dryden- essay

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An Essay of

Dramatick Poesie

By John Dryden

Edited by Jack Lynch

The text follows the first edition of 1668; several obvious errors of spelling and

punctuation have been silently corrected. I have transliterated the Greek and added

paragraph nubers !they follow the paragraph nubers in the Toronto electronic editionof this text" which I have often consulted in preparing this one#. If you spot any errors"

please drop e a line at$ack %ynch.

OF

Dramatick Poesie,AN

E S S A Y.

ByJOHN DRYDENEs!

Fungar vice cotis, acutum

Reddere qu ferrum valet, exors ipsa secandi.

&orat. 'e (rte )oet.

% * + ' * +")rinted forHenry Herringman" at the ,ign of the

Anchor" on the %ower-walk of the +ew-

Exchange.1668.

1
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"o the #i$ht %ono&rab'e

(%A#LES Lord B)(*%)#S".

y %ord"

As !as lately revie!ing my loose "apers, amongst the rest found this Essay, the

!riting of !hich in this rude and indigested manner !herein your #ordship no! sees it,

serv$d as an amusement to me in the %ountry, !hen the violence of the last "lague haddriven me from the &o!n. 'eeing then our &heaters shut up, !as engag$d in these (ind

of thoughts !ith the same delight !ith !hich men thin( upon their a)sent *istresses+

confess find many things in this discourse !hich do not no! approve my -udgment)eing a little alter$d since the !riting of it, )ut !hether for the )etter or the !orse (no!

not+ either indeed is it much material in an Essay, !here all have said is

pro)lematical. For the !ay of !riting "layes in verse, !hich have seemed to favour, have since that time laid the "ractice of it aside, till have more leisure, )ecause find it

trou)lesome and slo!. /ut am no !ay alter$d from my opinion of it, at least !ith anyreasons !hich have oppos$d it. For your #ordship may easily o)serve that none are very

violent against it, )ut those !ho either have not attempted it, or !ho have succeeded illin their attempt. $&is enough for me to have your #ordships example for my excuse in that

little !hich have done in it and am sure my Adversaries can )ring no such Arguments

against 0erse, as the fourth Act of)opey !ill furnish me !ith, in its defence. 1et, my#ord, you must suffer me a little to complain of you, that you too soon !ithdra! from us

a contentment, of !hich !e expected the continuance, )ecause you gave it us so early.

$&is a revolt !ithout occasion from your "arty, !here your merits had already rais$d youto the highest commands, and !here you have not the excuse of other men that you have

)een ill us$d, and therefore laid do!n Armes. (no! no other quarrel you can have to

0erse, then that !hich,purina had to his )eauty, !hen he tore and mangled the featuresof his Face, onely )ecause they pleas$d too !ell the loo(ers on. t !as an honour !hichseem$d to !ait for you, to lead out a ne! %olony of 2riters from the *other ation+ and

upon the first spreading of your Ensignes there had )een many in a readiness to have

follo!$d so fortunate a #eader if not all, yet the )etter part of 2riters.

)ars" indocili elior grege; ollis / expes

Inoinata perpriat cubila.

am almost of opinion, that !e should force you to accept of the command, as sometimes

the)r0torian/ands have compell$d their %aptains to receive the Empire. &he %ourt,

!hich is the )est and surest -udge of !riting, has generally allo!$d of 0erse and in the&o!n it has found favourers of 2it and 3uality. As for your o!n particular, *y #ord, you

have yet youth, and time enough to give part of it to the divertisement of the "u)lic(,

)efore you enter into the serious and more unpleasant )usiness of the !orld. &hat !hichthe French "oet said of the &emple of #ove, may )e as !ell apply$d to the &emple of the

*uses. &he !ords, as near as can remem)er them, !ere these+


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%a 2eunesse a auvaise grace.

+3 ayant pas ador4 dans le teple d3Amour5

Il faut u3il entre" / pour le sage,i ce nest son vray se2our

73est un giste sur son passage.

leave the !ords to !or( their effect upon your #ordship in their o!n #anguage, )ecause

no other can so !ell express the no)leness of the thought And !ish you may )e sooncall$d to )ear a part in the affairs of the ation, !here (no! the !orld expects you, and

!onders !hy you have )een so long forgotten there )eing no person amongst our young

o)ility, on !hom the eyes of all men are so much )ent. /ut in the mean time your#ordship may imitate the course of ature, !ho gives us the flo!er )efore the fruit+ that

may spea( to you in the language of the *uses, !hich have ta(en from an excellent

"oem to the 4ing.

As ature, !hen she fruit designes, thin(s fit

/y )eauteous )lossoms to proceed to itAnd !hile she does accomplish all the 'pring,

/irds to her secret operations sing.

confess have no greater reason, in addressing this Essay to your #ordship, then that itmight a!a(en in you the desire of !riting something, in !hatever (ind it )e, !hich might

)e an honour to our Age and %ountry. And me thin(s it might have the same effect upon

you, !hich&oer tells us the sight of the 5ree(s and &ro-ans )efore the Fleet, had onthe spirit of(chilles" !ho though he had resolved not to ingage, yet found a martial

!armth to steal upon him, at the sight of /lo!s, the sound of &rumpets, and the cries of

fighting *en. For my o!n part, if in treating of this su)-ect sometimes dissent from the

opinion of )etter 2its, declare it is not so much to com)at their opinions, as to defendmy o!n, !hich !ere first made pu)lic(. 'ometimes, li(e a 'chollar in an Fencing6'chool

put forth my self, and sho! my o!n ill play, on purpose to )e )etter taught. 'ometimes

stand desperately to my Armes, li(e the Foot !hen deserted )y their Horse, not in hope toovercome, )ut onely to yield on more honoura)le termes. And yet, my #ord, this !ar of

opinions, you !ell (no!, has fallen out among the 2riters of all Ages, and sometimes

)et!ixt Friends. 7nely it has )een prosecuted )y some, li(e "edants, !ith violence of!ords, and manag$d )y others li(e 5entlemen, !ith candour and ciuility. EvenTully had

a %ontroversie !ith his dear(tticus; and in one of his 8ialogues ma(es him sustain the

part of an Enemy of "hilosophy, !ho in his #etters is his confident of 'tate, and madeprivy to the most !eighty affairs of the Roman 'enate. And the same respect !hich !as

paid )yTully to(tticus" !e find return$d to him after!ards )y70sar on a li(e occasion,

!ho ans!ering his /oo( in praise of7ato" made it not so much his )usiness to condemn7ato, as to praise7icero./ut that may decline some part of the encounter !ith my

Adversaries, !hom am neither !illing to com)ate, nor !ell a)le to resist !ill give

your #ordship the Relation of a 8ispute )et!ixt some of our 2its upon this su)-ect, in

!hich they did not onely spea( to "layes in 0erse, )ut mingled, in the freedom of8iscourse, some thing of the Ancient, many of the *odern !ayes of !riting, comparing

those !ith these, and the 2its of our ation !ith those of others+ $tis true they differ$d in


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their opinions, as $tis pro)a)le they !ould+ neither do ta(e upon me to reconcile, )ut to

relate them+ and that asTacitusprofesses of himself,,ine studio partiu aut ira5 !ithout

"assion or nterest leaving your #ordship to decide it in favour of !hich part you shall-udge most reasona)le, and !ithall, to pardon the many errours of,

1our #ordships most o)edient hum)le 'ervant"

$*&+ '9:'+.

"O "%E #EADE#.

&he drift of the ensuing 8iscourse !as chiefly to vindicate the honour of our English

2riters, from the censure of those !ho un-ustly prefer the French )efore them. &his

intimate, least any should thin( me so exceeding vain, as to teach others an Art !hich

they understand much )etter than my self. /ut if this incorrect Essay, !ritten in the%ountry !ithout the help of /oo(s, or advice of Friends, shall find any acceptance in the

!orld, promise to my self a )etter success of the second part, !herein the 0ertues and

Faults of the English "oets, !ho have !ritten either in this, the Epique, or the #yrique!ay, !ill )e more fully treated of, and their several styles impartially imitated.

AN

E S S A YOFDramatick Poesie.


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ateren to let fall their *ares ore gently; and

then every one favouring his own curiosity with a strict silence" it was not long ere theyperceiv3d the (ir break about the like the noise of distant Thunder" or of ,wallows in a

7hiney5 those little undulations of sound" though alost vanishing before they reach3d

the" yet still seeing to retain soewhat of their first horrour which they had betwixtthe ?leets5 after they had attentively listned till such tie as the sound by little and little

went fro the;Eugeniuslifting up his head" and taking notice of it" was the first who

congratulated to the rest that happy *en of our +ations Dictory5 adding" we had but thisto desire in confiration of it" that we ight hear no ore of that noise which was now

leaving the nglish 7oast. >hen the rest had concur3d in the sae opinion" %rites" a

person of a sharp 2udgent" and soewhat too delicate a taste in wit" which the world

have istaken in hi for ill nature" said" siling to us" that if the concernent of thisbattel had not been so exceeding great" he could scarce have wish3d the Dictory at the

price he knew ust pay for it" in being sub2ect to the reading and hearing of so any ill

verses as he was sure would be ade upon it; adding" that no (rguent could scape soeof those eternal 9hiers" who watch a Cattel with ore diligence then the 9avens and

birds of )rey; and the worst of the surest to be first in upon the uarry" while the better

able" either out of odesty writ not at all" or set that due value upon their )oes" as to let

the be often call3d for and long expectedE there are soe of those ipertinent peopleyou speak of" answer3d#isideius" who to y knowledg" are already so provided" either

way" that they can produce not onely a )anegirick upon the Dictory" but" if need be" a

funeral elegy upon the 'uke5 and after they have crown3d his valour with any %awrels"at last deplore the odds under which he fell" concluding that his courage deserv3d a better

destiny. (ll the copany sil3d at the conceipt of#isideius" but %rites" ore eager then

before" began to ake particular exceptions against soe >riters" and said the publickagistrate ought to send beties to forbid the; and that it concern3d the peace and uiet

of all honest people" that ill )oets should be as well silenc3d as seditious )reachers. In y

opinion" replyedEugenius" you pursue your point too far; for as to y own particular" Ia so great a lover of )oesie" that I could wish the all rewarded who attept but to do

well; at least I would not have the worse us3d then 'yllathe 'ictator did one of their

brethren heretofore5 3uem in concione vidimus!says &ullyspeaking of hi# cum ei

li)ellum malus poeta de populo su)-ecisset, quod epigramma in eum fecisset tantummodoalternis versi)us longiuculis, statim ex iis re)us qu tunc vende)at -u)ere ei prmium

tri)ui, su) ea conditione ne quid postea scri)eret. I could wish with all y heart" replied

%rites" that any who we know were as bountifully thank3d upon the sae condition"that they would never trouble us again. ?or aongst others" I have a ortal apprehension

of two )oets" who this victory with the help of both her wings will never be able to

F


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should be wellcoe; then neither rise to the dignity of the last (ge" nor to any of the

(ncients; and we ay cry out of the >riters of this tie" with ore reason than

"etroniusof his""ace vestra liceat dixisse, primi omnium eloquentiam perdidistis5 youhave debauched the true old )oetry so far" that +ature" which is the soul of it" is not in

any of your >ritings.


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the Italian" ?rench" and ,panish )lays" I can ake it evident that those who now write"

surpass the; and that the8ramais wholly ours.

riters yet living; who first taught us to ould our thoughts

into easie and significant words; to retrench the superfluities of expression" and to akeour 9ie so properly a part of the Derse" that it should never is-lead the sence" but it

self be led and govern3d by it.Eugeniuswas going to continue this 'iscourse" when

#isideiustold hi it was necessary" before they proceeded further" to take a standingeasure of their 7ontroversie; for how was it possible to be decided who writ the best

)lays" before we know what a )lay should be but" this once agreed on by both )arties"

each ight have recourse to it" either to prove his own advantages" or discover thefailings of his (dversary.

ork

then being push3d on by any hands" ust of necessity go forward.


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xperients in )hilosophy have been ade" ore +oble ,ecrets in *pticks" edicine"

(natoy" (stronoy" discover3d" than in all those credulous and doting (ges fro

Aristotleto us so true it is that nothing spreads ore fast than ,cience" when rightly andgenerally cultivated.

it" and soeties nvy" soeties

(diration uickens our ndeavours.

ti(>s"Horacehis (rt of )oetry is an

excellent 7oent" and" I believe" restores to us that ,econd Cook of his concerning7oedy" which is wanting in hi.


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)lagiary of all the others; you track hi every where in their ,now5 IfHorace"#ucan"

"etronius Ar)iter" 'eneca" and=uvenal" had their own fro hi" there are few serious

thoughts which are new in hi; you will pardon e therefore if I presue he lov3d theirfashion when he wore their cloaths. Cut since I have otherwise a great veneration for hi"

and you"Eugenius" prefer hi above all other )oets" I will use no farther arguent to you

then his exaple5 I will produce ?ather/en.to you" dress3d in all the ornaents andcolours of the (ncients" you will need no other guide to our )arty if you follow hi; and

whether you consider the bad )lays of our (ge" or regard the good ones of the last" both

the best and worst of the odern )oets will eually instruct you to estee the (ncients.


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grows warer5 the design or action of it is drawing on" and you see soething proising

that it will coe to pass5 Thirdly" the %atastasis" or 7ounterturn" which destroys that

expectation" ibroyles the action in new difficulties" and leaves you far distant fro thathope in which it found you" as you ay have observ3d in a violent strea resisted by a

narrow passage; it runs round to an eddy" and carries back the waters with ore swiftness

then it brought the on5 %astly" the %atastrophe" which the Grecians call3d lysis" the?rench le denouement" and we the discovery or unravelling of the )lot5 there you see all

things setling again upon their first foundations" and the obstacles which hindred the

design or action of the )lay once reov3d" it ends with that reseblance of truth andnature" that the audience are satisfied with the conduct of it. Thus this great an deliver3d

to us the iage of a )lay" and I ust confess it is so lively that fro thence uch light

has been deriv3d to the foring it ore perfectly into (cts and ,cenes; but what )oet first

liited to five the nuber of the (cts I know not; onely we see it so firly establish3d inthe tie ofHorace" that he gives it for a rule in 7oedy;eu )revior quinto, neu sit

productior actu5 ,o that you see the Grecians cannot be said to have consuated this

(rt; writing rather by ntrances then by (cts" and having rather a general indigested

notion of a )lay" then knowing how and where to bestow the particular graces of it.


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opem; one or other sees a little Cox or 7abinet which was carried away with her" and so

discovers her to her friends" if soe God do not prevent it" by coing down in a

achine" and take the thanks of it to hiself.

ench" but iserably in want of oney; a ,ervant or ,lave" who has so

uch wit to strike in with hi" and help to dupe his ?ather" a Craggadochio 7aptain" a)arasite" and a %ady of )leasure.


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abstruse words5 3tis true" in soe places his wit is independent of his words" as in that of

the 9ebel 'cot5

Had %ain )een 'cot 5od !ould have chang$d his doomot forc$d him !ander, )ut confin$d him home.

(ai psych>" as the woen in=uvenal3s tieus3d to cry out in the fury of their kindness5 then indeed to speak sense were an offence.

(ny sudden gust of passion !as an extasie of love in an unexpected eeting# cannot

better be express3d than in a word and a sigh" breaking one another. +ature is dub onsuch occasions" and to ake her speak" would be to represent her unlike her self. Cut

1J


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there are a thousand other concernents of %overs" as 2ealousies" coplaints"

contrivances and the like" where not to open their inds at large to each other" were to be

wanting to their own love" and to the expectation of the (udience" who watch theoveents of their inds" as uch as the changes of their fortunes. ?or the iaging of

the first is properly the work of a )oet" the latter he borrows of the &istorian.


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the latter that is" he ust ruine the sole end and ob2ect of his Tragedy to introduce

soewhat that is forced in" and is not of the body of it5 >ould you not think that

)hysician ad" who having prescribed a )urge" should iediatly order you to takerestringents upon it

riter is free" by the priviledge of a )oet" to take that which

of two or ore relations will best sute with his design5 (s for exaple" the death of%yrus" who=ustinand soe others report to have perish3d in the 'cythianwar" but

Cenophonaffirs to have died in his bed of extrea old age. +ay ore" when the event

is past dispute" even then we are willing to be deceiv3d" and the )oet" if he contrives itwith appearance of truth; has all the audience of his )arty; at least during the tie his

)lay is acting5 so naturally we are kind to vertue" when our own interest is not in

uestion" that we take it up as the general concernent of ankind. *n the other side" if

you consider the &istorical )layes of 'ha(espeare" they are rather so any 7hronicles ofLings" or the business any ties of thirty or forty years" crapt into a representation of

two hours and a half" which is not to iitate or paint +ature" but rather to draw her ininiature" to take her in little; to look upon her through the wrong end of a )erspective"

and receive her Iages not onely uch less" but infinitely ore iperfect then the life5

this instead of aking a )lay delightful" renders it ridiculous.

3uodcunque ostendis mihi sic, incredulus odi.


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ake the conduct of it ore clear to us" but" 3tis a fault to choose such sub2ects for the

,tage which will inforce us upon that 9ock; because we see they are seldoe listned to

by the (udience" and that is any ties the ruin of the )lay5 for" being once let passwithout attention" the (udience can never recover theselves to understand the )lot; and

indeed it is soewhat unreasonable that they should be put to so uch trouble" as" that to

coprehend what passes in their sight" they ust have recourse to what was done"perhaps" ten or twenty years ago.

hen we see death

represented we are convinc3d it is but ?iction; but when we hear it related" our eyes !the

strongest witnesses# are wanting" which ight have undeceiv3d us; and we are all willing

to favour the sleight when the )oet does not too grosly ipose upon us. They thereforewho iagine these relations would ake no concernent in the (udience" are deceiv3d"

by confounding the with the other" which are of things antecedent to the )lay; those are

ade often in cold blood !as I ay say# to the audience; but these are war3d with ourconcernents" which are before awaken3d in the )lay. >hat the )hilosophers say of

otion" that when it is once begun it continues of it self" and will do so to ternity

without soe stop put to it" is clearly true on this occasion; the soul being already ov3dwith the 7haracters and ?ortunes of those iaginary persons" continues going of its own

accord" and we are no ore weary to hear what becoes of the when they are not on

the ,tage" then we are to listen to the news of an absent istress. Cut it is ob2ected" That

if one part of the )lay ay be related" then why not all I answer" ,oe parts of theaction are ore fit to be represented" soe to be related. %orneillesayes 2udiciously" that

the )oet is not oblig3d to expose to view all particular actions which conduce to the


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principal5 he ought to select such of the to be seen which will appear with the greatest

beauty; either by the agnificence of the show" or the veheence of passions which they

produce" or soe other char which they have in the" and let the rest arrive to theaudience by narration. 3Tis a great istake in us to believe the ?rench present no part of

the action upon the ,tage5 every alteration or crossing of a design" every new sprung

passion" and turn of it" is a part of the action" and uch the noblest" except we conceivenothing to be action till they coe to blows; as if the painting of the &eroes ind were

not ore properly the )oets work then the strength of his body. +or does this any thing

contradict the opinion ofHorace" where he tells us"

'egnius irritant animos demissa per aurem3uam qu sunt oculis su)-ecta fideli)us.


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%aws of 7oedy" and decoru of the ,tage !to speak generally# with ore exactness

then the nglish. ?arther I deny not but he has tax3d us 2ustly in soe irregularities of

ours which he has ention3d; yet" after all" I a of opinion that neither our faults nor theirvirtues are considerable enough to place the above us.


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they account it the grace of their parts5 and think theselves disparag3d by the )oet" if

they ay not twice or thrice in a )lay entertain the (udience with a ,peech of an hundred

or two hundred lines. I deny not but this ay sute well enough with the ?rench; for as we"who are a ore sullen people" coe to be diverted at our )layes; they who are of an

ayery and gay teper coe thither to ake theselves ore serious5 (nd this I conceive

to be one reason why 7oedy is ore pleasing to us" and Tragedies to the. Cut to speakgenerally" it cannot be deny3d that short ,peeches and 9eplies are ore apt to ove the

passions" and beget concernent in us then the other5 for it is unnatural for any one in a

gust of passion to speak long together" or for another in the sae condition" to suffer hi"without interruption. Grief and )assion are like floods rais3d in little Crooks by a sudden

rain; they are uickly up" and if the concernent be powr3d unexpectedly in upon us" it

overflows us5 Cut a long sober shower gives the leisure to run out as they cae in"

without troubling the ordinary current. (s for 7oedy" 9epartee is one of its chiefestgraces; they greatest pleasure of the (udience is a chase of wit kept up on both sides" and

swiftly anag3d. (nd this our forefathers" if not we" have had inFletchers)layes" to a

uch higher degree of perfection then the ?rench )oets can arrive at.


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for3d the to fierceness" I know not; but they will scarcely suffer cobats / other

ob2ects of horrour to be taken fro the. (nd indeed" the indecency of tuults is all

which can be ob2ected against fighting5 ?or why ay not our iagination as well suffer itself to be deluded with the probability of it" as with any other thing in the )lay ?or y

part" I can with as great ease perswade y self that the blowes which are struck are given

in good earnest" as I can" that they who strike the are Lings or )rinces" or those personswhich they represent. ?or ob2ects of incredibility I would be satisfied fro#isideius"

whether we have any so reov3d fro all appearance of truth as are those of %orneilles

Andromede ( )lay which has been freuented the ost of any he has writ If the"erseus" or the ,on of an &eathen God" the )egasusand the onster were not capable to

choak a strong belief" let hi blae any representation of ours hereafter. Those indeed

were ob2ects of delight; yet the reason is the sae as to the probability5 for he akes it

not a Callette or asue" but a )lay" which is to reseble truth. Cut for death" that itought not to be represented" I have besides the (rguents alledg3d by#isideius" the

authority of/en. =ohnson" who has forborn it in his Tragedies; for both the death of

'e-anusand %atilineare related5 though in the latter I cannot but observe one irregularity

of that great )oet5 he has reov3d the ,cene in the sae (ct" fro Rometo %atiline$s(ry" and fro thence again toRome; and besides has allow3d a very inconsiderable

tie" after %atilines,peech" for the striking of the battle" and the return of )etreius" whois to relate the event of it to the ,enate5 which I should not aniadvert upon hi" who

was otherwise a painful observer of to prepon" or the decoru of the ,tage" if he had not

us3d extrea severity in his 2udgent upon the incoparable 'ha(espearefor the saefault. To conclude on this sub2ect of 9elations" if we are to be bla3d for showing too

uch of the action" the ?rench are as faulty for discovering too little of it5 a ean betwixt

both should be observed by every 2udicious >riter" so as the audience ay neither be left

unsatisfied by not seeing what is beautiful" or shock3d by beholding what is eitherincredible or undecent. I hope I have already prov3d in this discourse" that though we are

not altogether so punctual as the ?rench" in observing the lawes of 7oedy; yet our

errours are so few" and little" and those things wherein we excel the so considerable"that we ought of right to be prefer3d before the. Cut what will #isideiussay if they

theselves acknowledge they are too strictly ti3d up by those lawes" for breaking which

he has bla3d theEnglish I will alledge %orneille$swords" as I find the in the end ofhis 'iscourse of the three @nities;l est facile aux speculatifs d$estre severes, 9c.N3Tis

easie for speculative persons to 2udge severely; but if they would produce to publick view

ten or twelve pieces of this nature" they would perhaps give ore latitude to the 9ules

then I have done" when by experience they had known how uch we are bound up andconstrain3d by the" and how any beauties of the ,tage they banish3d fro it.N To

illustrate a little what he has said" by their servile observations of the unities of tie and

place" and integrity of ,cenes" they have brought upon theselves that dearth of )lot" andnarrowness of Iagination" which ay be observ3d in all their )layes. &ow any

beautifull accidents ight naturally happen in two or three dayes" which cannot arrive

with any probability in the copass of A hours There is tie to be allowed also foraturity of design" which aongst great and prudent persons" such as are often

represented in Tragedy" cannot" with any likelihood of truth" be brought to pass at so short

a warning. ?arther" by tying theselves strictly to the unity of place" and unbroken

,cenes" they are forc3d any ties to oit soe beauties which cannot be shown where

8


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the (ct began; but ight" if the ,cene were interrupted" and the ,tage clear3d for the

persons to enter in another place; and therefore the ?rench )oets are often forc3d upon

absurdities5 for if the (ct begins in a chaber all the persons in the )lay ust have soebusiness or other to coe thither" or else they are not to be shown that (ct" and

soeties their characters are very unfitting to appear there; (s" suppose it were the

Lings Ced-chaber" yet the eanest an in the Tragedy ust coe and dispatch hisbusines rather then in the %obby or 7ourt-yard !which is fitter for hi# for fear the ,tage

should be clear3d" and the ,cenes broken. any ties they fall by it into a greater

inconvenience; for they keep their ,cenes unbroken" and yet change the place; as in oneof their newest )layes" where the (ct begins in the ,treet. There a Gentlean is to eet

his ?riend; he sees hi with his an" coing out fro his ?athers house; they talk

together" and the first goes out5 the second" who is a %over" has ade an appointent

with his istress; she appears at the window" and then we are to iagine the ,cene liesunder it. This Gentlean is call3d away" and leaves his servant with his istress5

presently her ?ather is heard fro within; the young %ady is affraid the ,ervingan

should be discover3d" and thrusts hi in through a door which is suppos3d to be her

7loset. (fter this" the ?ather enters to the 'aughter" and now the ,cene is in a &ouse5 forhe is seeking fro one roo to another for this poor"hilipin" or ?rench8iego" who is

heard fro within" drolling and breaking any a iserable conceit upon his sadcondition. In this ridiculous anner the )lay goes on" the ,tage being never epty all the

while5 so that the ,treet" the >indow" the two &ouses" and the 7loset" are ade to walk

about" and the )ersons to stand still. +ow what I beseech you is ore easie than to write aregular ?rench )lay" or ore difficult then to write an irregular nglish one" like those of

Fletcher" or of 'ha(espeare.

e have borrow3d nothing fro the; our )lots are

weav3d in nglish %ooes5 we endeavour therein to follow the variety and greatness of

characters which are deriv3d to us fro 'ha(espeareandFletcher5 the copiousness andwell-knitting of the intrigues we have fro=ohnson" and for the Derse it self we have

nglish )residents of elder date then any of %orneilles3s )layes5 !not to nae our old

7oedies before 'ha(espeare" which were all writ in verse of six feet" or Alexandrin$s"such as the ?rench now use# I can show in 'ha(espeare" any ,cenes of rhye together"

and the like in/en. =ohnsonsTragedies5 In %atilineand 'e-anussoeties thirty or forty

lines; I ean besides the 7horus" or the onologues" which by the way" show3d/en.no

eney to this way of writing" especially if you look upon his sad ,hepherd which goessoeties upon rhye" soeties upon blanck Derse" like an &orse who eases hiself

upon Trot and (ble. :ou find hi likewise coendingFletcher$s)astoral of the

K


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?aithful ,hepherdess; which is for the ost part 9hye" though not refin3d to that purity

to which it hath since been brought5 (nd these exaples are enough to clear us fro a

servile iitation of the ?rench.

riters" both ?rench andnglish" ought to give place to hi


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serious )layes; perhaps too" he did a little to uch 9oanie our Tongue" leaving the

words which he translated alost as uch %atine as he found the5 wherein though he

learnedly followed the Idio of their language" he did not enough coply with ours. If Iwould copare hi with 'ha(espeare" I ust acknowledge hi the ore correct )oet"

but 'ha(espearethe greater wit. 'ha(espearewas theHomer" or ?ather of our 'raatick

)oets;=ohnsonwas the 0irgil" the pattern of elaborate writing; I adire hi" but I love'ha(espeare. To conclude of hi" as he has given us the ost correct )layes" so in the

precepts which he has laid down in his 'iscoveries" we have as any and profitable

9ules for perfecting the ,tage as any wherewith the ?rench can furnish us.


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evasions when you iagine hi surpri3d" which as they are extrealy diverting of

theselves" so receive a great addition fro his person; for the very sight of such an

unwieldy old debauch3d fellow is a 7oedy alone. (nd here having a place so proper forit I cannot but enlarge soewhat upon this sub2ect of huour into which I a fallen. The

(ncients had little of it in their 7oedies; for the to geloion" of the *ld 7oedy" of

whichAristophaneswas chief" was not so uch to iitate a an" as to ake the peoplelaugh at soe odd conceit" which had coonly soewhat of unnatural or obscene in it.

Thus when you see 'ocratesbrought upon the ,tage" you are not to iagine hi ade

ridiculous by the iitation of his actions" but rather by aking hi perfor soethingvery unlike hiself5 soething so childish and absurd" as by coparing it with the

gravity of the true 'ocrates" akes a ridiculous ob2ect for the ,pectators. In their new

7oedy which succeeded" the )oets fought indeed to express the >thos" as in their

Tragedies thepathosof ankind. Cut this >thoscontain3d onely the general 7haracters ofen and anners; as old en" %overs" ,ervingen" 7ourtians" )arasites" and such other

persons as we see in their 7oedies; all which they ade alike5 that is" one old an or

?ather; one %over" one 7ourtian so like another" as if the first of the had begot the rest

of every sort5Ex homine hunc natum dicas.The sae custoe they observ3d likewise intheir Tragedies. (s for theFrench" though they have the word humeuraong the" yet

they have sall use of it in their 7oedies" or ?arces; they being but ill iitations of theridiculum" or that which stirr3d up laughter in the old 7oedy. Cut aong theEnglish3tis

otherwise5 where by huour is eant soe extravagant habit" passion" or affection;

particular !as I said before# to soe one person5 by the oddness of which" he isiediately distinguish3d fro the rest of en; which being lively and naturally

represented" ost freuently begets that alicious pleasure in the (udience which is

testified by laughter5 as all things which are deviations fro coon custoes are ever

the aptest to produce it5 though by the way this laughter is onely accidental" as the personrepresented is ?antastick or Ciarre; but pleasure is essential to it" as the iitation of what

is natural. The description of these huours" drawn fro the knowledge and observation

of particular persons" was the peculiar genius and talent of /en. =ohnson; To whose )lay Inow return.


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one is a proper $udge of all he sees; nothing is represented but that with which he daily

converses5 so that by conseuence all faults lie open to discovery" and few are

pardonable. 3Tis this whichHoracehas 2udiciously observed5

%reditur ex medio quia res arcessit ha)ere

'udoris minimum, sed ha)et %omedia tanto"lus oneris, quanto veni minus.


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to our ayde; Ce it spoken to the honour of the nglish" our +ation can never want in any

(ge such who are able to dispute the pire of >it with any people in the @niverse. (nd

though the fury of a 7ivil >ar" and )ower" for twenty years together" abandon3d to abarbarous race of en" neies of all good %earning" had buried the uses under the

ruines of onarchy; yet with the restoration of our happiness" we see reviv3d )oesie

lifting up its head" / already shaking off the rubbish which lay so heavy on it. >e haveseen since &is a2esties return" any 'raatick )oes which yield not to those of any

forreign +ation" and which deserve all %awrels but the nglish. I will set aside ?lattery

and nvy5 it cannot be deny3d but we have had soe little bleish either in the )lot orwriting of all those )layes which have been ade within these seven years5 !and perhaps

there is no +ation in the world so uick to discern the" or so difficult to pardon the" as

ours5# yet if we can perswade our selves to use the candour of that )oet" who !though the

ost severe of 7riticks# has left us this caution by which to oderate our censures;

0)i plura nitent in carmine non ego paucis offendar maculis.

riter gives e; 0ivorum, ut magna admiratio ita

censura difficilis5 betwixt the extreas of adiration and alice" 3tis hard to 2udge

uprightly of the living. *nely I think it ay be peritted e to say" that as it is noless3ning to us to yield to soe )layes" and those not any of our own +ation in the last

(ge" so can it be no addition to pronounce of our present )oets that they have far

surpass3d all the (ncients" and the odern >riters of other 7ountreys.


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who will still be 2udges. This it is to which in fine all your reasons ust subit. The

unanious consent of an (udience is so powerful" That even=ulius %sar!as*acro)ius

reports of hi# when he was perpetual 'ictator" was not able to ballance it on the otherside. Cut when#a)erius" aRomanLnight" at his reuest contended in the*imewith

another )oet" he was forc3d to cry out"Etiam favente me victus es #i)eri. Cut I will not on

this occasion" take the advantage of the greater nuber" but onely urge such reasonsagainst 9hye" as I find in the >ritings of those who have argu3d for the other way. ?irst

then I a of opinion" that 9hye is unnatural in a )lay" because 'ialogue there is

presented as the effect of sudden thought. ?or a )lay is the iitation of +ature; and sinceno an" without preeditation speaks in 9hye" neither ought he to do it on the ,tage;

this hinders not but the ?ancy ay be there elevated to a higher pitch of thought then it is

in ordinary discourse5 for there is a probability that en of excellent and uick parts ay

speak noble things ex tempore5 but those thoughts are never fetter3d with the nubers orsound of Derse without study" and therefore it cannot be but unnatural to present the ost

free way of speaking" in that which is the ost constrain3d. ?or this 9eason" sayes

Aristotle" 3Tis best to write Tragedy in that kind of Derse which is the least such" or which

is nearest )rose5 and this aongst the (ncients was the Iabiue" and with us is blankverse" or the easure of verse" kept exactly without rhye. These nubers therefore are

fittest for a )lay; the others for a paper of Derses" or a )oe. Clank verse being as uchbelow the as rhye is iproper for the8rama. (nd if it be ob2ected that neither are

blank verses ade ex tempore" yet as nearest +ature" they are still to be preferr3d. Cut

there are two particular exceptions which any besides y self have had to verse; bywhich it will appear yet ore plainly" how iproper it is in )layes. (nd the first of the

is grounded upon that very reason for which soe have coended 9hye5 they say the

uickness of repartees in arguentative ,cenes receives an ornaent fro verse. +ow

what is ore unreasonable then to iagine that a an should not onely light upon the>it" but the 9hye too upon the sudden This nicking of hi who spoke before both in

sound and easure" is so great an happiness" that you ust at least suppose the persons of

your )lay to be born )oets"Arcades omnes 9 cantare pares 9 respondere parati5 theyust have arriv3d to the degree of quicquid cona)ar dicere5 to ake Derses alost

whether they will or no5 if they are any thing below this" it will look rather like the design

of two then the answer of one5 it will appear that your (ctors hold intelligence together"that they perfor their tricks like ?ortune-tellers" by confederacy. The hand of (rt will be

too visible in it against that axie of all )rofessions;Ars est celare artem. That it is the

greatest perfection of (rt to keep it self undiscover3d. +or will it serve you to ob2ect" that

however you anage it" 3tis still known to be a )lay; and conseuently the 'ialogue oftwo persons understood to be the labour of one )oet. ?or a )lay is still an iitation of

+ature; we know we are to be deceiv3d" and we desire to be so; but no an ever was

deceiv3d but with a probability of truth" for who will suffer a grose lie to be fasten3d onhi Thus we sufficiently understand that the ,cenes which represent 7ities and

7ountries to us" are not really such" but onely painted on boards and 7anvass5 Cut shall

that excuse the ill )ainture or designent of the; +ay rather ought they not to belabour3d with so uch the ore diligence and exactness to help the iagination since

the ind of an does naturally tend to" and seek after Truth; and therefore the nearer any

thing coes to the iitation of it" the ore it pleases.

6


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ore constrain3d than this line in blank verse I &eav3n invoke" and strong resistance

ake" where you see both the clauses are plac3d unnaturally; that is" contrary to the

coon way of speaking" and that without the excuse of a rhye to cause it5 yet youwould think e very ridiculous" if I should accuse the stubbornness of blank Derse for

this" and not rather the stifness of the )oet. Therefore" %rites" you ust either prove that

words" though well chosen" and duly plac3d" yet render not 9hye natural in it self; or"that however natural and easie the rhye ay be" yet it is not proper for a )lay. If you

insist upon the forer part" I would ask you what other conditions are reuir3d to ake

9hye natural in it self" besides an election of apt words" and a right disposing of the?or the due choice of your words expresses your sence naturally" and the due placing

the adapts the rhye to it. If you ob2ect that one verse ay be ade for the sake of

another" though both the words and rhye be apt; I answer it cannot possibly so fall out;

for either there is a dependance of sence betwixt the first line and the second" or there isnone5 if there be that connection" then in the natural position of the words" the latter line

ust of necessity flow fro the forer5 if there be no dependance" yet still the due

ordering of words akes the last line as natural in itself as the other5 so that the necessity

of a rhie never forces any but bad or lay >riters to say what they would not otherwise.3Tis true" there is both care and (rt reuir3d to write in Derse; ( good )oet never

concludes upon the first line" till he has sought out such a rhie as ay fit the sense"already prepar3d to heighten the second5 any ties the close of the sense falls into the

iddle of the next verse" or farther of" and he ay often prevail hiself of the sae

advantages in nglish which 0irgilhad in %atine. &e ay break off in theHemystich" andbegin another line5 indeed" the not observing these two last things" akes )layes which

are writ in verse so tedious5 for though" ost coonly" the sence is to be confin3d to the

7ouplet" yet nothing that doesperpetuo tenore fluere" run in the sae channel" can please

alwayes. 3Tis like the ururing of a strea" which not varying in the fall" causes at firstattention" at last drowsiness. Dariety of cadences is the best rule" the greatest help to the

(ctors" and refreshent to the (udience.


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7onuerours in their own +ations. This new way consisted in easure or nuber of feet

and rhye. The sweetness of 9hye" and observation of (ccent" supplying the place of

uantity in words" which could neither exactly be observ3d by those/ar)arianswhoknew not the 9ules of it" neither was it suitable to their tongues as it had been to the

Greek and %atine. +o an is tied in odern )oesie to observe any farther rule in the feet

of his verse" but that they be dissylables; whether 'pondee" &rochee" oram)ique" itatters not; onely he is obliged to rhye5 +either do the 'panish"French"talianor

5ermansacknowledge at all" or very rarely any such kind of )oesie as blank verse

aongst the. Therefore at ost 3tis but a )oetick )rose" a 'ermo pedestris" and as suchost fit for 7oedies" where I acknowledge 9hye to be iproper. ?arther" as to that

uotation ofAristotle" our 7ouplet Derses ay be rendred as near )rose as blank verse it

self" by using those advantages I lately na3d" as breaks in a &eistick" or running the

sence into another line" thereby aking (rt and *rder appear as loose and free as +ature5or not tying our selves to 7ouplets strictly" we ay use the benefit of the )indariue way"

practis3d in the ,iege ofRhodes; where the nubers vary and the rhye is dispos3d

carelesly" and far fro often chyeing. +either is that other advantage of the (ncients to

be despis3d" of changing the kind of verse when they please with the change of the ,cene"or soe new entrance5 for they confine not theselves alwayes to Iabiues" but extend

their liberty to all %yriue nubers" and soeties" even to &exaeter. Cut I need not goso far to prove that 9hye" as it succeeds to all other offices of Greek and %atine Derse"

so especially to this of )layes" since the custoe of all +ations at this day confirs it5 (ll

theFrench"talianand 'panishTragedies are generally writ in it" and sure the @niversalconsent of the ost civili3d parts of the world" ought in this" as it doth in other custos"

include the rest.


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never eual theselves" were they to rise and write again. >e acknowledge the our

?athers in wit" but they have ruin3d their states theselves before they cae to their

childrens hands. There is scarce an &uour" a 7haracter" or any kind of )lot" which theyhave not blown upon5 all coes sullied or wasted to us5 and were they to entertain this

(ge" they could not ake so plenteous treatents out of such decay3d ?ortunes. This

therefore will be a good (rguent to us either not to write at all" or to attept soe otherway. There is no bayes to be expected in their >alks; &entanda via est quD me quoque

possum tollere humo.


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ndignatur enim privatis, 9 prope socco.

8ignis carmini)us narrari coena &hyest.!,ayesHorace.#


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8electus ver)orum 7rigo est Eloquenti.


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had no need of &istory" Geography" or oral )hilosophy" to write correctly. $udgent is

indeed the aster-workan in a )lay5 but he reuires any subordinate hands" any

tools to his assistance. (nd Derse I affir to be one of these5 3Tis a 9ule and line bywhich he keeps his building copact and even" which otherwise lawless iagination

would raise either irregularly or loosly. (t least if the )oet coits errours with this help"

he would ake greater and ore without it5 3tis !in short# a slow and painfull" but thesurest kind of working. 7vidwho you accuse for luxuriancy in Derse" had perhaps been

farther guilty of it had he writ in )rose. (nd for your instance of/en. =ohnson" who you

say" writ exactly without the help of 9hye; you are to reeber 3tis onely an aid to aluxuriant ?ancy" which his was not5 (s he did not want iagination" so none ever said he

had uch to spare. +either was verse then refin3d so uch to be an help to that (ge as it

is to ours. Thus then the second thoughts being usually the best" as receiving the aturest

digestion fro 2udgent" and the last and ost ature product of those thoughts beingartful and labour3d verse" it ay well be inferr3d" that verse is a great help to a luxuriant

?ancy" and this is what that (rguent which you oppos3d was to evince.

dryden- essay

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