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fon: Craffus in Cicero remarks, that Rofcius, tho fo excellent a Player, loft his Admiration among the Romans on the Stage, because the Mafque on his Face deny'd the Audience the fight of those Motions, Charms, and Attractions, which were to be discover'd in the Countenance. I confefs I am extremely furpriz'd at the Ancients Ufe of those Masks on the Stage, which they call'd the Perfona; nor could I imagine how they were made, not to destroy that Grace and Beauty of Acting, in the Management of the Lineaments of the Face, which by all that we have of that kind must be entirely hid; and yet what Plutarch tells us of Demofthenes and Cicero, is a Proof, that the Players of Athens and Rome were abfolute Masters of Speaking and Action. 'Tis true, there is much in the Voice to exprefs the Paffion artfully, yet certainly the feveral Figurations of the Countenance, as of the Eyes, Brows, Mouth, and the like, add the most touching and moft moving Beauties. But this Obfervation before-mention'd fatisfies me, that those were entirely loft by the Perfona; which is a Proof, that in whatever they excell'd our Actors, we have the Advantage in the making the Reprefentation perfect, by enjoying the Benefit of expofing all the Motions of the Face.

The Character which Lucian gives (as I find it in Dr. Jasper Maine's Tranflation) of those Perfona, makes them extremely ridiculous, and by his Description of the reft of the Tragic Equipage would make us very much doubt their

Excellence in the other Parts of Acting. "What a deform'd and frightful Sight (fays "he) is it to fee a Man rais'd to a prodigious Length, ftalking on exalted Bufkins, his Face

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difguis'd with a grim Vizard, widely gaping, "as if he meant to devour the Spectators; I "forbear to speak of his ftuff'd Breafts and "Fore-bellies, which make an adventitious " and artificial Corpulency, left his unnatural Length fhould carry a Difproportion to his

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"Slenderness.

Surely fuch a Figure as Lucian gives our Tragedian, muft not only render him incapable of giving the Body all its juft Motions and graceful Geftures, of which we are talking, and which the great Writers, as I am told, celebrate fo much; but must be ridiculous to a Farce. But tho what Lucian reprefents, may be look'd upon as in the Time of the Corruption of the Roman Stage, yet the Cothurni and the Perfona were in ufe among the Greeks, and must have been extremely prejudicial to the Beauty of the Reprefentation. The Reason I have heard given for the first was the common Opinion, that the Heroes of former Times were larger and taller, than the Men our Cotemporaries; and I believe the firft Ufe of the Vizard, which fucceeded the befmeering the Face with Lees of Wine in the Time of Thefpis, was chiefly to exprefs the Looks and Countenance of the feveral Heroes represented, according to their Statues and Portraictures, which made the Player always new to the Au

dience; whereas we coming always on the Stage with the fame Face, put a Force on the Imagination of the Audience to fancy us other than the fame Perfons.

But I think I have found out a way, which, if maturely study'd, would obtain this Variety of Countenance more artfully, and at the fame time infpire the Actor better with the Nature and Genius of his Part. I remember that fome Years ago I read a French Book written by one Gafferel a Monk; who tells us, that when he was at Rome he went to fee Campanella in the Inquifition, and found him making abundance of Faces; that he at firft imagin'd, that thofe proceeded from the Torments he had undergone in that Ecclefiaftical Slaughter-Houfe; but he foon undeceiv'd him, by enquiring what fort of Countenance fuch a Cardinal had, to whom he had juft before fent; for he was forming his Countenance, as much as he could, to what he knew of his, that he might know what his Answer wou'd be.

If therefore a Player was acquainted with the Character of his Hero, fo far as to have an Account of his Features and Looks; or of any one living of the fame Character, he would not only vary his Face fo much by that means, as to appear quite another Face; by raifing, or falling, contracting, or extending the Brows; giving a brifk or fullen, fprightly or heavy turn to his Eyes; fharpening or fwelling his Noftrils, and the various Pofitions of his Mouth, which

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by Practice would grow familiar, and wonderfully improve the Art of Acting, and raise the noble Diversion to greater Efteem. The ftudying History-Painting would be very useful on this Occafion, because the Knowledge of the Figure and Lineaments of the Reprefented (and in History-Pieces almoft all,who are reprefented are to be found) will teach the Actor to vary and change his Figure, which would make him not always the fame, as I have faid, in all Parts, but his very Countenance fo chang'd, that they would not only have other Thoughts themfelves, but raise others in the Audience. Some carry their Heads aloft and ftately, others pucker their Brows, look with a piercing Eye, and the like, as I have juft faid; and these things throughly confider'd by the Player, would in every part make him a new Man; and with more Beauty fupply the Perfona of the Ancients, and raise our Stage to a greater Merit, than theirs could pretend to, which depriv'd the Audience of the nobleft and moft vivacious Part of the Representation, in the Lofs of the Motions of the Face; of which we ought to take a peculiar Care, fince it is on that, which the Audience or Spectators generally fix their Eyes the whole Time of the Action.

Exercife and frequent Practice ought to reform the leaft Error in this particular, because in the Performance every one presently difcovers it, tho you fee it not your felf. The fureft way of correcting your felf in this

is either a Looking-Glafs, or a judicious Friend, who can and will let you know what Countenance is agreeable, and what the contrary. But this is a general Rule, without any Exception, that you adjuft all the Lines and Motions of the Face to the Subject of your Discourse, the Paffion you feel within you, or fhould according to your Part feel, or would raife in those, who hear and fee you. You must likewife confider the Quality you represent, as well as the Quality of thofe to whom you fpeak; for even in great Degrees of the Paffions the Difference and Distance of that has a greater or lefs Awe upon the very Appearance of the Paffion. The Countenance must be brightened with a pleasant Gayety on things, that are agreeable, and that according to the Degrees of their being fo; and likewife in Joy, which must still be heighten'd in the Paffion of Love; tho indeed the Countenance in the Expreffion of this Passion is extremely various, participating fometimes of the Tranfports of Joy, fometimes of the Agonies of Grief; it is fometimes mingled with the Heats of Anger, and sometimes fmiles with all the pleafing Tranquillity of an equal Joy. Sadnefs or Gravity muft prevail in the Countenance, when the Subject is grave, melancholy or forrowful; and Grief is to be expreffed according to its various Degrees of Violence. Hate has its peculiar Expreffion composed of Grief, Envy, and Anger, a Mixture of all which ought to appear in the Eye. When you bring

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