“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.