XLVII. without morals, and without tafte; fans mœurs et LECT fans gout. There is no wonder, therefore, that Lord Kaims, in his Elements of Criticism, fhould have expreffed himself, upon this fubject, of the indelicacy of English Comedy, in terms much ftronger than any that I have used ; concluding his invective against it in these words: "How odious "ought thofe Writers to be, who thus fpread in"fection through their native country; employ ing the talents which they have received from "their Maker moft traitorously against Himfelf, by endeavouring to corrupt and disfigure his 06 creatures. If the Comedies, of Congreve did "not rack him with remorfe in his last moments, " he must have been loft to all fenfe of virtue." Vol. II. 479. I AM happy, however, to have it in my power to obferve, that, of late years, a fenfible reformation has begun to take place in English Comedy. We have, at last, become afhamed of making our public entertainments reft wholly upon profligate characters and fcenes; and our later Comedies, of any reputation, are much purified from the li centioufnefs of former times. If they have not the fpirit, the eafe, and the wit of Congreve and Farquhar, in which refpect they must be confeffed to be fomewhat deficient; this praife, however, they justly merit, of being innocent and moral. XLVII. LECT. For this reformation, we are, questionless, much indebted to the French Theatre, which has not only been, at all times, more chafte and inoffenfive than ours, but has, within these few years, produced a fpecies of Comedy, of still a graver turn than any that I have yet mentioned. This, which is called the Serious, or Tender Comedy, and was termed by its oppofers, La Comedie Larmoyante, is not altogether a modern invention. Several of Terence's Plays, as the Andria, in particular, partake of this character; and as we know that Terence copied Menander, we have fufficient reafon to believe that his Comedies, alfo, were of the fame kind. The nature of this compofition does not by any means exclude gaiety and ridicule; but it lays the chief ftrefs upon tender and interefting fituations; it aims at being fentiI'mental, and touching the heart by means of the capital incidents; it makes our pleasure arise, not so much from the laughter which it excites, as from the tears of affection and joy which it draws forth. IN English, Steele's Confcious Lovers is a Comedy which approaches to this character, and it has always been favourably received by the Public. In French, there are feveral Dramatic Compofitions of this kind, which poffefs confiderable merit and reputation, fuch as the "Melanide," and "Prejugé à la Mode," of La Chauffée; the "Père de Famille," of Diderot; the " Cénie," of Mad. 14 XLVII. Mad. Graffigny; and the " Nanine," and "L'En- LECT. "fant Prodigue," of Voltaire. WHEN this form of Comedy firft appeared in France, it excited a great controverfy among the Critics. It was objected to as a dangerous and unjustifiable innovation in Compofition. It is not Comedy, faid they, for it is not founded on laughter and ridicule. It is not Tragedy, for it does not involve us in forrow. By what name then can it be called? or what pretensions hath it to be comprehended under Dramatic Writing? But this was trifling, in the most egregious manner, with critical names and distinctions, as if these had invariably fixed the effence, and afcertained the limits, of every fort of Compofition. Affuredly, it is not neceffary that all Comedies fhould be formed on one precife model. Some may be entirely light and gay; others may be more ferious; fome may be of a mixed nature; and all of them, properly executed, may furnish agreeable and useful entertainment to the Public, by fuiting the different taftes of men *. Serious and tender Comedy has no title to claim to itself the poffeffion of the Stage, to the exclufion of ridicule and gaiety. *Il y a beaucoup de très bonnes pièces, où il ne regne que de la gayeté; d'autres toutes férieuses; d'autres melan"gées; d'autres, où l'attendriffement va jufq'aux larmes. Il ❝ne faut donner exclufion à aucune genre ; & fi l'on me de"mandoit, quel genre eft le meilleur ? Je repondrois, celui qui "eft le mieux traité." 4 A A 3 VOLTAIRE. But XLVII. LECT. But when it retains only its proper place, without ufurping the province of any other; when it is carried on with resemblance to real life, and without introducing romantic and unnatural fituations, it may certainly prove both an interefting and an agreeable species of Dramatic Writing. If it be come infipid and drawling, this must be imputed to the fault of the Author, not to the nature of the Compofition, which may admit much liveliness and vivacity. In general, whatever form Comedy affumes, whether gay or serious, it may always be esteemed a mark of Society advancing in true politeness, when those theatrical exhibitions, which are de, figned for public amufement, are cleared from indelicate fentiment, or immoral tendency. Though the licentious buffoonery of Ariftophanes amused the Greeks for a while, they advanced, by degrees, to a chafter and jufter taste; and the like progress of refinement may be concluded to take place among us, when the Public receive with favour, Dramatic Compofitions of such a strain and spirit, as entertained the Greeks and Romans, in the days of Menander and Terence. The Numeral Letters refer to the Volume; A ACCENTS, thrown farther back from the termination in the Achilles, his character in the Iliad, examined, iii. 225. Aas, the divifion of a play into five, an arbitrary limitation, Adam, his character in Milton's Paradife Loft, iii. 268. 4 4 4 His |