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which are Terrible, and Pitiful only between Friends or Relati ons or the like; for what happens between Enemies can have no Tragical Effects. But when a Brother is going to kill his/ Brother, the Father the Son, the Son the Father, the Mother the Son, or Son the Mother, the whole Soul is alarmed, and Fear and Pity make their Way to the Soul with irresistible Force. All these Incidents may be divided into those, which the Actor performs with an entire Knowledge of what he does or is going to do; or those, whofe Guilt the Actor does not know till the Fact is committed, when they, that did it, come to difcover the Relation they have to the Perfons they have deftroyed. The Third and most beautiful Sort of Incidents, is when a Person is going to kill a Relation unknown to him, and is prevented by a Discovery of the Friendship and Relation between them. The first is the worst, the last the best, and the fecond next to the third; having nothing flagitious or inhuman in it, but as a Sin of Ignorance, the Discovery is extreamly Pathetic. The Poet muft artfully (in the fecond and third Sorts) bring the Relation of the Dramatic Persons to the Audience, without destroying their Ignorance of each other.

The next thing, in a Tragedy, to the Fable, are the Manners. Thofe diftinguish the Characters, and lead us to the Action by the visible Inclinations of the Dramatic Perfons. The Manners fhould have four Qualities; they must be Good, Like, Convenient, and Equal. Good is when the Discourse of the Perfons make us clearly and diftinctly fee their Inclinations, and what Good or Evil Refolutions they will be certain to take. Like has only to do with known Characters in Hiftory, with which the Dramatic Perfon must agree, at least not have any Quality contrary to what History has given them. Convenient is that the Manners be agreeable to the Age, Sex, Climate, Rank and Condition of the Person represented; that is, a Prince must not have the Manners of a Porter, a Princefs-thofe of a Prostitute, like Normahal in Aurengzebe, and many of Fletcher's Queens and Ladies of Quality. Equal is Conftant and Confiftent; the Brave must not be Fearful, nor the Avaritious Generous.

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The Manners, therefore, of the Principal Perfons at least, ought to be fo clearly and fully mark'd, as to diftinguish them from all other Men. In this Shakespear has excell'd; but Few of our Poets fince him, except Otway and one or two more, have any other Distinction of their Characters, but the Names.

Befides these Four Qualities, there is another Effential to the Beauty of the Manners; and that is, that they be Necessary: That is, No Vicious, or Bafe Quality or Inclination, ought to be given to any Dramatic Perfon, but what is abfolutely neceffary, and requifite to the Carrying on of the Action. Every Hero has Three Sorts of Qualities. Firft, Such as are abfolute-> ly neceffary to the Fable or Action: And thefe are to appear moft, and evidently prevailing above the reft; fo that the Hero is to be known and diftinguifh'd by them. The Second are to embellish the Firft; and the Third to fuftain both. The Firft in Eneas is a tranfcendent Goodness of his Nature; the Second, an entire Refignation of his Will to th the Gods the Third, fuftaining Both, is an Heroic Fortitude. In lyses; Diffimulation is fet off by Prudence, and fuftain'd by Courage. In Achilles, Rage is embellifh'd by a Noble Vehemence, and sustain'd by a Wonderful Valour. Thus the first Quality, Goodnefs, is to appear thro' all the Character of Eneas, Rage thro' that of Achilles, and Diffimulation thro' that of Ulyffes.

Omitting what might be faid of Difcoveries, as being of no Ufe in our present Enquiry; I fhall only add a few Words of the Sentiments, and not many more of the Dition; and then proceed to fee, how far Mr. Addifon's CATO will come up to thefe Rules; that is, how far his Play merits, or falls short of, its Publick Applause.

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The Sentiments are fuch Thoughts, as naturally proceed from fuch Manners, in fuch a Circumftance, on fuch an Occafion, Paf from, or the like. For all there are effentially concern'd, in the Forming the Sentiments. And whatever any Dramatic Perfon fays, that either flaws not naturally from thefe, or are inconfi ftent with them, are Sins against the Sentiments. Which at C

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which are Terrible, and Pitiful only between Friends ons or the like; for what happens between Enemies no Tragical Effects. But when a Brother is going to Brother, the Father the Son, the Son the Father, the the Son, or Son the Mother, the whole Soul is alarm Fear and Pity make their Way to the Soul with irre Force. All these Incidents may be divided into those, the Actor performs with an entire Knowledge of what he or is going to do; or thofe, whofe Guilt the Actor doc know till the Fact is committed, when they, that did it, con difcover the Relation they have to the Perfons they have ftroyed. The Third and most beautiful Sort of Incidents when a Perfon is going to kill a Relation unknown to him, a is prevented by a Difcovery of the Friendship and Relation t tween them. The first is the worst, the last the best, and t second next to the third; having nothing flagitious or inhuma. in it, but as a Sin of Ignorance, the Discovery is extreamly Pathetic. The Poet muft artfully (in the fecond and third Sorts) bring the Relation of the Dramatic Perfons to the Audience, without destroying their Ignorance of each other.

The next thing, in a Tragedy, to the Fable, are the Manners. Those diftinguish the Characters, and lead us to the Action by the visible Inclinations of the Dramatic Perfons. The Manners fhould have four Qualities; they must be Good, Like, Convenient, and Equal. Good is when the Discourse of the Perfons make us clearly and diftinctly fee their Inclinations, and what Good or Evil Refolutions they will be certain to take. Like has only to do with known Characters in Hiftory, with which the Dra matic Person must agree, at least not have any Quality contrary to what History has given them. Convenient is that the Man ners be agreeable to the Age, Sex, Climate, Rank and Condition of the Person represented; that is, a Prince must not the Manners of a Porter, a Princess those of a Prostir Normahal in Aurengzebe, and many of Fletcher's dies of Quality. Equal is Conftant and C must not be Fearful, nor the Avaritious G

once will condemn almost all our Rhiming Plays, and the greateft Part of the reft; fince our Poets have employ'd their Study, to bring in Fine Things, (as the Ladies and Beaux call them more than to confider, what a Perfon fo quality'd, would think in fuch a Cafe.

The Didion, or Language, is the laft of the Parts of Tragedy, which I before enumerated; which, tho' by Aristotle and the Ancients thought the most inconfiderable, has been moft fudy'd and applauded by our Modern Poets. But as we generally err as much in this Part, as in the other Three, I fhall! only fay, That Propriety and Elegance are to be learn'd from Grammar and Rhetorit, adding Two or Three Rules, which are abfolutely neceffary to give a true Beauty to Dramatic Diction

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Some have thought Milton's Epic Style proper for Tragedy; but falfely And Milton himself has, in his Samfon Agonistes, vary'd extremely from that of his Paradife Loft. Segrais and Bollu tell us, That the Style of an Heroick Poem, ought to be more Lofty than that of the DRAMA. And Mr. Dryden, on this, fays, " The Critic is in the Right, for the Reason. already urg'd. The Work of Tragedy is on the Paffions, and in "Dialogue Both of them abhor ftrong Metaphors, in which the Epic delights, A Poet cannot fpeak too plainly, on "the Stage, &c." Another great Critic tells us "That to: "deferve the Applaufe of the People, you must diverfify your Style perpetually: For too equal and uniform a Manner, "fhines to no Purpose, and inclines us to Sleep, &c. Every Paffion has its proper way of Speaking; which a Man of Get nius will eafily derive, from the very Nature of the Pallion he writes. Anger is proud, and utters haughty Words; but speaks in Words lefs fierce and fiery, when it abates. Grief is more humble, and speaks a Language like it felf, dejected, plain, and forrowful. xili. forl From these few Obfervations on the Diction, it is evident, how far from Fine Language fome of our Poets are, who have de! riv'd their Succefs even from that alone, in Spite of all their oda Tangan 973

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