Page:The Plays of William Shakspeare (1778).djvu/37

Rh A play read, affects the mind like a play acted. It is therefore evident, that the action is not uppoed to be real; and it follows, that between the acts a longer or horter time may be allowed to pas, and that so more account of pace or duration is to be taken by the auditor of a drama, than by the reader of a narrative, before whom may pas in an hour the life of a hero, or the revolution of an empire.

Whether Shakepeare knew the unities, and rejected them by deign, or deviated from them by happy ignorance, it is, I think, impoible to decide and ueles to enquire. We may eaonably uppoe, that, when he roe to notice, he did not want the counels and admonitions of cholars and criticks, and that he at lat deliberately perited in a practice, which he might have beguan by chance. As nothing is eential to the fable, but unity of action, and as the unities of time and place arie evidently from fale aumptions, and, by circumcribing the extent of the drama, leen its variety, I cannot think it much to be lamented, that they were not known by him, or not oberved: nor, if uch another poet could arie, hould I very vehemently reproach him, that his firt act paed at Venice, and his next in Cyprus. Such violations of rules merely poitive, become the comprehenive genius of Shakepeare, and uch cenures are uitable to the minute and lender criticim of Voltaire:

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