The Comedians, I fear, may take it amifs, that I have had little or no Regard to them in this Difcourfe. But I must confefs, tho I have attempted two of three Comical Parts, which the Indulgence of the Town to an old Fellow has given me fome Applaufe for; yet Tragedy is, and has always been, my Delight. Befides, as fome have obferv'd, that Comedy is lefs difficult in the Writing; fo I am apt to believe, it is much easier in the Acting, not that a good Comedian is to be made by every one that attempts it, but we have had, almoft ever fince I knew the Stage, more and better Comedians, than Tragedians; as we have had better Comedies, than Tragedies writ in our Language, as the Critics and knowing Judges tell us. But being willing to raise Tragedies from their present Neglect, to the Efteem they had in the most po lite Nation, that ever Europe knew, I have endeavour'd to contribute my Part towards the improving of the Representation, which has a mighty Influence on the Succefs and Esteem of any thing of this Nature.

I might here add fome Obfervations on the Errors in the Action of our present Players; but as that would be an invidious Talk, fo they may easily be discover'd by thofe Rules I have laid down of a juft Performance. I thall therefore now proceed to the other Duty of a Player, which is the Art of Speaking; which, tho much the least confiderable, yet according to our modern Tragedies, I mean thofe, which have

been

been beft receiv'd, is of moft Ufe. For thofe Poets have very erroneously apply'd themselves to write more what requires juft Speaking, than just Acting. And our Players, generally speaking, fall very much short of that Excellence ev'n in this, which they ought to aim or arrive at; but too plainly prove what Rofener aus describes An Airy of Children, little Tafes, they cry out on the Top of the Question, and are most tyrannically clapt for't, thefe are now the Fashion, and fo berattle the common Stages (fo they call 'em) that many wearing Rapiers are afraid of Goofe-Quills, and dare fearce come thither. And tho in what I have before quoted from Hamlet (in his Account of the Actor's Action and Behaviour) do happily exprefs the Soul and Art of Acting, which Shakespear has drawn the compleatArt of Gesture in miniature,in the quoted Speech,yet all the Directions, which he gives, relate (except one Line) wholly to Speaking.

HAMLET." Speak the Speech, I pray you, "as I pronounc'd it, trippingly on the Tongue. "But if you mouth it, as many of our Players do, I had as lieve the Town-Cryer had spoke

my Lines. Nor do not faw the Air too much " with your Hand thus, but use all gently; For "in the very Torrent, Tempeft, and I may fay "the Whirlwind of Paffion, you must acquire and

beget a Temperance, that may give it Smooth"nefs. Oh ! it offends me to the Soul to fee a "robuftous, perriwig-pated Fellow tear a Paf"fion to Tatters, to very Rags, to split the Ears "of the Groundlings, who for the most part G

66 are

66

are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb Shows and Noife. I could have fuch a Fel"low whipt for o'erdoing Termagant: It out"Herod's Herod. Pray you avoid it Be "not too tame neither, but let your own Dif"cretion be your Tutor. Suit the Action to the "Word, the Word to the Action, with this fpe«cial Obfervance, that you o'ertop not the Mo

defty of Nature. For any thing fo overdone "is from the Purpose of Playing, whofe End "both at the first and now was and is to hold "as 'twere the Mirror up to Nature; to show "Virtue her own Feature; fcorn her own I

mage, and the very Age and Body of the

Time, his Form, and Preffure. Now this "over-done, or come tardy of, tho it make the "Unskilful laugh, cannot but make the Judici

ous grieve: The Cenfure of which ONE, muft " in your Allowance o'erfway a WHOLE THEA86 TRE of others. Oh! there be Players, that "I have feen play, and heard others praife, " and that highly, (not to speak it prophanely) "that neither having the Accent of Chriftians, "nor the Gate of Chriftian, Pagan, or Norman, "have fo ftrutted and bellow'd, that I have

thought fome of Nature's Journey-Men bad "made Men, and not made them well, they imi"tated Humanity fo abominably.

Player. "I hope we have reformed that indifferently with us, Sir.

Ham. "Oh! reform it altogether. And let thofe, who play the Clowns, fpeak no more,

"than

"than is fet down for 'em; for there be of them, "who will themselves laugh, to fet on fome Quantity of barren Spectators to laugh too; "tho in the mean time, fome neceffary Que"ftion of the Play be then to be confider'd : "that's villanous, and fhews a most pitiful Am"bition in the Fool, that uses it.

If we should confider and weigh these Directions well, I am perfuaded they are fufficient to instruct a young Player in all the Beauties of Utterance, and to correct all the Errors he might, for want of the Art of Speaking, have incurr'd. By pronouncing it trippingly on the Tongue, he means a clear and difembarrafs'd Pronunciation, fuch as is agreeable to Nature and the Subject on which he speaks. His telling the Actor, that he had as lieve the Town-Cryer should speak his Lines, as one that mouth'd them, is very juft; for if Noife were an Excellence, I know not who would bear away the Palm, the Cryer, or the Player; I'm fure the Town-Cryer would be lefs faulty, his Business requiring Noife. Nor do not faw the Air with your Hand thus, but ufe all GENTLY: This is the only Precept of Action, which is extremely just; and agreeable to the Notions of all, that I have met with on my full Enquiry among my learned Friends, who have read all that has been wrote upon Action, and who reckon rude and boiftrous Gestures among the faulty; Art always directing a moderate and gentle Motion, which Shakespear expreffes by use all gently.Befides, this fawing of the Air, expreffes one, who is very G 2

much

much at a Lofs how to difpofe of his Hands, but knowing that they should have fome Motion, gives them an aukward Violence. The next Obfervation is extremely mafterly- -For in the very TORRENT, TEMPEST, and I may fay the Whirlwind of Paffion, you must acquire and get a Temperance, that may give it SMOOTHNESS. I remember among many, an Instance in the Madness of Alexander the Great, in Lee's Play, Mr. Goodman always went through it with all the Force the Part requir'd, and made not yet half the Noife, as fome who fucceeded him who were fure to bellow it out in fuch a manner, that their Voice would fail them before the End, and led them to fuch a languid and enervate Hoarfenefs, as entirely wanted that agreeable Smoothness, which Shakespear requires, and which is the Perfection of beautiful Speaking; for to have a juft Heat, and Loudnefs, and yet a Smoothness is all that can be defir'd. Obit of fends me to the Soul, he goes on Methinks fome of our young Gentlemen, who value themfelves for great Players, nay, and Judges too of the Drama, fet up for Critics, and who cenfure and receive or reject Plays, fhould be afham'd of themfelves, when they read this in ShakeSpear, whofe Authority they feem fo fond of in other Occafions; but it is with them here, ;' is with fome Enemies of Reafon on other Occafions, who are against Reafon, when Reafon is against them, tho none fo clamorous for it at other Times, that is, they are fonder of Error,

than