Of this vice, as of all others, every man who indulges it is confcious; we all know our own ftate, if we could be induced to confider it; and it might perhaps be useful to the conqueft of all these enfnarers of the mind, if at certain ftated days life was reviewed. Many things neceffary are omitted, because we vainly imagine that they may be always performed; and what cannot be done without pain will for ever be delayed, if the time of doing it be left unfettled. No corruption is great but by long negligence, which can fcarcely prevail in a mind regularly and frequently awakened by periodical remorse. He that thus breaks his life into parts, will find in himself a defire to distinguish every stage of his existence by fome improvement, and delight himfelf with the approach of the day of recollection, as of the time which is to begin a new feries of virtue and felicity.

NUMB. 156. SATURDAY, September 14, 1751.

Nunquam aliud natura, aliud fapiemia dicit.

For Wisdom ever echoes Nature's voice.

Juv.

VERY government, fay the politicians, is perpetually degenerating towards corruption, from which it must be refcued at certain periods by the refufcitation of its first principles, and the re-eftablishment of its original conftitution. Every animal body, according to the methodick physicians, is, by the predominance of fome exuberant quality, continually declining towards difeafe and death, which must be obviated by a feafonable reduction of the peccant humour to the just equipoise which health requires.

In the fame manner the ftudies of mankind, all at least which, not being subject to rigorous demonstration, admit the influence of fancy and caprice, are perpetually tending to error and confufion. Of the great principles of truth which the firft fpeculatifts discovered, the fimplicity is embarraffed by ambitious additions, or the evidence obfcured by inaccurate argumentation; and as they defcend from one fucceffion of writers to another, like light tranfmitted from room to room, they lofe their ftrength and fplendour, and fade at last in total evanefcence.

The systems of learning therefore must be fometimes reviewed, complications analyfed into principles, and knowledge difentangled from opinion.

6

It

It is not always poffible, without a close inspection, to feparate the genuine fhoots of confequential reafoning, which grow out of fome radical poftulate, from the branches which art has grafted on it. The accidental prefcriptions of authority, when time has procured them veneration, are often confounded with the laws of nature, and thofe rules are fuppofed coeval with reafon, of which the firft rife cannot be difcovered.

Criticifm has fometimes permitted fancy to dictate the laws by which fancy ought to be reftrained, and fallacy to perplex the principles by which fallacy is to be detected; her fuperintendence of others has betrayed her to negligence of herself; and, like the ancient Sybians, by extending her conquefts over ditrant regions, fhe has left her throne vacant to her flaves.

Among the laws of which the defire of extending authority, or ardour of promoting knowledge, has prompted the prefeription, all which writers have received, had not the fame original right to our regard. Some are to be confidered as fundamental and indifpenfable, others only as ufeful and convenient; fome as dictated by reafon and neceffity, others as enacted by defpotick antiquity; fome as invincibly fupported by their conformity to the order of nature and operations of the intelleft; others as formed by accident, or inftituted by example, and therefore always liable to dispute and alteration.

That many rules have been advanced without confulting nature or reafon, we cannot but fufpect, when we find it peremptorily decreed by the ancient

masters,

masters, that only three speaking perfonages should appear at once upon the ftage; a law which, as the variety and intricacy of modern plays has made it impoffible to be observed, we now violate without fcruple, and, as experience proves, without inconvenience.

The original of this precept was merely accidental. Tragedy was a monody or folitary fong in honour of Bacchus, improved afterwards into a dialogue by the addition of another speaker; but the ancients, remembering that the tragedy was at first pronounced only by one, durft not for some time venture beyond two; at laft, when custom and impunity had made them daring, they extended their liberty to the admiffion of three, but restrained themselves by a critical edict from further exorbitance.

By what accident the number of acts was limited to five, I know not that any author has informed us; but certainly it is not determined by any neceffity arifing either from the nature of action or propriety of exhibition. An act is only the reprefentation of fuch a part of the bufinefs of the play as proceeds in an unbroken tenor, or without any intermediate pause. Nothing is more evident than that of every real, and by confequence of every dramatick action, the intervals may be more or fewer than five; and indeed the rule is upon the English ftage every day broken in effect, without any other mifchief than that which arifes from an abfurd endeavour to ob-. serve it in appearance. Whenever the fcene is fhifted the act ceases, since fome time is neceffarily fuppofed to elapse while the perfonages of the drama change their place.

VOL. VII.

H

With

With no greater right to our obedience have the criticks confined the dramatick action to a certain number of hours. Probability requires that the time of action fhould approach fomewhat nearly to that of exhibition, and thofe plays will always be thought moft happily conducted which crowd the greatest variety into the leaft fpace. But fince it will frequently happen that fome delufion must be admitted, I know not where the limits of imagination can be fixed. It is rarely obferved that minds, not prepoffeffed by mechanical criticifm, feel any offence from the extenfion of the intervals between the acts; nor can I conceive it abfurd or impoffible, that he who can multiply three hours into twelve or twenty-four, might image with equal eafe a greater number.

I know not whether he that profeffes to regard no other laws than thofe of nature, will not be inclined to receive tragi-comedy to his protection, whom, however generally condemned, her own laurels have hitherto fhaded from the fulminations of criticifin. For what is there in the mingled drama which impartial reafon can condemn? The connexion of important with trivial incidents, fince it is not only common but perpetual in the world, may furely be allowed upon the ftage, which pretends only to be the mirrour of life. The impropriety of fuppreffing paffions before we have raised them to the intended agitation, and of diverting the expectation from an event which we keep fufpended only to raise it, may be fpeciously urged. But will not experience fhew this objection to be rather fubtle than juft? Is it not certain that the tragick and comick affections have

been