The principal inconvenience of the antient Masks was their want of motion to express the tranfitions of the paffions; but the ftructure of their Theatre, and the great distance of the Stage, even from the nearest part of the Audience, as has been obferved before, would have deprived the Actor of all merit in the exhibition, had he appeared in his own

countenance.

Notwithstanding all the perfection which they had attained in this art, it is obvious, that the use of Masks made every thing much easier to them than to us. The paffion being ready drawn, there was no need of straining the features to their femblance; and they had nothing more to do than to study and imitate, propriety of voice and action; the fame perfon might at different times represent a youth, an aged man, a young damfel, &c. and all without any apparent impropriety: but with us it is quite otherwise. The different appearances and drefs of each paffion, as they are expreffed by the countenance, voice, and gefture, must be closely ftudied, and every help introduced, which will vary the reprefentation as much as poffible. According to this mode

of

of acting, to recite judiciously and melodiously. was an Actor's greatest merit; whereas with us, these are but affiftant perfections, and a man can never hope to excel, that has not a marking countenance, ftrong feeling, and the power of altering his features fo as to express. his feelings.

I think it a pity, however, that the Masks should be totally laid afide; they would be of admirable service, even at this day, to many of our Players who affume parts to which their abilities are not at all adapted: thus might that vacancy of countenance, that total absence of sentiment which they fometimes difplay in parts that require the utmost energy of paffion, be happily concealed.

The Mask, Sock, and Bufkin, conftituted the most material differences between the antient and modern Players. The Sock and Buskin were the antient appendages of Tragedy and Comedy; the former is described by fome to be a kind of a high shoe reaching above the ancle; others say it was only a low common fhoe, the use of which on the Theatre was confined to Comedy. The Bufkin was a pur

ple

ple coloured boot of a quadrangular form, which reached above the mid-leg, tied under the knee, and richly ornamented with jewels. The thickness of the fole gave a confiderable élevation to the ordinary ftature; it was the peculiar distinction of Tragedy. It is faid to have been worn promifcuoufly by either fex; and that the Roman ladies used it to raise their height; however, the Sock and Bufkin have ever fince been the characteristics of Comedy and Tragedy.

CHA P. III.

Of the antient Tragedy and Comedy in Greece 3 and their Authors.

TH

HE licentious raillery indulged by the antients in their annual feftivals gave rife to the old fatyric Drama; this was mostly extemporaneous droll and mimicry, by way of dialogue. But, however, from this rude beginning, the Poets, who were the Divines and Philofophers of the age, took the hint of conveying their inftructions in a more pleafing drefs. Thefpis and Æfchylus were the firft who made any fort of regular tragic poems,

poems; Sophocles and Euripides gave it almost the polish of perfection. Efchylus infused a spirit of majesty and dignity into Tragedy, to which it was before unknown. His diction is fublime; but Sophocles his rival, who appeared about twenty-fix years afterwards, improved it farther, and added a tenderness to his characters, which was wanting in the other; he was called the Bee, for the fweetness of his verfes. Quintilian, speaking of these two Poets, fays: Tragoedias primum in lucem protulit Æfchylus, fublimis gravis & grandiloquus, fepe ufque ad vitium. Longe clarius illuftraverunt boc opus Sophocles atque Euripides: Quorum in difpari dicendi vi, uter fit Poeta melior, inter plurimos queritur. Lib. 10. chap. 1.

It is hard to fay, whether Æfchylus or Sophocles was the most excellent; but this we can with pleasure affure the public, Euripides has been translated by a gentleman of Trinitycollege, Dublin, who intends to print it, as has Sophocles by a fellow of Trinity-colledge, Cambridge; and both of them are men capable of preferving all the spirit, and every excellency of the originals.

Tragedy

Tragedy having reached its fummit of perfection under thefe three great masters, no others were afterwards taken notice of in a tragic way; and now Comedy began to be improved. The firft comic Poets we read of among the Greeks, were Chronides, Magnes, and Phormas, who began to improve Comedy in Efchylus's time; and after his death, Cratinus, Plato, Epicharmes, Crates, Eupolis, Ariftophanes. The unlimited raillery of Comedy was highly agreeable to the people of Athens,while that state continued free,and very justifiable while it was kept within the bounds of decency, mentioned by Horace; for the greatest men not being fpared in their theatric entertainments, they were thereby kept from infringing on the liberties of the people... The Poets were reckoned the most useful members of the commonwealth, and per formed the offices of ftatefmen and philofophers, in reforming the government and instructing the people.

Eupolis, Cratinus, and Ariftophanes were particularly excellent. We have no remains of any of their works bur of the last, and of the many dramatic pieces he wrote, only eleven

are