the allegiance of his subjects, should deprive the Prince of his fucceffion! Nothing can be better imagined than the parallel he draws between himself and Percy, Richard and Henry of Monmouth. The affectionate father, the offended king, the provident politician, and the conscious ufurper, are all united in the following fpeeches : K. HENRY. I know not, whether God will have it so, That, in his fecret doom, out of my blood Make me believe that thou art only mark'd For the hot vengeance and the rod of heav'n, To punish my mis-treadings. Tell me, else Could fuch inordinate and low defires, Such poor, fuch bafe, fuch lewd, fuch mean attempts, Such barren pleasures, rude fociety. As thou art match'd withal, and grafted to, Accompany the greatness of thy blood, And hold their level with thy princely heart? K. HENRY. Heav'n pardon thee. Yet let me wonder, Harry, But, like a comet, I was wonder'd at, That men would tell their children, this is he; Others would fay, where? which is Bolingbroke? And then I ftole all courtesy from heav'n, And drest myself in much humility, That I did pluck allegiance from mens hearts, Loud Loud fhouts and falutations from their mouths, Thus I did keep my perfon fresh and new, Ne'er feen, but wonder'd at; and fo my ftate, Had his great name profaned with their scorns; That, being daily fwallow'd by mens eyes, He was but as the cuckow is in June, Heard, not regarded; feen, but with such eyes, As, fick and blunted with community, Afford no extraordinary gaze; Such, as is bent on fun-like majefty, When it shines feldom in admiring eyes; But rather drowz'd, and hung their eye-lids down, As cloudy men use to their adversaries, Being with his presence glutted, gorg'd and full. With vile participation; not an eye, Save mine, which hath defir'd to fee thee more; Our author is fo little under the discipline of art, that we are apt to ascribe his happieft fucceffes, as well as his most unfortunate failings, to chance. But I cannot help thinking, there is more of contrivance and care in his execution of this play, than in almost any he has written. It is a more regular drama than his other historical plays, lefs charged with abfurdities, and lefs involved in confufion. It is indeed liable to those those objections which are made to tragicomedy. But if the pedantry of learning could ever recede from its dogmatical rules, I think that this play, inftead of being condemned for being of that fpecies, would obtain favour for the fpecies itself, though perhaps correct tafte may be offended with the tranfitions from grave and important, to light and ludicrous fubjects, and more ftill with those from great and illustrious, to low and mean perfons. Foreigners unused to these compofitions will be much disgusted at them. The vulgar call all animals that are not natives of their own country, monfters, however beautiful they may be in their form, or wifely adapted to their climate and natural destination. The prejudices of pride are as violent and unreasonable as the fuperftitions of ignorance. On the French Parnaffus, a tragi-comedy of this kind will be deemed a monfter fitter to be fhewn to the people at a fair, than exhibited to circles of the learned and polite. From fome peculiar circumstances |