_Let’s on, and live the nobler Life of Sense; To all the Powers of Love and mighty Lust, In spite of formal Fops I will be just. What Ways soe’er conduce to my Delight, My Sense instructs me, I must think ’em right. On, on my Soul, and make no Stop in Pleasure, They’re dull insipid Fools, who live by Measure._
Was I to criticise on all the Errors occurring in the _Greek_, _Latin_ and _English_ Dramatists, I should swell my Criticisms to a Bulk exceeding these swelling Expressions of _Seneca_, in the first Act of his _Hercules Oetæus_, whom he makes to speak in these bragging, bouncing, and ranting Strains.
_Vel si times ne terra concipiat feras, Properet malum quodcunque dum terra Herculem Habet, videtque. Da, da tuendos Jupiter saltem deos: Illa licebit fulmina parte auferas, Ego quam tuebor: sive glacialem polum, Seu me tueri fervidam partem jubes, Hac esse superos parte securos puta._
By these Lines we plainly see how miserable _Jupiter_ must be, who cannot be safe from wild Beasts without an _Hercules_; and then again how little and weak the _Poet_ makes the Gods, in representing them to stand in Need of Human Help: But the tragick _Poets_ do very often err in this Manner, by extolling Things above Nature. Moreover, altho’ some Morality may be learnt by the Judicious either from tragick or comick Writers, yet there are none of the dramatick Poets but what have too much Immorality and Prophaness in their Writings; and hence it follows that either _Tragedy_ or _Comedy_, as being a Representation of Things, must be of a more pernicious Consequence than an _Epick_ Poem, which is only a Recitation. A dramatick _Poet_ must make the Person which he brings on the Stage to speak exactly to the Character which he or she represents: Thus whether the Person that represents another, is to act the Part of a Tyrant, Adulterer, Villain, Drunkard, or any other wicked profligate Wretch, as the Humour of such Persons must be represented always the same, without any Variety, the Representation of such notorious Crimes may be of an ill Consequence to green Heads; and especially in being Spectators of such Plays, which treat of those Subjects whose Stories are taken from, or belonging to Hell. Farthermore there is as much Buffoonry and Drollery acted on the _Irish_ Stage as on the _English_ Stage, as having _Harlequins_ shewing _Merry-Andrew_’s Tricks; _Scaramouches_ jumping into Barrels; Dame _Ragonda_ skipping about with 9 Brats at her Heels; or a brainless Fellow, who has more Grimace than Sense, riding upon an Ass, which (I’m sure) is false Heraldry to put Metal upon Metal.