Clerks of London. What under H. VIII. fou rish under Queen Elizabeth. The Gorboduck. Chap. 7. Othello. More of a piece. In Trage- dy four parts. Fable, the Poets part. Cin- thio's Novels. Othello altered for the worse. Marriage, abfurd, forbidden by Horace. Fa- ble of Othello. Ufe and Application. Othel- lo's Love-powder. High-German Doctor. Ve- netians odd taste of things. Their Women fools. Employ Strangers. Hate the Moors. Characters. Nothing of the Moor in Othel- lo, of a Venetian in Defdemona. Öf a Sol- dier in Jago. The Souldiers Character, by Horace What by Shakefpear. Agamem- non. Venetians no fenfe of Jelaoufie. Thoughts, in Othello, in a Horfe, or Maftiff, more fen- fibly expreft. Ill Manners. Outragious to a Nobleman, to Humanity. Addrefs, in telling bad news. In Princes Courts. In Ariftopha- Chap.8. Reflections on the Julius Cæfar. Men fa- mous in Hiftory. To be rob'd of their good name, Sacriledge. Shakespear, abufe of Hiftory. Con- tradiction, in the character of Brutus. Villon and Dante, that Hugh Capet from a Butcher. Preparation in Poetry. Strong reafons in Caffius. Roman Senators impertinent as the Venetian. Portia as Defdemona. The fame parts and good breeding How talk of Bufinefs. Whif pers. Brutus's Tinder-box, Sleepy Boy, Fid- dle. Brutus and Caffius, Flat-foot Mimicks. The Indignity. Laberius. Play of the Incar- nation. The Madonna's-Shouting and Battel. Strolers in Cornwal. Rehearsal, law for act- The Catiline by Ben. Johnson. Why an Orator to be vir bonus. Ben cou'd diftinguish Men and Manners. Sylla's Ghost. The fpeech not to be made in a blind Corner. Corneille. Common fence teaches Unity of Action. The Chorus, of neceffity, keep the Poet to time, and place. No rule obferv'd. A Life in Plu- tarch. Acts of the Apostles. Ben is fidus in- terpres. Is the Horfe in Mill in flat oppofition to Horace. Trifling tale, or corruption of Hi- Story, unfit for Tragedy. In contempt of Poetry. Ariftophanes, not the occafion of the Death of Sarpedon's Faft, of divine inftitution. The leaft fally from, or Parenthesis in the ancient Comedy ERRATA. Page 8. 1. 10. Bean. CHAP CHAP. I. The CONTENT S. The Chorus keeps the Poet to Rules. A show to the Spectators. Two Senfes to be pleafed. The Eye, by the Show, and by the Action. Plays Alted without Words. Words often better out of the way. Inftances in Shakespear. Ben. Johnfon and Seneca Noted. To the Ear, Pronunciation is all in all. The Story of Demosthenes. Mistakes in Judging. Two forts of Judges. At Athens a Third fort. Fudges upon Oath. In France Judges divided about the Ciḍ. Cardinal Richelieu against the Majority. At the Thomas Morus, weeping unawares. Horace Angry with Shows. The French Opera inconfiftent with Nature and Good fenfe. Burlesk Verfe. At Paris Chrift's Paffion in Burlesk. A Tragedy of Aeschylus. The defeat of Xerxes. The Subject, and Oeconomy. How imitated for our English Stage. King John of France, Francis 1. Prifoners. The Spanish Armado in 88. An imitation, recommended to Mr. Dreyden. WH HAT Reformation may not we expect now, that in France they fee the neceffity of a Chorus to their Tragedies? Boyer, and Racine, both of the Royal Academy, have led the Dance; they have tried the fuccefs in the laft Plays that were Presented by them. The Chorus was the root and original, and is certainly always the most neceffary part of Tragedy. The Spectators thereby are fecured, that their Poet fhall not juggle, or put upon them in the matter of Place, and Time other than is juft and reasonable for the representation. And the Poet has this benefit; the Chorus is a goodly Show, fo that he need not ramble from his Subject out of his Wits for fome foreign Toy or Hobby-horfe, to humor the Multitude. (a) Ariftotle tells us of Two Senfes that must be pleas'd, our Sight, and our Ears: And it is in vain for a Poet (with Bays in the Rehearsal) to complain of Injustice, and the wrong Judgment in his Audience unless these Two fenfes be gratified. The worft on it is, that most People are wholly led by thefe Two fenfes, and follow them upon content, without ever troubling their Noddle farther. How many Plays owe all their fuccefs to a rare Show? Even in the days of Horace, enter on the Stage a Perfon in a Coftly strange Habit, Lord! What Clapping, what Noife and Thunder, as Heaven and Earth were coming together! yet not one word spoken. (a) Poetica. |