To inftance, fuppofe in fpeaking to his army, the actor who performed the part of a general, used the very action, attitude, and expreffion of feature, with which the great duke of Marlborough spoke to his forces; in thus addreffing his theatrical troops, he would have received applaufe from all the spectators, tho' each knew from whence he drew the imitation.

IN like manner in comic character, the player who takes off all the air and fingularities of a real mifer, will be applauded; we say it is fuch a man.

AND yet, the poet who wrote either the tragedy which contained the first character, or the comedy in which the fecond was described, would have been hifs'd if he had taken the real speech of the duke, or expreffions and converfation of the mifer. Such are the different fates which attend actors and authors, and yet each equally plagiaries.

A PLAYER then may walk thro' a life of applaufe in being no more than an imitator; a poet must fink into contempt for the fame

beha

behaviour; we pardon men who mimick the mifer'in action, and condemn those who steal his known conversation; a player then may fucceed on inferior talents than a dramatic writer, be exalted to the stars for the very reafon which prevents genius from fuccefs in the fame parts; all men fee the likeness which Gripe the player, has to Gripe the miser, and applaud him, then hear the very expreffions copied from his mouth, and condemn the poet. After all, it is not impoffible alfo, but this disapprobation of Shakefpeare might partly rife from his playing unlike all others, rather than inferior to any. Shakespeare the genius could not imitate any individual man in action, the audience probably could not conceive any thing to be juft, above what they had been accustomed to behold in common nature.

IT is now time to ask pardon, and to clofe this letter, which is already too long; my next fhall tell you how an actor now living, performs fome paffages of this author.

Madam,

I am, 7

Your most obedient fervant.

LET

SH

I dare affert, that acting the part of a person of superior life, fublimely conceived and pathetically written, requires more genius than writing a tragedy where five acts of undiftinguishable characters, and regular mediocrity, make its whole, merit? I flatter myself that your opinion will not be different from mine in this inftance, when I have laid before you all that I have to say on this occasion.

IT has always appeared to me, that notwithstanding the apparent raptures, with which men pretend to feel thofe paffages of an author, which place him above humanity, if their own performances in a like nature fall much short of it, that they have never reached in their conception the true fpirit of the author, which they have praised.

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WHEREAS

WHEREAS a player, who perfonates in every part the living manners of a superior character, manifefts beyond contradiction, that he has conceived the true idea of the author.

A POET therefore in raptures with the character of Lear, as Shakespeare has drawn it, who in his writings fhould attempt fomething of a fi milar nature, inftead of the fovereign of unfixt temper, choleric and fudden, whofe ideas and conceptions express royalty in every part of his anger, fhould draw a porter in rage, replete with every Gothic grofsnefs, will be infinitely inferior in genius to him, that fills up this character with all that fire and majefty which becomes the perfonage, as Shakespeare has completed it."

THIS, a player on the English stage perfectly accomplishes: his name is Garrick.

IT may be a vanity; but you, Madam, will pardon even that in a private letter, not defigned for the public eye. In the action of all other men I have imagined fomething yet farther than has been expreft by them; in this

player,

player, and in this part, this man has exceeded all my imagination; and as Pouffin is confidered the painter of men of tafte, fo in like manner Mr. Garrick is the player.

He is the only man on any ftage where I have been, who speaks tragedy truly and natural : the French tragedians mouth it too much, and to appear something more than men, they lofe the resemblance of humanity a hero on that ftage, in drefs and expreffion is a complete exotic of all nations, and feems a creature just arrived from fome diftant planet.

,,

Ir must be allowed however, that the pasfion of anger is the eafieft to be imitated of all those which the human mind is fubject to; but to be angry with fuperior fovereignty is as difficult to attain as any part, to be executed with that dignity which this English actor imparts to it.

In the first act of the tragedy of Lear, when : Cordelia has difpleafed him by that which ought to have had a contrary effect, his anger is

fhewn 4

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