Making that idiot Laughter keep men's eyes, Or if that thou could'ft fee me without eyes, Hear me without thine ears, and make reply Without eyes, ears, and harmful founds of words; take, Though that my death were adjunct to my act, By Heav'n, I'd do't. K. John. Do not I know, thou would'st? Good Hubert, Hubert, Hubert, throw thine eye On yon young boy. I'll tell thee what, my friend; He is a very ferpent in my way. And, wherefoe'er this foot of mine doth tread, He lies before me. Thou art his keeper. Doft thou understand me? King John, at 3. Sc. 5. As things are beft illuftrated by their contraries, I proceed to collect from claffical authors, fentiments that appear faulty. The firft clafs fhall confift of fentiments that accord accord not with the paffion; or, in other words, fentiments that the paffion reprefented does not naturally fuggeft. In the fecond class, shall be ranged fentiments that may belong to an ordinary paffion, but unfuitable to it as tinctured by a fingular character. Thoughts that properly are not fentiments, but rather defcriptions, make a third. Sentiments that belong to the paffion reprefented, but are faulty as being introduced too early or too late, make a fourth. Vicious fentiments exposed in their native dress, inftead of being concealed or disguised, make a fifth. And in the laft class, fhall be collected fentiments fuited to no character or paffion, and therefore un→ natural. The first class contains faulty fentiments of various kinds, which I fhall endeavour to distinguish from each other. And firft sentiments that are faulty by being above the tone of the passion. Othello. O my foul's joy! If after every tempeft come fuch calms, May the winds blow till they have waken'd death: And And let the labouring bark climb hills of feas I Olympus high, and duck again as low As hell's from heaven! Othello, act 2. fc. 6. This fentiment is too ftrong to be fuggested by fo flight a joy as that of meeting after a ftorm at fea. Philafter. Place me, fome god, upon a pyramid Higher than hills of earth, and lend a voice. Loud as your thunder to me, that from thence may difcourfe to all the under-world The worth that dwells in him. I Philafter of Beaumont and Fletcher, alt 4. Secondly, Sentiments below the tone of the paffion. Ptolemy, by putting Pompey to death, having incurred the displeasure of Cæfar, was in the utmoft dread of being dethroned. In this agitating fituation, Corneille makes him utter a speech full of cool reflection, that is in no degree expreffive of the paffion. Ah! fi je t'avois crû, je n'aurois pas de maître, Le Le Deftin les aveugle au bord du précipice, Ou fi quelque lumiere en leur ame se gliffe, La mort de Pompée, act 4. fc. 1. In Les Freres ennemies of Racine, the fecond act is opened with a love-fcene. Hemon talks to his mistress of the torments of abfence, of the luftre of her eyes, that he ought to die no where but at her feet, and that one moment of abfence was a thousand years. Antigone on her part acts the coquette, and pretends she must be gone to wait on her mother and brother, and cannot stay to liften to his courtship. This is odious French gallantry, below the dignity of the paffion of love. It would fcarce be excufable in painting modern French manners; and is infufferable where the ancients are brought upon the ftage. The manners painted in the Alexandre of the fame author are not more juft. French gallantry prevails there throughout. Third. Sentiments that agree not with the tone of the paffion; as where a pleasant sentiment VOL.II. Z the contrary. timent is grafted upon a painful paffion, or In the following inftances the fentiments are too gay for a ferious paffion. No happier task these faded eyes purfue; Again, Eloifa to Abelard, l. 47. Heav'n first taught letters for fome wretch's aid, Warm from the foul, and faithful to its fires ¿ Eloifa to Abelard, l. 51, These thoughts are pretty; they fuit Pope extremely, but not Eloifa. Satan, enraged by a threatening of the angel Gabriel, answers thus: Then when I am thy captive talk of chains, Far |