[169]: Essay on Dramatic Poesy.
[170]: The beauties of the French poesy are the beauties of a statue, but not of a man, because not animated with the soul of poesy, which is imitation of humour and passions.... He who will look upon their plays which have been written 'till these last ten years or thereabouts, will find it an hard matter to pick out two or three passable humours amongst them. Corneille himself, their archpoet, what has he produced except the liar? And you know how it was cry'd up in France. But when it came upon the English stage, though well translated.... the most favourable to it would not put it in competition with many of Fletcher's or Ben Jonson's.... Their verses are to me the coldest I have ever read.... their speeches being so many declamations. When the French stage came to be reformed by cardinal Richelieu, those long harangues were introduced, to comply with the dignity of a churchman. Look upon the Cinna and the Pompey. They are not so properly to be called plays as long discourses of reason of state; and Polyeucte, in matters of religion, is as solemn as the long stops upon our organs. Since that time it is grown into a custom, and their actors speak by the hour-glass, like our parsons.... I deny not this may suit well enough with the French; for as we, who are a more sullen people, come to be diverted at our plays; so they, who are of an aery and gay temper, come hither to make themselves more serious. (Essay on Dramatic Poesy.)
In this nicety of manners does the excellency of French poetry consist. Their heroes are the most civil people breathing; but their good breeding seldom extends to a word of sense. All their wit is in their ceremony. They want the genius which animates our stage.... Thus their Hippolytus is so scrupulous in point of decency that he will rather expose himself to death than accuse his step-mother to his father; and my criticks, I am sure, will commend him for it. But we of grosser apprehensions are apt to think that this excess of generosity is not practicable but with fools and madmen.... Take Hippolytus out of his poetic fit, and I suppose he would think it a wiser part to set the saddle on the right horse, and chuse rather to live with the reputation of a plain-spoken honest man than to die with the infamy of an incestuous villain.... The poet has chosen to give him the turn of gallantry, sent him to travel from Athens to Paris, taught him to make love, and transformed the Hippolytus of Euripides into Monsieur Hippolyte. (Préface de All for Love.)
Cette critique montre, en abrégé, tout le bon sens et toute la liberté d'esprit de Dryden, mais en même temps toute la grossièreté de son éducation et de son temps.
.... Contented to be thinly regular.
Their tongue enfeebled is refin'd too much,
And, like pure gold, it bends to every touch.
Our sturdy Teuton yet will not obey,
More fit for manly thought, and strengthen'd with allay.
(Épître XII.)
[173]: A more masculine fancy and greater spirit in the writing than there is in any of the French.