PROLOGUE TO MR. ADDISON'S TRAGEDY OF CATO*, To wake the foul by tender strokes of art, To raife the genius, and to mend the heart, NOTES. Here * This Prologue, and the Epilogue which follows, are the most perfect models of this fpecies of writing, both in the serious and the ludicrous way. WARSURTON. The former is much the better of the two; for some of Dry. den's, of the latter kind, are unequalled. WARTON. VER. 7. Tyrants no more] Louis XIV. wished to have pardoned the Cardinal de Rohan, after hearing the Cinna of Corneille. WARTON. VER. II. In pitying love,] Why then did Addison introduce the loves of Juba and Marcia? which Pope faid to Mr. Spence, were not in the original plan of the play, but were introduced in compliance with the popular practice of the stage. WARTON. Here tears shall flow from a more gen'rous caufe, He bids your breasts with ancient ardour rife, 15 Virtue confefs'd in human shape he draws, No common object to your fight displays, 20 While NOTES. VER. 20. But what with pleasure] This alludes to a famous paffage of Seneca, which Mr. Addison afterwards used as a motto to his play, when it was printed. WARBURTON. VER. 21. A brave man, &c.] The noble passage of Seneca, which Addison adopted as a Motto, and to which Pope in this passage finely alludes, is this, "Ecce spectaculum dignum ad quod refpiciat, intentus operi fuo, DEUS! Ecce par Deo dignum, vir fortis cum malâ fortunâ compofitus! non video, inquam, quid habeat in terris Jupiter pulcrius, fi convertere animum velit, quàm ut spectet CATONEM, jam partibus non femel fractis, nihilhominùs inter ruinas publicas erectum." Pope has very much heightened the idea of Seneca, in one paffage, "Fortis vir, mala fortuna compofitus;" which is far lefs animated than A brave man Aruggling in the storms of fate! Let me take this opportunity of remarking, that Pope has very feldom laid the stress, as it is in the line, A brāve măn The stress, however, laid upon the epithet in this manner, has often a pleasing effect, and, when it is judiciously introduced, is particularly grateful to the ear. Milton and Shakespear often accent a line in this manner, and who but feels its occafional propriety and beauty? ALLEGRO. "Thro' the HIGH wood, echoing shrill." While Cato gives his little Senate laws, Who fees him act, but envies ev'ry deed? 25 Ev'n when proud Cæfar 'midst triumphal cars, The fpoils of nations, and the pomp of wars, Ignobly vain, and impotently great, Show'd Rome her Cato's figure drawn in state; 30 As her dead Father's rev'rend image past, 35 Britons, attend: be worth like this approv'd, And show, you have the virtue to be mov'd. With honest scorn the first fam'd Cato view'd Rome learning arts from Greece, whom she subdu'd; Your scene precarioufly subsists too long 41 On French tranflation, and Italian fong. Dare NOTES. VER. 27. Ev'n when] The twenty-feventh, thirtieth, thirtyfourth, thirty-ninth, and forty-fifth lines, are artful allufions to the character and history of Cato himself. WARTON. VER. 37. Britons, attend:] Spence told me, that Pope had written it-" Britons, arife"; but that Addison, frightened at so strong an expreffion, as promoting insurrection, lowered and weakened it by the word, attend. WARTON. VER. 42. On French translation,] He glances obliquely at the Distrest Mother of his old antagonist Philips, taken, evidently, from Racine. Cato's last soliloquy is translated with great purity and elegance by Bland. It is a little remarkable that the last line of Cato is Pope's; and the laft of Eloisa is Addison's. WARTON. Dare to have sense yourselves; affert the stage, NOTES. 45 VER. 45. Such Plays alone] Addison, having finished and laid by, for feveral years, the first four acts of Cato, applied to Hughes for a fifth; and Dr. Johnfon, from entertaining too mean an opinion of Hughes, does not think the application serious. When Hughes brought his fupplement, he found the author himself had finished his play. Hughes was very capable of writ. ing this fifth act. The Siege of Damafcus is a better tragedy than Cato; though Pope affected to speak flightingly of its author. An audience was packed by Steele on the first night of Cato; and Addifon fuffered inexpressible uneasiness and folicitude during the reprefentation. Bolingbroke called Booth to his box, and gave him fifty guineas for defending the cause of liberty so well, against a perpetual dictator. WARTON. VER. 46. As Cato's felf, &c.] This alludes to that famous story of his coming into the Theatre, and going out again, related by Martial. WARBURTON. EPILOGUE TO MR. ROWE'S JANE SHORE. THE Epilogue to Jane Shore is written with that air of gallantry and raillery which, by a strange perverfion of taste, the audience expects in all Epilogues to the most serious and pathetic pieces. To recommend cuckoldom, and palliate adultery, is their usual intent. I wonder Mrs. Oldfield was not fuffered to speak it; for it is superior to that which was used on the occafion. In this taste Garrick has written some that abound in spirit and drollery. Rowe's genius was rather delicate and soft, than strong. and pathetic; his compositions soothe us with a tranquil and tender fort of complacency, rather than cleave the heart with pangs of commiferation. His distresses are entirely founded on the passion of love. His diction is extremely elegant and chafte, and his versification highly melodious. His plays are declamations, rather than dialogues; and his characters are general, and undiftinguished from each other. Such a furious character as that of Bajazet, is easily drawn; and, let me add, eafily acted. There is a want of unity in the fable of Tamerlane. The death's head, dead body, and stage hung in mourning, in the Fair Penitent, are artificial and mechanical methods of affecting an audience. In a word, his plays are musical and pleasing poems, but inactive and unmoving tragedies. This of Jane Shore is, I think, the most interesting and affecting of any he has given us; but pro. bability is sadly violated in it by the neglect of the unity of time. For a person to be supposed to be starved, during the representation of five acts, is a striking instance of the absurdity of this violation. It is probable that this is become the most popular and pleaf. ing tragedy of all Rowe's works, because it is founded on our own history. I cannot forbear wishing, that our writers would more frequently search for subjects in the annals of England, which afford many striking and pathetic events, proper for the ftage. VOL. I. BB |