In this General Idea it is neither Good, nor Evil, it is susceptible of all forts of Subjects, and of all forts of Circumstances; and whilst it remains in this Indetermination (which has no Being but in the Mind of Man, and in Books which treat of the Poetick Art) it is neither worthy of Blame nor of Praise. Nor is it in this veiw that I intend to examine Plays, the Difcourse I have undertaken belongs to Morality, and not to Metaphyficks, I shall speak of Plays as they are Acted, and not at all as they are not Acted. For this it is necessary to come to a more particular Description, and after having Ipoke of what is common to all Plays, and which composes as it were their Genius, we must consider what is peculiar to each Species, and discourse on its Nature, and Origine, on its Circumstances and Effects as I have propos'd to my felf.

The particular Species of Dramatick Poetry, are Tragedy, Tragi-comedy, and Comedy. This last has again its Subdivifions; if it represents Persons of an Ordinary Rank, it retains simply the Name of Comedy, and if the Subject of it is the Adventures of Shepherds and

and Shepherdesses, it is call'd Pastoral.
I leave the Derivation of their Names
to those who have treated of Poefy; they
who have occasion to be inform'd of it,
may find it in Julius Cafar Scaliger. But
the Nature of it may be known by the
Idea which Men have affix'd to it; for
that which is understood by the word
Comedy, is nothing else but the Repre-
sentation of a Gay and agreeable Ad-
venture, between Persons of an Ordi-
nary Rank. By the term Tragedy is
understood the Serious Representation
of a Fatal Action, and Confiderable by
the real Imitation of the Misfortunes of
some Persons of great Quality or of
great Merit, and that of Tragi-comedy
fignifies the Representation of an Ad-
venture in which the Principal Persons,
are threatned mith some great Misfor-
tunes, from which they are deliver'd in
the End by a happy Event.

:

For * Tragi-comedy, it was unknown That which to the Grecians, 'tis to the Romans we in England call and to those who follow'd them, that Tragi-coboth the Invention and the Progress of medy is as it must be attributed.

nother Species, or ra

We are Ignorant of the Origine of ther a Com

two

and

Tragedy; It is only known that 'twas the pound of Poet Thespis who begun to put it in a has been no

mong us.

le but a- more regular Order; tho the manner in which his Actors disfigur'd their Faces to serve them instead of Masques, of which they had not yet the Invention, shews us that the Age, the Poets, and the Spectators were very Rustick.

As to Comedy, Scaliger gives an ample Account of its Origine in the first Book of his Poeticks, and we there see that it begun by the Debauchery of young People.

Juventus ergo vacui temporis otio atque licentia noctis abusa, secura imperiorum vel heri, vel patroni, vel parentum, per pagos (nondum enim in urbes convenerant) difcurrere: legimus enim apud Livium comessationes, qui mos cum ipso nomine fimul ad nos deductus est, unde hbi lufus quos vicatim exercerent, παρά ὠδù xì τὰς κώμας, apte Comædiam dixere.

"The idle Youth making an ill use " of their Leisure and nightly Liberties, "when they were got free from the "Government of their Masters, Guar"dians, or Parents, used to rake about "the Villages (for they had not yet " met in Cities.) Livy makes mention " of these Riotous Sports, which be" ing first play'd in Streets and Pub"lick Ways, were from the Greek De"rivation call'd Comedies,

Pa

Paftorals begun by the Amours of Shepherds and Shepherdesses, of which we have an Account in the fame Scaliger, in a manner not very decent: 'Tis certain that the Satyrs which play a part in them almost neceffary, do not contribute to render them more Modeft. Taffo, who is Author of the finest and moft curious Paftoral that ever was, did not think he could dispense with himself from introducing a Satyr in his Aminta, making on this occafiona kind of Duty of his Immodefty.

If we confider Comedy in its Progress, and in its Perfection, either as to the Matter and Circumstances of it, or as to its Effects, is it not true that it almost always treats of Subjects either Indecent, or accompanied with Scandalous Intrigues? Are not even the Expreffions of it obscene or at least immodeft? Can these Truths be deny'd of the best Comedies of Aristophanes, and of those of Plautus and Terence?

Do not the Italians, who are the best Comedians in the world, stuff their Pieces with fuch things? are the French Farces fill'd with any thing else? and even in our days do we not fee the same Faults in some of the newest Comedies?

Do

Do not the Spaniards add in them the Application of Sacred things to ridiculous Customs? and if the Comedies which have been Acted in France for the last thirty years are exempt from these Vices, do they not deserve the same Blame with our Tragedies and Tragi-comedies by their manner of treating our Paffions?

What Effects can these Expressions accompained with a lively Representation produce, but to corrupt the Imagination, to fill the Memory, and afterwards to glide into the Understanding, into the Will, and at last in. to the Manners?

There will be many Persons here ready to affert that they have never receiv'd any ill Impression from Comedy; But I maintain either that they are very few in Number, or that they are not fincere, or that they have not refleEted enough on themselves to perceive it, or elfe that the only Reason why Comedy has not corrupted their Manmers, is because it found them alrea dy corrupted, and that they had left it nothing to do in this Matter,

There is nothing in the Nature of Tragedy or of Tragi-comedy that can make

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