its water from the level furface to complete its circle, the level furface being nearer to each circle than they are to each other, and which may be attracted without either elevating the one or depreffing the other. This water, therefore, comes between and pushes them afunder.

In these instances, repulfion is accounted for by the attraction of intervening fluids, and perhaps the elafticity of the air, electricity, and all other elastic fluids may be explained in the fame manner, that is, by fuppofing the mixture of a fyftem of fluids of which fome are capable of permeating glafs and other folids, as light, heat, magnetifm, &c. fo that when air for inftance is condensed in a veffel, the finer fluids are forced through the fides, and fuffer the particles of air to approach nearer together. Or if the electrical fluid is forced upon one furface of glass, a finer fluid or fyftem of finer fluids, which conftitute its elafticity, are preffed out and rarify the other uninfulated furface: but without new and decifive experiments, this hypothefis will not be eafily adopted. "Yet, if theory can be fo framed "as really to fuit all the facts, it has all the " evidence of truth that the nature of things can "admit. And even very lame and imperfect "theories are fufficient to fuggeft ufeful experi"ments, which ferve to correct thofe theories, " and give birth to others more perfect."

This quotation, from fo great an authority as Dr. Priestley, furnishes an excellent apology for the imperfect attempts of

ESSAY on the DRAMATIC WRITINGS of MASSINGER. BY JOHN FERRIAR, M. D.

MANCHESTER, OCTOBER 25, 1786.

Res antiquæ laudis et artis

Ingredior, fanctos aufus recludere fontes.

VIRG.

T might be urged, as a proof of our poffeffing a fuperfluity of good Plays in our language, that one of our beft dramatic writers is very generally difregarded. But whatever conclufion may be drawn from this fact, it will not be easy to free the public from the fufpicion of caprice, while it continues to idolize Shakefpeare, and to neglect an author not often much

inferior,

inferior, and fometimes nearly equal to that wonderful poet. Maflinger's fate has indeed been hard, far beyond the common topics of the infelicity of genius. He was not merely denied the fortune for which he laboured, and the fame which he merited; a ftill more cruel circumftance has attended his productions: literary pilferers have built their reputation on his obscurity, and the popularity of their ftolen beauties has diverted the public attention from the excellent original.

An attempt was made in favour of this injured poet, in 1761, by a new edition of his works, attended with a critical differtation on the old English Dramatifts, in which, though compofed with fpirit and elegance, there is little to be found respecting Maffinger. Another edition appeared in 1773, but the poet remained unexamined. Perhaps Maffinger is ftill unfortunate in his vindicator.

The fame irregularity of plot, and disregard of rules, appear in Maffinger's productions, as in those of his cotemporaries. On this fubject, Shakespeare has been fo well defended, that it is unneceffary to add any arguments in vindication of our poet. There is every reafon to fuppofe, that Maffinger did not neglect the ancient rules from ignorance, for he appears to be one of our most learned writers (notwithstanding the

infipid

infipid fneer of Anthony Wood*;) and Cartwright, who was confeffedly a man of great erudition, is not more attentive to the unities, than any other poet of that age. But our author, like Shakespeare, wrote for bread it appears, from different parts of his works †, that much of his life had paffed in flavish dependence, and penury is not apt to encourage a defire of fame.

One obfervation, however, may be risked, on our irregular and regular plays; that the former are more pleafing to the tafte, and the latter to the understanding: readers muft determine, then, whether it is better to feel, or to approve. Maffinger's dramatic art is too great, to allow a faint fense of propriety to dwell on the mind, in perufing his pieces; he inflames or fooths, excites the strongest terror, or the softest pity, with all the energy and power of a true poet.

But if we must admit, that an irregular plot fubjects a writer to peculiar difadvantages, the force of Maffinger's genius will appear more evidently, from this very conceffion. The interest of his pieces is, for the most part, strong and well defined; the ftory, though worked up to a ftudied intricacy, is, in general, refolved with as much ease and probability as its nature will per

* Athenæ Oxon. vol. I.

+ See particularly the Dedication of the Maid of Honour, and Great Duke of Florence,

mit;

mit; attention is never difgufted by anticipation, nor tortured with unneceffary delay. These

characters are applicable to moft of Maffinger's own productions; but in thofe which he wrote jointly with other dramatifts, the intereft is often weakened, by incidents, which that age permitted, but which the prefent would not endure. Thus, in the Renegado*, the honour of Paulina is preserved from the brutality of her Turkish master, by the influence of a relic, which fhe wears on her breaft: in the Virgin Martyr, the heroine is attended, through all her fufferings, by an angel difguifed as her page; her perfecutor is urged on to deftroy her, by an attendant fiend, also in disguiset. Here our anxiety for the diftreffed, and our hatred of the wicked, are completely ftifled, and we are more easily affected by fome burlesque paffages which follow, in the fame legendary ftrain. In the last quoted play, the

ture.

This Play was written by Maffinger alone.

The idea of devil-fervants is not new in English literaGiraldus Cambrenfis, in his Description of Wales, mentions a gentleman, named Stakepool, in the county of Pembroke, who had a demon in difguife for his fteward. He was a faithful, diligent devil (bonus economus) and his only peculiarity was that he never went to church. Another demon, lefs confcientious, attached himself to an Archbishop (in Dacia, faith Giraldus, noftris diebus) under the form of a clergyman, and was a particular favourite of the good Prelate, till he accidentally betrayed himself. Cambdeni Angl. Normann. &c. Hift. p. 835.

attendant