Page:The Plays of William Shakspeare (1778).djvu/20

8 hermit may etimate the tranactions of the world, and a confeor predict the progres of the paions.

His adherence to general nature has expoed him to the cenure of criticks, who form their judgments upon narrower principles. Dennis and Rhymer think his Romans not ufficiently Roman; and Voltaire cenures his kings as not completely royal. Dennis is offended, that Menenius, a enator of Rome, hould play the buffoon; and Voltaire perhaps thinks decency violated when the Danih uurper is repreented as a drunkard. But Shakepeare always makes nature predominate over accident; and if he preerves the eential character, is not very careful of ditinctions uperinduced and adventitious. His tory requires Romans or kings, but he thinks only on men. He knew that Rome, like every other city, had men of all dipoitions; and wanting a buffoon, he went into the enate-houe for that which the enate-houe would certainly have afforded him. He was inclined to hew an uurper and a murderer not only odious, but depicable; he therefore added drunkennes to his other qualities, knowing that kings love wine like other men, and that wine exerts its natural power upon kings. Thee are the petty cavils of petty minds; a poet overlooks the caual ditinction of country and condition, as a painter, atisfied with the figure, neglects the drapery.

The cenure which he has incurred by mixing comick and tragick cenes, as it extends to all his works, deerves more conideration. Let the fact be firt tated, and then examined. Shake-