and fpoiling the decorum of what is reprefented; for an imperfect Actor affronts the Audience," and betrays his own demerits. I must fay this in the praife of Major Mohun, he is generally perfect, and gives the Prompter little Trouble, and never puts in any thing of his own; a fault for which fome applaud themfelves, tho' they deferve a fevere punishment for their equal Folly and Impudence. They forget Hamlet's Adviceto the Players, as follows,

"Let thofe who play your Clowns fpeak no more than is fet down for them; for there be of: them that will of themselves laugh, to fet on fome Quantity of barren Spectators to laugh too; tho' in the mean time fome neceffary Question of the Play be then to be confidered. That's villainous, and fhews a most pitiful Ambition in the Fool that uses it.

وو

This is too frequently done by fome of our Comedians. But it is, I think, an unpardonable fault in a Tragedian, who through his Imper-. fectness in his part fhall fpeak on any Stuff that comes in his Head, which muft infallibly prejudice the true Expreffion of the Bufinefs of the Play, let it be Paffion, Defcription or Narration. Tho' notwithstanding this Supinity in general of too many of our modern Players, there are fome' among them who are in earnest; as may, from many Instances be pointed out in their refpective parts. Among thofe Players, who feem always to be in earnest, I must not omit the principal, thofe incomparable performers Mrs. Barry and Mrs. Bracegirdle; their Action is always juft, and produced naturally by the Sentiments of the part they act, every where obferving thofe Rules prescribed to the Poets by Horace, and which equally reach the Players.

We

We weep and laugh as we fee others do,
He only makes me fad, who fhews the way,
And firft is fad himfelf; then Telephus
I feel the Weight of your Calamities,
And fancy all your Miferies my own;
But if you act them ill, Ifleep or laugh.
Your Look muft alter as your Subject does,
For Nature forms and foftens us within,
And writes our Fortune's Changes in our
Face.

Pleafure inchants, impetuous Rage transports,
And Grief dejects and wrings the tortur'd
Soul;

And these are all interpreted by Speech.
But he, whofe Words and Fortunes difagree
Abfurd, unpitied grows a publick Jeft..

ROSCOM.

The Ladies juft mentioned always entered into their parts. How often have I heard Mrs. Barry fay, that fhe never fpoke thefe Words in the Orphan, Ah, poor Caftalio!Caftalio!-- without weeping. Nay, I have frequently obferved her to change Countenance feveral times, as the dif courfe of others on the Stage have affected her in the part fhe acted. This is being thoroughly. concerned, this is to know one's part, this is to express the Paffions in the Countenance and Gesture.

The Stage ought to be the Seat of paffion in its various Kinds; and therefore the Actors ought to be thoroughly acquainted with the whole Nature of the Affections, and Habits of the Mind, or else they never will be able to express them justly in their Looks and Gestures, as well

well as in the Tone of their Voice, and Manner of Utterance. They must know them in their various Mixtures, as they are differently blended together in the Characters they reprefent; and then that excellent Rule, in the Effay on Poetry, will be of great Ufe to the Actor,

Who must look Within to find

Thofe fecret Turns of Nature in the Mind;
Without this part, in vain would be the whole,
And but a Body All, without a Soul.

BUCK.

I think we have already affigned tolerable Reafons why Movement and Action fhould teach us fo fenfibly; nay, the very Representation of them in Painting often ftrikes the Paffions, and makes Impreffions of our Minds more ftrong and vivid, than all the Force of Words. The chief

Work is certainly done by Speech in most other ways of Publick Difcourfe, either at the Bar, or in the Pulpit; where the Weight of the Reason and the Proof are first and most to be confidered; But on the Stage, where the Paffions are chiefly in View, the best Speaking deftitute of of Action and Gefture (the Life of all Speaking) proves but a heavy, dull, and dead Difcourfe:

This, in fome meafure, will likewife reach. all things delivered in Public, fince we find Pliny the Younger talking of People in his Days reciting of their Speeches, or Poems, either by reading them themselves, or by having them read by others, tells us, that this reading them was a very great Difadvantage to the Excellence of their Performance either way, leffening both their Eloquence and Character, fince the princi

pal

pal Helps of Pronounciation, the Eyes and the Hands, could not perform their Office, being otherwife employ'd to read, and not adorn the Utterance with their proper Motions; infomuch that it was no manner of wonder, that the Attention of the Audience grew languid, on fo unactive an Entertainment. On the contrary, when any Difcourfe receives Force and Life, not only from the propriety and Graces of fpeaking agreeably to the Subject, but from a proper Action and Gefture for it, it is truly moving, penetrating, tranfporting; it has a Soul, it has Life, it has Vigour and Energy not to be refifted. For then the Player, the Preacher or Pleader, holds his Audience by the Eyes, as well as Ears, and engroffes their Attention by a double Force. This feems to be well represented in fome Words of Cicero to Cæcilius a young Orator, in his firft Cause, who would needs undertake the Action against Verres, in Oppofition to Hortenfius. After he has fhown his Incapacity in many Points to accufe Verres, both in Ability, and in not being free from a Sufpicion of a Share in the Guilt, he comes at laft to the power and Art of his Adversary. cilius, fays he, reflect, confider, again and again what you are going to do! for there feems to me to be fome Danger not only of his oppreffing you with his Words, but even of his confounding and dazling the Eyes of your Understanding with his Gefture, and the Motion of his Body, and fo entirely drive you from your Defign, and from all your Thoughts.

" Cœ

Cicero, in his Books of Oratory, tells us, that Craffus pleading against Brutus, delivered his Words with fuch an accent and fuch a Gefture,

that

that he perfectly confounded the latter, and put him out of Countenance, fixing his Eyes ftedfaftly on him, and addreffing all his Action to him, as if he would devour him with a Look and a Word.

But to make thefe motions of the Face and Hands eafily understood, that is, ufeful in moving the paffions of the Auditors, they must be properly fuited to the Thing you fpeak of, your Thoughts and Defign; and always refembling the paffion you would exprefs or excite. Thus you must never fpeak of mournful Things with a gay and brisk Look, nor affirm any thing with the Action of Denial; for that would make what you fay of no manner of Authority or Credit; you would gain neither Belief nor Admiration. You must alfo have a peculiar Care of avoiding all manner of Affectation in your Gesture, for that is ridiculous, unless where the Actor is to exprefs fome Affectation in the Character he reprefents, as Melantha in Marriage Ala-mode, and Millamant in the Way of the World. But even that Affectation must be unaffected, as thofe two parts were admirably performed by Mrs. Montfort and Mrs. Bracegirdle.

In fine, the Actor must have fuch nice Addrefs in the management of his Gestures, that there may be nothing in all the various Motions. and Difpofitions of his Body which may be of fenfive to the Eye of the Spectator, as well as nothing grating and difobliging to the Ears of his Auditors, in his pronounciation, elfe will his Perfon be lefs agreeable, and his Speech lefs efficacious to both, by wanting all that Grace, Virtue and Power it would certainly otherwise

obtain.

It