which sometimes come in after oneanother in running dialogue, tot up into a verse of exactly the heroic number of feet. A fractional deviation from this complete measure seems to be loaded with the penalty of total damnation,-if we are to judge by the intense anxiety of our tragedists to accumulate the proper number of syllables, upon all such occasions of broken lines and to-andfro speeches. The dramatists of the day appear to be agitated by a curious system of cross-purposes: at the same time that they are, by the means of prose-poetry, virtually renouncing metre, with a superfluous degree of zeal they preserve the outward show of numbers, and would as soon lose one of the ten fingers off their hands as one of the ten syllables off their verses. It is ever thus: we give up the substance, and stickle for the form. The most indefatigable industry is exhibited by our dramatists in fitting their scattered lineola together, so as to make up whole verses of the given orthodox length, whilst with the same pen they run one line into another, so as to make versification almost nugatory; pertinaciously solicitous that their poetry shall put the due number of feet to the ground, but totally careless what kind of feet they may be, whether they support the majesty of legitimate verse, or totter into downright prose. Ex. gr. Benducar. I should have scorn'd him, but 'tis hard to hear Al. What said he? Nothing, but You struck him in your rage; "Twas not for nothing you could lift your arm Never? (Mirandola, Act 1, Sc. 3.) Here is callida junctura with a witness. And the best of it is, to see in the above passages, the two wrong-headed systems of joinery and prose-poetry pulling different ways, with equal intensity; this dragging the sound of one line into the following, so as to give them the air of prose, that squeezing a cluster of syllables into one row, so as to count like poetry. Surely no one who has read Shakspeare with any attention can conceive this method of writing by the square either necessary or right? Surely no one who has asked the question of his own common-sense, will be answered in the affirmative? But, like all the other errors of our modern tragedists, it originates in that blind confusion of drama with common poetry, which I have so frequently spoken of. Because this method of joining the head of A's answer to the tail of B's question, or inserting G's reply between two of D's remarks, so as to eke out a pentameter of the regular ad amussim length, because this may be requisite in poematical dramas, they think it equally so in theatrical dramas. Absurd! It is consecrated neither by authority nor common-sense. Take the Quarrel scene in Julius Cæsar, take this model for dramatism, what authority it gives you for joinexamine it narrowly, and then tell me ery. There are no less than seven unmetrical lines, or pieces of lines, out of less than a hundred and forty which make up the scene! Ay, but, (you say), take his works together, and on an average, nineteen lines out of twenty are exact pentameters; in nineteen cases out of twenty he cultivates the system of joinery. Granted (though it is not true):-and in nineteen cases out of twenty (or whatever it is) metre ought to be preserved. But you preserve it in the whole twenty cases, and there it ought not to be preserved. Wherefore not? (say you): Shakspeare was verse, a “barbarian" (sec. Byron), and we the design, and the superiority in the sha'n't abide by his practice: So- construction of the English (i.e. the phocles and the Greek dramatists are Shakspearian) drama; which oribetter models, and they preserve the ginality and superiority both consist rigid laws of metre in their trage- in our collections of scenes, called dies : wherefore then should not we plays, being almost fac-similes of real also? life. Had Shakspeare been a scholar, I answer: 1. In order to approach his plays would have been transcripts probability and real life ; to relieve of imaginary, not real life, as are the the ear from monotony and uniform plays of all scholars, from Euripides cadence; to afford opportunities for down to John Home. 3. The Greek bursts of passion, exclamations, and tragedy does not observe the law of natural expression ; to liberate the uniform metre; for the chorus and author from the necessity of endea- dialogue are in different species of vouring after what he cannot attain, a This is a kind of proof that perfect amalgamation of regular poe- the Greeks saw the necessity of try with the language of irregular relieving the monotonous effect of emotion under the influence of which invariable iambic poetry. 4. Even if Tragedy supposes the speakers mostly Greek tragedy did preserve its metre to be; and to carry on the business uniform, Greek tragedy (as I said of the piece with rapid concision. before) is not English tragedy. The 2. Whether Shakspeare's occasional latter aspires to give a close repreirregularity of metre was owing to sentation of human life, the former carelessness, design, or “ barbarian- does not, but contents itself with the ism," is totally irrelevant; but if it reputation of being little more than be attributed to the latter, this only an elegant conversational poem. We makes good an opinion of mine, that cannot, therefore, argue from one to much of this author's dramatic suc- the other; they are, in fact, quite cess was owing to the lucky imper- different species of composition. fectness of his education. For the Upon the whole, I am fully prepurposes of drama, though perhaps pared to grant, that if you can comfor no other, his mind was exactly in bine ever-new variety with unde the right state of mean cultivation, viating regularity of numbers, if you neither totally ignorant of rules, nor can let passion run loose in the strict altogether subservient to them. This . manege of pentameter poetry, and gave him his freedom of manner, his allow nature to expatiate at will in bold recklessness of style, so wonder the fetter-locks of rigorous metre, fully adapted to the colloquial nature that is, if you can do impossibilities, of drama. If his spirit had been I grant you are right to attempt retamed down by a regular classical conciling in your dramas the above education, he might have written inconsistencies. Your success will, I better poems, but not as good dramas. dare promise you, be exactly comAnd why? Why, because the true mensurate to the wisdom of the enlanguage of the stage is, for the most terprise. Do not, however, imagine part, an indefinable mediate manner that I am an advocate for metrical of phrase, between the homeliness of irregularity, in every species of poecommon discourse, and the supra- try; English drama, the only true natural refinement of pure poetical drama (being a close imitation of diction. The illiterate man and the human life), has its peculiar laws, scholar will equally deviate into the privileges, and immunities. But, opposite extremes, of extravagant mark: I do not say that occasional irregularity, and inflexible precise- irregularity of metre, in drama, is ness, one of which destroys the beau- merely excusable or permissible; I ty, and the other the naturalness of say it is proper, right, and necessary, dramatic dialogue. To the above founded in nature and reason; I say fortunate accident I am strongly in- that drama is not legitimate drama clined to attribute the originality in without it. When there is a new • Vidc Othello (Act 3, Sc. 2), a masterly combination and intermixture of the sublimest poetry with the most natural, yet effective, unmetrical dialogue. The author is not tied to the Muses' apron-string (like our modern dramatists), but condescends occa orally to speak the language of nature and humanity. world discovered, where human con- This is natural, easy, animated, very versation is carried on in verse, I will unmetrical, but not unpleasant to allow perfect uniformity of metre to the ear. * Look you now, what folbe natural in their drama; but whilst lows;" the old world is satisfied to talk prose, our dramatic language must, Kent. Thy youngest daughter does not in some measure, and upon occasion, love thee least; approach it. Nor are those empty-hearted, whose, low Taking the law of irregularity in Reverbs no hollowness. sound dramatic verse, as theoretically es Lear. Kent, on thy life, tablished by the foregoing reason- No more. ings, and practically confirmed by the Kent. My life I never held but as 'example of Shakspeare,—the system A pawn to wage against thine enemies : of joinery* is, as far as it goes, a di- Nor fear to lose 't, thy safety being the rect infringement of this law. And it Motive. is to the inexorable spirit with which Lear. Out of my sight! this system is pursued by our living Kent. See better, Lear: dramatists, that I ascribe much of And let me still remain the true blank of the barrenness and insipidity of their Thine eye. Lear. running dialogue. The necessity Now, by Apollo, Kent. which they gratuitously impose upon Thou swearest, king, thy gods in vain. Now, by Apollo, themselves, of incessantly filling up Lear. O vassal! their lines to the full measure of ten Miscreant! syllables, induces tameness, monotony, and an appearance of artifice; ren- This is the manner in which a ders natural expression unattainable, “ dramatist of the day” would have and passion impossible to be deve- put together the colloquy between loped; makes so many words, and such the impetuous king and his intrepid round-about methods of enouncing subject. I submit whether the mebrief sentiments and straight-for- tamorphose be not very much in the ward discourse, necessary,—that it style of a piece of modern dramatism, is no miracle if running dialogue, -as far as regards joinery and proseunder such restrictions, be neither poetry: there is, indeed, a native spirited, natural, nor effective. Now, spirit and fire in the words, which it just for illustration's sake, let us ap- is impossible to extinguish by any ply this system to a passage in Shåk- transposition or dislocation of them, speare; we shall see what a curious and which would ever prevent the metamorphosis it will work: passage from being mistaken for the work of a modern tragedist. The mere Kent. Thy youngest daughter does not translation of a few words from one love thee least; line to another can effect no real Nor are those empty-hearted, whose low sound change in the original passage: but Reverbs no hollowness. that which came naturally and forciLear. Kent, on thy life, no more. bly off the tongue in its own irregu Kent. My life I never held but as a pawn lar form of poetic eloquence, beTo wage against thine enemics : nor fear to comes tame and artificial on our atlose it, tempting to read it as a piece of exact Thy safety being the motive. metrical versification. What then Lear. Out of my sight! would be the effect, if instead of diKent. See better, Lear; and let me still viding into regular verses what is remain The true blank of thine eye. already written in the free spirit of Lear. Now, by Apollo, drama, we had to write an original Kent. Now, by Apollo, king, piece according to that regular diviThou swear'st thy gods in vain. sion? Why the effect would be,-a Lear. O vassal! miscreant ! Modern Drama. (Laying his hand on his sword.) The Rhetoric School did not carry Lear, A. 1. Sc. 1. the above principle to such an ex : Will the reader pardon me this and other out-of-the-way phrases which perpetually occur in the course of these letters ? When I cannot find one authentic word to express a compound notion or principle, my horror of circumlocution obliges me to coin new and barbarous, but I hope not inappropriate terms. travagant pitch ; in this, as in other from the breasts of the speakers, respects, it has not diverged so un- with an alternate stopple put into conscionably from the methods of their mouths, so as to let them run genuine drama. Nevertheless, I hope out but one line of eloquence bethere are few of my readers who tween them. To conclude with this have not laughed at least once in subject,- I repeat, that this method their life, at this illustrious specimen of joinery originates in the mistake of joinery in the Revenge (where of our modern tragic writers, who Leonora persuades Alonzo, asking have lost sight of the true nature of him if he can bear to see her married dramatic verse, and are perpetually to Carlos): endeavouring to make drama poetiAlonzo. Oh! cal, instead of poetry dramatical. Leonora. Is it possible ? This is the pivot on which all turns. Al. Death! This series of Letters to DramaLeon. Can you ? tists was intended to close,—and it Al. Oh! does close, with the present number. These separate pieces of conversa- There are however a few remaining tion, it will be seen, are so finically observations, which I should have measured, as to fit accurately into added to the last paragraph, but one line of the regular. pantameter they would swell this article to a longitude, viz. more intolerable length. If they Oh! Is it possible ? Death ! Can you ? Oh! hang upon the peg of my memory The reader cannot but remark, till next month, they may furnish out what a natural air the dialogue has, a moderate Postscript. and what a free exit passion finds John Lacy. SPECIMENS OF SONNETS FROM THE MOST EMINENT POETS OF ITALY. PETROCCHI. Dico alla Fama; O tu, che all' ammirande i Ah tu, gridai, forse apristi, ah! mostra Io di chi fu non curo, adesso è nostra. I say to Fame: O thou whose sons defy I now proceeded, sad and thoughtful grown, Ah thou, I cried, hast known! say, what design- PIETRO METASTASIO. Leggiadra Rosa ! le cui pure foglie Quella provvida man, che al suol ti toglie, Cosi fior diverrai che non soggiace fido cultor posto in governo, Ad eterna bellezza odore eterno. O BEAUTEOUS Rose! whose leaves of spotless hue The pious hand, that hence thy bloom withdrew, Thus thou wilt soon become a peerless flow'r, And train'd by One who ne'er remits his care, GABRIELE FIAMMA. Nè cervetta giammai leggiadra e snella, Com' io son vago d'un ardente umore Dice allor ebbro di dolcezza il core ; S'egli ha gioja maggior del pianto mio! Nor hind with graceful form and nimble feet, As I in those warm burning tears rejoice My heart then lifts in ecstasy her voice S. 9 U |