Boileau.—­The variety, spirit, and force of Mr. Garrick’s action have been much praised to me by many of his countrymen, whose shades I converse with, and who agree in speaking of him as we do of Baron, our most natural and most admired actor.  I have also heard of another, who has now quitted the stage, but who had filled, with great dignity, force, and elevation, some tragic parts, and excelled so much in the comic, that none ever has deserved a higher applause.

Pope.—­Mr. Quin was, indeed, a most perfect comedian.  In the part of Falstaff particularly, wherein the utmost force of Shakespeare’s humour appears, he attained to such perfection that he was not an actor; he was the man described by Shakespeare; he was Falstaff himself!  When I saw him do it the pleasantry of the fat knight appeared to me so bewitching, all his vices were so mirthful, that I could not much wonder at his having seduced a young prince even to rob in his company.

Boileau.—­That character is not well understood by the French; they suppose it belongs, not to comedy, but to farce, whereas the English see in it the finest and highest strokes of wit and humour.  Perhaps these different judgments may be accounted for in some measure by the diversity of manners in different countries.  But don’t you allow, Mr. Pope, that our writers, both of tragedy and comedy, are, upon the whole, more perfect masters of their art than yours?  If you deny it, I will appeal to the Athenians, the only judges qualified to decide the dispute.  I will refer it to Euripides, Sophocles, and Menander.

Pope.—­I am afraid of those judges, for I see them continually walking hand-in-hand, and engaged in the most friendly conversation with Corneille, Racine, and Moliere.  Our dramatic writers seem, in general, not so fond of their company; they sometimes shove rudely by them, and give themselves airs of superiority.  They slight their reprimands, and laugh at their precepts—­in short, they will be tried by their country alone; and that judicature is partial.

Boileau.—­I will press this question no further.  But let me ask you to which of our rival tragedians, Racine and Corneille, do you give the preference?

Pope.—­The sublimest plays of Corneille are, in my judgment, equalled by the Athalia of Racine, and the tender passions are certainly touched by that elegant and most pathetic writer with a much finer hand.  I need not add that he is infinitely more correct than Corneille, and more harmonious and noble in his versification.  Corneille formed himself entirely upon Lucan, but the master of Racine was Virgil.  How much better a taste had the former than the latter in choosing his model!

Boileau.—­My friendship with Racine, and my partiality for his writings, make me hear with great pleasure the preference given to him above Corneille by so judicious a critic.