GEORGE FARQUHAR A DISCOURSE UPON COMEDY, IN REFERENCE TO THE ENGLISH STAGE. 1702 In a Letter to a Friend. WITH Submission, Sir, my Performance in the Practical Part of Poetry is no sufficient Warrant for your pressing me in the Speculative; I have no Foundation for a Legislator, and the two or three little Plays I have written, are cast carelesly into the World, without any Bulk of Preface, because I was not so learn'd in the Laws, as to move in Defence of a bad Case. Why then shou'd a Compliment go farther with me, than my own Interest? Don't mistake me, Sir, here is nothing that cou'd make for my Advantage in either Preface or Dedication; no Speculative Curiosities, nor Critical Remarks; only some present Sentiments which Hazard, not Study, brings into my Head, without any preliminary Method or Cogitation. Among the many Disadvantages attending Poetry, none seems to bear a greater Weight, than that so many set up for Judges, when so very few understand a tittle of the matter. Most of our other Arts and Sciences bear an awful Distance in their Prospect, or with a bold. and glittering Varnish dazle the Eyes of the weak-sighted Vulgar. The Divine stands wrapt up in his Cloud of Mysteries, and the amus'd Layety must pay Tyths and Veneration to be kept in Obscurity, grounding their Hopes of future Knowledge on a Competent Stock of present Ignorance (in the greater part of the Christian World this is plain.) With what Deference and Resignation does the bubbled Client commit his Fees and Cause into the Clutches of the Law, where Assurance beards Justice by Prescription, and the wrong side is never known to make it's Patron blush. Physick and Logick are so strongly fortify'd by their impregnable Terms of Art, and the Mathematician lies so cunningly intrench'd within his Lines and Circles, that none but those of their Party dare peep into their puzling Designs. Thus the Generality of Mankind is held at a gazing Distance, whose Ignorance not presuming perhaps to an open Applause, is yet satisfy'd to pay a blind Veneration to the very Faults of what they don't understand. Poetry alone, and chiefly the Dramma, lies open to the Insults of all Pretenders; she was one of Nature's eldest Offsprings, whence by her Birthright and plain Simplicity she pleads a genuine Likeness to her Mother; born in the Innocence of Time, she provided not against the Assaults of succeeding Ages; and, depending altogether on the generous End of her Invention, neglected those secret Supports and serpentine Devices us'd by other Arts that wind themselves into Practice for more subtle and politick Designs: Naked she came into the Wo[r]ld, and 'tis to be fear'd, like its Professiors, will go naked out. 'Tis a wonderful thing, that most Men seem to have a great Veneration for Poetry, yet will hardly allow a favourable Word to any Piece of it that they meet; like your Virtuoso's in Friendship, that are so ravish'd with the notional Nicety of the Vertue, that they can find no Person worth their intimate Acquaintance. The Favour of being whipt at School for Martial's Epigrams, or Ovid's Epistles, is sufficient Priviledge for turning Pedagogue, and lashing all their Successors; and it wou'd seem by the fury of their Correction, that the ends of the Rod were still in their Buttocks. The Scholar calls upon us for Decorums and Oeconnomy; the Courtier crys out for Wit and Purity of Stile; the Citizen for Humour and Ridicule; the Divines threaten us for Immodesty; and the Ladies will have an Intreague. Now here are a multitude of Criticks, whereof the twentieth Person only has read Quæ Genus, and yet every one is a Critick after his own way; that is, Such a Play is best, because I like it. A very familiar Argument, methinks, to prove the Excellence of a Play, and to which an Author wou'd be very unwilling to appeal for his Success: Yet such is the unfortunate State of Dramatick Poetry, that it must submit to such Judgments; and by the Censure or Approbation of such variety it must either stand or fall. But what Salvo, what Redress for this Inconvenience? Why, without all Dispute, an Author must indeavour to pleasure that Part of the Audience, who can lay the best claim to a judicious and impartial Reflection: But before he begins, let him well consider to what Division that Claim do's most properly belong. The Scholar will be very angry at me for making that the Subject of a Question, which is self-evident without any Dispute: For, says he, who can pretend to understand Poetry better than we, who have read Homer, Virgil, Horace, Ovid, &c. at the University? What Knowledge can outstrip ours, that is founded upon the Criticisms of Aristotle, Scaliger, Vossius, and the like? We are the better sort, and therefore may claim this as a due Compliment to our Learning; and if a Poet can please us, who are the nice and severe Criticks, he cannot fail to bring in the rest of an inferiour Rank. W |