World. However, I kept my Seat tother Night,
in hopes of finding my own Sentiments of this Matter
favour’d by your Friends; when, to my great
Surprize, I found the Knight entering with equal
Pleasure into both Parts, and as much satisfied
with Mrs. Oldfield’s Gaiety, as he had been before
with Andromache’s Greatness. Whether
this were no other than an Effect of the Knights
peculiar Humanity, pleas’d to find at last, that
after all the tragical Doings every thing was safe
and well, I don’t know. But for my own
part, I must confess, I was so dissatisfied, that I
was sorry the Poet had saved Andromache, and could
heartily have wished that he had left her stone-dead
upon the Stage. For you cannot imagine, Mr.
SPECTATOR, the Mischief she was reserv’d to do
me. I found my Soul, during the Action, gradually
work’d up to the highest Pitch; and felt the
exalted Passion which all generous Minds conceive
at the Sight of Virtue in Distress. The Impression,
believe me, Sir, was so strong upon me, that I am
persuaded, if I had been let alone in it, I could
at an Extremity have ventured to defend your self and
Sir ROGER against half a Score of the fiercest Mohocks:
But the ludicrous Epilogue in the Close extinguish’d
all my Ardour, and made me look upon all such noble
Atchievements, as downright silly and romantick.
What the rest of the Audience felt, I cant so well
tell: For my self, I must declare, that at
the end of the Play I found my Soul uniform, and
all of a Piece; but at the End of the Epilogue it was
so jumbled together, and divided between Jest and
Earnest, that if you will forgive me an extravagant
Fancy, I will here set it down. I could not but
fancy, if my Soul had at that Moment quitted my Body,
and descended to the poetical Shades in the Posture
it was then in, what a strange Figure it would have
made among them. They would not have known
what to have made of my motley Spectre, half Comick
and half Tragick, all over resembling a ridiculous
Face, that at the same time laughs on one side and
cries o tother. The only Defence, I think, I
have ever heard made for this, as it seems to me,
most unnatural Tack of the Comick Tail to the Tragick
Head, is this, that the Minds of the Audience must
be refreshed, and Gentlemen and Ladies not sent away
to their own Homes with too dismal and melancholy
Thoughts about them: For who knows the Consequence
of this? We are much obliged indeed to the
Poets for the great Tenderness they express for the
Safety of our Persons, and heartily thank them for
it. But if that be all, pray, good Sir, assure
them, that we are none of us like to come to any great
Harm; and that, let them do their best, we shall in
all probability live out the Length of our Days,
and frequent the Theatres more than ever. What
makes me more desirous to have some Reformation of
this matter, is because of an ill Consequence or two
attending it: For a great many of our Church-Musicians
being related to the Theatre, they have, in Imitation