than any of our authors, may be styled the English Terence. He imitates the Roman dramatist closely, and he imitates him with success. His dialogue is vigorous and easy, with considerable power in exciting the softer emotions. He merits peculiar notice in a general view of this nature, as having introduced amongst us the pathetic comedy now so fashionable. This species of drama is very distinct from the tragiccomedy of our earlier writers. With them the tragic parts are usually given in blank verse, nor are they often so blended with the comic as to aim at producing mirth and sorrow in the same scene. An instance of this entire separation occurs in many of Shakespeare's historical plays, and in Dryden's "Spanish Friar.” Moreover, these authors delineate a passion of a magnitude, which in truth constitutes the distinction and essence of tragedy, as the love of Memnon for the princess in the "Mad Lover" of Beaumont and Fletcher, that of Evanthe and Valerio in "The Wife for a Month;" or that of Theodosius for Athenais in Massinger's "Emperor of the East." Add to this, that their personages are of no less rank than princes. In thus cursorily noticing the tragic-comedy of our early writers, I would recommend as an excel lent and beautiful production of this nature, the "Maid of Honor" of Massinger. It is indeed a most happy composition. The sublime virtue of Camiola is decisively above comedy, yet there is no affliction in the play severe enough to render it exclusively tragic. But if our ancient tragiccomedies are widely distinct from the style adopted by Steele, neither do the passages of beautiful and affecting pathos, so frequently to be found in Shakespear's comedies, bring the latter to a close resemblance with those here under consideration. Shakespeare forms his scheme carelessly, and if in his progress an opportunity occurs of making an appeal to the affections, he seizes it with a felicity, which is the privilege only of genius. There are beautiful instances of the greatest success in this stile in "The Twelfth Night," where Viola covertly gives the history of her passion, and in "As You Like It," where Orlando interrupts the banquet of the duke. But it evidently depended upon the momentary humour of the poet whether he made the passages here alluded to serious or comic, while on the other hand the pathos of Sir Richard Steele is interwoven with his original plot, for unless the story of Indiana is affecting, it is nothing. "The Conscious Lovers" is founded upon the Andria of Terence. I will quote one passage from each of these plays, as an instance of Sir R. Steele's mode of writing, as also for the purpose of shewing a very happy imitation or rather translation of that ancient author. Sir John Bevil proposes to marry his son to the daughter of a rich merchant. At a masquerade, however, he discovers young Bevil's attachment to another lady, and thus he describes the adventure which disclosed it. Sir J. B. You know I was, last Thursday, at the masquerade; my son, you may remember, soon found us out -he knew his grandfather's habit which I then wore and though it was in the mode of the last age, yet the maskers, you know, followed us as if we had been the most monstrous figures in that whole assembly. Humphrey. I remember, indeed, a young man of quality in the habit of a clown, that was particularly trouble some. Sir J. B. Right-he was too much what he seemed to be-You remember how impertinently he followed and teazed us, and would know who we were. --Ay, he followed us till the gentleman who led the lady in the Indian mantle presented that gay creature to the rustic, and bid him (like Cymon in the fable) grow polite by falling in love, and let that worthy old gentleman alone, meaning me. The clown was not reformed, but rudely persisted, and offered to force off my mask; with that the gentleman, throwing off his own, appeared to be my son, and in his concern for me tore off that of the nobleman: at this they seized each other, the company called the guards, and in the surprize the lady swooned away: upon which my son quitted his adversary, and had now no care but of the lady— when raising her in his arms, " Art thou gone," cried he, "for ever-forbid it heaven!" She revives at his wellknown voice—and with the most familiar, though modest gesture, hangs in safety over his shoulders weeping, but wept as in the arms of one before whom she could give herself a loose, were she not under observation: while she hides her face in his neck, he carefully conveys her from the company. In Terence, the same discovery is made at the funeral of the lady's sister. Thus, old Simo confers with his freed-man Sosia. Simo. Interea inter mulieres, Quæ ibi aderant, forté unam adspicis adolescentulam, Quæ tum mihi lamentari præter ceteras So. Quam timeo, quorsum evadas. Si. funus interim Mea Glycerium, inquit, quid agis? cur te is perditum ? I am afraid in this instance, we must acknowledge the superiority of the ancient writer. He has more nature with less pretension. Steele's play of "The Tender Husband," is more strictly comic than "The Conscious Lovers," and is certainly a very amusing production. Bridget probably is the original from which Mr. Sheridan has drawn his Lydia Languish, nor is the copy much if at all improved. Steele is by no means so vigorous and powerful a writer as Congreve, but he has many of his faults. Like Congreve's, his characters are too artificial, and, like his, they aim too much at saying smart things. Of The Conscious Lovers, the plot is perplexed and intricate, and Cimberton is perfectly outrè. In Steele's dialogue the alternate speeches are too long and set, but the language is generally very pure and elegant, and his plays, though they may weary on the stage, will ever be read with interest and pleasure. Steele died in 1728-about the time of the death of Congreve. He has left four plays-The Funeral-The Tender Husband-The Lying Lover-The Conscious Lovers. Addison's comedy of "The Drummer," can only be mentioned on account of the fame of the author. The dialogue indeed |