of Hercules, in prefence of the chorus. In the tragedy of Iphigenia, the meffenger em→ ploy'd to carry Clitemneftra the news that Iphigenia was facrificed, ftops fhort at the place of action, and with a loud voice calls the Queen from her palace to hear the news. Again, in the Iphigenia in Tauris, the neceffary prefence of the. chorus forces Euripides into a grofs abfurdity, which is to form a fecret plot in their hearing *; and to disguise the abfurdity, much courtship is bestowed on the chorus, not one woman but a number, to engage them to fecrecy. In the Medea of Euripides, that princess makes no difficulty, in prefence of the chorus, to plot the death of her husband, of his mistress, and of her father the King of Corinth, all by poifon. It was neceffary to bring Medea upon the stage, and there is but one place of action, which is always occupied by the chorus. This fcene clofes the fecond act; and in the end of the third, the frankly makes the chorus her confidents in ploting the murder of her own

Act 4. at the close.

: children.

children. Terence, by identity of place, is often: forc'd to make a conversation within doors be heard on the open freet: thể cries of a woman in labour are there heard distinctly. De Hasibodqoë The Grecian poets are not more hap py with refpect to time than with re fpect to place. In the Hippolytus of Euripides, that prince is banished at the end of the fourth act In the first scene of the following act, a meffenger relates to Thefeus the whole particulars of the death of Hippolytus by the fea-monfter. This remarkable event must have employ'd ma ny hours; and yet in the reprefentation it is confined to the time employ'd by the

chorus upon
upon the fong at the
act. The inconfiftency is
the Iphigenia in Tauris.
not exhauft half an hour;

end of the 4th

ftill greater in

The fong could

and yet the in

cidents fuppofed to have happened in that time, could not naturally be transacted in lefs than half a day.

The Grecian artifts are not lefs frequent ly obliged to tranfgrefs another rule, derived.

Act 5. fc. 4.

alfo

alfo from a continued representation, which is, that the place of action must constantly be occupied for the very leaft vacuity is an interruption of the representation. Sophocles, with regard to this rule as well as others, is generally correct. But Euripides cannot bear fuch restraint: he often evacuates the ftage, and leaves it empty for others in fucceffion, Iphigenia in Tauris, after pronouncing a foliloquy in the first scene, leaves the place of action, and is fucceeded by Oreftes and Pylades. They, after some conversation, walk off; and Iphigenia re-enters, accompanied with the chorus. In the Alceftes, which is of the fame author, the place of action is void at the end of the third act. It is true, that to cover this irregularity, and to preserve the representation in motion, Euripides is cxtremely careful to fill the ftage without lofs of time. But this is ftill an interruption, and a link of the chain broken: for during the change of the actors, there must always be a space of time, when we cannot justly fay, that the stage is occupied by either fet. It makes indeed a more remarkable inter

ruption, to change the place of action as

well as the actors; but that was not practithe Grecian stage.

cable upon

It is hard to fay upon what model Terence has formed his plays. Having no chorus, there is a ceffation in the representation at the end of every act. But advantage is not taken of this ceffation, even to vary the place of action. The street is always chofen, where every thing paffing may be seen by every perfon and by this choice, the moft fprightly and interefting, parts of the action, which commonly pafs within doors, are excluded; witness the last act of the Eunuch. He hath fubmitted to the fame flavery with respect to time. In a word, a play with a regular chorus, is not more confined in place and time than his plays are. Thus a zealous fectary follows implicitly ancient forms and ceremonies, without once confidering whether their introductive cause be still fubfifting. Plautus, of a bolder genius than Terence, makes good use of the liberty afforded by an interrupted reprefentation: he, varies the place of action upon all occafions, when the variation fuits his purpose.

The

The intelligent reader will by this time understand, that I plead for no change of place in our plays but after an interval, nor for any latitude in point of time but what falls in with an interval. The unities of place and time ought to be strictly observed during each act; for during the reprefentation, there is no opportunity for the smallest deviation from either. Hence it is an effential requifite, that during an act the ftage be always occupied; for even a momentary vacuity makes an interval. Another rule is not lefs effential: it would be a grofs breach of the unity of action, to exhibit upon the stage two separate actions at the fame time; and therefore to preserve this unity, it is neceffary that each perfonage introduced during an act, be linked to those in poffeffion of the stage, so as to join all in one action. These things follow from the very conception of an act, which admits not the flightest interruption. The moment the representation is intermitted, there is an end of that act; and we have. no other notion of a new act, but where after a pause or interval, the reprefentation 002