perfonages in the Revenge are not fo nicely pourtrayed as in Othello; and indeed who would compare Dr. Young and Shakespear for drawing characters ? There is a vast number of thofe amazing ftrokes of fancy and rapturous fentiment in Othello, which are in every one's memory, and which make us revere the piece that contains them, that are not to be found fo plentifully in the Revenge (though there are many fine ftrokes in it.) In fhort, I do not compare these tragedies, only in refpect of fable; but yet i think the fable fo very important in every tragedy, and fo well managed in Dr. Young's, that I own the reprefentation of the Revenge moves my terror and pity in the highest degree, far more than Othello. The catastrophe is brought about fo diftinctly, and with fo much art and nobleness as finely fuits that fufpence VOL. III. which

H

which fixes the attention to one point. The characters alfo in the Revenge are, in my humble opinion, far more truly tragic than in Othello, and more apt to raise our compaffion (I repeat again, that I do not compare the art of painting mankind in the two poets; had ShakeSpear wrote a tragedy with fuch a fable as the Revenge, it would have been infinitely beyond Dr. Young's.) Othello being Moor from the very beginning, hints the emotions which rife in the fpectators bofom. At the beginning of the play, feveral characters of the drama appear merely to introduce the fable, like Brabantio, &c. and fome of thefe continue throughout, which greatly weakens the attention.' Don Carlos, in the Revenge, increases the pathetic of the piece far more than Caffio does; and as for Leono

ra, one cannot compare Defdemona to

her*

THE

SECT. V.

HE examen of the Revenge alone would be fufficient to convince us of the truth of Ariftotle's maxim, that the fable is the principal part of tragedy. The very events themselves are enough to kindle the paffions, which is the end of tragedy. A great fault in fome of Shakespear's pieces, is the bad connection of his incidents; the events do not naturally rife out of each other, but are joined by episodes, that might

I fhould not have ventured on this comparifon of the fables of these two noble tragedies, had not my opinion been supported by that of a moft fenfible and ingenious lady, whom I fhall diftinguish by the name of Clementina, who is greatly prejudiced in favour of our immortal bard, and than whom few men are better judges.

wery well be fpared from his fable, without injuring it, had it been well managed. The neceffary confequence of this management, is dividing the terror and pity in the minds of the audience, which ought wholly to be carried towards the principal perfonage in the piece. M. de Voltaire has compofed feveral tragedies on moft noble fubjects. The fable of his Semiramis is excellent, and finely adapted to raise the pity and terror of an audience. Semiramis, queen of the Eaft, in conjunction with Affur, a prince of the royal family, murders her husband king Ninus; and Affur, to open his way to the throne, ordered Ninias, her fon to be dispatched. After this action fhe reigns alone for fifteen years. At the time the action of the piece begins, fhe is overwhelmed with forrow, remorfe, and guilt, which are more immediately occafioned by her be

ing feveral times terrified at feeing the ghost of Ninus, and other dreadful fupernatural appearances and noifes. Ninus, fufpecting a defign on his fon, conveyed him away to his friend Phradates, who brought him up as his fon, under the name of Arzaces: He proves a great captain, and commands against the Scythians with fuccefs. On his return to Babylon he meets with his friend Mitranes, and the piece opens with the converfation between them: He relates that his (supposed) father, on his death-bed, gave him a precious cafket to deliver to the high-prieft, which he accordingly does in the next fcene. The high-prieft introduces him to Semiramis, who has longed to fee him, as the fupernatural voice had declared, that on his arrival her anxiety fhould have an end: And as he hated Affur, the defigned to raise up Arzaces.