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ject of confideration, if we do not remember the different circumstances under which these writings were compofed. Shakespear's plays were to be acted in a paltry tavern, to an unlettered audience, juft emerging from barba→ rity: the Greek tragedies were to be exhibited at the public charge, under the care and aufpices of the magiftrates, at Athens; where the very populace were critics in wit, and connoiffeurs in public fpectacles. The period when Sophocles and Euripides wrote, was that in which the fine arts, and polite literature, were in a degree of perfection which fucceeding ages have emulated in vain.

It happened in the literary as in the moral world; a few fages, from the veneration which they had obtained by extraordinary wisdom, and a faultless conduct, rose to the authority of Legiflators. The practice and manner of the three celebrated Greek tragedians were by fucceeding critics established as dramatic laws: happily for Shakespear,

Mr.

Mr. Johnfon, whofe genius and learning render him fuperior to a fervile awe of pedantic inftitutions, in his ingenious preface to his edition of Shakespear, has well obviated all that can be objected to our author's neglect of the unities of time and place.

Shakespear's felicity has been rendered compleat in this age. His genius produced works that time could not destroy: but some of the lighter characters were become illegible; thefe have been restored by critics, whofe learning and penetration have traced back the veftiges of fuperannuated opinions and customs. They are now no longer in danger of being effaced, and the testimony of these learned commentators to his merit, will guard our author's great monument of human wit from the prefumptuous invafions of our rafh critics, and the fquibs of our witlings; fo that the bays will for ever flourish unwithered and inviolate round his tomb; and his very spirit seems to come forth and to animate his characters, as often as Mr. Garrick,

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who acts with the fame inspiration with which He wrote, affumes them on the ftage.

After our poet has received fuch important fervices from the united efforts of talents and learning in his behalf, fome apology feems neceffary for this work. But let it be remembered, that the most fuperb and lasting monument that ever was confecrated to Beauty, was that to which every lover carried a tribute. I dare hope to do him honour only by augmenting the heap of volumes given by his admirers to his memory. I will own, I was incited to this undertaking by great admiration of his genius, and still greater indignation at the treatment he has received from a French wit, who seems to think he has made prodigious conceffions to our prejudices in favour of the works of our countryman, in allowing them the credit of a few fplendid paffages, while he speaks of every entire piece as a monstrous and ill-constructed

Farce.

farce. Ridiculously has our poet, and ridiculously has our taste been represented, by a writer of univerfal fame; and through the medium of an almost universal language. Superficial criticisms hit the level of shallow minds, to whom a Bon Mot will appear Reason, and an epigrammatic Turo, Argument; fo that many of our countrymen have haftily adopted this lively writer's opinion of the extravagance, and total want of defign in Shakespear's dramas. With the more learned, deep, and fober critics, however, he lies under one confiderable disadvantage. For copying nature, as he found it, in the busy walks of human life, he drew from an original, with which the Literati are seldom well acquainted. They perceive his portraits are not of the Grecian or of the Roman school; fo that after finding them unlike to the dignified characters preserved in learned museums, they do not deign to enquire, whether they resemble the living perfons, they were intended to reprefent. Among these connoiffeurs, whose acquaintance with man

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kind is formed in the library, not in the ftreet, the camp, or village, whatever is unpolished and uncouth paffes for fantastic and abfurd, though, in fact, it is a faithful reprefentation of a really existing cha

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But it must be acknowledged, that, when this objection is obviated, there will yet remain another cause of cenfure; for though our author, from want of delicacy or from a defire to please the popular tafte, thought he had done well, when he faithfully copied nature, or reprefented cuftoms, it will appear to politer times, the error of an untutored mind, which the example of judicious artifts, and the admonitions of delicate connoiffeurs had not taught, that only graceful nature and decent cuftoms give proper fubjects for imitation. It may be faid in mitigation of his fault, that the vulgar here had not, as at Athens, been used to behold,

Gorgeous

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