"But to leave this, and to pass to the latter part of LISIDEIUS his discourse; which concerns RELATIONS. I must acknowledge, with him, that the French have reason, _when they hide that part of the Action, which would occasion too much tumult on the Stage_; and choose rather to have it made known by Narration to the audience [p. 535]. Farther; I think it very convenient, for the reasons he has given, that _all incredible Actions were removed_ [p. 537]: but, whether custom has so insinuated itself into our countrymen, or Nature has so formed them to fierceness, I know not; but they will scarcely suffer combats or other objects of horror to be taken from them. And indeed the _indecency_ of tumults is all which can be objected against fighting. For why may not our imagination as well suffer itself to be deluded with the _probability_ of it, as any other thing in the Play. For my part, I can, with as great ease, persuade myself that the blows, which are struck, are given in good earnest; as I can, that they who strike them, are Kings, or Princes, or those persons which they represent. "For _objects of incredibility_ [p. 537], I would be satisfied from LISIDEIUS, whether we have any so removed from all appearance of truth, as are those in CORNEILLE's _ANDROMEDE_? A Play that has been frequented [_repeated_] the most, of any he has writ. If the _PERSEUS_ or the son of the heathen god, the _Pegasus_, and the Monster, were not capable to choke a strong belief? let him blame any representation of ours hereafter! Those, indeed, were objects of delight; yet the reason is the same as to the probability: for he makes it not a Ballette [_Ballet_] or Masque; but a Play, which is, _to resemble truth_. "As for _Death_, that _it ought not to be represented_ [p. 536]: I have, besides the arguments alleged by LISIDEIUS, the authority of BEN. JOHNSON, who has foreborne it in his Tragedies: for both the death of SEJANUS and CATILINE are Related. Though, in the latter, I cannot but observe one irregularity of that great poet. He has removed the Scene in the same Act, from Rome to _CATILINE_'s army; and from thence, again to Rome: and, besides, has allowed a very inconsiderable time after _CATILINE_'s speech, for the striking of the battle, and the return of _PETREIUS_, who is to relate the event of it to the Senate. Which I should not animadvert upon him, who was otherwise a painful observer of [Greek: to prepon] or the Decorum of the Stage: if he had not used extreme severity in his judgement [_in his 'Discoveries'_] upon the incomparable SHAKESPEARE, for the same fault. "To conclude on this subject of Relations, if we are to be blamed for showing too much of the Action; the French are as faulty for discovering too little of it. A mean betwixt both, should be observed by every judicious writer, so as the audience may neither be left unsatisfied, by not seeing what is beautiful; or shocked, by beholding what is either incredible or indecent.