TO ROGER L'ESTRANGE, Esq;
SIR,
Since this Tragedy has gain'd your approbation; I
ought to shew the care I took in't. I alter'd not
the Story, nor made the Guises speak, or act worse than
really they did. I branded not that damn'd League with
such characters; as I might have done, and they deserv'd.
I fited the Parts to the Persons, and kept 'em as like
themselves as the Story would let me. I made both the
Kings Amorous, Generous and Valiant, and so indeed they
were; and endeavour'd they should not suffer upon a
particular Stage, when they had triumpht upon that of
the World. If Grillon seem'd overbold and rough
sometimes in some places, I do but keep my self to that
character which Mounsieur Girard, and D' Avila (with
Espernon's Life, Book 4. p. 190.
others) have bestow'd upon him. Nay
his frequent
Oath of
Death was not my
fancy neither; For there's a
Story in the
Life of
Espernon, enough to justifie me, and fright our
Gallants from that profane humour. As for the rest, it
was my aim they should not speak above themselves,
and I suited (as well as I could) their
Parts to their
Callings. Yet after all this, I am not ignorant that I lie
open to the
Critick's in transferring the main
Scene from
Blois to St.
Clou. But had I confin'd the
Story to either
of those Places alone, the death of the
King or
Guise
might have been left out contrary to my original
design. After all this, Sir, I crave leave to reflect a
little, upon the very
Rhime it self.
All Subjects of weight, or such as most int'rest the
Passions, ought (as I take it) to be exprest with a gravity
and in few words. Thus the Greek and Latine Tragedians,
nay and Philosophers too, accustomed themselves to
short Periods. But their Measures necessarily being inconstant,
therefore to make 'em suitable to several occasions,
Æschilus, and next after him Sophocles, when they
brought the Stage to represent the Story more naturally,
by introducing Actors and Scenes, they bethought themselves
of a reformation, and dispos'd their Speeches into
lines of more certain Measures to make them more grateful
to the Audience. Let any man suppose a representation
of some considerable length, to be perform'd in short
sentences, and of unequal cadences, one cannot fancy any
thing to be more wearisome. But when it runs in
equal Measures, neither so at length to stretch the sinews
of Discourse and Fancy, as upon a Rack, nor so
short as to cramp 'em; but sizable both to the speaker
and hearer, it must needs advance the satisfaction of
both Parties, together with the reputation of the Poet.
The Greek then and the Latine Tragedians (for I have nothing
to say to those of France and Italy) mostly wrote
in measur'd Verse. For Rhime never reacht them, 'till
in a barbarous Monkish Age, which became soon weary
of it, as unnatural to the Ideom, and destructive of
their native Elegance. But, from the earli'st dawnings of
knowledge, our Bards and Druids had their Genealogies
and Songs of Victory in Rhime, as not only natural, but
quickning the spirit of their Language; and we have
continu'd it with competent success. For I refer it to any
ingenious rational person, that can write or Judge,
what briskness is infused into any fit Subject by a well
ordered and an unforc'd
Rhime. It is true, that one mans
Prose exceeds another mans
Verse; but suppose both
those
Talents to be equal in one and the same person, I
dare say his
Verse, as to sweetness and charms, will be
much more agreeable than his
Prose.
I speak all this
as to the content of the
Ear and Fancy upon the
Stage.
I am not to answer here for bald
Rhimes, that serve only
to make bad sense worse, I speak of easie smooth
Rhime
in
Verse, such as exalts
Sense and makes it
Rapture, nay
I'm perswaded
Oratory as well as
Poetry, has a greater
force upon our affections, when the periods contain a
certain
Measure, or at least when two or three of the
closes have some affinity of sound.
I never had it try'd
(but may be 'tis worth the while to do it) whether
those
Orators that most please, make it not their Care to
come off with a grateful Harmony in the Close. These are
the Charms like those of
natural Magick, that work unknown
either to the
Speaker or
Hearer, yet gain far more
attention to one man than to another. This is only to
offer at some proof that a
Paper of verses in
Rhime,
where the
Conceit is new, the
humour Surprizing, and
the
Penning Elegant, must needs take more in the repetition
then any studied
Prose. And a
Speech on the
Stage (be its Concerns what it will) must be far
more harmonious and pleasing in
Rhime, and more
congenial to the
Soul.
Miltons Paradice is a work noble,
strong and fanciful, but had his humour of contradiction
soften'd it into his own sweet
Rhime, what a
Poem had it been! but
I dare not venture further upon
this
Subject, since that learn'd and facetious Gentleman,
Tragedies of this Age, pag. 143.
Mr.
Rymer, has promis'd the undertaking,
from whose curious and able hand
I expect
it with the impatience of a longing
Woman, and indeed I'm abundantly pleas'd to find my
perswasions strengthen'd by so Potent an
Ally.
And the more, when I hear some are Fugitives to
their own perswasions, but inconstancy being the Running
gout of the Soul, and natural to some persons both in
their thinking and writing, I shall not say more of 'em,
but that 'tis torment enough to groan out their remaining
years in a helpless distemper. And now, Sir, I intend
your ease in dismissing this Subject, which I assure you
was impos'd on me first in discourse, and then I was
desired to set it down at a venture: what ever it be I
shall rather leave it to your better judgement, than pretend
to dispute it, altho without all controversie, I am
SIR, Your very humble Servant.
Thomas Shipman.
