But what makes the Character of Menalcas still more ridiculous and unnatural is, that he is stupid and sensible at the same Time.—­Menalcas is in the Drawing-Room at Court; and walking very majestically under a Branch of Candlestics; his Wig is caught up by one of them, and hangs dangling in the Air.  All the Courtiers fall a laughing.—­Menalcas unluckily loses his Feeling, but still retains the Use of his Ears.  He is insensible that his Wig is taken off his Head; but yet is so happy as to hear the loud Mirth of the Courtiers, and has still so much good Humour left as to join in Company with them.—­Menalcas plays at Backgammon.—­He calls for a Glass of Water; ’tis his Turn to throw; he has the Box in one Hand and the Glass in the other; and being extremely dry, and unwilling to lose Time, he swallows down both the Dice and almost the Box, and at the same Time throws the Glass of Water into the Tables.—­If this is not to overstrain the Bow, to carry Things to an unnatural Excess and Extravagance, and to make no Distinction between Absence of Mind and Insensibility, or downright Folly, I confess, I know not what is. Mr. de la Bruyere should have consider’d, that a Man, who has lost his Feeling, is not, in that Respect, a proper Subject for Ridicule, and that ’tis no Jest to take away a Man’s Senses.  Extravagances of this Nature are no Beauties in any Kind of Writing, much less in Characteristics.  In Performances of this Kind there must be Spirit and Strength, but especially there must be Justice.  The real Images of Life must be represented, or the Probabilities of Nature must strictly be observ’d.

  [M] Respicere exemplar vitae morumque jubebo
  Doctum imitatorem, & vivas hinc ducere voces.

    These are the likeliest Copies, which are drawn
    By the Original of human Life. 
      Ld. Roscommon.

  [M:  Horat. in Art.  Poet. v. 317, &c.]

The Strokes which compose a Character must be bold, but not extravagant.  Nature must not be distorted, to excite either Ridicule or Admiration.  Reason must hold the Reins of the Imagination:  Judgment must direct the Fancy; otherwise we shall be apt to miscarry, and connect inconsistent Ideas, at the very Time, when we think we hit the Point of Humour to the Life.

The only Thing that can be said to excuse Mr. de la Bruyere on this Head, is what the Abbot Fleury has alledg’d to his Praise; namely, [N]that his Characters are sometimes loaded, on purpose that they might not too nearly resemble the Persons design’d.

[N:  On trouve dans ses Characteres une severe Critique, des Expressions vives, des Tours ingenieux, des Peintures quelquefois chargees expres, pour ne les pas faire trop ressemblantes. Discours prononce dans l’Academie Francaise. 1696.]

’Tis very dangerous, I confess, to make free with the Characters of particular Persons; for there are some Men in the World, who, tho’ they are not asham’d of the Impropriety of their own