is a perfect original. Virolet, in The Double Marriage, bears a much more striking likeness to Hamlet; and for that very reason, though the passions of his mind are in many scenes drawn with great truth and delicacy, suffers by the comparison. Our poets have left us an admirable portrait of an honest man reduced to extremity by misfortune, but still borne up by a high sense of honour, and an untainted conscience, in the character of Montague, in The Honest Man's Fortune.

In the delineation of heroic characters, our authors yield to few dramatists. The pure spirit of valour is most happily exemplified in Caractacus; the bluntness of an old soldier in Penius and Melantius; heroism, combined with the most ardent loyalty, in Arcas' and Aëcius; and bravery, tainted by ambition, in Maximus.3 Hengo is indisputably superior not only to Shakspeare's Arthur, but to any generous heroic boy who has ever been exhibited.

Another description of character which Fletcher is peculiarly fond of introducing, and generally with the happiest success, is that of the

7 Bonduca.

x Loyal Subject. 4 Bonduca.

8 Ibid.

9 Maid's Tragedy.

• Valentinian.

3 Ibid.

blunt sturdy Englishman, an enemy to foppery and affectation of all kinds, and gifted with a high sense of honour, without making any parade about the matter. Of this description are Rutilio in The Custom of the Country, Tibalt in the Sea Voyage, De Vitry in Thierry and Theodoret, and Norandine in The Knight of Malta. To a kindred class the celebrated character of Leon, and that of Jacomo in The Captain, belong. The unexpected opening of Leon's true character, after the simplicity he had assumed to obtain his ends with Margarita, produces the most happy dramatic effect. Jacomo is a less interesting character, and even repulsive, but he bears the true semblance of nature.

Old men, agitated by violent anger, are also the peculiar forte of Fletcher. Cassibelane in the Laws of Candy, Alberto and Baptista in The Fair Maid of the Inn, and Champernel in The Little French Lawyer, are instances of that species of characters, when they retain a sufficient degree of dignity to command respect; while Antonio in The Chances, and Alphonso in The Pilgrim, illustrate the ludicrous effects of violent rage carried to excess, without any adequate means of making itself respected or feared.

5 Rule a Wife and have a Wife.

1

In the delineation of villainy, our poets are not entitled to the same degree of praise. We do not meet with such characters in their plays as Iago, Richard III., Sir Giles Overreach, or Luke. They generally content themselves with investing their bad men with every mark of downright depravity, without those different shades with which Shakspeare so happily discriminated his characters of the kind. Perhaps the most finished villain in their dramatic performances is Septimius, in The False One; but I suspect that Massinger had a hand in that play, and perhaps furnished that character. If our poets did not succeed in their delineations of tyrants, sycophants, and murderers, they are, perhaps, still less happy when they wish to present their audience with vicious women. Hippolyta in The Custom of the Country, Lelia in The Captain, and, above all, Brunhalt in Thierry and Theodoret, have, no doubt, their prototypes in nature, but they are too vicious for the stage. Some of their lowest female characters also are disgusting beyond endurance; and the error of judgment, or rather complacency to the taste of the audience, which could defile their dramas with such women as the Priestess in The Mad Lover, Megra in Philaster, and Panura in The Island Princess, cannot be sufficiently reprobated.

6

But, in delineating the brighter side of the female character, as has been before observed, our poets not only exceeded all their contemporaries, not excepting Shakspeare, but all their successors. Amongst such a profusion of admirable portraits, it is difficult to select examples. The meekness and patience of Aspatia, the saintlike purity and devotion of Ordella," the ardour of affection of Euphrasia, the burning love and resignation of Juliana, the firmness and heroism of Edith,' and the tenderness of Evanthe, furnish specimens of every virtue estimable in the female character, which these authors, particularly Fletcher, must have studied with peculiar success in every shade and variation. They are no less happy in the sprightly girls and jolly widows, who so frequently occur in their plays, and who form a most striking contrast to the pale and sickly heroines of our sentimental comedies. The Widow in Wit Without Money, The Scornful Lady, Alinda in The Pilgrim, Frank in The Captain, and the Niece in Wit at Several Weapons, may be referred to as proving this assertion. Estifania is a well-known character of a different description, but delineated in

6 Maid's Tragedy. 7 Thierry and Theodoret. Philaster. 9 Double Marriage. Rollo. * Wife for a Month.

the most happy manner, and with the truest colouring.

With respect to the comic characters of our poets, they may be obviously classed under two heads. In the comedies written by Beaumont and Fletcher conjointly, as well as in some of the earlier unassisted productions of the latter, they chiefly attached themselves to the school of Ben Jonson, which was almost exclusively confined to the delineation of the different humours, then the fashionable term for any peculiar predominant passion, acquired habit, or studied affectation. While this gave constant opportunity for the display of extreme drollery, and a peculiar dry and harsh, but often very piquante and highseasoned, species of character, it too frequently led the poet into extravagance, at least to our conceptions, though we have reason to believe that the metropolis furnished real examples of some humours which appear to us far beyond the bounds of probability. In this walk of comedy, our authors yield the palm to none of the poets who attached themselves to this school, with the instanexception of Ben Jonson; and, in many ces, they approach to the excellence of the latter very nearly. The characters of La Writ,3