thrown upon it by the French critic. The characters of the men are well fuftained. It is natural, it is interefting; but it rather retards than brings forward the catastrophe, and is useful only in fetting Brutus in a good light. A fublime genius, in all its operations, facrifices little things to great, and parts to the whole. Modern criticifm dwells on minute articles. The principal object of our Poet was to interest the spectator for Brutus; to do this he was to fhew, that his temper was the furtheft imaginable from any thing ferocious or fanguinary, and by his behaviour to his wife, his friends, his fervants, to demonstrate, that out of respect to public liberty, he made as difficult a conqueft over his natural difpofition, as his great predeceffor had done for the like cause over natural affection. Clemency and humanity add luftre to the greatest hero; but here thefe fentiments determine the whole character of the man, and the colour of his deed. The victories of Alexander, Hannibal, and Cæfar, whether their wars were just or unjust, must obtain for them them the laurel wreath, which is the ambition of conquerors: but the act of Brutus in killing Cæfar, was of fuch an ambiguous kind, as to receive its denomination from the motive by which it was fuggested: it is that which must fix upon him the name of Patriot or Affaffin. Our author, therefore,、 fhews great judgment in taking various opportunities to difplay the foftness and gentleness of Brutus: the little circumstance of his forbearing to awaken the fervant who was playing to him on the lute, is very beautiful; for one cannot conceive, that he whose tender humanity refpected the flumber of his boy Lucilius, would from malice or cruelty have cut fhort the important and illuftrious courfe of Cæfar's life. Shakespear feems to have aimed at giving an exact representation on the stage, of all the events and characters comprehended in Plutarch's life of Marcus Brutus; and he has wonderfully executed his plan. One may perhaps wish, that a writer, poffeffed of all the magic of poetical powers, had not .1.. S 2 fo fo fcrupulously confined himfelf within the limits of true hiftory. The regions of imagination, in which the Poet is allowed an arbitrary fway, feem his proper dominion. There he reigns like Pluto over shadows huge and terrible, of mighty and august appearance, but yielding and unrefifting. The terra firma of real life, and the open daylight of truth, forbid many pleasing delu-, fions, and produce difficulties too stubborn to yield to his art. On this folid foundation, however our author knew he could always establish a strong interest for his piece. Great knowledge of the human heart had informed him, how easy it is to excite a sympathy, with things believed real. He knew too,, that curiofity is a ftrong appetite, and that every incident connected with a great event, and every particularity belonging to a great character, engages the spectator. He wrote to please an untaught people, guided wholly by their feelings, and to thofe feelings he applied, and they are often touched by circumstances that have not dignity and splen-: dor enough to please the eye accustomed to to the fpecious miracles of oftentatious art, and the nice felection of refined judgment. If we blame his making the tragic muse too fubfervient to the hiftorical, we must at leaft allow it to be much lefs hurtful to the effect of his representation upon the paffions, than the liberties taken by many Poets to reprefent well-known characters and events, in lights fo abfolutely different from whatfoever univerfal fame, and the teftimony of ages, had taught us to believe of them, that the mind refifts the new impreffion attempted to be made upon it. Shakespear, perhaps not injudiciously, thought that it was more the bufinefs of the dramatic writer to excite fympathy than admiration ; and that to acquire an empire over the pasfions, it was well worth while to relinquish fome pretenfions to excellencies of less efficiency on the stage. As it was Shakespear's intention to make Brutus his hero, he has given a disadvantageous representation of Cæfar, and thrown an air of pride and infolence into his be-haviour, S 3 haviour, which is intended to create an apprehenfion in the spectator of his difposition to tyrannize over his fellow-citizens. In this haughty style he answers the petitions of Metellus Cimber, and the other confpirators, for the repeal of Publius Cimber's banishment; the speech fuits the purpose of the Poet, but is very blamable if compared with the hiftorical character of the speaker, which ought certainly to have been more attended to. It will divert the English reader to fee what Mr. Voltaire affures us to be a faithful tranflation of this speech; and I will therefore give the original and tranflation. When Metellus is going to fall at Cæfar's feet, he fays to him, CESAR. I must prevent thee, Cimber. These crouchings and these lowly curtefies With that which melteth fools; I mean, sweet words, Low |