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for on that their Authority with thePeople depends. and on their Authority in great measure their Influence. They should confider, that the Infamy, that the Profeffion lies under is not deriv'd from the Business, which is truly valuable and noble; that the Players in Athens were honourable, and fo highly efteem'd, that they were fometimes Ambaffadors, and the Mafters to two of the most noble and glorious Orators that ever Greece or Rome produc'd; I mean, Demofthenes and Cicero, as we fhall immediately fee; that in Rome it felf, where the Stage had a more disadvantageous Rife, than in Athens, Cicero looks on it as fuch a piece of Ill-breeding and Barbarism not to grieve for the Death of old Rofcius, that he could fuppofe no Noble-man of Rome or Commoner could be guilty of. He likewife calls it an excellent Art. All which is a fufficient Proof, that the Business it felf was never infamous in either of those two Cities ; nor could be here, if the Profeffors of it by their own loofe Lives, by an open Contempt of Religion, and making Blafphemy and Profaneness the Marks of their Wit and good Breeding; by an undifguis'd Debauchery and Drunkennefs, coming on the very Stage, in Contempt of the Audience, when they are scarce able to fpeak a Word; by having little Regard to the Ties of Honour and Common Honefty to fay nothing of the Irregularities of the Ladies, which rob them of that Deference and Refpect, that their Accomplishments of Perfon would elfe command from

their Beholders, especially when fet off to fuch an Advantage as the Stage fupplies in the Improvement of the Mind and Perfon.

This is an Evil, which, tho in the Mouths of half the Town, yet to tell thofe, who know themselves guilty of it, is an Affront never to be forgiven; fo much more fond are they of defending their Follies, than of removing them, tho to their own Advantage; and fo much in Love feem they with Infamy more, than a general Respect and Reputation. Mr. Harrington in his Oceana, propofing fomething about a regulated Theatre, would have all Women, who have fuffer'd any Blemish in their Reputation, excluded the Sight of the Play, by that means to deter Women from Lewdnefs, while by that they loft the Benefit of Public Diverfions. If this were push'd farther, and all Ladies of the House immediately difcarded on the Discovery of their Follies of that Nature, I dare believe, that they would fooner get Husbands, and the Theatre lofe Abundance of that Scandal it now lies under.

Nor is this fo hard a Task but even our Times, as corrupt as they are, have given us Examples of Virtue in our Stage Ladies. I fhall not name them, because I would draw no Censure on those, who are not nam’d.

From what I have faid I believe it is plain, that I wish such a Reformation of the People of the Stage, as would render it more reputable than it is at this Time. I would have no Man

of it a common Drunkard, public Debauchee; nor fo fond of his own Opinion, as to imagine that a dull Ridicule on things facred will pafs for Wit with any Man of Senfe or Probity; nor would I have him thunder out a Volley of Oaths and Execrations to fupply the Emptiness of his Difcourfe, with a Noife that is offenfive to all Mens Ears, who are not daily converfant with the Refufe of Mankind, but acquainted with good Manners and good Breeding; nor to be vain of owing a great Deal, becaufe by Tricks and expenfive Evafions they can keep a Man from his lawful Debts, tho they might pay them with half the Money. In fhort, I would have them keep a handsome Appearance with the World; to be really virtuous if they can, if not, at least, not to be publickly abandon'd to Follies and Vices, which render them contemptible to all; that they would live within the Compafs of what their Business affords them, and then they would have more Leisure to study their Parts, raise their Reputation, and Salaries the fooner, and meet with Refpect from all Men of Honefty and Sense..

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The Ladies likewife fhould fet a peculiar Guard on their Actions, and remember, that tho it may happen, that their parting with their Honour, and fetting up for Creatures of Prey on all that addrefs to them, may bring them in mercenary Advantages, yet that by keeping their Reputation entire, they heighten their Beauties, and would infallibly arrive at

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more Happiness (if not Wealth) in Marriages; which they can never find in making themselves fubject to the Infults of Rakes, and Infirmities of Debauchees, and other Slaveries and Evils not proper to mention, which the Virtuous are free from, admir'd and ador'd by all.

Thus much I thought was proper for me to fay on the Conduct of our Players, Male and Female, off the Stage; which is a Leffon as well worth their learning as any I fhall deliver.

Tho these are Duties which feem abfolutely neceffary to make our Players fhine, and draw that Refpect from the People, which now they want, yet are not these fufficient to make a good Actor; but there are other Leffons to be learn'd for his Qualifications on the Stage.

From his very Name we may derive his Duty, he is call'd an Actor, and his Excellence confifts in Action and Speaking: The Mimes and Pantomimes did all by Gesture, and the Action of Hands, Legs, and Feet, without making use of the Tongue in uttering any Sentiments or Sounds; fo that they were fomething like our dumb Shows, with this difference, one Pantomime expreffed several Perfons, and that to the Tunes of Musical Instruments; the dumb Shows made ufe of feveral Perfons to exprefs the Design of the Play as a filent Action; and the Nature of this is beft exprefs'd in Hamlet, before the En trance of his Players in the third Act.

Enter a King and a Queen very lovingly, the Queen embracing him; he kneels, and makes C 4

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fhew of Proteftation unto him; he takes her up, and declines his Head on her Neck. Lays him down on a Bed of Flowers; fhe feeing him afleep, leaves him. Anon comes in a Fellow, takes off bis Crown, kiffes it, and pours Poifon into the King's Ear, and exit. The Queen returns, finds the King dead, and makes passionate Action. The Poifoner with two or three Mutes comes in again, Seeming to lament with her; the dead Body is carry'd away. The Poifoner woes the Queen with Gifts, fhe feems loath and unwilling awhile, but, in the end accepts his Love.

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I only repeat this to fhew the manner of the old Time, and what they meant by dumb Shows, which Shakespear himself condemns in this very Play, when Hamlet fays to the Players,-" O! it "offends me to the Soul to fee a robustuous Perriwig-pated Fellow tear a Paffion to tatters, to very Raggs, to fplit the Ears of the Groundlings, "who (for the most part) are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb Shows and Noife--But the Pantomimes or Roman Dancers expreffed all this in one Perfon, as we have it in Mr. Mayne's Lucian; where Demetrius the Cynic Philofopher railing againft Dancing, is invited by one of them in the Time of Nero, to fee him perform without either Pipe or Flute, and did fo; for having impos'd Silence on the Inftru

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ments, he by himself danc'd the Adultery of "Mars and Venus, the Sun betraying them, and "Vulcan plotting, and catching them in a Wire "Net; then every God, who was feverally

"Specta

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