A Short View of the Immorality, and Profaneness of the English Stage: Together with the Sense of Antiquity on this ArgumentCollier, Jeremy
General
A Short View of the Immorality, and Profaneness of the English Stage: Together with the Sense of Antiquity on this Argument
Collier, Jeremy
Theater -- England -- Early works to 1800; Theater -- Moral and ethical aspects -- Early works to 1800
_Dominick_ has a great many of these Compliments bestow'd upon him. And to
make the Railing more effectual, you have a general stroke or two upon the
Profession. Would you know what are the _Infallible Church Remedies_. Why
'tis to _Lie Impudently_, and _Swear Devoutly_.[200] A little before this
_Dominick_ Counterfits himself sick, retires, and leaves _Lorenzo_ and
_Elvira_ together; And then the Remark upon the Intrigue follows. 'You see
Madam (says _Lorenzo_)[201] 'tis Interest governs all the World. He
Preaches against Sin, why? Because he gets by't: He holds his Tongue; why?
because so much more is bidden for his Silence. 'Tis but giving a Man his
Price, and Principles of _Church_ are bought off as easily as they are in
_State_: No man will be a Rogue for nothing; but Compensation must be made,
so much Gold for so much Honesty; and then a Church-man will break the
Rules of Chess. For the Black Bishop, will skip into the White, and the
White into the Black, without Considering whether the remove be Lawful.
At last _Dominick_ is discover'd to the Company, makes a dishonourable
_Exit_, and is push'd off the _Stage_ by the Rabble. This is great Justice!
The Poet takes care to make him first a Knave, and then an Example: But his
hand is not even. For Lewd _Lorenzo_ comes off with _Flying Colours_. 'Tis
not the Fault which is corrected but the Priest. The Authors Discipline is
seldom without a Biass. He commonly gives the _Laity_ the Pleasure of an
ill Action, and the _Clergy_ the Punishment.
To proceed. _Horner_ in his general Remarks upon Men, delivers it as a sort
of Maxim, _that your Church-man is the greatest Atheist_. In this Play
_Harcourt_ puts on the Habit of a Divine.[202] _Alithea_ does not think him
what he appears; but _Sparkish_ who could not see so far, endeavours to
divert her Suspicion. _I tell you (says he) this is Ned_ Harcourt _of_
Cambridge, _you see he has a sneaking Colledge look_.[203] Afterwards his
Character is sufficiently abused by _Sparkish_ and _Lucy_; but not so much
as by Himself.[204] He tells you in an _Aside_ _he must suit his Stile to
his Coat_. Upon this wise Recollection, He talks like a servile,
impertinent Fop,
In the _Orphan_, The Young Soldier _Chamont_ calls the Chaplain Sr.
_Gravity_, and treats him with the Language of _Thee_, and _Thou_. The
Chaplain instead of returning the Contempt; Flatters _Chamont_ in his
Folly, and pays a Respect to his Pride. The Cavalier encouraged I suppose
by this Sneaking, proceeds to all the Excesses of Rudeness,
----_is there not one
Of all thy Tribe that's Honest in your School?
The Pride of your Superiours makes ye Slaves:
Ye all live Loathsome, Sneaking, Servile lives:
Not free enough to Practise generous Truth,
'Tho ye pretend to teach it to the World._[205]
After a little Pause for Breath, the Railing improves.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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