in reality a mixt one. Every imperfection we see in a man, is properly an affemblage of a great number of other imperfections. The comedian therefore, in order to fucceed perfectly in the character he plays, ought to decompose the folly he is to reprefent to us, to examine each

N 4.

part

part of it feparately, and in confequence of this to unfold to us every ingredient of the whole, and every thing that has connexion with the principal foible, fo far as the nature of the part will admit of it. We are in real life accuftom'd to fee a man who is full of envy always morofe and furly; and a fool always fhews that he is perfectly contented with himself, and expects that every body elfe fhou'd be as well contented with him.

Above all other things the player of low Comedy, or, as it may perhaps be more properly hereafter call'd, humourous Comedy, ought to make it his bufinefs to copy the ridiculous habits and peculiarities that are found about that fort of people the character he is to act in is drawn from; and thefe, provided they do not jar with the rest of the piece, are always to be made to accompany the characterifing folly. Does he represent a statesman, a Polonius? Let him have a wildness and hurry in his air, and scarce ever attend to what is faid to him, or fo much as look at the man to whom he addreffes his dif course. Is his character that of a pretty gentleman of the age? Let him lifp and clip his words, and foften the vowels of every fyllable. He muft not only make his advantage of every the leaft circumftance that can ferve to introduce the ridiculous fide of his character; he is not only to expose before us every fubordinate folly that en ters into the compofition of his capital one; but after he has added to thefe all the tricks and habits that fools of the fame ftamp have in common life, if the author has chanc'd to neglect the keeping up the character in any particular in

ftance,

ftance, he ought to fupply from his own imagination all that is wanting to make it of a piece with the reft.

If he plays the part of a footman to fome info lent rich man, let the audience fee in him what they never fail to obferve in fuch a fellow in real life, a mimickry of the mafter's manner and deportment; let him take up the tone of voice, the tofs of the head, and the whole air of the fool he ferves; and if he has occafion to be upon the stage at the fame time with some honest perfon of an ordinary trade, let him take care that the audience may read in his looks and in his gefture all that pleasure which people of this low condition take in infulting thofe, whofe ftate of life they envy, tho' they are too idle to fall into it.

The fools in Shakespear's plays would make an excellent figure on the ftage, if this fort of mimickry were kept up in them. There is not one of these who does not take upon him the air of fomebody of importance in one part or other of his character, and often that of feveral different kinds of people in the feveral parts of the fame play. Let us only recollect the fool in As you like it; what infinite fcope for pleafantries of this kind is there in the philofophic fpeech Shakespear has put into this fellow's mouth, when talking to a perfon whom he fuppofes more a fool than himfelf, and who afks him how he likes a fhepherd's life? he answers him,

"Truly, fhepherd, in refpect of itfelf, it is a good life; but in refpect that it is a fhepherd's life, it is naught: in respect that it is folitary, I like it very well, but in refpect that it is private, it is a very vile life. Now in refpect that it is in N. 5

the