Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

of our own behaviour) we make guilty of our difafters, the fun, the moon and stars; as if we were

bias it to all the contrary ill qualities. So wretched and monArous an opinion did it fet out with. But the Italians, to whom we owe this, as well as most other unnatural crimes and follies of these latter ages, fomented its original impiety to the most detestable height of extravagance. Petrus Aponensis, an Italian physician of the XIIIth century, affures us that those prayers which are made to God when the moon is in conjunction with Jupiter in the Dragon's tail, are infallibly heard. The great Milton with a just indignation of this impiety, hath, in his Paradise Regained, fatirized it in a very beautiful manner, by putting these reveries into the mouth of the Devil. Nor could the licentious Rabelais himself forbear to ridicule this impious dotage, which he does with exquifite address and humour, where, in the fable which he so agreeably tells from Ajop, of the man who applied to Ju piter for the loss of his hatchet, he makes those, who, on the poor man's good fuccess, had projected to trick Jupiter by the fame petition, a kind of astrologick atheists, who afcribed this good fortune, that they imagined they were now all going to partake of, to the influence of fome rare conjunction and configuration of the stars. Hen, ben, difent ils-Et doncques, telle eft au temps present la revolution des Cieulx, la constellation des Aftres, & aspect des Planetes, que

7

quiconque Coignée perdra, Soub-
aoin deviendra ainsi riche?
Nou. Prol. du IV. Livre.

But to return to Shakespear. So blafphemous a delufion, there fore, it became the honesty of our poet to expose. But it was a tender point, and required managing. For this impious juggle had in his time a kind of religious reverence paid to it. It was therefore to be done obliquely; and the circumstances of the scene furnished him with as good an opportunity as he could wish. The perfons in the drama are all pagans, so that as, in compliance to custom, his good characters were not to speak ill of judicial astrology, they could on account of their religion give no reputation to it. But in order to expose it the more, he, with great judgment, makes these pagans Fatalists; as appears by these words of Lear, By ail the operations of the orbs, From whom we do exist and cease to be.

For the doctrine of fate is the true foundation of judicial Aftrology. Having thus discre. dited it by the very commendations given to it, he was in no danger of having his direct fatire against it mistaken, by its being put (as he was obliged, both in paying regard to custom, and in following nature) into the mouth of the villain and atheist, especially when he has added fuch force of reason to his ridicule, in the words referred to in the beginning of the note.

villains

villains on necessity; fools, by heavenly compulfion; knaves, thieves, and treacherous, by spherical predominance; drunkards, lyars, and adulterers, by an inforc'd obedience of planetary influence; and all that we are evil in, by a divine thrusting on. + An admirable evasion of whore-master Man, to lay his goatish disposition on the charge of a star! my father compounded with my mother under the Dragon's tail, and my nativity was under Urfa major, so that it follows, I am rough and lecherous. I should have been what I am, had the maidenliest star in the firmament twinkied on my bastardizing.

Pat!

[blocks in formation]

he comes, like the Catastrophe of the old comedy; my cue is villainous Melancholy, with a figh

[blocks in formation]

troduction of the persons of the Drama into the scene, just in the nick of time, or pat, as our author fays, makes the similitude very proper. This, without doubt, is the supreme beauty of Comedy, confidered as an action. And as it depends solely on a strict observance of the Unities, it shews that these Unities are in nature, and in the reason of things, and not in a meer arbitrary invention of the Greeks, as some of our own country critics, of a low mechanic genius, have, by their works, perfuaded our wits to believe. For common sense requiring that the fubject of one comedy should be one action, and that that action should be contained nearly within the period of time which the representation

of

!

figh like Tom o' Bedlam

O, these eclipses portend

these divisions! fa, fol, la, me-

Edg. How now, brother Edmund, what ferious con

templation are you in ?

Edm. I am thinking, brother, of a prediction I read. this other day, what should follow these eclipses. Edg. Do you bufy yourself with that?

Edm. I promise you, the effects, he writes of, succeed unhappily. When faw you my father last?

of it takes up; hence we have the unities of Time and Agion; and from these unavoidably arifes the third, which is that of Place. For when the whole of one action is included within a proportionable small space of time, there is no room to change the scene, but all must be done upon one spot of ground. Now from this last unity (the necessary iffue of the two other, which derive immediately from nature) proceeds all that beauty of the catastrophe, or the winding up the plot in the ancient comedy. For all the perfons of the Drama being to appear and act on one limited spot, and being by their several interesls to embarras, and at length to conduct the action to its destin'd period, there is need of confummate skill to bring ibem on, and take them off, naturally and neceffarily for the grace of action requires the one, and the perfection of it the other. Which conduct of the action must needs produce a beau, ty that will give a judicious mind the highest pleasure. On the other hand, when a comic writer has a whole country to range in, nothing is easier than to find the

Edg.

persons of the Drama just where he would have them; and this requiring no art, the beauty we speak of is not to be found. Consequently a violation of the unities deprives the Drama of one of its greatest beauties; which proves what I afferted, that the three unities are no arbitrary mechanic invention, but founded in reason and the nature of things. The Tempest of ShakeSpear fufficiently proves him to be well acquainted with these unities; and the paffage in queftion shews him to have been ftruck with the beauty that refults from them. WARBURTON.

6 I promise you,] The folio edition commonly differs from the first quarto, by augmentations or insertions, but in this place it varies by omiffion, and by the omiffion of fomething which naturally introduces the following dialogue. The quarto has the passage thus:

I promise you, the effects, be writes of, succeed unhappily, as of unnaturalness between the child. and parent, death, dearth, diffolutions of ancient amities, divifions in state, menaces and maledictions against king and nobles,

need

Edg. The night gone by.

Edm. Spake you with him?

Edg. Ay, two hours together.

Edm. Parted you in good terms, found you no dif

pleasure in him, by word or countenance ?

Edg. None at all.

Edm. Bethink yourself, wherein you have offended him: and, at my intreaty, forbear his presence, until some little time hath qualified the heat of his displeafure; which at this instant so rageth in him, 7 that with the mischief of your person it would scarcely allay.

Edg. Some villain hath done me wrong.

Edm. That's my fear. I pray you, have a continent forbearance 'till the speed of his rage goes flower; and, as I say, retire with me to my lodging, from whence I will fitly bring you to hear my Lord speak. Pray you, go, there's my key. If you do stir abroad, go arm'd.

Edg. Arm'd, brother!

Edm. Brother, I advise you to the best; I am no honest man, if there be any good meaning toward you: I have told you what I have seen and heard, but faintly; nothing like the image and horror of it. Pray you, away.

Edg. Shall I hear from you anon?

needless diffidences, banishment of friends, diffipation of courts, nuptial breaches, and I know not what.

It is easy to remark, that in this speech, which ought, I think, to be inferted in the text, Edmund, with the common craft of fortune-tellers, mingles the past and future, and teils of the fu

ture only what he already foreknows by confederacy, or can attain by probable conjecture.

7 that with the mischief of your person] This reading is in both copies, yet I believe the authour gave it, that but with the mischief of your person it would searce allay.

SCENE

SCENE

Edm. I do ferve you in this business. [Exit Edgar,

A credulous father, and a brother noble,

Whose nature is so far from doing harms,
That he suspects none; on whose foolish honefty

My practices ride easy; I see the business.
Let me, if not by birth, have lands by wit;

All with me's meet, that I can fashion fit.

[Exit.

Gon.

SCENE XI.

The Duke of Albany's Palace.

Enter Gonerill and Steward.

ID my father strike my gentleman for chid

Ding of his fool

Stew. Ay, madam.

Gon. By day and night, he wrongs me. Every hour

He flashes into one grofs crime or other,

That fets us all at odds; I'll not endure it.
His Knights grow riotous, and himself upbraids us
On every trifle. When he returns from hunting,
I will not speak with him; fay, I am fick.
If you come slack of former services,

You shall do well; the fault of it I'll answer.

Stew. He's coming, Madam, I hear him. Gon. Put on what weary negligence you please, You and your fellows; I'd have it come to question. If he distaste it, let him to my fister, Whose mind and mine, I know, in that are one,

8

Not to be over-rul'd. Idle old Man,

That still would manage those Authorities,

:

That

Idle old Man,] The follow themselves, and very much in lowing Lines, as they are fine in Character for Gonerill, I have re

Aored

« AnteriorContinuar »