We were lately informed, that the gallant trainedbands had patrolled all night long about the streets of London: we indeed could not imagine any occafion for • it, we guessed not a tittle on it aforehand, we were in nothing of the fecret; and that city-tradefimen, or their apprentices, fhould do duty, or work, during the holidays, we thought abfolutely impoffible. But Dyer being positive in it, and fome letters from other peo. ple, who had talked with fome who had it from those who fhould know, giving fome countenance to it, the chairman reported from the committee, appointed to examine into that affair, that it was poffible there might be fomething in it. I have much more to fay to you, but my two good friends and neighbours, Dominick and Slyboots, are juft come in, and the coffee's ready. I am, in the mean time, • Mr. Spectator, 'Your admirer and humble fervant, Abraham Froth.' You may obferve the turn of their minds tends only to novelty, and not fatisfaction in any thing. It would be difappointment to them, to come to certainty in any thing, for that would gravel them, and put an end to their inquiries, which dull fellows do not make for information, but for exercife. I do not know but this may be a very good way of accounting for what we frequently fee, to wit, that dull fellows prove very good men of bufinefs. Bufinefs relieves them from their own natural heavinefs, by furnishing them with what to do whereas bufinefs to mercurial men, is an interruption from their real existence and happinefs. Though the dull part of mankind are harmlefs in their amufements, it were to be wifhed they had no vacant time, because they usually undertake fomething that makes their wants confpicuous, by their manner of fupplying them. You fhall feldom find a dull fellow of good education, but (if he happens to have any leifure upon his hands) will turn his head to one of thofe two amufe ments, ments, for all fools of eminence, politics or poetry. The former of these arts, is the ftudy of all dull people in general; but when dulnefs is lodged in a perfon of a quick animal life, it generally exerts itself in poetry. One might here mention a few military writers, who give great entertainment to the age, by reafon that the ftupidity of their head is quickned by the alacrity of their hearts. This conftitution in a dull fellow, gives vigour to nonfenfe, and makes the puddle boil, which would otherwife ftagnate. The British Prince, that celebrated poem, which was written in the reign of king Charles the fecond, and defervedly called by the wits of that age incomparable, was the effect of fuch an happy genius as we are speaking of. From among many other diftichs, no lefs to be quoted on this account, I cannot, but recite the two following lines; A painted veft prince Voltager had on, Here if the poet had not been vivacious, as well as stupid, he could not, in the warmth and hurry of nonfente, have been capable of forgetting that neither prince Voltager, nor his grand-father, could ftrip a naked man of his doublet; but a fool of a colder conftitution would have ftaid to have flea'd the Pict, and made buff of his fkin, for the wearing of the con queror. To bring thefe obfervations to fome useful purpose of life, what I would propofe fhould be, that we imitated thofe wife nations, wherein every man learns fome handicraft-work. Would it not employ a beau prettily enough, if, inftead of eternally playing with a fnuff-box, he fpent fome part of his time in making one? Such a method as this would very much conduce to the public emolument, by making every man living good for fomething; for there would then be no one member of human fociety, but would have fome little pretenfions for fome degree in it; like him who came to Will's coffee coffee-houfe upon the merit of having writ a poly of a ring. No. XLIV. FRIDAY, APRIL 20. R. Tu, quid ego & populus mecum defideret, audi. HOR. Now hear what ev'ry auditor expects. ROSCOMMON. MONG the feveral artifices which are put in prac A tice by the poets to fill the minds of an audience with terror, the first place is due to thunder and lightning, which are often made ufe of at the defcending of a god, or the rifing of a ghost, at the vanifhing of a devil, or the death of a tyrant. I have known a bell introduced into feveral tragedies with good effect; and have feen the whole affembly in a very great alarm all the while it has been ringing. But there is nothing which delights and terrifies our English theatre fo much as a ghoft, efpecially when he appears in a bloody fhirt. A fpectre has very often faved a play, though he has done nothing but ftalked across the ftage, or rofe through a cleft of it, and funk again without fpeaking one word. There may be a proper feafon for thefe feveral terrors; and when they only come in as aids and affiftances to the poet, they are not only to be excufed, but to be applauded. Thus the founding of the clock in Venice Preferved, makes the hearts of the whole audience quake; and conveys a ftronger terror to the mind than it is poffible for words to do. The appearance of the ghoft in Hamlet is a master-piece in its kind, and wrought up with all the circumstances that can create either attention or horror. The mind of the reader is wonderfully prepared for his reception by the difcourfes that precede it: his dumb behaviour at his first enterance ftrikes the imagination very strongly; but every time he enters, he is still more terrifying. Who can read the fpecch fpeech with which young Hamlet accofts him, without trembling. Hor. Look, my Lord, it comes! Ham. Angels and minifters of grace defend us! Bring with thee airs from heav'n, or blafts from hell; Thou com'ft in fuch a questionable shape, That I will speak to thee. I'll call thee Hamlet, Hath op'd his ponderous and marble jaws I do not therefore find fault with the artifices abovementioned when they are introduced with fkill, and accompanied by proportionable sentiments and expreffions in the writing. For the moving of pity, our principal machine is the handkerchief; and indeed, in our common tragedies, we fhould not know very often that the persons are in distress by any thing they fay, if they did not from time to time apply their handkerchiefs to their eyes. Far be it from me to think of banishing this inftrument of forrow from the ftage; I know a tragedy could not subsist without it: all that I would contend for, is to keep it from being mifapplied. In a word, I would have the actor's tongue fympathize with his eyes. A difconfolate mother, with a child in her hand, has frequently drawn compaffion from the audience, and has therefore gained a place in feveral tragedies. A modern writer, that obferved how this had took in other plays, being refolved to double the diftrefs, and melt his audience cwice as much as thofe before him had done, brought a princefs upon the stage with a little boy in one hand and a girl in the other. This too had a very good effect. A third poet, being refolved to outwrite all his predeceffors, a few years ago introduced three children with great fuccefs and as I am informed, a young gentleman, who is fully determined to break the most obdurate hearts, has a tragedy by him, where the first perfon that appears upon the ftage is an afflicted widow in her mourning-weeds, with half a dozen fatherlefs children attending her, like those that usually hang about the figure of charity. Thus feveral incidents, that are beautiful in a good writer, become ridiculous by falling inte the hands of a bad one. But among all our methods of moving pity or terror, there is none so abfurd and barbarous, and what more exposes us to the contempt and ridicule of our neigh. bours, than that dreadful butchering of one another, which is fo very frequent upon the English stage. To delight in fecing men ftabbed, poifoned, racked, or impaled, is certainly the fign of a cruel temper: and as this is often practifed before the British audience, feveral French critics, who think thefe are grateful fpectacles to us, take occafion from them to reprefent us as a people that delight in blood. It is indeed very odd, to fee our ftage trowed with carcafes in the laft fcene of a tragedy; and to obferve in the wardrobe of the playhoufe feveral daggers, poinards, wheels, bowls for poi fon, and many other inftruments of death. Murders and executions are always tranfacted behind the scenes in the French theatre; which in general is very agree, able to the manners of a polite and civilized people: but as there are no exceptions to this rule on the French. ftage, it leads them into abfurdities almost as ridiculous as that which falls under our prefent cenfure. I remember in the famous play of Corneille, written upon the fubject of the Horatii and Curiatii; the fierce young hero who had overcome the Curiatii one after another, iuftead of being congratulated by his fifter for his victory, being upbraided by her for having flain her lover, in the height of his paffion and refentment kills her. If |