Satires and miscellaneous poetry and prose Edited by Renbe Lamar |
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UPON CRITICS Who judge of MODERN PLAYS Precisely by the RULES of the ANTIENTS |
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 | Satires and miscellaneous poetry and prose |  |
60
UPON CRITICS Who judge of MODERN PLAYS Precisely by the RULES of the ANTIENTS
Who ever wil Regard Poetique Fury,
When it is once found Idiot by a Jury?
And evry Peart, and Arbitrary Fool
Can all Poetique Licence over-Rule?
Assume a Barbrous Tyranny, to Handle
The Muses, worse then Ostro-goth, or Vandal?
Make 'em submit to verdict and Report
And stand (or Fall) to th' orders of a Court.
Much lesse, Be sentenc'd by the Arbitra[r]y
Proceedings of a witless Plagiary
That forge's old Records, and Ordinances
Against the Right and Property of Fancys
More False, and Nice, then weighing of the weather
To th' Hundredth Atom, of the lightest Feather,
Or measuring of Aire upon Pernassus
With Cilinders of Torricellian Glasses;
Reduce all Tragedy by Rules of Art
Back, to its Antique Theater, a Cart,
And make 'em hence forth keep the beaten Roades
Of Reverend Choruses, and Episodes;
Reforme and Regulate a Puppet-Play
According to the tru and antient way:
That not an Actor shal Presume to Squeek
Unless he hav a Licence for't, in Greek;
Nor Whittington Henceforward, sel his Cat in
Plaine vulgar English, without Mewing Latin:
No Pudding shalbe sufferd to be witty
Unles it be in Order to Raise Pitty;
Nor Devil in the Puppet-play, b' allowd
To Rore and Spit fire, but to fright the Crowd,
Unless some God, or Dev'l chance t' have Piques
Against an Antient Family of Greeks;
Others may have Leave to tremble, and take warning,
How such a Fatal Progeny th' are Born in.
For none but such for Tragedy are fitted
That have been Ruind only to be Pittyd;
And only those held Proper to Deterre
Wh' have had th' Il Luck, against their wils to erre.
Whence only such as are of Midling Sizes
Between Morality and venial vices
Are Qualifyd to be Destroyd by Fate
For other Mortals to take warning at.
When it is once found Idiot by a Jury?
And evry Peart, and Arbitrary Fool
Can all Poetique Licence over-Rule?
Assume a Barbrous Tyranny, to Handle
The Muses, worse then Ostro-goth, or Vandal?
Make 'em submit to verdict and Report
And stand (or Fall) to th' orders of a Court.
Much lesse, Be sentenc'd by the Arbitra[r]y
Proceedings of a witless Plagiary
That forge's old Records, and Ordinances
Against the Right and Property of Fancys
More False, and Nice, then weighing of the weather
To th' Hundredth Atom, of the lightest Feather,
Or measuring of Aire upon Pernassus
With Cilinders of Torricellian Glasses;
Reduce all Tragedy by Rules of Art
Back, to its Antique Theater, a Cart,
And make 'em hence forth keep the beaten Roades
Of Reverend Choruses, and Episodes;
Reforme and Regulate a Puppet-Play
According to the tru and antient way:
That not an Actor shal Presume to Squeek
Unless he hav a Licence for't, in Greek;
Nor Whittington Henceforward, sel his Cat in
Plaine vulgar English, without Mewing Latin:
No Pudding shalbe sufferd to be witty
Unles it be in Order to Raise Pitty;
61
To Rore and Spit fire, but to fright the Crowd,
Unless some God, or Dev'l chance t' have Piques
Against an Antient Family of Greeks;
Others may have Leave to tremble, and take warning,
How such a Fatal Progeny th' are Born in.
For none but such for Tragedy are fitted
That have been Ruind only to be Pittyd;
And only those held Proper to Deterre
Wh' have had th' Il Luck, against their wils to erre.
Whence only such as are of Midling Sizes
Between Morality and venial vices
Are Qualifyd to be Destroyd by Fate
For other Mortals to take warning at.
As if the Antique Laws of Tragedy
Did with our own Municipall agree
And servd like Cobwebs but t' insnare the weake
And give Diversion to the Great to break;
To make a lesse Delinquent to be brought
To Answer for a Greater Persons Fault
And suffer all the worst, the worst Approver
Can, to excuse, and save himself, Discover.
Did with our own Municipall agree
And servd like Cobwebs but t' insnare the weake
And give Diversion to the Great to break;
To make a lesse Delinquent to be brought
To Answer for a Greater Persons Fault
And suffer all the worst, the worst Approver
Can, to excuse, and save himself, Discover.
No longer shal Dramatiques be confind
To draw tru Images, of al Mankinde,
To Punish in Effigie Criminals,
Reprieve the Innocent, and hang the False;
But a Club-Law [to] execute, and kill,
For nothing, whom so ere they Please, at will:
To terrify Spectators from committing
The Crimes, they did, and sufferd for, unwitting.
To draw tru Images, of al Mankinde,
To Punish in Effigie Criminals,
Reprieve the Innocent, and hang the False;
But a Club-Law [to] execute, and kill,
For nothing, whom so ere they Please, at will:
To terrify Spectators from committing
The Crimes, they did, and sufferd for, unwitting.
These are the Reformations of the Stage,
Like other Reformations of the Age:
On Purpose to Destroy all wit and sense
As th' other did all Law, and Conscience.
No better then the Laws of British Plays
Confirmd in th' Antient good King Howels Days
Who made a Gen'ral Councel Regulate
Mens catching women by the—you know what,
And set down in the Rubrick, at what time
It should be counted Legal, when a Crime;
Declare when 'twas, and when 'twas not a sin
And on what days it went out, or came in.
Like other Reformations of the Age:
On Purpose to Destroy all wit and sense
As th' other did all Law, and Conscience.
No better then the Laws of British Plays
Confirmd in th' Antient good King Howels Days
Who made a Gen'ral Councel Regulate
Mens catching women by the—you know what,
And set down in the Rubrick, at what time
It should be counted Legal, when a Crime;
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And on what days it went out, or came in.
An English Poet should be tryd b' his Peres
And not by Pedants, and Philosophers
Incompetent to Judge Poetique Fury,
As Butchers are forbid to b' of a Jury;
Beside the most Intollerable wrong
To try their Matter in a Forrain Tongue
By Forrain Jury men, like Sophocles
Or Tales falser then Euripides;
When not an English Native dares appear
To be a witnes for the Prisoner,
When all the Laws they use t' Arraigne, and try
The Innocent and wrongd Delinquent by
Were made b' a Forraine Laweyer and his Pupils
To put an End to all Poetique Scruples,
And by th' Advice of Virtuosi-Tuscans
Determind al the Doubts of Socks and Buskins;
Gave Judgment on all Past and Future Plays,
As is Apparent by Speronys Case,
Which Lope Vega first began to steale,
And after him the French Filou Corniele;
And since our English Plagiarys Nim
And steal their farfet Criticismes, from him,
And, by an Action falsly layd of Trover,
The Lumber, for their Proper Goods Recover;
Enough to furnish al the Lewd Impeachers
Of witty Beumonts Poetry, and Fletchers,
Who, for a few Misprisions of wit,
Are chargd by those, who ten times worse commit;
And for Misjudging some unhappy scenes
Are censurd for't, with more unlucky sense;
When all their worst miscarriages Delight
And please more then the Best, that Pedants write.
And not by Pedants, and Philosophers
Incompetent to Judge Poetique Fury,
As Butchers are forbid to b' of a Jury;
Beside the most Intollerable wrong
To try their Matter in a Forrain Tongue
By Forrain Jury men, like Sophocles
Or Tales falser then Euripides;
When not an English Native dares appear
To be a witnes for the Prisoner,
When all the Laws they use t' Arraigne, and try
The Innocent and wrongd Delinquent by
Were made b' a Forraine Laweyer and his Pupils
To put an End to all Poetique Scruples,
And by th' Advice of Virtuosi-Tuscans
Determind al the Doubts of Socks and Buskins;
Gave Judgment on all Past and Future Plays,
As is Apparent by Speronys Case,
Which Lope Vega first began to steale,
And after him the French Filou Corniele;
And since our English Plagiarys Nim
And steal their farfet Criticismes, from him,
And, by an Action falsly layd of Trover,
The Lumber, for their Proper Goods Recover;
Enough to furnish al the Lewd Impeachers
Of witty Beumonts Poetry, and Fletchers,
Who, for a few Misprisions of wit,
Are chargd by those, who ten times worse commit;
And for Misjudging some unhappy scenes
Are censurd for't, with more unlucky sense;
When all their worst miscarriages Delight
And please more then the Best, that Pedants write.
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