their beginnings, before they are cultivated with Art and Study. However, in Occafions of Merriment they were first practis'd; and this rough-caft unhewn Poetry, was inftead of Stage Plays for the space of one hundred and twenty Years together. They were made extempore, and were, as the French call them, Impromptus: For which the Tarfians of old were much renowned; and we fee the daily Examples of them in the Italian Farces of Harlequin, and Scaramucha. Such was the Poetry of that falvage People, before it was turn'd into Numbers, and the Harmony of Verse. Little of the Saturnian Verfes is now remaining; we only know from Authors, that they were nearer Profe than Poetry, without Feet, or Measure. They were ἔ ρυθμοι, but not ἔμμετροι : Perhaps they might be us'd in the folemn Part of their Ceremonies; and the Fefcennine, which were invented after them, in their Afternoons Debauchery, because they were fcoffing and obscene.

The Fefcennine and Saturnian were the fame; for as they were call'd Saturnian from their Ancientnefs, when Saturn reign'd in Italy; they were alfo called Fefcennine, from Fefcennina, a Town in the fame Country, where they were first pratis'd. The Actors, with a grofs and ruftick kind of Raillery, reproach'd each other with their Failings; and at the fame time were nothing sparing of it to their Audience. Somewhat of this Čuftom was afterwards retain'd in their Saturnalia, or Feafts of Saturn, celebrated in December; at least all kind of freedom in Speech was then allow'd to Slaves, even against their Masters; and we are not without fome imitation of it in our Christmas Gambols. Soldiers alfo us'd thofe Fefcennine Verses, after Measure and Numbers had been added to them, at

the Triumph of their Generals: Of which we have an Example, in the Triumph of Julius Cæfar over Gaul, in thefe Expreffions: Cæfar Gallias fubegit, Nicomedes Cafarem: Ecce Cafar nunc triumphat, qui fubegit Gallias; Nicomedes non triumphat, qui fubegit Cafarem. The Vapours of Wine made the firft Satyrical Poets amongst the Romans; which, fays Dacier, we cannot better reprefent, than by imagining a Company of Clowns on a Holy-day, dancing Lubberly, and upbraiding one another in extempore Doggrel, with their Defects and Vices, and the Stories that were told of them in Bake-houses and Barbers-Shops.

When they began to be fomewhat better bred, and were entring, as I may fay, into the first Rudiments of Civil Converfation, they left these Hedge-Notes, for another fort of Poem, fomewhat polifh'd, which was also full of pleasant Raillery, but without any Mixture of Obfcenity. This fort of Poetry appear'd under the Name of Satyr, because of its variety: And this Satyr was adorn'd with Compofitions of Mufick, and with Dances; but lafcivious Poftures were banish'd from it. In the Tuscan Language, fays Livy, the word Hifter. fignifies a Player: And therefore those Actors, which were firft brought from Etruria to Rome, on occafion of a Peftilence; when the Romans were admonish'd to avert the Anger of the Gods by Plays, in the Year ab Urbe Condita CCCXC: Thofe Actors, I fay, were therefore call'd Hiftriones: And that Name has fince remain'd, not only to Actors Roman born, but to all others of every Nation. They play'd not the former extempore Stuff of Fefcennine Verfes, or Clownish Jefts; but what they acted was a kind

of

of civil cleanly Farce, with Mufick and Dances, and Motions that were proper to the Subject.

In this Condition Livius Andronicus found the Stage, when he attempted first, instead of Farces, to fupply it with a nobler Entertainment of Tragedies and Comedies. This Man was a Grecian born, and being made a Slave by Livius Salinator, and brought to Rome, had the Education of his Patron's Children commited to him. Which Trut he discharg'd, fo much to the Satisfaction of his Mafter, that he gave him his Liberty.

Andronicus thus become a Freeman of Rome, added to his own Name that of Livius his Mafter; and, as I obferv'd, was the first Author of a regular Play in that Common-wealth. Being already inftructed, in his Native Country, in the Manners and Decencies of the Athenian Theater, and converfant in the Archea Comedia, or old Comedy of Ariftophanes, and the rest of the Grecian Poets; he took from that Model his own defigning of Plays for the Roman Stage. The firft of which was reprefented in the Year CCCCCXIV. fince the Building of Rome, as Tully, from the Commentaries of Atticus, has affur'd us; it was after the end of the first Punic War, the Year before Ennius was born. Dacier has not carry'd the Matter altogether thus far; he only fays, that one Livius Andronicus was the firft Stage-Poet at Rome: But I will adventure on this Hint, to advance another Propofition, which I hope the Learned will approve. And tho' we have not any thing of Andronicus remaining to justify my Conjecture, yet 'tis exceeding probable, that having read the Works of thofe Grecian Wits, his Country-men, he imitated not only the Ground-work, but alfo the manner of their Writing. And how grave foever

his Tragedies might be, yet in his Comedies he exprefs'd the way of Ariftophanes, Eupolis, and the reft, which was to call fome Perfons by their own Names, and to expofe their Defects to the Laughter of the People. The Examples of which we have in the fore-mention'd Ariftophanes, who turned the wife Socrates into Ridicule; and is alfo very free with the Management of Cleon, Alcibiades, and other Minifters of the Athenian Government. Now if this be granted, we may easily fuppofe, that the first Hint of Satyrical Plays on the Roman Stage, was given by the Greeks. Not from the Satyrica, for that has been reasonably exploded in the former part of this Difcourfe: But from their old Comedy, which was imitated first by Livius Andronicus. And then Quintilian and Horace must be cautiously interpreted, where they affirm, that Satyr is wholly Roman; and a fort of Verfe, which was not touch'd on by the Grecians. The Reconcilement of my Opinion to the Standard of their Judgment, is not, however, very difficult, fince they fpake of Satyr, not as in its firft Elements, but as it was form'd into a separate Work; begun by Ennius, purfu'd by Lucilius, and compleated afterwards by Horace. The Proof depends only on this Poftulatum, that the Comedies of Andronicus, which were Imitations of the Greek, were also Imitations of their Railleries, and Reflections on particular Perfons. For if this be granted me, which is a moft probable Suppofition, 'tis easy to infer, that the firft Light which was given to the Roman Theatrical Satyr, was from the Plays of Livius Andronicus. Which will be more manifeftly discover'd, when I come to speak of Ennius. In the mean time I will return to Dacier.

The

The People, fays he, ran in Crowds to thefe new Entertainments of Andronicus, as to Pieces which were more noble in their kind, and more perfect than their former Satyrs, which for fome time they neglected and abandon'd. But not long after, they took them up again, and then they join'd them to their Comedies: Playing them at the end of every Draina; as the French continue at this Day to act their Farces; in the nature of a feparate Entertainment from their Tragedies.

But more particularly they were join'd to the Attellane Fables, fays Cafaubon; which were Plays invented by the Ofci. Thofe Fables, fays Valerius Maximus, out of Livy, were temper'd with the Italian Severity, and free from any Note of Infamy or Obfcenenefs; and as an old Commentator on Javenal affirms, the Exodiarii, which were Singers and Dancers, enter'd to entertain the People with light Songs, and mimical Gestures, that they might not go away opprefs'd with Melancholy, from thofe ferious Pieces of the Theater. So that the ancient Sa tyr of the Romans was in extemporary Reproaches: The next was Farce, which was brought from Tufcany: To that fucceeded the Plays of Andro nicus, from the old Comedy of the Grecians; And out of all thefe, fprung two feveral Branches of new Roman Satyr; like different Cyens from the fame Root. Which I fhall prove with as much Brevity as the Subject will allow.

A Year after Andronicus had open'd the Roman Stage with his new Drama's, Ennius was born; who, when he was grown to Man's Eftate, having ferioufly confidered the Genius of the People, and how eagerly they followed the firft Satyrs, thought it wou'd be worth his Pains to refine upon the Project, and to write Satyrs not to be A&ted

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