the billon has introduced a frigid love-intrigue. Achilles must be in love in the Iphigenia of Racine; and the rough Mithridates must be involved in this univerfal paffion. A paffion however it is, that will always fhine upon ftage, where it is introduced as the chief subject, but not fubordinate and secondary *. Thus, perhaps, there cannot be finer fubjects for a drama, than Phædra, Romeo, Othello, and Monimia. The whole diftrefs in these pieces arifes fingly from this unfortunate paffion, carried to an extreme. The GREATER paffions were the constant subjects of the Grecian; the TENDERER paffions of the French and English theatres. Terror reigned in the L'Amour furieux, criminel, malheureux, fuivi de remords, arrache de nobles larmes. Point de milieu: il faut, ou que l'amour domine en tiran, ou qu'il ne paroiffe pas. Oeuvres de Voltaire. Tom xii. pag. 153. I have just been told, that CHATEAUBRUN alío very lately made poor Philoctetes in love, in his Defart Ifland. + The introduction of female actreffes on the modern stage, together with that importance which the ladies in these latter ages have juftly gained, in comparison to what the ancients allowed them, are the two great reafons, among others, of the prevalence of these tender tales. The ladies of Athens, had not interest enough to damn a piece of Sophocles or Euripides. former; former; pity occupies the latter. The moderns may yet boast of fome pieces, that are not emasculated with this epidemical effeminacy. Racine was at laft convinced of its impropriety, and gave the public his Athaliah ; in which were no parts, commonly called by the French d' amoreux et de l'amoreufe, which parts were always given to their two capital actors. The Merope and Oreftes of Voltaire, are likewise free from any ill-placed tendernefs, and romantic gallantry. For which he has merited the praises of the learned father Tournemine, in a letter to his friend father Brumoy *. But LEAR and MACBETH are also striking inftances what interesting tragedies be written, without having recourfe to a love-ftory. It is pity, that the tragedy of Cato, in which all the rules of the drama, as far as the mechanism of writing reaches, are obferved, is not exact with respect to the unity of time. There was no occafion to extend the time of the fable longer than the mere representation takes up; all might have may Les Oeuvres de Voltaire, tom. viii. 38. paffed paffed in the compass of three hours from the morning, with a defcription of which the play opens; if the poet, in the fourth scene of the fifth act, had not talked of the setting fun playing on the armour of the foldiers. HAVING been imperceptibly led into this little criticism on the tragedy of Cato, I beg leave to speak a few word on fome other of Addifon's pieces. The firft of his poems addreffed to Dryden, Sir John Somers, and king William, are languid, profaic, and void of any poetical imagery or fpirit. The Letter from Italy, is by no means equal to a subject fruitful of genuine poetry, and which might have warined the moft cold and correct imagination. One would have expected, a young traveller in the height of his genius and judgment, would have broke out into fome ftrokes of enthusiasm. With what flatnefs and unfeelingness has he spoken of statu *Tickell has ridiculously marked the author's age to be but twenty-two and twenty-feven; as if these verses were extraordinary efforts at that age! To these however Addison owed his introduction at court, and his acquaintance with that polite patron Lord Somers. ary ary and painting! Raphäel never received a more flegmatic eulogy. The flavery and fuperftition of the present Romans, are well touched upon towards the conclufion; but I will venture to name a little piece on a parallel fubject, that greatly excells this celebrated Letter; and in which are as much lively and original imagery, strong painting, and manly fentiments of freedom, as I have ever read in our language. It is a copy of verses written at Virgil's Tomb, and printed in Dodfley's Mifcellanies. * THAT there are many well-wrought defcriptions, and even pathetic ftrokes, in the Campaign, it would be stupidity and malignity. to deny. But furely the regular march which the poet has obferved from one town to another, as if he had been a commiffary of the army, cannot well be excufed. There is a paffage in Boileau, fo remarkably oppofite to this fault of Addison, that one would almost be tempted to think he had the Campaign in his eye, when he wrote it, if the time would admit it. Loin ces rimeurs craintifs, dont l' efprit phlegmatique Garde dans fes fureurs un ordre didactique ; Qui chantant d'un heros les progrés éclatans, MAIGRES HISTORIENS, SUIVRONT L'ORDRE DES TEMPS; Ils n' ofent un moment prendre un fujet de vue, The most spirited verfes Addison has written, * L'Art poetique. Ch. ii. + But the Art of Poetry was written in the year 1672, many years before the Campaign. Addison might have profited by this rule of his acquaintance, for whom he had a great respect. Great |