vice book: With what addrefs be effected it. Sarpedon's Fast, of divine institution. The leaft fally from, or Parenthesis in the ancient Comedy of more moment than all our Tragedies. English Comedy the best.

I

N the former Play, our Poet might be the bolder, the perfons being all his own Creatures, and meer fiction. But here he fins not against Nature and Philosophy only, but against the most known History, and the memory of the Nobleft Romans, that ought to be facred to all Pofterity. He might be familiar with Othello and Jago, as his own natural acquaintance: but Cafar and Brutus were above his converfation: To put them in Fools Coats, and make them Jack-pudders in the Shakespear drefs, is a Sacriledge, beyond any thing in SpelThe Truth is, this authors head was full of villainous,unnatural images,and history has only furnish'd him with great names, thereby to recommend them to the World, by writing over them, This is Brutus ; this is Cicero; this is Cæfar. But generally his History flies in his Face; And comes in flat contradiction to the Poets imagination. As for example: of Brutus says Antony, his Enemy.

man.

Ant.

Ant. ....His life was gentle, and the Ele

ments

So mixt in him, that Nature might ftand up, And fay to all the World, this was a Man.

And when every body judg'd it neceffary to kill Antony, our Author in his Laconical way, makes Brutus speak thus:

Bru. Our Course will feem too bloody, Caius Caffius,

To cut the Head off,and then back the Limbs,
Like wrath in death, and envy afterwards;
For Antony is but a Limb of Cæfar:
Let's be Sacrificers, but not Butchers, Caius,
We all stand up against the Spirit of Cæfar,
And in the Spirit of man there is no blood ;
O that we then cou'd come by Cæfars Spirit,
And not difmember Cæsar; but, alas!
Cæfar muft bleed for it. And gentle friends,
Let's kill him boldly, but not wrathfully 3
Let's carve him, as a difhfit for the Gods,
Not hew him,as a Carkafs fit for Hounds.
And let our Hearts, as fubtle Mafters do,
Stir up their Servants to an act of rage,
And after feem to chide 'em. This fhall make
Our purpofe neceffary, and not envious:
Which So appearing to the common eyes,

We shall be call'd Purgers, not murderers.
And for Mark Antony think not of him.
For he can do no more than Cæfars arm,
When Cafars head is off.

In these two speeches we have the true character of Brutus, according to History. But when Shakespear's own blundering Maggot of felf contradiction works, then nult Brutus cry out.

Bru. Stoop, Romans, Atoop,

And let us bath our hands, in Cæfars blood
Up to the Elbows -----

Had this been spoken by fome King of France, we might remember Villon:

Se fulle des boirs Hue Capeh,
Qui fut extrait de boucherie,
On m' eut parmy ce drapel,
Fait boire de l'efcorcherie,

And what Dante has recorded

Chiamato fui di lá Ugo ciapetta,
Dime fon Nati i Philippine Laigi,
Per cui novellamente e' Francia retta,
Figlival fui d' un Beccaio di Parigi

For

For, indeed, that Language which ShakeSpear puts in the Mouth of Brutus wou'd not fuit, or be convenient, unless from fome fon of the Shambles, or fome natural offfpring of the Butchery. But never any Poet fo boldly and fo barefac'd, flounced along from contradiction to contradiction. A little preparation and forecast might do well now and then. For his Desdemona's Marriage, He might have helped out the probability by feigning how that fome way, or other, a Black-amoor Woman had been her Nurfe, and fuckl'd her: Or that orice, upon a time, fome Virtuofo had transfus❜d into her Veins the Blood of a black Sheep: after which the might never be at quiet till he is, as the Poet will have it, Tupt with an old black ram.

7

But to match this pithy difcourfe of Brutus; fee the weighty argumentative oration, whereby Caffius draws him into the Confpiracy.

Caf.

-Brutus, and Cæfar: what show'd be in that Cafar?

Why hou'd that name be söunded more than

your's's

Write them together: yours is as fair a name: Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well. Weigh them, it is as heavy: conjure with them, Brutus will fart a Spirit as foon as Cæfar. Now, in the names of all the Gods at once, Upon what meat doth this our Cæsar feed, That he is grown so great? Age, thou art Sham'd;

Rome thou haft left the breed of noble bloods. When went there by an Age fince the great flood,

But it was fam'dwith more, than with one

man?

When could they fay ( till now) that talk'd of Rome,

That her wide Walls encompass'd but one man? Now it is Rome indeed, and room enough When there is in it but one only Man

One may Note that all our Authors Senators, and his Orators had their learning and education at the fame school, be they Venetians, Black-amoors, Ottamites, or noble Romans. Brutus and Caffius here, may cap fentences, with Brabantio, and the Doge of Venice, or any Magnifico of them all. We faw how the Venetian Senate spent their time, when, amidst their alarms, call'd to Counsel at midnight. Here the Roman

Sena