ing, that in this art, as in many other good things, the point of excellence lies in a middle between two extremes; and has been reached by thofe only who fought to improve nature as far as the genius of their work would permit, keeping at an equal distance from rufticity on the one hand, and affected elegance on the other.

If it were asked, what effects a view of nature degraded, or rendered lefs perfect than the reality, would produce in poetry; I fhould anfwer, The fame which caricatura produces in painting; --it would make the piece ludicrous. In almost every countenance, there are fome exceptionable features, by heightening the deformity whereof, it is easy to give a ridiculous likeness even of a good face. And in most human characters there are blemishes, moral, intellectual, or corporeal. by exaggerating which to a certain degree, you may form a comic character; as by raising the virtues, abilities, or external advantages of individuals, you form Epic or Tragic characters. I fay, to a certain degree; for if, by their vices, want of understanding, or bodily infirmities, they should raise difguft, pity, or any other important emotion, they are then no longer the objects of comic ridicule; and it is an egregious fault in a writer to attempt to make them fo *. It is a fault, because it proves his judgment to be perverted, and tends to pervert the fentiments, and ruin the morals of mankind.

See Effay on Laughter, chap. 3.

But is nature always degraded in Comic per formances? I answer, No; neither is it always improved, as we remarked already, in ferious poetry. Some human characters are so truly heroic, as to raise admiration, without any heightenings of poetical art; and fome are so truly laughable, that the comic writer would have nothing to do, but to reprefent them as they are. Besides, to raise laughter is not always the aim, either of the Epic Comedy, or of the Dramatic : fublime paffions and characters are fometimes introduced; and these may be heightened as much as the poet finds neceffary for his purpose, provided that, in his ftyle, he affect no heroical elevation; and that his of his perfons, be fuch as met with in common life.

action and the rank might probably be In regard to fable,

and the order of events, all Comedy requires, or at least admits, as great perfection as Epic poetry itself.

CHAP.

AN from his birth is prone to imitation,

MA

and takes great pleafure in it. At a time when he is too young to understand or attend to rules, he learns, by imitating others, to fpeak, and walk, and do many other things equally requifite to life and happiness. Most of the sports of children are imitative, and many of them dramatical. Mimickry occafions laughter; and a juft imitation of human life upon the stage is highly delightful to perfens of all ranks, conditions, and capacities.

Our natural propenfity to imitation may in part account for the pleafure it yields: for that is always pleafing which gratifies natural propenfity; nay, to pleafe, and to gratify, are almoft fynonymous terms. Yet the peculiar charm of imitation may also be accounted for upon other principles. To compare a copy with the original, and trace out the particulars wherein they differ and wherein they refemble, is in itself a pleafing exercife to the mind; and, when accompanied

with admiration of the object imitated, and of the genius of the imitator, conveys a moft intenfe delight; which may be rendered ftill more intenfe by the agreeable qualities of the inftrument of imitation, by the beauty of the colours in painting, by the harmony of the language in poetry; and in mufic, by the fweetnefs, mellownefs, pathos, and other pleafing varieties of vocab and instrumental found. And if to all this there be added the merit of a moral defign, Imitationwill then shine forth in her moft amiable form, and the enraptured heart acknowledge her powers of pleafing to be irresistible.

Such is the delight we have in imitation, that what would in itself give neither pleasure nor pain, may become agreeable when well imitated.. We fee without emotion many faces, and other familiar objects; but a good picture even of a ftone, or common plant, is not beheld with indifference. No wonder, then, that what is agreeable in itself, fhould, when furveyed through the medium of fkilful imitation, be highly agreeable. A good portrait of a grim countenance is pleafing but a portrait equally good of a beautiful one is ftill more fo. Nay, though a man in a violent paffion, a monstrous wild beaft, or a body agonized with pain, be a most unplea fing fpectacle, a picture, or poetical defcription of it, may be contemplated with delight; the pleasure we take in the artist's ingenuity, joined

* Ariftot. Poet. fect. 4. Gerard on Tafte, part 1. fect.

4. to

to our consciousness that the object before us is hot real, being more than fufficient to counterbalance every disagreeable feeling occafioned by the deformity of the figure *. Even human vices, infirmities, and misfortunes, when well reprefented on the ftage, form a most interesting amufement. So great is the charm of imita

tion.

That has been thought a very mysterious pleafure, which we take in witneffing tragical imitations of human action, even while they move us to pity and forrow. Several causes seem to

'co-operate in producing it. 1. It gives an agree able agitation to the mind, to be interested in any event, that is not attended with real harm to our

*Pictures, however, of great merit as imitations, and valuable for the morality of the defign, may yet be too horrid to be contemplated with pleasure. A robber who had broke into a repofitory of the dead, in order to plunder a corpfe of fome rich ornaments, is faid to have been fo affected with the hideous fpectacle of mortality which presented itself when he opened the coffin, that he flunk away, trembling and weeping, without being able to execute his purpofe. I have met with an excellent print upon this fubject; but was never able to look at it for half a minute together. Too many objects of the fame character may be feen in Hogarth's Progrefs of Cruelty.-There is another clafs of fhocking ideas, which poets have not always been fufficiently careful to avoid. Juvenal and Swift, and even Fope himself, have given us defcriptions which it turns one's ftomach to think of. And I muft confefs, that, notwithstanding the authority of Atterbury and Addison, and the general merit of the paffage, I could never reconcile myself to fome filthy ideas, which, to the unfpeakable fatisfaction of Mr. Voltaire, Milton has unwarily introduced in the famous allegory of Sin and Death.