“On the other side, if you consider the Historical Plays of SHAKESPEARE; they are rather so many Chronicles of Kings, or the business, many times, of thirty or forty years crampt into a Representation of two hours and a half:  which is not to imitate or paint Nature, but rather to draw her in miniature, to take her in little; to look upon her, through the wrong of a perspective [telescope], and receive her Images [pp. 528, 549], not only much less, but infinitely more imperfect than the Life.  This, instead of making a Play delightful, renders it ridiculous.

    “Quodeunque ostendis mihi sic, incredulus odi.

“For the Spirit of Man cannot be satisfied but with Truth, or, at least, Verisimilitude:  and a Poem is to contain, if not [Greek ta hetuma], yet [Greek:  hetmoisiu homia]; as one of the Greek poets has expressed it [See p. 589.].

“Another thing, in which the French differ from us and from the Spaniards, is that they do not embarrass or cumber themselves with too much Plot.  They only represent so much of a Story as will constitute One whole and great Action sufficient for a Play.  We, who undertake more, do but multiply Adventures [pp. 541, 552]; which (not being produced from one another, as Effects from Causes, but, barely, following) constitute many Actions in the Drama, and consequently make it many Plays.

“But, by pursuing close[ly] one Argument, which is not cloyed with many Turns; the French have gained more liberty for Verse, in which they write.  They have leisure to dwell upon a subject which deserves it; and to represent the passions [p. 542] (which we have acknowledged to be the Poet’s work) without being hurried from one thing to another, as we are in the plays of CALDERON; which we have seen lately upon our theatres, under the name of Spanish Plots.

“I have taken notice but of one Tragedy of ours; whose Plot has that uniformity and unity of Design in it, which I have commended in the French; and that is, ROLLO, or rather under the name of ROLLO, the story of BASSANIUS and GOETA, in HERODIAN.  There, indeed, the plot is neither large nor intricate; but just enough to fill the minds of the audience, not to cloy them.  Besides, you see it founded on the truth of History; only the time of the Action is not reduceable to the strictness of the Rules.  And you see, in some places, a little farce mingled, which is below the dignity of the other parts.  And in this, all our Poets are extremely peccant; even BEN.  JOHNSON himself, in SEFANUS and CATILINE, has given this Oleo [hodge-podge] of a Play, this unnatural mixture of Comedy and Tragedy; which, to me, sounds just as ridiculous as The History of DAVID, with the merry humours of GOLIAS.  In SEFANUS, you may take notice of the Scene between LIVIA and the Physician; which is a pleasant satire upon the artificial helps of beauty.  In CATILINE, you may see the Parliament of Women; the little envies of them to one another; and all that passes betwixt CURIO and FULVIA.  Scenes, admirable in their kind, but of an ill mingle with the rest.