"When the first piece was over, Bouillac entertained me with his opinions on the difference between the French and English drama. Befide the national character which prefcribes the limits to genius in a theatrical career, faid he, nature has given you a matchless poet in your great Shakespeare; whofe juft and true imagination, in the immenfity of its flight, comprehended all ages, all men, and all places. His descriptions prefent to our view the unconfined free manner of nature herself. He conftantly follows her, and never fails to poffefs her, with all her variety and copioufnefs. What an advantage for the English ftage to have had fuch an extraordinary man for its founder! He has difentangled nature from thofe fetters made facred by antiquity, and extended her laws for the benefit of thofe, who, after him, would run the fame career, though without the hope of reaching fuch a flight; and, unquestionably, it is to him you owe that fuperiority which the English have over the French tragedies. The French pieces of that kind are little more, in my eyes, than romances in dialogue, written in very fine verfe, but whofe cold uniform action tires and freezes. The conduct has a general famenefs, and continual monotony. Perhaps, the nation may one day come to fee this fault, if ever that phantom, which is worshiped by the name of tafle, happens to be defpoiled of his affumed importance. I fhould be afhamed, my Lord, to explain myfelf with fuch freedom, in presence of our connoiffeurs;-I fhould run a risk of being treated as barbarous. This nation must always imitate the Greeks; they do it, at lead, by fhewing a contempt for every thing which is not of their own literary growth, and which departs from thofe rules within which two or three beaux efprits have thought proper to confine genius, by writing commentaries on Aristotle.

"It is forbidden, for example, to open the scene, but by a flat and infipid narration. The rigorous law, which they call the three unities, obliges the author to give this dull explanation, which would frequently appear ridiculous, if custom did not prevent them from being fentible of this abfurdity. One actor informs another, in founding rhimes, of his genealogy, birth, hiftory of his parents, and a number of other things which the last ought to know better than the speaker. It is commonly fome confidant, who, in favour of the audience, stuns with infipid repetitions, the hero of the piece, who is ready to yawn. The unity of the place obliges the author to fet his characters in motion like puppets, that they may inceffantly return in a most whimfical childish manner to the gallery of the palace, where we are tired with a melancholy dream of recitals and difcoveries:-and this is nearly the whole of what is permitted. No additional incident, no fecond-rate character, which is fo ufetul with you, in bringing on the catastrophe, and in fupporting the fpirit of the fcene, but, at beft, fome dull, stupid confidants, whofe parts are fo wretchedly compofed, that none are found to fill them but inferior actors, whofe performance throws into burlefque the fcenes which ought to be the most powerfully engaging. Surely, you will never be brought to think the most perfect of theie compofitions to be a master-piece: for, it is plain, that they prefent nothing but a 'mals of dull unaffecting infipidity, where, at best, we find no recompence for our attention, but in the richness and beauty of the narration.

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"It is not fo with the French comedies, continued Bouillac: Plautus and Terence, as well as Ariftophanes, live again in Moliere,, or rather he has furpaffed them all. It is true, that he had not the fame obstacle to contend with as our tragic poets. Comedy may be made interesting by means of more fimple acceffaries than can be admitted into tragedy. That merciless chimera, tafte, who fo ftrongly circumfcribes the field where genius might range, has less important confequences, in a lefs elevated fpecies of writing. The action, as well as the characters, being taken from common life, they may be unfolded by the fame kinds of incidents. Moliere then was more at his eafe in this refpect. You will fee the native fimplicity and truth of his touch. Here he alfo analyfed to me the Precieufes Ridicules, which was going to be played, and putting the piece in my hand, he advised me to take the advantage of reading, that I might more eafily follow the performance. You fee, continued he, that upon this stage, both the actors and authors fucceed much better in comedy, which is a conftant and evident proof of its fuperiority. Tragedy being, in this country, constrained and unnatural; thofe people, who perform the characters, inevitably contract an affected bluftering tone of voice, and ftray fo far from nature, that to be able to play both kinds well, happens very feldom; but in England, on the contrary, the tone and gait of tragedy being that of nature, does not deftroy the comic talents of the actor, and it is to this difference, undoubtedly, that Garrick, and fome others, owe that union and equal abilities in both kinds, which contrary caufes make the people of Paris believe to be incompatible, or wonderful. The actress whom you have just now feen, knew how to reconcile them (thanks to the powers of her mind), which made her abjure the emphafis of the French Melpomene: but he has been obliged, fometimes, to appear low and undeferving, to please an audience who have been spoiled by the practice of over-acting thofe emotions, where the English would have found her fublime; and is content with, now and then, extorting from the pit involuntary expreffions of admiration, or rather of feeling, with ftrokes of nature unknown to other actors. This woman would have furpaffed Garrick, if she had known Shakespeare; but it will be a great while before he is known to her or to this country. It would not be enough that the French language acquired an energy which it has not at prefent. If the national character which prefides over language, as in every thing elfe, does not change, the matter-pieces of this immortal and fingular genius will be for ever loft to them."

On Mr. Voltaire's literary character and his late oppofition to the tranflation of Shakespeare, are made the following pertient reflections in the Preface. They are ftiled a vindication he above cited panegyric on Shakespeare.

The memory of that extraordinary genius [Shakespeare] is hoed by a tribute of endless encomiums:-His dramatic works have for more than an age the subject of universal admiration in a moft table nation, among whom the belles-lettres and the fciences fh: yet a man of genius, to whom France has given birth, has to reach forth a profane and ungrateful hand to blast the laurels adorn his immortal brow.

"Is Mr. de Voltaire infenfible of the fuperiority of that honour with which candour and gratitude crown a man of celebrated genius, to that arifing from the illufions with which he may miflead an infa tuated vulgar? Are not his eyes good enough to fee that fuch a kind of enthufiafm can, at beft, only draw a party of his own times after him, which probably he may long outlive? Befides, there is fo great an affinity between juftnefs of thought, elegance of expreffion, and vigour of imagination, that whoever is poffeffed of the first of thefe gifts, is very feldom unprovided of the reft:-furely then his fplendid reputation could have fufered nothing from acknowledging Shakespeare to be a genius of the first order, and that he had been indebted to him for fome truly valuable paffages. A monopolifing fpirit leads to great meanneffes! While we pay to the great talents of Mr. de Voltaire, the moft fincere, though at the fame time, the most impartial respect, we cannot help blaming him for thofe excefles to which we fometimes fee him tranfported.

"Racine did not rail against Mr. Dacier, for having dared to tranf late those authors, who were his guides and models;-the partifans of that poet did not call Brumoi barbarous and filly for having drawn a parallel between them, but we are affured that these epithets have elcaped Mr. de Voltaire, against the tranflators of Shakespeare. We fhould be much pleafed in doubting of this fact; it would be exceffively indecent in him to domineer over opinions and fentiments, with that, defpotic fway he fo much abhors in others.

"It is a long time fince we foretold fome of the extravagant partisans of that poet, that in proportion as a knowledge of English literature became extended over France, he would lofe the reputation of origina lity in more than one of his productions. He has to many, that fuch a facrifice would be a meer trifle, especially if he makes it with a good

grace.

"The celebrated writers of the age of Louis XIV. were acquainted, with the Italian and Spanish languages, but knew as little of the Englifh as of the Huron; yet Milton, Shakespeare, and Dryden, before that time, had published fome mafter-pieces of genius. Towards the middle of the age of Louis XV. Mr. de Voltaire studied their language and writings, and profited by that knowledge. He was too quick fighted not to be fenfible of the great advantages he had over the imitators of Lopez de Vega, and the other Spanish authors, &c. This remained a fecret while the French, immerfed in prejudices, did not think of extending their views to the literary character of a people, whom they only knew at that time by their reciprocal hatred of each other.

"Mr. de Voltaire has no reason to be offended with this discovery, He is not reproached with being a plagiary ;-pen, like the pen t Mr. de Voltaire, embellish while they imitate;-this is by no mearf pillaging. When we obferve his ill-humour and invectives against the English poct, we fhould be apt to imagine him either fo very irafcible, or fo very aukward, as to confound thefe ideas-he expofes himself by fuch weakness.

Horace ventured to fay, that even the great Homer now and then flumbered;-if the cauftical Freron were itill alive, he would thin!

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that he had a right to fay that Mr. de Voltaire was doating. Heaven avert such a thought, and fave us from being guilty of fuch a literary blafphemy; on the contrary, let us fly to efcape his wrath, and the ireful fury of his numerous confederacy.

"Let the hardy and valuable tranflators of Shakespeare reproach him with, and prove to him, his fingular obligations to the English poet; let them accufe him of having miffed the nobleft flights in his imitations; the field is fairly open to them: but let us, who have not ftrength for fuch bold enterprizes, be fatisfied with begging of him, for the fake of the English nation, whom he has fo often extravagantly praised; for the fake of a few Frenchmen, who judge from their feelings, and not from the periodical decrees, which fome journalists receive by post from the Pays de Gex; and laftly for our own fakes, that we may be permitted to admire Othello, Cæfar, &c. &c. &c. because thefe pieces paint human nature, and fenfibly move our paffions; an effect which criticism and abufe can no more prevent, with respect to them, than the farcasms of Mr. Clement could hinder the triumph of the Henriade.

"With fuch eminent abilities as those of Mr. de Voltaire, with a reputation fo juftly acquired, and fo conftantly fupported, a man never deceives himself without a hazard of misleading others. The opinions which he has, or pretends to have adopted, gain credit and take root in the minds of other men. We have feen the ferious confequences of an error in a man of the highest reputation, and we chiefly venture to combat it, because of his diftinguished fuperiority.

"If the unjust opinion which ranks Shakespeare with the croud of monftrous authors who wrote in the ages of barbarism, had escaped from one of those feeble abortions, who periodically blot paper for the fatisfaction of fome people who endeavour to make them feem fomething; we should leave them to exhauft and annihilate themselves under their academical laurels, and talk nonsense to humour the Regent who is the prop of their imbecillity.

"Mr. de Voltaire, equally fenfible to praife and fatire, has fre quently procured fame and regard to works, which without his help had never been paid to ordinary abilities. It is a noftrum with fome authors, for the fale of a book, to place in the front thofe little epiftles which he has never failed to write in answer to those who proftrate themselves before him.

"If an author continues fteady in his worship, and never fails to tack his name and prailes to every page that he publishes, he will find that the party, which is very numerous, will imperceptibly adopt him, and then he may preach at his cafe. The literary pigmies whom we have been fpeaking of, notwithstanding their non-entity in other circumstances, immediately became important upon their admission into the confederacy.

"If we endeavour to warn the public against what thefe echo's may repeat after the fage of Ferney;-if we remind them of their never having poffeffed one original thought of their own, and that their interefted opinions are nothing but the monstrous produce of envy and perfonal vanity;-if we obferve that they do not understand, and that they never read, the fublime and original author whom they condemn,

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it is not from an apprehenfion that the impreffion made by their decree can have any extenfive influence; it is rather to convince the public more and more of the neceflity of judging for themselves of the works that are published, and to fhew them how just that indignation is, which they begin to feel against that infolent and impudent cabal, which would erect a throne for its idol, and, ranging itself around the defpot, form a literary inquifition *.

"Perhaps this ttroke is fevere, but let it be remembered, that in ftriking the blow we are only challenging a privilege which they have made ufe of as a pretence for their ufurpations.-the liberty of thinking. It is fortunate that the deftruction of letters has been prevented by want of abilities in thofe petty tyrants, who, by lavishing stupid and contemptible encomiums, have obtained warrants and paffports from Mr. de Voltaire, whofe vanity is fo cafily tickled, that it should make them be inftantly fufpected.

"May the prefent age do him juftice, by placing him by the fide, or even above, the greatest known genius ;- -we will not oppose it ;it is an homage which is due to him: but let us likewife do him juftice, by always doubting, and never fubmitting to be led either by his praifes, or his cenfures.

در

S.

Six Difcourfes; to which is prefixed an Introduction; containing A View of the Genuine Antient Philofophy; of the natural and effectual Tendency of that Philofophy, and of Chriftian Morality, to all True Profperity in this World; and fome Obfervations on a Book lately published, entitled, A View of the Internal Evidence of the Chriftian Religion. By Percival Stockdale. 8vo. 3s. Conant.

Thefe difcourfes are dedicated to Dr. Shipley Bishop of St. Afaph, as the author infinuates, "the only one bishop on the bench, to whom can be given large praife without flattery; which he declares,, however, that he does without the leaft hope of his lordship's patronage. If this be true, it is a proof of his poffeffing that independent fpirit, he affects to admire, as well as of his originality, as he ftiles it, in writing a dedication; especially if it be confidered that, being in a fituation dependent on Adminiftration†, he warmly engages on the fide of perfons and principles fuppofed to be obnoxious to it.

This is the cafe in every country, where any writer of eminence will ftoop to thofe meanneifes, which are neceffary to form fuch a cabal, and at the fame time infolently affume the inquifitorial chair. Rev.

+ An administration which he is bold enough to call blundering and opprefive; and which he, not improbably, fo calls on purpose to provoke minifterial vengeance, that he may have the honour of a political martyrdom, by facrificing his chaplainship at the thrine of independence. Rev.