patient, being informed of the story, laughed heartier than any of the rest. We do not mean to conclude from thence, that every comedy fhould contain both pleasant and affecting scenes: there are several very good pieces, where nothing but gaiety appears; others are entirely ferious; fome, where there is an excellent mixture of both; and others which melt us into tears: no fpecies should be excluded; and were I asked, which was the beft? I fhould certainly anfwer," that which is best treated." It would perhaps be agreeable to the taste of this reafoning age to examine in this place, what is that kind of pleasantry, which makes us laugh in a comedy.

The cause of laughter is one of those things which are better felt than understood. The admirable Moliere, Regnard, (who is fometimes equal to him) and the authors of so many beautiful pieces which we poffefs in our language, were content to excite this pleasure in us, without ever accounting for it, or imparting their fecret to the world.

I think I have remarked that those sudden fits of laughter which are often raised in the course of a play, are generally the confequence of some mistake; Mercury taken for Sofia *; elder Wou'dbe, for young Wou'd-bet; Crifpin making a will under the name of old Geronte t; Valerio,

* See Dryden's Two Sofias, taken from Moliere. + Characters in the Twin Rivals, taken from les Menechmes of Regnard.

Characters in the Legataire Univerfal of Reg

alking to Harpagon*, of the beauties of his ftrong-box; Pourceaugnac †, concluded to be out of his fenfes, from the beating of his pulfe. Miftakes and errors of this kind always excite a general laughter.

Harlequin feldom makes us laugh, but when he is guilty of an-oversight: and it is on this account that he has fo defervedly acquired the name of Blunderer.

There are comic scenes of another kind; and there are other degrees of pleafantry which create a different delight; but I have never observed what we call the hearty laugh, either at the play-house, or in private company, but upon occafions nearly fimilar to those I have mentioned. There are other ridiculous characters which please us in the representation, without caufing that unbounded mirth.

The Gamester and the Grumbler §, though they give inexpreffible delight, yet feldom cause that particular kind of pleasure, which makes us ready to burft our fides.

There is the ridicule intermingled with vice, which we are extremely pleased to see exposed; but which seriously delights us. A difhoneft man can never make us laugh; because, towards pro

nard, an imitation of which was attempted fome years ago, under the name of Will and no Will. * Characters in Moliere's Mifer.

The principal character in Molier's Squire Trelooby.

Two of the best comedies in the French language; the first written by Monfieur Regnard, and the fecond by monfieur Brueys.

ducing laughter, a certain portion of gaiety is requifite; and gaiety is ever incompatible with fentiments of contempt and indignation.

Indeed, we laugh at the reprefentation of Tartuffe; but then it is not his hypocrify, but the mistake of the good old gentleman, who takes him for a faint, that makes us merry. His hypocrify once found out, we feel other impreffions. It would be eafy to trace back the fources of our other fentiments; to what excites in us gaiety, curiosity, dramatical concern, emotion, tears. It should particularly be the province of dramatic authors to unfold to us those springs, which they fet in action. But they are more employed in moving our paffions than examining their origin; they fet a greater value on a fentiment, than on a definition; and I am too much inclined to be of their opinion, to prefix a philofophic enquiry to a theatrical performance.

I fhall therefore content myself at present with infifting a little on the neceffity we are in, of introducing fomething new.

If we had confined the tragic ftage to scenes of Roman grandeur, it would have, at laft, been fulfome. If our heroes were always bufied in expreffing the pangs of defpife love, it would at length become infipid.

O imitatores fervum pecus ?

The good performances we have had fince the time of the Corneilles, the Racines, the Molieres, the Quinauts, the Lullis, the Le

Bruns, all contain fomething new and original, which has preserved them from sinking into oblivion. In fhort, every fpecies is good that is amufing.

Therefore, if fuch a piece of music does not fucceed, if fuch a picture does not please, if fuch a play is ill received, we must never attribute it to its being of a new kind, but to its being worth nothing in its kind.

Of the Proper PROVINCES OF TRAGE

DY and of COMEDY.

In the PREFACE to the COMEDY of

T

NANIN E.

HIS trifle was acted in July 1748. It was not intended for the theatre of Paris, and ftill lefs for the prefs; nor would it now be sent into the world, had not a spurious and imperfect edition been published, under the name of the company of booksellers of Paris. There are above an hundred verses in that edition, which were not wrote by monfieur de Voltaire. We must take this opportunity to caution lovers of literature from giving credit to any of those editions, which have not been published under the author's eye, and by his directions. They must give still lefs credit to the multitude of fugitive pieces that come out under his name, or to those verses that are inserted in the collections or magazines of the times, which are the ridicu lous confequence of a trifling, vain and dangerous reputation. Until a proper and correct edition of all his works could be prepared, it was thought neceffary to give into the hands of a cre ditable bookfeller, the tragedy of Semiramis, to