curiofity, and defired to hear a particular account of this apparition. The centinel begins:

Last night of all

When yon fame ftar, that's westward from the pole, Had made his course t'illume that part of heav'n Where now it burns, Marcellus and myself,

The bell then beating one

Mar. Peace, break thee off;

Look, where it comes.

Enter the ghost.

With what art does the poet break off, just as he raises the curiofity of the audience; and thus avoids a long circumstantial narration? Let any one compare the scornful filence of Dido's ghost to Aeneas, the fullen filence of Ajax to Ulyffes, with the majestic filence of Hamlet's ghost, which occafions fo much terror and wonder; tho' all are highly beautiful, yet confidering time and circumstances, our poet will appear to the greatest advantage. The centinels break the matter with all it's particularities, to give it an air of probability to the prince, who refolves to

ftanding fill, and not perfuing the flying Hector; there one perfon only following and beckoning the rest to stand off. But all this is not difcernable in the Epopea. Now the marvellous is likewife pleasant: a proof of it is, that those, who relate any thing, generally add fomething or other of their own invention, to make their narration more diverting. wagi wont. es. ed.

watch

watch upon the platform. At the ufual hour the

ghost enters, and draws Hamlet apart to tell him his dreadful tale, which was improper for the reft to be acquainted with. Our hero determines upon his behaviour, and 3 fwears the centinels to fecrefy. However, upon fecond thoughts, he does not know but the apparition might be the * devil, that affumed his father's fhape: he will therefore have furer foundations to proceed on, before he puts his intended revenge in execution; and an expedient offers itself: for certain players arriving at court, are inftructed by him to play

4

3. He fwears them on his fword, very foldier-like, and agreeable to the ancient cuftom of his country. Nor is this less scholar-like in our poet. Jordanes in his Gothic hiftory mentions this cuftom, Sacer [gladius] apud Scytharum reges femper habitus. Ammianus Marcellinus relates the fame ceremony among the Hunns. L. 31. c. 2. Hence our learned Spencer, B. 5. c. 8. ft. 14.

And fwearing faith to either on his blade.

ノ

The fpear was held equally facred. Ab origine rerum pro diis immortalibus veteres baftas coluere. Juftin. L. 43. c. 2. The fpears, they called fcepters, fo Paufanias informs us : and this explains to us that paffage in Homer, where Achilles fwears by his fcepter, which he hurls to the ground. i. e. his fpear. Il. d. 234. and 245.

4. Oreftes, in Euripides, Electr. . 979, has the very fame doubt, that Hamlet has.

Oreftes. Ας αὖτ' ἀλάτως εἶπ' ἀπεικασθεὶς θεῷ;
Eleξt. Ἱερὸν καθίζων τρίποδ' ; ἐγὼ μὲν ἐδοκῶ.

somewhat before the king like the murder of his

father.

I'll obferve his looks,

I'll tent him to the quick; if he but blench,
I know my course.

And here our poet takes an opportunity to pay a fine compliment to his own art,

$ Pve beard that guilty creatures at a play,
Have by the very cunning of the fcene
Been ftruck fo to the foul, that presently
They have proclaimed their malefactions.

This making of a play within a play, befides introducing fome ftrokes of fatyre on former tragedians, fhews, by the comparison, to what perfection our poet brought tragedy, which after him made no further progrefs. There was usually in the beginning of every act a dumb fhew, being a fymbolical reprefentation of what the au

5. 'Tis plain Shakespeare alludes to a story told of Alexander the cruel tyrant of Pherae in Theffaly, who seeing a famous tragedian act the Troades of Euripides, was fo fenfibly touch'd, that he left the theatre before the play was ended; being afhamed, as he owned, that he, who never pitied thofe he murdered, fhould weep at the fufferings of HECUBA and Andromache. See Plutarch in the life of Pelopidas.

What's HECUBA to him, or he to HECUBA,
That he should weep for her?

dience were to expect; who were well dealt with, if after all they could guefs at the poet's meaning inveloped in a figurative and bombaft ítile.But why do I enter into a detail of particular beauties, where the whole is beautiful? Divine juftice at length overtakes the tyrant in his fecureft hours, and the poet is true to the cause of virtue.

The Electra of Sophocles, in many instances, is not very unlike the Hamlet of Shakespeare. Aegyfthus and Clytemneftra, having murthered the former king, were in poffeffion of the crown, when Oreftes returned from Phocis, where he had been privately fent by his fifter Electra. These two contrive, and foon after effect the punishment of the murtherers. Electra is a Grecian woman, of a mafculine and generous difpofition of mind; fhe had been a witness of the wickedness of thofe two miscreants, who had barbarously plotted the death of her father, the renowned Agamemnon: his ghost called for juftice; and fhe herself, rather than they fhall escape, will be the inftrument of vengeance. Thus when Clytemneftra calls out to Oreftes, Ofon, Ofon, have mercy on thy mother!

Electra replys,

For thee fhe felt no mercy, or thy father.

[from within.

Clyt. Oh, I'm wounded.

[from within,

Elect. Double the blow, Oreftes.

There

There is a vast affectation of lenity in mankind; and I am inclin❜d to believe that an English audience would scarcely bear this Grecian character. Soon after Oreftes kills Aegyfthus, and, that this piece of juftice may be a greater expiation to the manes of the murdered king, he kills him in the fame place where Aegyfthus had killed Agamemnon.

SECT. VII.

HO' people in a lower ftation of life take

THO

a peculiar satisfaction in seeing wickedness in high places brought to punishment; yet are they no lefs pleased, when the poet condefcends to bring matters home to themselves, by painting the paffions of a more domeftic nature. Such a paffion is Jealousie; to the fatal effects of which, the peafant is equally fubject as the prince.

I

An unhappy young woman (for so her name fignifics) falls in love with a commander in the Venetian fervice, who had entertain'd her with a romantic account of his own exploits; and hearkening to no advice, but her own mifplaced inclinations,

1. Dido's cafe feems exactly like that of Defdemona. The Dux Trojanus told her his wonderful adventures by fea and land, of inchantments, monfters, &c. These to hear did Dido fericufly incline.

Haerent