A Critical Essay on Characteristic-Writings Part 3

Is a Country Wench, that is so farre from making herselfe beautifull by Art, that one Looke of hers is able to put all _Face-Physicke_ out of Countenance. Shee knowes a fayre Looke is but a dumbe Orator to commend Vertue, therefore mindes it not. All her Excellencies stand in her so silently, as if they had stolne upon her without her Knowledge. The Lining of her Apparell (which is her selfe) is farre better than Outsides of Tissew: for tho' shee be not arraied in the Spoyle of the Silke Worme, shee is deckt in Innocency, a far better Wearing. Shee doth not, with lying long a Bed, spoile both her Complexion and Conditions; Nature hath taught her, _too immoderate Sleepe is rust to the Soul_: She rises therefore with _Chaunticleare_ her Dames c.o.c.ke, and at Night makes the Lambe her _Corfew_. In milking a Cow, and straining the Teates through her Fingers, it seemes that so sweet a Milke-Presse makes the Milke the whiter, or sweeter; for never came Almond Glove or Aromatique Oyntment on her Palme to taint it. The golden Eares of Corn fall and kisse her Feete when shee reapes them, as if they wisht to be bound and led Prisoners by the same Hand that fell'd them. Her Breath is her owne, which sents all the Yeere long of _June_, like a new made Hay-c.o.c.ke. Shee makes her Hand hard with Labour, and her Heart soft with Pitty: And when Winter Evenings fall early (sitting at her merry Wheele) she sings a Defiance to the giddy Wheele of Fortune. Shee doth all things with so sweet a Grace it seemes _Ignorance_ will not suffer her to do Ill, being her Minde is to do Well. Shee bestowes her Yeeres Wages at next Faire; and in chusing her Garments, counts no Bravery i'th' World, like Decency. The Garden and Bee-hive are all her Physicke and Chyrurgerie, and shee lives the longer for't. Shee dares goe alone, and unfold Sheepe i'th'

Night, and feares no manner of Ill, because shee meanes none: Yet to say Truth, shee is never alone, for shee is still accompanied with old Songs, honest Thoughts, and Prayers, but short ones; yet they have their Efficacy, in that they are not pauled with insuing idle Cogitations. Lastly, her Dreames are so chaste, that shee dare tell them; onely a Fridaies Dreame is all her Superst.i.tion; _that_ she conceales for feare of Anger. Thus lives shee, and all her Care is shee may die in the Spring-Time, to have Store of Flowers stucke upon her winding Sheet.

What makes me wonder that no _English_ Writer has ever attempted a profess'd Performance in the _Characteristic-Way_ is, that we are, certainly, more able to undertake a Work of this Nature than any other Nation; because our Countrymen afford a greater Variety of Subject Matter than any other People.--Human Nature, as I observ'd before, in its various Forms and Affections, is the Subject of _Characteristic- Writings_: And from this Diversity of Manners arises that, which is properly call'd _Humour_, and which, upon a double Account, seems to be peculiar to our Nation; not only because there is no Word in any other Language so expressive, but also because there is no Nation, in which we can find a greater Variety of original _Humour_, than amongst the _English_. Sir _William Temple_, speaking of the Dramatic Performances of the Stage, expresses himself after the following Manner.--[Z]

[Z: Essay on Poetry, p. 355, _&c_.]

In this the _Italian_, the _Spanish_, and the _French_, have all had their different Merit, and receiv'd their just Applauses. Yet I am deceiv'd, if our _English_ has not in some Kind excell'd both the Modern and the Antient; which has been by Force of a Vein, natural perhaps to our Country, and which with us is call'd _Humour_, a Word peculiar to our Language too, and hard to be express'd in any other; nor is it (that I know of) found in any Foreign Writers, unless it be _Moliere_, and yet his it self has too much of the Farce, to pa.s.s for the same with ours. _Shakespear_ was the first that opened this Vein upon our Stage, which has run so freely and so pleasantly ever since, that I have often wonder'd to find it appear so little upon any others; being a Subject so proper for them, since _Humour_ is but a Picture of particular Life, as Comedy is of general; and tho' it represents Dispositions and Customs less common, yet they are not less natural than those that are more frequent among Men.

_Humour_ is the only genuine Source of all that agreeable Variety of original Characters, which is so entertaining to a Spectator and Reader: And Sir _William Temple_ proceeds to observe, that in this Point the Moderns in general, and the _English_ in particular, have far excell'd the Antients. This Observation is very just, however partial it may seem to a Foreigner, and the Reason of it is very obvious. I shall represent 'em both in Sir _William_'s own Words. The Pa.s.sage is somewhat long, but the Goodness of it will amply pay the Reader for his Trouble in perusing it.

It may seem a Defect (says he) in the antient Stage, that the Characters introduc'd were so few, and those so common, as a covetous old Man, an amorous young, a witty Wench, a crafty Slave, a bragging Soldier. The Spectators met nothing upon the Stage, but what they met in the Streets, and at every Turn. All the Variety is drawn only from different and uncommon Events; whereas if the Characters are so too, the Diversity and the Pleasure must needs be the more. But as of most general Customs in a Country, there is usually some Ground, from the Nature of the People or Climat, so there may be amongst us for this Vein of our Stage, and a greater Variety of _Humour_ in the Picture, because there is a greater Variety in the Life. This may proceed from the native Plenty of our Soil, the Unequalness of our Climat, as well as the Ease of our Government, and the Liberty of professing Opinions and Factions, which perhaps our Neighbours may have about them, but are forc'd to disguise, and thereby they may come in Time to be extinguish'd.

Plenty begets Wantonness and Pride, Wantonness is apt to invent, and Pride scorns to imitate; Liberty begets Stomach or Heart, and Stomach will not be constrain'd. Thus we come to have more Originals, and more that appear what they are; we have more _Humour_, because every Man follows his own, and takes a Pleasure, perhaps a Pride, to shew it.

--_Shakespear_, _Johnson_, _Shadwell_, _Etherege_, and _Wycherly_ have shewn the Richness of this Source: They excell'd in the Variety and _Humour_ of the Characters which they exhibited; and in this they have receiv'd just Applauses: But yet they did not exhaust the Spring from whence they drew: The ingenious Mr. _Congreve_ has pursu'd the same Vein of _Humour_; and he has imitated his Predecessors so well, that he has by far out-done 'em all. In his Dramatic-Pieces there is the greatest Variety of _Humour_ and of original Characters, set off by the greatest Delicacy of Sentiments, and adorn'd with the Beauties of the justest Diction that can possibly be imagined. Mr. _Dryden_ must be allow'd to be a competent Judge in an Affair of this Nature, and he has given us the true Character and Panegyric of Mr. _Congreve_ in the following Lines.

In him all Beauties of this Age we see; } _Etherege_ his Courtship, _Southern_'s Purity; } The Satir, Wit and Strength of manly _Wicherly_. }

'Tis true, there is some Difference between the Characters which enter into the Composition of Dramatic Pieces, and those which are represented by _Characteristic-Writers_; but this Difference is so small, that I doubt not but he, who is an able Master in one of these Kinds, would as successfully perform in the other. For, in reality, the essential Parts of the Characters, in the _Drama_, and in _Characteristic-Writings_, are the same. They are both an Image of one Life; a Representation of one Person: All the Diversity lies in the different Manner of representing the same Image. The _Drama_ presents to the Eyes of a Spectator an Actor, who speaks and acts as the Person, whom he represents, is suppos'd to speak and act in real Life.

The _Characteristic_ Writer introduces, in a descriptive manner, before a Reader, the same Person, as speaking and acting in the same manner: And both must be perform'd in such a natural and lively manner, as may deceive the Spectator and Reader, and make them fancy they see the Person represented or characteris'd.

But tho' no _English_ Author has attempted a Performance in this Kind, yet it must be confess'd that in some late diurnal Papers we have had excellent Specimens in the Characteristic-Way. The Papers, which I mean to point out, are the _Tatlers_ and the _Spectators_. They are of the miscellaneous Kind, and were design'd for the universal Delight and Instruction of the _British_ Nation. In these Papers are contained Abundance of true Wit and _Humour_, lively Descriptions of human Nature in its various Forms and Disguises, the Praises of Virtue, and pointed Satir against Vice; and here and there are interspers'd Characters of Men and Manners compleatly drawn to the Life.--If the great Authors, who were concerned in the Composition of those Papers, would have join'd their Abilities to form a Work of this Kind, I doubt not but it would have been inimitable, and deserv'd the next Place, in Point of Fame, to that of _Theophrastus_: For this is the highest Pitch to which Moderns can aspire. A greater Design would be Presumption, and would only serve to shew the greater Vanity of the Attempt. An establish'd Reputation of above two thousand Years cannot be easily shaken. _Theophrastus_ is, and ever will be, an Original in _Characteristic-Writings_. His Fame still lives in our Memory, and the Main of his Characters still subsists in our Actions.

_FINIS._

PUBLICATIONS OF THE AUGUSTAN REPRINT SOCIETY FIRST YEAR (1946-47)

[Transcriber's Note: Many of the listed t.i.tles are or will be available from Project Gutenberg. Where possible, the e-text number is given in brackets.]

Numbers 1-4 out of print. [#13484, #14528, #14973]

5. Samuel Wesley's _Epistle to a Friend Concerning Poetry_ (1700) and _Essay on Heroic Poetry_ (1693).

6. _Representation of the Impiety and Immorality of the Stage_ (1704) and _Some Thoughts Concerning the Stage_ (1704). [#15656]

SECOND YEAR (1947-1948)

7. John Gay's _The Present State of Wit_ (1711); and a section on Wit from _The English Theophrastus_ (1702). [#14800]

8. Rapin's _De Carmine Pastorali_, translated by Creech (1684).

[#14495]

9. T. Hanmer's (?) _Some Remarks on the Tragedy of Hamlet_ (1736).

[#14899]

10. Corbyn Morris' _Essay towards Fixing the True Standards of Wit, etc._ (1744). [#16233]

11. Thomas Purney's _Discourse on the Pastoral_ (1717). [#15313]

12. Essays on the Stage, selected, with an Introduction by Joseph Wood Krutch.

THIRD YEAR (1948-1949)

13. Sir John Falstaff (pseud.), _The Theatre_ (1720).

14. Edward Moore's _The Gamester_ (1753). [#16267]

15. John Oldmixon's _Reflections on Dr. Swift's Letter to Harley_ (1712); and Arthur Mainwaring's _The British Academy_ (1712).

16. Nevil Payne's _Fatal Jealousy_ (1673).

17. Nicholas Rowe's _Some Account of the Life of Mr. William Shakespeare_ (1709).

18. "Of Genius," in _The Occasional Paper_, Vol. III, No. 10 (1719); and Aaron Hill's Preface to _The Creation_ (1720). [#15870]

FOURTH YEAR (1949-1950)

19. Susanna Centlivre's _The Busie Body_ (1709).

20. Lewis Theobold's _Preface to The Works of Shakespeare_ (1734).

[In Preparation]

21. _Critical Remarks on Sir Charles Grandison, Clarissa, and Pamela_ (1754).

22. Samuel Johnson's _The Vanity of Human Wishes_ (1749) and Two _Rambler_ papers (1750). [#13350]

23. John Dryden's _His Majesties Declaration Defended_ (1681). [#15074]

24. Pierre Nicole's _An Essay on True and Apparent Beauty in Which from Settled Principles is Rendered the Grounds for Choosing and Rejecting Epigrams_, translated by J.V. Cunningham.

FIFTH YEAR (1950-51)

25. Thomas Baker's _The Fine Lady's Airs_ (1709). [#14467]

26. Charles Macklin's _The Man of the World_ (1792). [#14463]

27. Frances Reynolds' _An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Taste, and of the Origin of Our Ideas of Beauty, etc._ (1785).

[#13485]

28. John Evelyn's _An Apologie for the Royal Party_ (1659); and _A Panegyric to Charles the Second_ (1661).

29. Daniel Defoe's _A Vindication of the Press_ (1718). [#14084]