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THE PARADOX OF ACTING.

Nq-po

Talma

Readyy Price One Shillings

on the AEior

Art.

WITH A PREFACE
BY

HENRY

IRVING.

Any proceeds of thei^ah of this

Effay tpUI be gi'uen

to the

ABors* Benc'volent Fund.

BICKERS & SON, LEICESTER SQUARE.

THE

PARADOX OF ACTING
Tranjlated with Annotations

FROM

s'-

/I

Diderot's

'

paradoxe sur le comedien'

^
BY

WALTER HERRIES POLLOCK

WITH A PREFACE
BY

HENRY

IRVING.

LONDON

CHATTO

& WINDUS, PICCADILLY

1883
{All rights rejirvedl

London
Printed by

Strangeways

&

Sons,

Tmer

Street, St.

Martin's Lane.

Infcribed by the Tranjlator

TO

ALFRED EGMONT HAKE.

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE.
TV/TY Thanks
will,

to

Henry

Mr.

thin\, be underjiood without

giving them fpecial exprejjion.

to

than\

Irving

Mr. W.

E.

I have

Henley

invaluable aid he has given

me

for

in the

my
alfo

the

anno-

tations to Diderot's wor\.

W. H. P

PREFACE.
the nature of a paradox that

is

IT

deal with extremes.

work

is

an apt

it

fliould

Diderot's entertaining

illuftration

Having

of this truth.

perfuaded himfelf that Jenfibility fhould have no

part in an aftor's fundlions, he goes on to prove
that

it is

one of the misfortunes, and even one of

the vices, of the

angry with

it

human mind.

as Sir Peter

He

Teazle

thing that founds like a fentiment.

cripples

when

the

man

bility is the

intelligence

needs
*

fear,

It

'

with every'

Senfibility

very jundlure
Senfi-

which accompanies

inclines

or-

one to being com-

being horrified, to admiration, to

to being upfet,

refcues,

almoft as

his felf-pofTefljon.'

difpofition

ganic weaknefs.'
paffionate, to

all

at the

is

is

to flights, to

to tears, to faintings, to

exclamations, to lofs

of

felf-control, to being contemptuous, difdainful.

^refcace.
to having

no

and

to being

fine,

clear notion

unjuft, to

number of illuftrations,
oftenfibly

from

his

of what

good,

going mad.'

imaginary, drawn

real or

own

true,

is

experience, enable the

philofopher to fhow that whenever he was unequal to an emergency, whenever a repartee was

not ready on his tongue, he was the viftim of

On

fenfibility.

one occafion he did not

lofe his

man

for re-

head, but was able to reproach a

fufing help to a ftarving brother
fets

down

the impulfe

to

word,

it

and

to the habit of cool refledtion,

this

of indignant humanity.

is_imgoflible,

he

and not
In a

according to Diderot's

theory, for fudden feeling of any kin'd to find

Even

juft_and adequate expreflion.

th.e

orator

can never be fwayed by real emotion, but muft

produce his
tude at his

fineft efFedts,
will,

by

muft move the multi-

a fimulated fervour

which

is

the outcome of care and calculation.

This
nefs of

the

is a paradox, indeed
but it is no bufimine to vindicate human nature againft

philofopher's

fpeculation
is

is

fantafy.

The

bafis

of his

the charafter of aftors, and as he

fufiiciently inaccurate in painting this, there

xi

'Freface.

is

no neceflity to follow him through

of his

variations

The

higheft opinion of afting^as an art.

he

adtor,

faid,

fome

Yet

refpedts a worthlefs

charafter

or

the
the

great

was even a more remarkable

being than the great poet.

in

all

had

Diderot

theme.

even

the aftor was

creature,

and

individuality,

lacking in moral fenfe.

without

The adors

wholly

of Diderot's

day were not only devoid of fenfibihty on the

ftage

they had not a particle of fentiment in

They were often feen to laugh,

never to weep. They were 'ifolated, vagabonds,
little
at the command of the great,' and had

private

life.

'

condudt, no friends, fcarce any of thofe holy and

tender

ties

which

aflbciate

us in the pains and

pleafures of another, who in turn Ihares our

This pidture may have had fome truth
own.'

nobody

pretend that

true now.

then

The

ftage in Diderot's time did not enjoy that

focial

will

it

efteem which makes public

vate independence,

on of the Court

is

fpirit

and

pri-

Adtors were the hangersadlreffes were, in

cafes,

worfe than hangers-on.

tion,

poverty, a libertine

'

Want

fpirit,'

too

many

of educa-

fays Diderot,

Preface.

xii

'made

on the fock or the

adlors flip

and to the

his

own

the theatrical profeffion.

early defire to enter

'

The

flage

Never did

fource, never a choice.

from love of virtue, from

in the

adlor

defire to

is

never from

incline

heart, a fenfitive

paradox,

it

honourable

any of the

which might

become

be ufeful

a right mind, a feeling

foul, to fo fine a profeffion.'

fuch an aflumption
is

plain

is

efTential to a

that ingenuity and plaufi-

moft audacious climax.

Diderot's pofition

is

though wholly

nothing fhort of this

deftitute

accompliflied adlor muft,

by

moral qualities he

not with him an

He

ment.
fibility

'

mufl:

affair

For,

that,'

of moral qualities^ the;

fheer force of imita-

tion, abforb into himfelf for the purpofes

art the

motives

bility are at their

is

a re-

world, or to ferve his country or family

When

;'

libertine fpirit he frankly confefTes

when fpeaking of

fo

bufliin

fees in others.

of

his

This

of feeling, but of argu-

have penetration and no fen-

the art of mimicking everything,

or,

which comes to the fame thing, the fame aptitude for every fort of charadter amd part.' The
obvious anfwer to

this

is,

that an aftor's apti-

'Preface.

however great may be

tude,

have

He cannot,

limits.

man, be

though

idiofyncrafy will

may

his verfatility,

temperament,

and

be many-fided, his natural

impel

him more

one dire6tion than in another.

for

muft

any more than another

born without

his talent

xiii

It

the purpofe of his paradox

ftrongly in

was neceflary
that Diderot

fhould aflume that fenfibility muft be a wild,

ungovernable emotion, abfolutely

nerve of

Diderot

example

guided by

us,

but

Therefore
aftrefs.

of this

fhe

Mile.

Dumefnil was

But Talma thought

adtrefs,

as well

and Monvel, that he

faithful

as of

fays,

this.

'comes on the
is

going to fay;

fublime

one

has

artift

know what

the time fhe does not

faying

The one

no doubt of

fenfibility leaves
tells

it.

dramatic

of a

gives

knowing what fhe

ftage not

by

are afflidted

Dumefnil, he

Mile.

half,

who

all

to the

fatal

fhe

moment.'

not

great

fhe was.

Le

is

It

is

Kain, Mole,

'It was only

by a

imitation of truth and nature that they

fucceeded in creating thofe powerful emotions in

an enlightened nation which

recolledions of thofe

who

ftill

exift

heard them.'

in the

For an

xiv

'Preface.

adrefs to
fhe

come on

the ftage not

going to fay

is

imitation of truth and

faithful

who

extravagant creature
has no hold on us

who

is

that

the

and

his fketch

on both.

of

Cool

is

why
cool

is,'

re-

have your

come when

and keeping a watchful eye

muft bring the fury

bearings.'

its

Exadlly

but

bearing of the paradox, for

ftiould not the

refledtion

man

there no fuch

You may

refledtion

this is fcarcely the

The

hovering between nature

is

it,

of enthufiafm to

'

her felf-control

fublime moments, but they muft

man of genius

give a

to

nature.

gained by the

But
'

the philofopher.

way

Certainly there

'

lofes
is

felf-controlled.'

thing as infpiration
plies

not the

is

knowing what

man of

fenfibility

exercife

and a watchful eye when the

ideas fuggefted

by

to the teft of his

his

emotions are fubjefted

judgment

When Macready

played Virginius after burying his loved daughter

he confefled that his real experience gave a
force to his

ading

tions of the play.

in

Are we

to fuppofe that this

was a delufion, or that the

man was

new

the moft pathetic fitua-

fenfibility

a genuine aid to the aftor

of the

Bannifter

xv

'Preface.

of John Kemble that he was never pathetic,

faid

From

becaufe he had no children.

found

that Bannifter

this I infer,

that the moral quality de-

much

rived from his domeftic aflbciations had

to

do with

own

his

was a great

afting.

Talma

ad:or.

moved he found
and on a

fays, that

Bannifter

when deeply

himfelf making 'a rapid and

fugitive obfervation on
voice,

And John

the

alteration

of

certain fpafmodic vibration

his
it

Has not the adtor who

own feelings part of his art
the adtor who never feels,

contradted in tears.'

can thus

make

his

an advantage over

but makes his obfervations folely from the fenfibility

of others

Untrained

adtors, yielding

to

excitement on the ftage, have been

to

ftumble

exit.

But

it

wings

the

againft

in

quite poffible to

is

known

impaffioned
feel

all

the

excitement of the fituation and yet be perfectly

felf-poflefled.

This

who

head has not maftered.

his

lofes

rieceflary

to

this

were,

art

is

art

that

which

the

the

mind

adbor
It

is

fhould

a double confcioufnefs,

in

have,

as

it

which

all

the emotions proper to the occafion

may have

full

fway,

while

the

adlor

is

all

xvi

'Preface.

on the

the time

for every detail of his

alert

method.
^

fenfibllity,' fays

I call

Talma,

of exaltation which agitates an

feffion

of his

fenfes, fliakes

'

that faculty

adtor, takes pos-

even his very

foul,

and enables him to enter into the moft tragic

and the moft

fituations,

as if they

The

were his own.

accompanies

fenfibility

of the

terrible

pafTions,

intelligence

judges the

which

impreffions

made us feel it feledts,

arranges them, and fubjefts them to calculation.
It aids us to diredt the employment of our
which the

latter

phyfical and

has

intelleftual

forces

judge be-

to

tween the relations which are between the poet

and the

Situation or the charader

of the per-

fonages,

and fometimes to add the

ftiades that

are wanting, or that language cann,ot exprefs:

to complete, in fine, their expreffion

and phyfiognomy.'
is

the whole matter.

give a

more

by adion

That, in a fmall compafs,

It

would be impoffible

perfeft defcription

of the

art

to

of

Talma does not afTume

adlor who does not feel

afting in a few words.

that the

intelligent

cannot be an admirable

artift.

'

The

infpired

xvii

"Preface.

ador
he

will

fo

aflbciate

you with the emotions

that he will not leave

feels

of judgment

the other,

by

you the

liberty

prudent and

his

irreproachable adhing, will leave your faculties

at

liberty

Nor

cafe.'

reafon

to

need

it

on the matter
be

adlor of fenfibility muft

contended
always

feel

your

at

the

that

that,

as

Diderot fuggefts, he muft wear himfelf out by

excefs of foul.

It

may be

that his playing will

be more fpirited one night than another.

It is

poflible to fee in the writings of the greateft

novelifts

where the pen has flagged, and where

workman is more confpicuous

But
than the infpiration of the man of genius.
the aftor who combines the eledtric force of a

the deftnefs of the

ftrong perfonality with a maftery of the refources

of his

art,

muft have a greater power over his

audiences tKan the paffionlefs

moft

artiftic

acftor

who

gives a

fimulation of the emotions he never

experiences.
It will
ftrefs

be obferved that Diderot lays great

upon the divorce between Nature and

Stage.

He wasThinking

and not of the

fl:age

the

of the ftage of Racine,

of Shakfpeare.

He

quotes

xviii

'Preface.

Garrick to the eiFed that 'an

acftor

who

will

play you a fcene of Shakfpeare to perfedtlon

ignorant of the

is

principles of declamation

firft

Garrick made a revolution

needed by Racine.'

in Englifh declamation

by fhowing that Hamlet's

advice to the players might be literally obeyed.;

But to French

critics

of that day this was rank

They would not admit

herefy.

that

it

was the

function of tragic poets and adtors to hold the

mirror up to Nature.

Diderot points out that

people do not fpeak on the ftage as they do in

the

Every

ftreet.

jealous

man

does not utter

laments as pathetic and eloquent as Othello's,

but thefe are none the

are

couched

lefs

human

in fplendid didbion.

becaufe they

They move

the hearer becaufe they are the utterance of a

man's agony.

But

to Diderot the creations of

Racine were out of this fphere of

tion.

They were grand

Ideal types,

human emowhich could

not exprefs themfelves in fimple language

required an

artificial

they

declamation. In which any-

thing like a natural tone would have been a

facrilege.

So the chances that the

fenfibillty

of

the aftor would be in keeping with the ftilted

xix

'Preface.

method he was expedted

to

adopt were neceflarily

few.

how

If a(5tors feel,

they can

that
ftage

all

quarrel

it,

or

aflcs

make

is

our author,

moment, by which the

moved? Diderot
It is
with much wit.

deeply

this difficulty

on the

love

conducing fome

the while they are

fcene of great pith and

audience

is

illuftrates

fufficient

to reply, that the experience of the adtor

ence

and that to

charadter in a play

feel
it

is

love or averfion for a

not neceflary to enter-

one fentiment or the other for the

tain

aftrefs

who

whole

foul

is

the perceptions of his audi-

often fuperior to

charadler.

that

reprefents

of an adtor

a<5tor

or

The

may be engaged

in

Hamlet's revenge upon Claudius, but he need

not on that account
excellent gentleman

Perhaps

how

it

who

any

defire to flay the

enadts the king.

always be an open queftion

will

far fenfibility

fame mind.

feel

and

Every

art can

adlor

be fufed in the

has his fecret.

He

might write volumes of explanation, and the

matter would ftill remain a paradox to many.
It

is

often

faid

that adtors

fhould not

flied

XX

'Preface.

tears, that real tears are

fo.

bad

produced

If tears be

art.

at

Tfiis

the adbor

is

his gifts.

may
lefs

be

The

art

and

who numbers them amongft

exaltation of fenfibility in art

difficult

real to all

not

the aftor's will

and under his control, they are true

happy

is

to define, but

who have

it

felt its

is

none the

power.

Henry

Irving.

THE PARADOX OF ACTING.

The
Let

First Speaker.

more of that.

us talk no

The Second

Speaker.

Why?
The
It

is

work of a

friend of yours.*

The work referred

a tranflation

The

the

First.

to was Garrick, ou ks ABeurs Anglais,

by Antonio Fabio Sticotti of an Englifli pamphlet.

tranflation appeared in Paris in

of the Com'edien^ du Rot de

la

1769.

Sticotti

was one

Troupe Italienne, was famous in

the parts both of Pierrot and of Pantalon, and was popular

in private

company

life.

in Paris,

French and

moft interefling account of the Italian

and of

to play

how by

degrees they

came

French pieces, will be found in

to aft in

M. Cam-

pardon's book, Les Comkdiens du Roi de la Troupe Italienne.

(Paris

Berger-Levrault et Cie.)

I have, with confiderable trouble, procured a copy of

Sticotti's work in a fecond edition publiflied, without his
name on the title-page, in Paris by 'J. P. Coftard, Libraire,
Rue Saint J ean-de-Beauvais. M.DCC.LXX.' It is a free

veriion,

with many additions, of The ASor, or a Treatije on

Printed for R. GriiHths,

Art of Playing. (London
MDCCLV.)
the Dunciad in Pater-nofter Row.

the

at

'The

'Paradox of iASling.

The
What

Second.

does that matter

The

good

deal.

First.

What

of holding

alternatives

is

his

gained by accepting the

talent

or

my

judgment

cheap, of going back on the good opinion you hold

him or of me

either of

The

Second.

That will not be the refult

make no hole in my friendfhip
as

The
May
It

is

remind

it

fo

it

would

both of vou, founded

First.

be.

fo.

me

knees to a

The Second.
Do you know of what you juft now
Of an author I know who fell on his

woman

he loved to beg her not to go to the

night of a piece of

his.

The

and were

for

on firmer grounds.

it is

firft

First.

modeft man, and a prudent.

The
He was
amount of

Second.

afraid that her affeftion

his literary

fame.

The
Like enough.

First.

might hang on the

The 'Paradox of t/iBing.

The
That

Second.

a public check might leflen

him fomewhat

in

his miftrefs's eyes.

The

First.

That lofs of love would follow on

That ftrikes you as abfurd ?

The
It

was thought

Second.

The box was

to be fo.

had a complete fuccefs

and you

was embraced, made much

The

The
am

fure I

hold to

leaft

am

to

it

by

not a

all

my

all

more of

if

the

First.

Second.

means

woman, and

The

but remember that

that I

First.

The
Abfolutely.

the

view.

fliould explain yourfelf.

Abfolutely

he

Second.

The
Hold

how he

right.

The
And

taken

guefs

First.

would have been made

piece had been hiffed.

am

may

of^ careffed.

He

of reputation.

lofs

Second.

am

I at

anxious you

T^he

Paradox of (tASling.

The
I

veil

fhould find

what

it

much

First.
eafier to fay

nothing than to

I really think.

The

Second.

Of courfe.

The
I fhall

That

is

juft

The
what my

Second.
friend

The
Well

First.

be uncompromifing.

would

then, as I mufl: fpeak

of commonplace.

be a

bit the

perfonal gifts
is

to be.

work, crabbed,

his
it

in ftyle, is'yet

is

great dramatic

better, a poor ator not

inefficient, for reading

you

First.

obfcure, complicated, bombaflic as

full

like

It

it.

appearance,

is

artift will

not

a bit the lefs

Nature who befl:ows

voice, judgment, taft.

It

the fludy of the great models, the knowledge of the

human

heart, the habit of fociety, earneft

perience, clofe
perfefl:

work, ex-

acquaintance with the boards, which

Nature's

gifts.

The

acJtor

who

mimic can count upon being always

is

merely a

tolerable

his

playing will call neither for praife nor for blame.

The
Or

elfe for

Second.

nothing but blame.

i

The
Granted.

The

acStor

First.

who

goes by Nature alone

is


The 'Paradox of aASiing.
often ^eteftable, fometimes excellent.
line,

beware of a

level mediocrity.

harfhly a beginner

is

treated,

his future fuccefs.

It

is

ftifled

by

when

are

Nature

nothing happens

And how

can a part be played in the fame

way by two
cleareft, the

who

fliould

happens in nature, and when

compofed after a fixed fyftem of

dramatic poems are

?

IHow

how

eafily foretell

all

ftage exatly as

principles

whatever

only the incapables

without Art make a great aftor

on the

in

matter

one may

of 'OiF! off!'*

cries

But

No

it

different

when, even with the

actors

moft precife, the moft forceful of writers,

words are no more, and never can be more, than

fymbols, indicating a thought, a feeling, or an idea

fymwhich need ation, gefture, intonation, expreflion,

and a whole context of circumflance, to give them their
;

bols

full fignificance

When you have heard thefe

?^
'

Que

fait la

Je tate votre habit,

votre main

I'etoiFe

en

eft

words

moelleufe,'

you know of their meaning ?

Nothing.
Weigh well what follows, and remember how often
and how eafily it happens that two fpeakers riiay ufe

what do

the fame words to exprefs entirely different thoughts

and matters.

The

very fingular one

that

we have been

* Cf. Lord
at the end of his

inftance I
it is

difcufling.

Beaconsfield's
firft

Houfe of Commons.

am

the very

'

You

unfuccefsful

going to cite

work of your
Afk a French

fiall hear

me

is

friend

adior

one day,'

and derided Ipeech in the

'The

'Paradox of zABing.

what he thinks of it he will

of it is true.
Afk an Englifh
'

that,
is

By God^
is

aftor,

and he

there's not a fentence to

of the ftage

the very gofpel

there

you that every word

tell

France

in

who

fcene of Shakfpeare to perfedtion

is

principles of declamation

whofe

needed

fince, ac-

will play

for

Racine;
if

by

comprefs his head, his

folds

way of

you a

ignorant of the

entwined by Racine's mufical lines as

ferpents

fince

England, and the

in

cording to Garrick himfelf, an adlor

firft

the

It

However,

'

common between

nothing in

comedy and tragedy

way of writing ftage poems
writing

will fwear

change

fo

fince,

many

feet, his

hands, his legs, and his arms, he would, in attempting

thefe lines, lofe
that the

all

liberty

of aftion

French and the Englifh

as to the foundnefs
at variance,

it

follows obvioufly

adlors, entirely at

one

of your author's principles, are yet

and that the technical terms of the ftage

vague that men of judgment, and

of diametrically oppofite views, yet find in them the
light of convition.
Now hold clofer than ever to
are fo broad and fo

your maxim, 'Avoid explanation if what you want

a mutual under/landing.'*

The
You

think that

* This was
the

firft

Second.

every work, and efpeciallyin

a favourite

aphorifm of

fketch of the Paradoxe

Garrick, ou

M.

in

les

ABeurs

Affezat's edition.

Anglais.
(Paris

is

Grimm,

was addrefled a
It

is

Garnier

to

whom

propos of

given in vol.
freres.)

this,

viii.

of

The 'Paradox of aASfing.

therearetwo

diflinft

meanings, both expreffedinthefame

terms, one underftood in London, the other in Paris

The
Yes

two meanings

First.

and that thefe terms exprefs

fo clearly the

that your friend himfelf has fallen into a

In aflbciating the names of Englifli with thofe

trap.

of French aftors, applying to both the fame precepts,

giving to both the fame praife and the fame reproofs,

he has doubtlefs imagined that what he

fet

was equally

faid

of the one

true of the other.

The
According to

Second.
never before was author

this,

fo

wrong-headed.

The
I

am

First.

forry to admit that

this

is

fo,

fince he ufes

the fame words to exprefs one thing at the Crofs-roads

of Bufly and another thing at Drury Lane.

I

may be wrong.

your author and

qualities

my

above

But the important

I are entirely at
all

variance concerns the

neceffary to a great

view he mufl: have a deal of judgment.

have in himfelf an unmoved and

He

looker.

"

no fenfibility
which comes
every

fort

In

adlor.

He

muftj

difinterefl:ed

on-i

muft have, confequently, penetration and

;

the art of mimicking everything, or,

to the

fame thing, the fame aptitude

of charadter and

The

No

Of courfe

point on which

fenfibility

part.

Second.

for

'

The 'Paradox of lASiing.

8
^
%-/-

/>'

^"

'

The

First.

None. I have not yet arranged my ideas logically,

and you muft let me tell them to you as .they come
to me, with the fame want of order that marks your
friend's book.
If the aiSor were full, really full,
of

how

feeling,

at the firft

he play the fame part twice

could

running with the fame

fpirit

and fuccefs

Full of

fire

performance, he would be worn out and

cold as marble &r the third.

But take it that he is'^n

mimic and thoughtful difciple of Nature, then
the firfl time he comes on the ftage as Auguftus, Cmna,
Orofmanes, Agamemnon, or JVIahomet, faithful copying
attentive

of himfelf and the efFedts he has arrived

his adling, far

with the

new

He

time.

you

human

obferving

ftantly

will

from lofing

will increafe or

hand

If

is

he

how

playing,

is

to

and

effefts,

If he

is

he to flop being

where he

is

how

to ftay his

them you muft

alternately

me
who

confirms

a6ting of players

expeiSi:

ftrong

and fublime.

and

in

will

view

this

play from the

is

the unequal
heart.

From

no unity.
feeble,

Their playing is
fiery and cold, dull

To-morrow^ they

they have excelled in to-day

it

his

wants to flop being himfelf,

to catch jufl: the point

What

make from time

moderate

be more and more pleafed with him.

himfelf.?

he

in force, will gather ftrength

obfervations he will

himfelf while he

is

and con-

at,

nature, will fo prevail that

will

mifs the point

and to make up

excel in fome paffage where

laft

for

time they

T^he

On-

failed.*

'Paradox of zASling.

who

hand, the aftor

the- other

plays

from thought, from ftudy of human nature, from

conflant imitation of fome ideal type, from

all

memory, -willbe- one and

from

ation,

perfoHBances^

will

be always at his

he has confidered, combined, learnt

the whole thing in his head

monotonous nor

courfe
a

befl:

and

his diiStion

imagin-

-fame

it

beginning, a middle, and

arranged"^
is

has rtctftions

an

The

end.

are the fame, the pofitions are the fame, the

ments are the fame

if

there

tween two performances, the

better.
it

He

will

were, ready to

at

mark;
neither

His paflion has a definite

diffonant.

has burfts, and

it

-the

move-

any difference be-

is

latter

be invariable

has

it

accents

is

generally the

looking-glafs,

and to

refledl realities,

refleft

as

them

ever with the fame precifion, the fame flrength, and

the fame truth.

Like the

poet]

he

will dip for everl

into the inexhauftible treafure-houfe of Nature, inftead

of coming very foon to an end

of his

own

poor

refources.

What

ai:ingwas ever

* This

was, according

more
to

perfeft than Clairon's?-]-

good

in his earlier days

M. Mounet

Sully in his earlier days.

'

authority,

and was certainly

with Talma

Both

the
fo

cafe

with

adlors learnt

by

unwifdom of relying upon infpiration alone.

Clairon
was born in Conde in 1723, and received
Mile.
f
her firft impulfe to go on the ftage from feeing Mile. Dangeville taking a dancing lefTon in a room of which the windows

experience the

were oppofite

to thofe

of the

attic in

which

Clairon's

ill-

lo

Paradox of sASling.

T^he

Think over

ftudy

this,

it

and you will find that at

the fixth performance of a given part fhe has every

and

type,
firft

much

of her afling by heart, juft as

detail

word of her
to

thought

pofe

the

Doubtlefs

part.

conform
the

higheft,

the

greateft,

been her

has

type

this

could

imagination

type her

to

doubtlefs fhe has chofen

for

her

own

who

vaft

hiftorj^,

or

fpeftre

in

Were it indeed
own dimenfions, how paltry, how
her playing
When, by dint of

mind,

is

bounded by her
feeble

fome

perfeft

This type,

corapafs.

fhould create

her pur-

mofl:

however, which fhe has borrowed from

created as

every

as

imagined a

has

fhe

would be

not

herfelf.

hard work, fhe has got as near as fhe can to

idea, the

nefs

is

thing

done

is

to preferve the

mere matter of memory and

this

fame near-

practice.

If

you were with her while fhe fludied her part how
many times you would cry out. That is right I
and

how many

times

fhe

would

7ba are

anfw^er,

wrong !
natured mother had

locked her up.

She made her firft
appearance with the Italian company at the age of thirteen ;

then

and

made
at the

a great fuccefs in

age of eighteen

appeared

firft

Franjais,

where

comedy parts
came back to

Opera; then,

in the provinces
Paris,

Here

fhe

September 1743, at the

by furprife by choofing
to play Phedre, and playing it with complete fuccels.
For
twenty years from this time onwards fhe remained queen of
at the

the French ftage.

in

fhe took every one

She

left the ftage in

1788 and died

in

803.

The 'Paradox of oASling.

Juft

fo

it

worfe by bettering

'What

thing!'

it

'

Stop

you

will

cried,

you

will

make

fpoil

the

whole

have done,' replied the

panting with exertion,

'

got hold of and what

very end you cannot

I

Le Quefnoy's* once

a friend of

him by the arm,

catching

you have feen

mean

what

artift,

have

carry out to

to

the

fee.'

have no doubt that Clairon goes through juft

the fame ftruggles as

at a part

Le Quefnoy

but once the ftruggle

in

is'

her

firft

attempts

over, once fhe has

reached the height fhe has given to her fpeftre, fhe

has herfelf well in hand, fhe repeats her efforts without

As

emotion.

touches the

it

horizon on both fides

huge

figure,

happen

will

which

is

on

head

her

fhe

is

the informing foul of a

her outward cafing, and in which

her efforts have enclofed her.

and

dreams,

in

hands ftretch to grafp the

clouds, her

As

fhe

lies

carelefs

arms and clofed eyes

fhe can, following her memory's dream, hear herfelf,
ftill

fee herfelfj

a fofa with folded

judge

will produce.

fonality

herfelf,

and judge

alfo the effe6ls fhe

In fuch a vifion fhe has a double per-

that of the

little

Clairon and of the

great

Agrippina.

The

Second.

According to you the

whether on the boards or
* This
is

is

likefl

a miftake of Diderot's.

Duquefnoy the Belgian

thing to

at his private

fculptor.

The

an a<Sor,

ftudies,

is

perfon refeired to

;
:

12

T^he

group of children

Paradox of <iAling.
who

play at 'ghofts in a graveyard at

dead of night, armed with a white

on the end of

flieet

a broomftick, and fending forth from

hollow

its flielter

groans to frighten wayfarers.

The

Now

Juft fo, indeed.

ferent matter

Ihe

First.

is

with Dumefnil*

a dif-

it is

She comes on

not like Clairon.

knowing what fhe is going to fay

know what fhe is faying
but fhe has one fublime moment.
And pray, why
the ftage without

half the time fhe does not

fhould the a(Sor be different from the poet, the painter,

the orator, the mufician
firfl:

in

burft

that

moments of

ments

It

is

charafteriftic
ftillnefs

not in the

fl:refs

and felf-command

Who

entirely unexpedled.

can

juiptalion.

keeping a watchful
infpiration, the

tell

on both.

eye

chance

hits

The

* Mile. Dumefnil was

fays in his

to Paris

La

at the Fran^ais

in Iphigenie en Aulide.
left

the

Republic.

born

ftage

in

in

171

Troupe de Voltaire^ in

from the provinces

it,

in

in the

not, as

1 1

is

and

is full,

himfelf,

ftartles

of

beauty of

of which his work

and of which the fudden appearance

is

mowhence

hovering between nature and his fketch of

appearance

it

in

They are a fort

They come when the man of genius

thefe traits have their being

Manne

of the

come out;

traits

M.

de

She came

1737, and made her firft

fame year as Clytemneftra

She was admitted the following year,

1776, and
;

died

in

year

XL

of

the

The 'Paradox of ^Sling.

have an importance, a fuccefs, a furenefs very different from that belonging to the firft fling.
Cool

muft bring the fury of enthufiafm to

reflection

bearings.

The
trol has
is

its

who

extravagant creature

no hold on us

this

The

felf-controlled.

is

lofes his felf-con-

gained by the

great

poets,

man

vv^ho

the

efpecially

great dramatic poets, keep a keen w^atch on w^hat

is

going on, both in the phyfical and the moral world.

The
The

Second.

two are the fame.

The
They

on

dart

imagination

First.

everything

they make, as

fuch things.

And from

unconfcioufly,

iflTue

it

thefe

which

their

ftrikes

were, a colleftion of
colleftions,

made

all

the grandeft achievements of their

work.

Your

fiery,

extravagant, fenfitive fellow,

ever on the boards

nothing out of

it.

It

is

for

he ads the play, but he gets

is

in

him

that the

man

of genius

finds his model. TCreat poets, great acftors, and, I

may

whatever

art,

add,

all

great

copyifts

of Nature,

in

beings gifted with fine imagination, with broad judgment, with exquifite tadl, with a fure touch of tafte, are
.

the leaft fenfitive of

for

too

fidering,

affetaed

many

all creatures._j

They

are too apt

things, too bufy with obferving, con-

and reproducing, to have their inmoft hearts

with any livelinefs. ^ To me fuch an one

'

The Taradox of <t^Bmg.

14

before

fpread

portfolio

always has his

him and

his

pencil in his fingers.

It

is

we who

feel

not fay

guifhing
fay,

'Senfibility

it ?

mark of a

they

it is

And

give us the refult.*

is

who watch,

ftudy, and

why

fhould

by no means the

diftin-

then

great genius.

well,

He

will have, let us

an abftradt love of juftice, but he will not be

It is the head, not
to temper it with mercy.

(moved

him^ Let fome

the heart, which works in and for

unforefeen opportunity

he

lofe it;

will

never be

commander,

a great

arife,

the

man

of

ienfibility will

great king, a great minifter,

a great advocate, a great phyfician.

Fill the front of a theatre with tearful creatures, but I

none of them on the boards. JThink of women,

They are miles beyond us in fenfibility ; there
again.
is no fort of comparifon between their paflion and ours.

will

Rut

as

much

lare they

as

we

below us

are

below them
If a

in imitation.

in adlion, fo

man who

much

is

really

manly drops a tear, it touches us more nearly than a

In the great play,
ftorm of weeping from a woman.
the play of the world, the play to which I am conftantly recurring, the flrage

is

held by the fiery fouls,

men of genius. The adlors

the fpedtators, whofe
are in other words madmen
bufinefs it is to paint their madnefs, are fages.
And it
is they who difcern with a ready eye the abfurdity of
and the

pit is filled

with

* This was fo with Goethe, to take an inftance

not

improbably

fo

with Shakfpeare.

and

The 'Paradox of aASiing.

who

the motley crowd,

make you

reproduce

who

you, and

of the

pidlure

for you,

and

laugh both at the unhappy models

have bored you to death and

who watch

it

15

at yourfelf.

It is

who
who
they

give you the mirth-moving

wretch

tirefome

own

and of your

anguifh in his clutches.*

You may

prove

demonftration, and a great

this to

adlor will decline to acknowledge

fecret.

tradidt

you

it;

flatly

it

own

his

fure to con-

is

and of fome others

that they believe they feel, juft as

is

it

middling aftor or a novice

may be

it

has been

faid

faid

of

fome pious people that they believe they believe ; and

that without faith in the one cafe and without fenfibility in the other there is no health.
This is all very well, you may reply but what
of thefe touching and forrowful accents that are drawn
from the very depth of a' mother's heart and that
;

fliake her

whole being

true feeling

Moft

defpair

are

planned

all

clamation

Are

are thefe not

thefe not the refult of

the

The

certainly not.

very infpiration of
proof

that,

raifed or

lowered by the twentieth

would ring

they are in fubjeclion to a law of unity

harmony, they are arranged

lilhiiiiiMii

* Cf.

fliiilji

inter alia

Les Fdcheux.

that they

that they are part of a fyfliem of de-

part of a quarter of a tone, they

jthat

is

i^

Horace,

in

Ill]

falfe

that

that, as

in

chords and in difcords

|(i

Satires,

i^I

Book

them complete=^
I.,

Sat.

IX.

and

Ihe 'Paradox of sASiing.

nefs

that they

are

elements neceffary to the

the

problem

folving of a given

once, they have been pratifed a hundred times

that,

defpite

this

all

'

they

praftice,

Look you,

wanting.
pleurez,' or

Vous y ferez

mark

that, to hit the right

he cries

before

ma fille,'
his own

yet

are
'

and

found

Zaire vous

the adlor has liftened

voice.
At the very
moment when he touches your heart he is liftening to
his own voice
his talent depends not, as you think,

over and over again to

upon

feeling,

outward

upon

but

rendering

you

figns of feeling, that

fo

fall

exadlly

the

into the trap^

le has rehearfed to himfelf every note of his paflion.

le

has learnt before a mirror every particle of his

/defpair.

He knows

exactly

when he muft produce

his

^handkerchief and fhed tears; and you will fee him

weep

at the

word,

fecond fooner or

at the fyllable,

later.

uttered words, the

ftifled

The

he has chofen, not a

broken voice, the

half-

or prolonged notes of agony,

the trembling limbs, the faintings, the burfts of fury

all
^

this

pure mimicry, leffons

is

the alor remembers long after his

carefully

learned,

the grimacing of forrow, the magnificent aping

firft

which

ftudy of

it,

of

which he was perfeftly confcious when he firft put it

before the public, and which leaves him, luckily for
the poet, the fpeftator, and himfelf, a full freedom of
mind.
Like other gymnaftics, it taxes only his bodily
ftrength.
is

He

gone; he

bed ; and he

is

puts off the fock or the bufkin; his voice

tired;

he changes

feels neither trouble,

he goes to
nor forrow, nor depres-

his drefs, or

The Paradox of nASling.

nor wearinefs of

fion,

The

given to you.

All thefe emotions he has

foul.

ator

you are unhappy

tired,

is

he has had exertion without feeling, you feeling with-

Were

out exertion

it

be the moft wretched on earth:

perfon he reprefents

you think he

that

on your

fide

he plays

but he

not the

is

and plays

it,

the perfon

is

the deception

well 1

fo

it

he knows well enough that he

all!

is

notj

is

the perfon.

For

modes of

diverfe

to obtain the greatefl:

and

piano

individual
I hold

to

fenfibility

my

point,

and

makes the ruck of bad

come from

his heart

me

is

this

middling

in

make

to

an

food for laughter.

you

tell

a<Sors

ators

fenfibility is the poflibility

from

fcored orcheflrally, played

harmonifed

that to

all

makes middling

player's tears

feeling arranged in concert

efFefi:,

played forte,
effe<t

'

Extreme
fenfibility

complete abfence of

of a fublime

a6tor.'

The

his brain, the fenfitive being's

the fenfitive being's foul gives

meafured trouble to

his brain

un-

the player's brain gives

fometimes a touch of trouble to

his foul

he weeps

as

might weep an unbelieving prieft preaching of the

Paflion J as a feducer might weep at the feet of a

woman whom

he does not love, but on

would impofe

like

door of a church
vain appeal

whom

he

a beggar in the ftreet or at the

a beggar

who fubftitutes infult for

who has no heart, and

or like a courtefan

who abandons
Have you

otherwife the player's lot would

herfelf in

your arms.

ever thought on the difference between

Paradox of eASiing.

'The

the tears raifed by a tragedy of real

by a touching narrative

raifed

of recitation

by

With
the

you utter a

Thefe

cry,

is

little

your thoughts are

is

reached at once,

your head iwims, and the tears flow.

of a fudden, the others by degrees.

the fuperiority of a true effefb of nature

over a well-planned fcene.

one ftroke what

It does at

the fcene leads up to by degrees, but

difficult to

would
than

This

by

fhatter

is

there
nefs

reproduce

aiJtions,

and thofe

life

hear a fine piece

the thing, the feeling and

life

one; your heart

come

tears

here

You

touched, and your tears flow.

is

the tragedy of real

effetl, are all

And

and

little

involved, your heart

it.

its

efFedl

it

is

far

more

ill

given

one incident

Accents are more

mimicked

eafily

but aftions go ftraighter to the

the bafis

of a

canon to which

mark.
believe

is
no exception.
If you would avoid coldyou muft complete your efFedt by adtion and not

talk.

So, then, have you no objeftion to

I fee

You

feelings are ftirred;

You

tears.

Quite

Not

at

fo

all.

make

your voice

fails

have, as you fay,

but had you

you; you

felt,

and

carried away,

your

burfl: into

felt

made up your mind

Yet you were

Ah

give a recitation in a drawing-room

you

deeply.

to that

furprifed

and touched your hearers, you made a great hit.

All
this is true enough.
But now transfer your eafy tone,
your fimple expreffion, your every-day bearing, to
the ftage, and, I aflure you, you will be paltry and
You may cry to your heart's content, and the

weak.

The 'Paradox of eABing.

audience will only laugh.

booth

fide a

It will be the tragedy out-

Do

at a fair.*

19

you fuppofe that the

logue of Corneille, of Racine, of Voltaire, or,

let

dia-

me

add, of Shakfpeare, can be given with your ordinary

voice and with your firefide tone

more than you would

mouthed emphafis fit

No

not a bit

a firefide ftory with the open-

tell

for the boards.

The

Second.

Perhaps Racine and Corneille, great names as they

are, did

nothing of account.

The
Oh, blafphemy

The

toendorfeit?

First.

Who

could dare to fay

merefl:

word Cornp'^l"

it ?

Who
ron.

yft-nt-p

not-be given in everyda y tone.

But, to go back,

hundred times that

it

mufl:

at the

very midft of the

have happened

end of your

agitation

and

has entered, and wanted to hear you again.

impoflible,

fire, tears, all

feel the

'

you

are

weary

to the foul.

have

left

you.

Why

fame exhauflion

Ce

you a

emotion you have

caufed in your drawing-room audience, a

it

to

recitation, in the

frefti

gueft

You

find

Senfibility,

does not the aftor

Becaufe there

is

a world of

ne fera pas une tragtdie, ce fera une- parade tragique

que vous jouerez.'

Parade tragique

by

iz

the brief fketch of a tale of horror given

ftrolling players outfide their

fpeftatofs to the fuller

booth by

performance

way of tempting

to be given infide.

The 'Paradox of ^Sting.

20
difference
tale

between the

Cinna

Have you

Agrippina

Are

ever been

the vain images of poetry.

Are you

They

or that poet's

They would make

they would

in hiftory;

mad
Where in
Quixote come from
Who

this fellow

.?

the world does this

is

the inventor of

In what world do people talk like

ftufF.?

The
And why

The
is

old a writer as
it

is

[gets further

on the

ftage

First.

^fchylus

will this protocol

all this

this ?'

laid

this

down

as

a protocol three thoufand years old.

The
That

Is

fuch a thing as ftage convention.

The
And

'

Don

Second.

are they not intolerable

Becaufe there

raife laughter

People would whifper to each other,

in fociety.

are

They

enough on the ftage,

them, with their aftions,

bearing, their intonations.

formula

this

They
that.

are well

thefe hippogrifFs, fo to call

but a forry figure

on the flage

Not at all.
No, nor even

phantoms fafhioned from

are the

fpecial fantafy.

As

flattering

Cleopatra, Merope,

thefe fame perfonages

ever hiftorical perfonages

their

by a

interefts excited

and by your fellow-man's misfortune.

cannot

tell

away from

Second.
go on

longer

First.

you.
it

much

as

All I know is that one

one gets nearer to one's

time and country.

that of

Agamemnon

that of

Henri IV.

founded,

me

kill

Suppofe

he

1'

'Paradox of <iABing.

'The

own

me

a fituation clofer to

in the firft fcene of Iphigenia than

when, befet by

thofe around

to

faid

Find

nothing furer

there

is

that

great

monarch, troubled

fears only too well

him,

'

they will

They will
kill me
!

man, that fuperb and haplefs

the

in

night

watches with

this

deadly prefentiment, got up and knocked at the door

of Sully, his minifter and friend

poet

enough

foolifli
'

Oui,

to

Henri,

c'eft

Viens, reconnais

Or

to
'

make

c'eft

la

is

there, think you, a

fay

ton roi qui

t'eveille

Sully reply

vous-m^me, feigneur ?

Vous

fait

Quel important befoin

devancer I'aurore de

fi

loin

peine un faible jour vous eclaire et

Vos yeux

feuls et les

The

* There were

me

miens font ouverts.

Agamemnon

Perhaps

believers in poets quite foolifli

was

of didlion was dropped for a more natural

clafficifts

as

its

he

Theophile Gautier.

firft

It

enough

for

precifely becaufe this

fort

from

.'

Second.

long after Diderot's time.

that the play,

guide,
.

really talked like that.

this

the

voix qui frappe ton oreille?'

C'eft

make Henri

o-np in fffrngpi

fcene, raifed fuch a ttorm

among

who will may read in the pages of

The lines quoted are from the fpeeches

of Agamemnon and Areas

the name Henri being

in the

opening of Racine's

fubftituted for

Agamemnon.

Iphig'enie,

'

22

'The 'Paradox

The

No

of sASling,

First.

more than Henri IV.

Racine talks

like that

Homer

did.

this

pompous language can only be

perfonages, fpoken from poetical

Reflet a

tone.

the theatre,

is

little

as to

being true,

ac-JH-Ratafe-?

Tfi

lips,

what,

Gertailllynot;

with a poetical

in the

fh nwin^;

it

and

ufed by unfamiliar

Were

language of

thip p;s as they

fo the true

it

would be the commonplace. ''What, then,

.ftage purpofes

talks like

poetry talks like that

that

is

truth for

UlJs--the-con4ntRg--f-a<lian,jditioj

facy-VQ i ce^ -m^em-eaty-aa4_gefture, to an_idjeal_t^e_

Invented

by

;tre_player.x

t hepogt, andfrequently enhanced by

That is the ftrange part of it. This type

not only influences the tone,

And

walk and bearing.

alters the adtor's

it

hence

it is

very

that the player in

private and the player on the boards are

two perfonages,

one can fcarce recognife the player in

firft time I fawMlle. Clairon in her own

fo different that

private.

The

houfe

exclaimed, by a natural impulfe,

Ah, madeyou were at leaft a head taller

unhappy, a really unhappy woman, may weep
to touch you; worfe than that, fome, trivial
'

moifelle, I thought

An
and

fail

disfigurement in her

accent which

and vexatious

grief

almoft

the

all

you

incline
is

to laughter

the

your ears dilTonant

to

movement which is habitual to her

fhow ignobly and fulkily to you;

violent

grimaces which a
fully,

may

apt to her

is

makes her

pafTions

lend

taftelefs artift will

themfelves to

copy but too

and which a great ador will avoid.

faith-

In the very

The 'Paradox of lASiing.

23

we would have a inan preferve his

And what is the efFeft of this heroic

whirlwind of paffion

manly

dignity.

effort

To

would have

We

give relief and temperance to forrow.

with a becoming grace,

this heroine fall

that hero die like a gladiator of old in the midft of the

arena to the applaufe of the circus, with a noble grace,

And who will

who is

with a fine and pifturefque attitude.

execute

this

defign

of ours

The

mattered by pain, fliattered by his

the athlete

who

is

trained,

who

as he breathes his laft figh,

the

gymnafium

athlete

own

remembers the

leffons of

Neither the gladiator of old nor thej

great aflor dies as people die in their beds

them

to

move

us

fhow us another
;

or

fenfibility,

has felf-control, who,

and the

critical

it is

for

of death, a death to

fort

fpeftator will feel that the

bare truth, the unadorned faft, would feem defpicable

and out of harmony with the poetry of the

''

reft.

Not, mark you, that 'Nature unadorned has not her

moments of fublimity ; but I fancy that if there is any
one fure

man who
aijH

to give

can

capradjire

and preferve

feel

it

however, deny that there

acquired or factitious fenfibility

know what

it is

think about

it,

but

is

a kind of

you would

if

hold

as dangerous as natural fenfibility.

it4eftdsjhe_adtor in (:o

it

By

He

and

little

mannerifin and monotony.

muft often

ftrip

it

like

to be nearly

an element oppofed to the variety of a great

functions.

the

his genius,

with complats-fetf-pofefltrm.

it

I will not,

to

their fublimity

with his paiEon and

from him

little

It

is

acStor's

and

it is

T^he 'Paradox

24

of ABing.
make fuch

only a head of iron which can

Befides,

abnegation.
fiiccefs

felf-

the eafe and

far better for

it is

of his ftudy, for the catholicity of his talent and

the perfection of his playing, that there fhould be no

need of

this

extreme

difficulty,

parting

fl:range

line, leads

perforce to a

every part

is

order of things
for the a6tors.

played

ill

is

of

felf

from

Its

felf.

confining each a<Sor to one fingle

numerous company, where

indeed,

unlefs,

the natural

made

reverfed, and the pieces are

To my

contrary, ought to be

thinking the aftors, on the

made

The

for the pieces.*

Second.

But if a crowd of people colieted in the ftreet by

fome cataftrophe begin of a fudden, and each in his
own way, and without any concert, to exhibit a natural
they will give you a magnificent fhow, and

fenfibility,

difplay

you

a thoufand types, valuable

for fculpture,

mufic, and poetry.

The
True enough.
one which
h armony

But

First.

will this fliow

compare with

the refult of a p re-arranged plan, with the

wh ich the artift will put into it when he
is

* Note by the publifhers of the fmall popular edition in

' Our modern authors
have ended in always writing

Paris

their pieces for this or that aftor.

their produftions will have.'

unfortunately, by no

Hence

The

means unknown

the ftiortlife

praftice, I
in

may

England.

which

add,

is,

"^he 'Paradox

transfers

it

If you fay

What

from the public way to

it

will,

then I

this boafted

is

of ^ABing.

fhall

magic of

25

his ftage or

make you
art if

it

this

canvas

anfwer

only confifts in

what both nature and chance have done better

?
Do you denv that one can improve on
nature ? Have you never, by way of praifmg a woman,
faid fhe is as lovely as one of Raphael's Madonnas ?
fpoiling

than

art

Have you never

as

on feeing a

cried,

good as a defcription

in a

novel

fine landfcape,
?

'

It's

Again, you are

'

me of a reality. I am talking to you of an

imitation.
You are talking to me of a pafling moment
in Nature.
I am talking to you of a work of Art,
talking to

planned and compofed

degrees, and whibh
aftors

work which is built up by

Take now each of thefe
in the ftreet as you do on the

lafts.

change the fcene

fhow me your perfonages left fucceflively

two by two or three by three. Leave
them to their own fwing make them full mafters of
and you will fee what a monflrous distheir acSions
You will get over this by making
cord will refult.
them rehearfe together. Quite fo. And then goodboards, and

to themfelves,

bye to their natural

play

like

is

fenfibility;

which each individual

good and
of the

effedt.

facrifice

tainly not.
ftage,

Your

the

In

much

the better.

afTociation,

in

facrifices himfelf for the general

And who will

The enthufiaft
fociety, the man

aftor whofe wits

Icene in

and fo

any well-managed

beft take the rrieafure

or the fanatic

of juf^gmpnf

are_ always

the itreeF has the fame

Cerr-n th-p-

about him.
relation to a

26

'The 'Paradox

of aABing.

fcene on the ftage that a band of favages has to a

company of

Now
influence

civilifed

which

he has to give up
to the level

his ideal

Or

companion.

is

but

come down

playing with

talks in the ftreet or at the firefide,

you would
of whift, where you

if you.

admirable

fays farewell to his ftudy and his tafte.

As happens with

take that

who

of the poor wretch

Then he

is

type in order to

the principal fpeaker lowers

fkill

you of the difaftrous

on a firft-rate

a mid^iling aflbciate has

This player's conception

player.

him.

men.

the time to talk to

is

if

his

tone to that of his

like

another

illuftration,

own
More than
that Le Kain*

lofe a deal

of your

cannot rely on your partner.

Clairon will tell you, if you aflc her,

would malicioufly make her play badly or inadequately,
and that fhe would avenge herfelf by getting him
hiffed.
(What, then, are two players who mutually
this,

* Le Kain made his firft appearance ^t the Fran9ais in

September l750,.as Titus in Voltaire's Brutus. His fuccefs
was gained in fpite of natural difadvantages in voice and
perfonal appearance.
to unceafing ftudy

He owed much

and application.

to Clairon, but

What

more

helped him in the

inftance to pleafe critical tafte

was that, like Garrick, he

venture on varying the conventional fmg-fong
of declamation.
Later he and Clairon reformed the ftage
firft

was the

firft

coftume.

to

Much

lately publifhed

great as a

of intereft will be found about him in the

pamphlet, Talma on the Jaor's Art.
He was

tragedian;

February 1778.

good

as

a comedian.

He

died in

The T'aradox of liASiing.

fupport each other

Two

27

perfonages whofe types are,

elfe in them the

demanded by the circumftances, as laid
down by the poet, is obferved. But for this there
would be an excefs, either of ftrength or of weaknefs;
and fuch a want of harmony as this is avoided more
frequently by the flrrong defcending to the weak than
by its raifing the weak to its 'own level. And pray,
do you know the reafon of the numberlefs rehearfals

in

due proportion, either equal, or

fubordination

that

go on

They

are to ftrike the balance between

the different talents of the aftors, fo as to eftablifh a

When

general unity in the playing.

the vanity of an

individual interferes with this balance the refult

injure the efFeft

and to

fpoil

your enjoyment

is

for

to

it is

feldom that the excellence of one aftor can atone for

the mediocrity, which
panions./

it

brings into relief, of his

have known a great aftor

temperament

in this

The

way.

fuffer

com-

from

his

ftupid public faid

he

was extravagant* inftead of difcerning that his aflbciate

was inadequate.
Come, you are a poet ; you have a piece for the
ftage

the

and

leave you to choofe between aftors with

foundeft judgments and the cooleft heads

ators

mind

of fenfibility.
let

me

afk

and

But before you make up your

you one queflion.

The

What

is

the time

when one is full of

fire, when the blood boils in the veins, when the
flighteft check troubles one to the foul, when the wit
blazes at the veriefi: fpark
The man
I fancy not.
of

life for

a great ator

age

The 'Paradox of

28

/hom ^Nature ftamps an

adtor does not reach his top-

height until he has had a long experience, until

!iofl:

/the

<tA5ling.

fury of the paflions

is

fubdued, until the head

is

The

is

(cool and the heart under control.

harfh and crude in

its

fermenting.

It

grows generous.

is

beft

wine

by long lying

Qicero, Seneca,

in the cafk that

it

and Plutarch,

take to reprefent the three ages of

compofition in men.

Cicero

is

ftraw, pretty to look at; Seneca a

hurtful to look at
aflies I

me

come upon

a gentle

but

when

often but a blaze of

fire

of vine-branches,

ftir

the great coals of a

Plutarch's

old
fire

that gives

warmth.

Baron, when fixty years old, played the Earl of Effex,

Xiphares, Britannicus, and played them well. GaufEn,*
at fifty,

bewitched her audiences

in

U Oracle

et la Pupille.

* Mile. Gauffin was the daughter of Antoine Gauffin,

Baron's

coachman, and Jeanne

She made her deiut

Lecouvreur.

Pollet,

cook

to

Adrienne

at the

Comedie

Franjaife

She appeared in Zaire and in Alzire, but flie is

bell remembered in the part of In^s in Irus de Caftro, a
tragedy by the innovator La Motte, which was much laughed
at at the time, though it made even the Regent weep.
Mile.

in 173

1.

Clairon thus defcribed her fifter-comedienne: 'Mile. Gauffin

had the

mod touching voice. She had a

her movements had a childilh grace
but fhe was Mile. Gauffin in every-

lovelieft head, the

noble prefence, and

which was

all

irrefiftible

After a briUiant career, on the ftage and in the world,

once famous adlrefs, who counted ftatefmen, poets, and

thing.
this

philofophers

among her

ill-treated her,

lovers, married an opera-dancer,

and Ihe died without a friend in 1767.

who


The 'Paradox of zASltng.

The

29

Second.

She cannot have looked the

part.

The

No

and here you

First.
perhaps an infurmountable

hit

For

obftacle to getting a perfeiSl ftage performance.

that your player muft have

trod the

fometimes a part

years, and

calls

for

boards

the blufh of

who

If there ever has been an aftrefs

youth.*

many
at

feventeen could play Monimia, Dido, Pulcheria, Her-

why

mione,

then that

a miracle which will not be

is

However, an

repeated.!

* Baron, when

eighty years old,

came back

the flage

to

All went well until he had

play Rodrigue in the Cid.

to

become

old player does not

to fay,
'

Je

La

The

fois

jeune,

faid

time

'

to the front

about to begin again a third

come back

when he

knelt to

fhall

leave

went
Chimene he could not
After this

again.'

all

again.

t This

is

an allufion to Mile. Raucourt's

She was,

ances in 1772.

this

am

des annees.'

Baron came

but I warn you, that if any one laughs I

well, except that

time.

nombre

and twice.

Gentlemen, I

the ftage and never

up

mais aux ames bien ndes

eft vrai,

pit laughed once

and

get

il

valeur n'attend pas le

The

as a

publilhers of the

note on the paflage

a triumphant

lie

'

matter of

faft,

firft

appear-

nineteen at the

French popular edition have

The

inftance of Rachel has given

to Diderot's affertion.'

be fuppofed that the annotators did not

It

may, however,

mean

that Rachel

T'aradox of zASiing.

'The

30

ridiculous until his ftrength has quite left him, or until

his

between

is

in

it

fuppofed age.

his

woman's conduct

foul of a

the contrail

As on the
never fall
people
where
the world,
and

real

his

ftage, fo

not avail to outweigh

will

fine art

unlefs fhe has neither talent

nor other kind of merit enough to veil her

Mole*

In our days Clairon and

had nothing of her

times, and

when

played

they

In our

art to learn at feventeen.

own

England, a very dillinguiflied aftor was in

in

man

the habit of faying that no

until

failing.

he was paft

could poffibly play

Romeo

and that then he might perhaps be

fifty,

a little old for the part.

* Mole, born in Paris in

firft

like

over a

CoUe wrote of him

He was

not admitted at

came back

in 1760,

Campiftron's

He

affured.

him which
relates

for 'the

deeply
;

From

I loft

eafe,

no

grace.

fuccefsfully as
his

and there

the paradox.'

Andronicus
fuccefs
is

was

a ftory of

Lemercier

away by Mole's afting, and rufhed

Mole replied, ' I was not pleafed with
too

much

became the perfonage

my

be in private
different.

good appear-

no

that date

verfatile,

man with

I let myfelf go
;

art,

he was carried

to congratulate him.

myfelf.

^oarW, judging

but he went into the provinces,

and appeared

tragedy.

no

paffion,

firft,

was extremely

tells

how

no

in his

he had

his firft appearances, that

ance and nothing more

it

his

at the Franjais in

firft failure.

him from

in

November 1734, made

1754. He was an example,

Mrs. Siddons, of a player who triumphed completely

appearance

felf-control.

I felt

was

piece

is

to

Nature as I might
demands fomething

true to

the perfpedlive of the ftage

The

the lituation too

inftead of the aftor playing

be played again in a few days

'The 'Paradox

appeared like automata

firft

Why was

fine players.*

more foul,
they grew older ?

acquire

It

of i/iSling.

became

afterwards they

this

Did they, think you,

heart, in proportion as

fenfibility,

not long fince, after ten years' abfence from

is

the ftage, Clairon confented to a reappearance.

fhe played but moderately,

her foul, her

had

flic

fenfibility,

loft

was

was

her heart

it

Not

memory

the

If

that Ihe had loft

at

all

what

of her methods.

appeal to the future to confirm me.

The
What
ftage

you

believe

Second.
flie

will

come back

to

the

Or

die of

The First.
boredom. What fubftitute

the great paflions and the houfe's plaudits

is

there for

If fuch or fuch an adtOr or aftrefs were as deeply

moved

as

people fuppofe,

tell

me

the one would

if

think of cafting an eye round the boxes, the other of

come and
great fcene

my
art

fee it then.'

Lemercier went, and

Mole turned

felf-control:

wait and

to

him and

fee.'

faid,

'

juft before the

Now

have got

Never, Lemercier adds, were

and art's effeft more ftriking. Mole died in i8oz.

* This was fo, as many people well remember, in the

Mario, who, beginning by being a ftick, ended

by being fo fine an aftor that even without his exquifite
voice and method of fmging he would have been a great
cafe of Signor

artift.

T*aradox of lASting.

'The

32
fmiling to

them

fome one

at the

boy would have

if

all

of

the call-

fit

of laughter by

telling

him

time to go and ftab himfelf ?

it's

Come,

I will

fketch you a fcene between an adlor

who

and his wife

detefted each

tender and paffionate love

on the boards, juft as

maybe

and

go to the green-room and interrupt

to

a third player in a hearty

that

wing, and, as almoft

do, fpeaking ftraight to the pit

trifle

better

furpaffed themfelves

a fcene of

going to rehearfe

which both

it,

or

players

which they excited continual

in

from

burfls of applaufe

am

a fcene in

other

a fcene publicly played

pit

and boxes

a fcene inter-

rupted half-a-fcore of times with our clapping of hands

and exclamations of delight.

Their triumph was won

in the third fcene of the fourth

The

Depit Amoureux.

The

lover.

ai:

of Moliere's Le

aftor plays Erafte, Lucile's

ador's wife plays Lucile, Erafte's adored.

The Actor.
Non, non, ne croyez pas, madame.
Que je revienne encor vous parler de ma flamme.

(The Actress. I juji

C'en

advife you.')

eft fait.

(7 hope fo.')
Je

Ce que de

me veux

(More than you

Un

courroux

fi

le

mien.

de/erved.)

conftant pour I'ombre d'une offenfe,

(Toa offend me

M'a

guerir et connais bien,

votre coeur a poflede

Tou flatter your/elf.)

trop bien dclairci de votre indifference

'The

Et

je dois vous

'Paradox of lASling.

montrer que

les traits

33

du m^pris,

{Yes, the deep eft contempt.)

-

Sont (enfibles furtout aux genereux elprits

(Tes,

to

generous minds.')

Je I'avouerai,

mes yeux obfervaient dans

Des charmes

qu'ils n'ont point trouves

{Not for want of looking.)

Et le raviflement oti j'etais de mes
Les aurait prdferes a des fceptres
{Tou have made a

]es v6tres,

dans tous

les autres.

fers

offerts.

better bargain^

Je vivais tout en vous

{That's not the cafe ; you tell a

Et

lie.)

je I'avouerai

meme

Peut-^tre qu'aprJs tout j'aurai quoique outrage,

Aflez de peine encore a m'en voir degage.

{That would be a
Poflible

que malgre

Mon ame

la

bore.)

cure qu'elle effaie

faignera longtemps de cette plaie.

{Don't be afraid

mortification has fet in.)

Et qu'affranchi d'un joug qui

me

II faudra

{Tou' II find a

Mais

enfin

il

faifait

tout

mon

bien,

r^foudre a n'aimer jamais rien.

way

out of that.)

n'importe; et puifque votre haine,

ChaiTe un cceur tant de

fois

que I'amour vous ramene,

C'eft la derniire ici des importunites

Que vous

aurez jamais de

Thb

mes voeux

rebutes.

Actress.

Vous pouvez

faire

Monfieur,

m'epargner encor cette derniSre.

et

(The Actor.

aux miens

la

grace tout entiJre,

Sweetheart, you are an

and you Jhall live'to repent this.)

infolent

baggage,

^he Paradox of <iABing.

34

The Actor.
Eh

bien,

madame

eh bien

ils

feront

fatisfaits,

Je romps avecque vous, et j'y romps pour jamais,

Puifque vous

le

voulez, que je perde

Lorfque de vous parler

The
Tant mieux,

c'eft

la vie,

je reprendrai I'envie.

Actress.

m'obliger.

The Actor.
- Non, non, n'ayez
(The Actress. Afraid ofyou
Not I /)

pas peur.

'^

Que

je fauffe parole

Eufle-je un faible coeur,

Jufques a n'en pouvoir efFacer votre image,

Croyez que vous n'aurez jamais

[Ill-luck,

De me

cet avantage

you mean.)

voir revenir.

The
Ce
(The Actor.

My

Actress.
ferait

bien en vain.

darling,

you are an arrant wretch;

but I'll teach ycu to behave^

The Actor.
Moi-meme

de cent coups je percerais mon fein.

(The Actress. / wijh to Heaven you would!)
Si j'avais jamais fait cette baffeffe infigne.

{Why

De

not, after Jo

many

The
Soit

others f)

vous revoir apres ce traitement indigne.

Actress.

n'en parlons done plus.

And fo on, and fo on. After this double fcene one

of love, the other of marriage as Erafte led
his adored

'

The T'aradox of iASling.

'

35

Lucile to the wing he fqueezed her arm fo hard as to

tear his fweet wife's

with the bittereft

and anfwered her complaints

flelli,

infults.

The

Second.

two fimuitaneous fcenes I don't

Ihould ever have fet foot in a playhoufe again.

If I had heard thefe

think

TheJirst.
If you think this adhor and atrefs were moved,

me

afk you,

was

it

in the lovers' fcene, or the

and wife's fcene, or both

Nov(^ liften

to-

let

hufband
another

fcene between the fame aftrefs and another player

While he is fpeaking his lines the alrefs

'He is a brute. He called me
/ cannot repeat what he called me.''
While fhe, in turn, gives her lines, her lover

her lover.

fays of her hufband,

replies,

And

'

Aren't you accujlomed

fo

on from fpeech

together to-night

}''

'

'

By

he

'It will

finds

fliall
'

is

'

you

like.'

'

our mainftay.'

'

by this

it

to fpeech.

all

have a quiet evening.'

Whom

he

out

to

'

Do

we"-fup

The

make no odds
'

Whom

fliall

and

we

we

afk

Chevalier, to begin with

Talking of him, do you know

could eafily get up a jealoufy of him

could as eafily give you caufe for

Thus,

tirrte

means but how can we

That you muft manage.' ' If

efcape obfervation
.!"

'

'And

it.'

then, thefe fenfitive creatures feemed to you

to be heart and foul in the fpeeches fpoken out loud,

which you heard, while

really they

were immerfed

in

of lASiing.

'The 'Paradox

36

which you did

It muft be
no one
a charming acStrefs

the fpeeches fpoken under their breath,

You

not hear.
admitted

exclaimed to yourfelf,

fhe

that

liftens fo well as

is

'

fhe does

and

flie

plays with an intel-

ligence, a grace, a convidtion, a fine touch, a fenfibility,

by no means common.'

meanwhile laughed

at

your

exclamations.

Well,

this acSrefs plays

her hufband

other aftor, plays this other aftor

and plays the Chevalier

whom

with

plots a

mighty vengeance.
of

the

ment).

rid

with an-

with yet another perfon,

He

The Chevalier

takes his place in the

ftage - feats *

Lauraguais had not then

falfe

with the Chevalier,

the Chevalier catches her.

part

lowefi:

falfe

falfe

Comte

(the

our ftage of

de

this arrange-

Stationed thus he looked forward to difcon-

certing the faithlefs wretch by his prefence, and by his

'

Aux

balcons, fur les gradins les plus has.'

of the phrafe
tion

1838

may

from Alfred de Muffet's

:

'How

is it

are, appear, as it

The meaning

be baft explained by the following quota-

on Tragedy, written

effay

in

that the tragedies of Racine, fine as they

muft be confelTed they do, cold and formal,

like ftately ftatues half vivified?

It

is

becaufe, in

1759, the

Count de Lauraguais procured the removal of feats for the

audience from the ftage, at a coft of thirty thoufand francs.
Now-a-days Andromache and Monimia ftand alone in their
vaft periftyles,
in.

There

are

and have an area of

no more marquifes

fixty feet to
to

walk about

furround the

and crack a joke with her after every tirade,

Hermione's fan and cridcife Thefeus's ftockings.'

aftrefs

to pick

up

'
:

The Paradox of <iA5ling.

37

contemptuous looks to completely upfetting her, and

her hooted by the

getting

The

pit.

piece begins

the traitrefs appears ; fhe fees the Chevalier, and with-

out any difturbance to her acSling fhe fays to him, with

a fmile,

'

Ah

filly

making

fellow,

The Chjsvalier fmiles in his

' You are coming to-night
?

a fufs for nothing

turn, and fhe goes

He makes

'

no anfwer,

and fhe continues: 'Let us make an end of

quarrel

and do you order up your

you know

in

what fcene fhe put

one of the

in

yet

It's

enough to ficken one of the

* Nivelle de

la

was

faft.

flage.

First.

If this kind of people could not-

pray?
feats,

It

Chaulfee,*

Second.

The
achieve fuch

La

an exacS flratement of

And why,

And do
\

tears.

it is

The

as

in all this

was convulfed with fobs

This ftartles you

a fcene in which the adirefs

and made us drop fcalding

this foolifh

carriage.'

touching fcenes of

mofi:

on

what

bufinefs

Chauflee, born in

the founder of drames in France.

would they have on

1692,

Voltaire's Enfant Prodigue and Nanine, fays that

drama had been before attempted

in

looked upon

is

Schlegel, fpeaking of
'

the affefting

France by La Chauflee.'

Piron charafteriftically defcribed La Chauflee's plays as ' Les

Homelies du Reverend P^re La Chauflee.' Among his beil
plays are
faid to

Le Prejuge a

la

Mode

have contributed an

Li ChauITee

died in 1754.

(to

which Mile. Quinault

afl), M'elanide,

is

and La Gouvernante.

The Taradox of iABing.

38
the ftage

Now

I will tell

you a thing

have adually

feen.

Garrick

* will

put

his

head between two folding-

doors, and in the courfe of five or fix feconds his

expreffion will change fucceflively from wild delight

to temperate pleafure,
tranquillity to furprife,

from

to tranquillity,

this

from furprife to blank

from

afl:onifh-

ment, from that to forrow, from forrow to the air of

fright, from fright to

one overwhelmed, from that to

horror, from horror to defpair, and thence he will go

up again to the point from which he ftarted. Can his
foul have experienced all thefe feelings, and played this

kind of fcale in concert with his face

lieve

who

it

himfelf

in

the ruins of

as well

is

Rome

are

don't be-

If you afk this famous man,

nor do you.

worth a

worth a

England

to

vifit

vifit to

Italy

afk him, I fay, for the fcene of the Paftrycook's

he

will play

it

you

for

if

you afked him

afterwards for the great fcene in

play

it

for you.

He was

as

you

if

Boy

direcftly

Hamlet he would

as ready to cry over the tarts

in the gutter as to follow the courfe of the air-drawn

dagger. f

make

Can one

laugh or cry at will

fhow of doing

Garrick fpent

fix

fo as well or

months

in

ill

as

One

Paris in the winter of

1764-5, when Diderot made his acquaintance.

I Here is an odd flip on tlie part of Diderot,
to

have mixed up Hamlet with Macbeth, and

the miftake uncorrefted.

fhall

one can, and

who

to

feems

have

left

The Paradox of aASiing.

39

the completenefs of the illufion varies as one

or

is

is

not Garrick.
play the fool in this fort fometimes, and with

enough to take

fuccefs

men who have knocked

in

When

about the world a great deal.

my

over the pretended death of

the

Norman

lawyer

when

Clerk of the Admiralty

child of a captain's wife;

fered grief and

bit

more now

fhame

in the fcene

I confefs to

go diftraled

filler in

the fcene with

with the Firft

the paternity of the

feem exaftly

but do

that the thing

as if I fuf-

I fufFer either I

in definite ftage

is

Not

fhape

than originally in private company, where I invented

thefe

two

What,

learnt the

words

fet

down

to

La

refers to the

Piece et

le

in

final

The words

for

P/an d'un DwertiJJement Domejtique,

Prologue, and to the final form in

Diderot put the ideas of the rough

that

into a ftage play.*

man who, having

him by the author, fools
tragedy or comedy.

a great aitor

is

you thoroughly, whether

* This

them

parts before putting

then,

form being the play,

flcetch

and the

little

which
piece,

Efi-il Bon, eft-il

Mechant?

M.

Hardouin,

are a clofe defcription of the part of

which Diderot Iketched his own charafter. Baudelaire and

M. Champfleury tried, many years ago, to get the play afted,

in

the one at the Gaite, the other at the

Theatre Fran^ais.

feems obvious from the text that Diderot, before either

Piece et

was

le

Prologue or Eft-il 'Bon,

in the habit, as

Mechant

was written,

many people are now-a-days, of giving

dramatic Iketches in private

M.Hardouin

eft-il

life,

It

La

little

and that he himfelf played

in Eft-il Bon, eft-il Mechant? in private theatricals.

The T'aradox of zA5ling.

40

Sedaine produces
I

took more

envy of

the

others' talents

brothers

in

is

all I

mark of

not

me

among my
I

it.

literature,

deigned to confult

done

may

have

to witnefs

all

as to their

work,

have not

could to give a fitting anfwer to this high

The

efteem.

formances, and

am

Philofophe fans

jump

firfl:

very forry for

goes like wildfire, and

I

call

vices

whenever they have

if,

trembles in the balance at the

morning

Savoir.

le

intereft in the piece's fuccefs than he did

enough indeed without

my

Philofophe fans

am

into a coach

it

at the third

delighted.

and

Savoir

ie

and fecond per-

The

it

next

rufli to find Sedaine.

was winter and horribly cold, but I went everywhere

where I could hope to find him. I am told he is in
the depths of the Faubourg St. Antoine, and my
driver takes me there.
I rufh up to him, I throw
my arms round his neck, my voice fails me, and tears
run down my cheeks.
There you have the man of
i'enfibility, the middling man.
Sedaine, referved and
It

ftill,

looks at

me

you are fplendid

obfervation

the

and fays,
'

man

I told this ftory

man whofe

'Ah

Monfieur Diderot,

There you have the man of

of genius.

one day

at table in

the houfe of a

high talents marked him for the greateft

place in the State

in the houfe

of M. Necker.*

* Necker was not Direftor-General of Finance

M.

There

till

1777.

Aflezat, the admirable editor of the CEuvres completes de

Diderot, points out that the reference proves that

Le Paradoxe

The

'Paradox

were many men of

montel,

who

is

my

of zASling.

letters there

friend as I

41

amongft them Mar-

am

He

his.

faid to

me

is

air,
Then, if Voltaire is overcome by
mere narrative of a pathetic incident, and Sedaine
undiflrurbed by the fight of a friend in tears, Voltaire

is

the ordinary

with an ironical

'

the

man and Sedaine the man of genius.'

me out, and reduced me to filence,
man of fenfibility, like me, is wrapped up

This apoftrophe put

becaufe the

',

'

objedlion to his argument, lofes his head, and

in the

does not find his anfwer until he

is

leaving the houfe./

cold and felf-poflefled perfon might have replied to'

Marmontel,
from other

'

Your

obfervation would

than

lips

yours,

for

you

come

than Sedaine, and you too turn out fine work.

being in the fame line with him, might have

fome one

better

no more

feel

You,

left it to

be an impartial judge of his talent.

elfe to

But, without preferring Sedaine to Voltaire, or Voltaire

to Sedaine, can

you

tell

me what would

have come

out of the brains of the author of the Philofophe fans

le

Savoir^ of the Deferteur^ and of Paris Sauve,

inftead of pafling thirty-five years of his

life

and cutting ftone, he had fpent

plafter

like Voltaire, like

you and me,

in

all

in

if,

damping

this time,

reading and thinking

on Homer, Virgil, Taflb, Cicero, Demofthenes, and

Tacitus
does

fur

We

could never learn to fee things as he

he might have learnt to

It

them

as

we

do.

1773, mull have been afterwards

was not publilhed until 1830.

Com'edien, written in

retouched.

tell

'The

42

Paradox of <iA5iing.

look upon him as one of the lateft pofterity of Shakfpeare

of Shakfpeare,

whom

compare neither

fhall

to the Apollo Belvedere nor to the Gladiator, nor to

Antinous, nor to the Farnefe Hercules, but rather to

Coloffus,

might

Dame

Notre

the Saint Chriftopher in

you

coarfely fculptured, if

walk between

all

fhapelefs

Yet we

will.

and never a head

his legs

reach to his thighs.'

Now

here

another inftance of a

is

one moment

to

flat

by

flupidity

man

reduced

at

and the

fenfibility,

next rifing to fublimity by the felf-poffeflion following

the ftifling of his fenfibility.

A
had

man

name

of letters, whofe

fallen into

he thinks very

ill

He

brother.

took

come

me by

he

know

faid,

with

brother?'

me?'

the client

'

fome
think

whofe

man

made me

'

Do

Then

* This

is

my

my

you know

'Do you know

theologian fets off to

fit

of fenfe takes

his

conduft

T think fo.' 'You do? Then you know

and herewith

go

talk about his

cafe he takes up.

livelinefs,

fo.'

to

the hand,

down, and then pointed out that a

care to

why

Becaufe,' he replied,

went, was announced, and

theologian I had

the

told

'

I obtained his leave to

of me.'

and fee the theologian.

hold back,

had a wealthy

afked the poor brother

the rich one did not help him.

'

He

great poverty.*

brother, a theologian.

I will

tell

the recital of an aftual incident.

to
.'

me, with

Mme.

de

Vandeul in her Memoirs gives the names and fome additional

circumftances.

'The

Paradox of ^ASting.

aftonifliing rapidity

fenfes

confufed

feel

courage to plead for

my

of

My

am overwhelmed

lack

wretch

fo vile a

as

is

By

me time to recover.

gave

prefented to

of eloquence

for the

venture to fay that on

may

for I

degrees the

and made way

fenfibility difappeared,

occafion I was eloquent.

this

in-

revolting than the other.

Luckily the theologian, growing prolix in

view.

his philippic,

man
man

and energy, a whole chain of

more

famies, the one

43

'

Sir,' faid

coldly to

your brother has done worfe than this,

and I admire you for concealing the worft of his in'To all you have told
famies.'
'I conceal nothing.'
the theologian,

'

me you

might have added that one night, as you left

your houfe to go to matins, he caught you by the throat,
and drawing a dagger from beneath his drefs was about

to plunge
it

but

did

Then

it.'

look on

my

and with
give,

'

in

it

your bofom.'

He

all

And

is

quite capable of

it

becaufe he never

and fixing a firm, ftern

rifing fuddenly,

theologian, I cried in accents of thunder,

the force and emphafis indignation can

had he done

it,

refufing your brother bread

borne,

'

have not accufed him of

would
?

that be a reafon for

The

'

overwhelmed, confounded,

walked about the room,

came back

theologian, over-

held
to

his

peace,

me, and granted

me

an annual allowance for his brother.

(Is it at the moment when you have

you
for him who

friend or your adored one that

poem on your
moment takes

lofs

No

ill

jufl:

pleafure in his talent.

fet to

It

is

loft

your

work
at

at a

fuch a

when

the

T^he 'Paradox

44
fto rm
is

of zASiing.

of forDaw-is^-ver^whcruthe extrem e

dull ed^

when

the jiyent

is

)f fexifibilify

when

behind us,

far

the

fo-uUs calm^ that one reme mbers one's eclipfed happi-

ne fs, that one

memory

is

capable of appreciating one's

lofs, that

imagination unite, one to retrace_the_

an d

o ther to accentuate, the delights of a

time

pafl:

then

One

that one regains felf-poffeflion and expreflion.

it is

writes of one's falling tears, but they do not

one

is

while

fall

hunting a ftrong epithet that always efcapes one

one writes of one's

while one

employed

is

but they do not

falling tears,

in polifhing one's verfe

to feeling,

falls

Again,
pain

it

is

if

one

and one ceafes writing.

fees again a friend

abfence

with intenfe pleafure as with intenfe

both are dumb.

man

or

the tears do flow the pen drops from the hand

fall

the friend

tender-hearted and fenfitive

he has miffed during a long

makes an unexpecSed reappearance,

and the other's heart

is

touched

he rufhes to him, he

embraces him, he would fpeak, but cannot ; he ftammers and trips over his words ; he fays he knows not
what, he does not hear the anfwer
the delight

Judge,
/

is

if

this pidlure

being

felf-control.

infipid

rather
I

What

is

not to die,

of intelligence

full

could I not fay to you of the

and eloquent difputes

who

fee that
!

meetings, where both friends are fo

and

he could

how hurt he would be

true, how untrue are the ftage

not mutual,

as

l)ut that

to

who

is

to die, or

this text,

on which

fhould enlarge for ever, would take us far from our

fubjedl

Enough has been

faid

for

men

of true and

The 'Paradox of <iASling.

fine tafte

the

what

could add would teach nothing to

Now, who is to come to

abfurdities fo common on the ftage

and what aftor

The
two

lovers, both of

Who

make.

whom

ideas

all

blunders

I
I

top to toe,

Take

come out of it beft ? Not I, I

remember that I approached the be-

my voice

my

failed

heart beat,

me,

mangled

made a thoufand
was illimitably inept ; I was abfurd from
and the more I faw it, the more abfurd
cried yes for

no ;

Meanwhile, under

became.

rival,

to one.

will

grewconfufed,

faid;

have their declaration to

loved objeft with fear and trembling

my

of

adtor

fenfibility is as hurtful

on the ftage are a thoufand

promife you.

The

circumftances in which

in fociety as

the refcue

reft.

thefe

45

my

very eyes, a gay

light-hearted and agreeable, matter of himfelf,

pleafed with himfelf, lofing

flattery,

made himfelf

no opportunity

for the fineft

entertaining and agreeable, en-

joyed himfelf; he implored the touch of a hand which

was

at

once given him, he fometimes caught

afking leave, he kiffed

it

once and again.

it

without

I the while,

alone in a corner, avoiding a fight which irritated me,

ftifling

wrifts,

my

fighs,

cracking

my

fingers with grafping

my

plunged in melancholy, covered with a cold

fweat, I could neither fliow nor conceal

People fay ofjgyc that

and gives

it

to thofe

it

who

robo witt)r

men

my

vexation.

of their

wit^

had none before: in other

words, makes fome people fenfitive and ftupid, others

cold and adventurous.

Paradox of zASitng.

T^he

46

The man of fenfibility obeys

the impulfe of Nature,

than the cry of his

and gives nothing more or
/very heart ; the moment he moderates or ftrengthens
'this cry he is no longer himfelf, he is an adlor.
lefs

The

great after watches appearances

his

fenfibility is

model

covers by after-refleftion what

And

or cut away.

fo

the

man

he thinks over him, and

it

of

dis-

will be beft to add

from mere argument he goes to

aftion.

At

the

firfl:

performance of Inh de Cajiro^ and

at

where the children appear, the pit fell to

laughing. Duclos,*who was playing Inez, was angered,
and cried to the pit ' Laugh, you blockheads, at the
The pit liftened, and was
fineft point in the piece
the point

filent

tears

'

went on with her

the aftrefs

part,

now. Can one

pafs

and repafs

in this

and her

me
way from one
Tell

and the fpeftators' flowed together.

deep feeling to another, from forrow to anger, from

anger to forrow
well think
,

is,

cannot think

that Duclos's anger

it ;

what

was

real,

can very

her forrow

pretended.

Mile.

Duclos was born in 1670.

ances were made, without

the Royal

much

Academy of Mufic

fuccefs,

Her
on the

in Paris.

firfl;

appear-

lyric ftage at

In Oftober, 1693,

Ihe appeared at the Fran9ais as Juftine in Geta, a tragedy

Pechantre.
fliudy

She

for

left

In 1696

Mile, de

flie

was

definitely

Champmefle

inftalled

as

by

under-

in the leading tragic parts.

the ftage in 1733, and died in 1748.

'

The 'Paradox of zASling.

47

Quinault-Dufrefne* plays the part of Severus

he confides to a friend his

Common

niated feft.

which might

fidence,

in

Sent by the Emperor to harry the Chriftians,

Polyeutle.

real feeling

about the calum-

demanded that this conhim the prince's favour, his

fenfe

coft

honours, his fortune, his liberty, perhaps his life, fliould

be uttered

in a

louder

He

'

low

'

replied,

Had he

loud!'

The

tone.

pit called out,

And do

you.

Sirs,

no doubt had, the exceptional

all

the player

aiElor,

tell

as he

who

is

a player, can fo drop and again afllime his mafk.

Lekain-Niniasf enters
cuts his mother's throat

He

ftained hands.

is

appearance

at

tomb, and there

his father's

he comes out with blood-

horror-ftricken ; his limbs tremble,

* Quinault-Dufrefne was born

firft

lefs

been Severus, could he fo

really

become Quinault ?
No,
Only the man of felf-pofleflion, fuch

you, no.

Speak

fpeak

quickly have again

before

'

the

Fran^ais

in

as

1693, and made his

Oreftes in

Crebillon'a

Oftober 17 12. In the month of December following he became an after of leading parts, both in tragedy
EleStra, in

He

and comedy.

^"^

1759.

and

left

the ftage in

March 1741, and

died in

^ ^'^ great parts on the ftage was Le Glorieux,

in private life lie

was

in the habit

of ftrutting into the

Cafe Procope and there enlarging upon his genius and

beauty.

He

married Mile. Defeine, and

it is

told

his

of him that

after

he

who

have conquered the world in the charafters of Caefar and

left

Alexander,
I

That

the ftage he faid to his wife, 'I, Quinault-Dufrefoe,

my
is,

name,

alas, is

only

of courfe, Le Kain

known
as

to

my

parrot

Ninias in Semiramis.

The 'Paradox of oASiing.

48

his eyes roll wildly, his. hair ftands

yours to fee him

as

he

terror feizes

However, Lekain-Ninias

is.

drop which has fallen from, an*

it

towards the wing with his

You

Impoflible.

excellently.

then,

It

is

aftor

who

but

and puflies

this adtor feels

Lekain-Ninias

is

as loft

diamond

'Where

anfwer,

You

are in the aft of kicking a

are

cold

imitates

are

You

you?

diamond drop

off the ftage.'

;

they come

together by chance in a ftage fcene of jealoufy.

is

poor the fcene will be improved

a real player

becomes

it

will lofe

himfelf, and

type of a jealous

proof that

if this

if

that

If

he

is

fuch a cafe the fine ator

no longer the grand and

is

be

in

man

themfelves to everyday
ftilts

it

on the boards, and you

atSor has a paflion for an aftrefs

the aitor

Of

very well for him to cry out,

all

'Where am I ?' I
know well enough.

And

him a bad

without feeling,

is

So does

fees

acStrefs's ear,

foot.

will not call

What,

courfe not.

man, who

An

on end.

on you, you are

he has ftriven

ideal

The

for.

the aftor and aftrefs lower

fo

life is,

they would laugh

in

that

if

they kept to their

each other's faces

the

bombaftic jealoufy of tragedy would feem to them a

mere clowning of

their

own.

The

Second.

All the fame there are triiths of Nature.

The
Yes,

as in a ftatue

First.

by a fculptor

who

has given a

The T*aradox of zASitng.

clofe tranfcript

whole

g o further^

I will

mean

You may

of a bad model:

exaftitude, but the

ftyle, is to

49

efFeft

jTure wajma-a'^4H-a-PaBit>ed,

You

play one's owii_chaca^er.

us fay, a tartufe, a mifer, a mifanthrope

let

admire the

poor and wretched.

is

play your part well enough, but

you

near what the poet has done.

He

are,

you may

come

will not

has created the

Tartufe, the Mifer, the Mifanthrope.

The
And how

Second.

do you make out the difference between

a tartufe and the Tartufe

The
Billard, the clerk,

a tartufe, but he

First.

a tartufe; Grizel, the abbe,

is

banker, was a mifer, but he was not the Mifer.

Mifer, the Tartufe, were drawn

and Grizels

in the

world

l-

thprp

ex afl portrait of a given individual

t

he

people

real

comedy of
fociety

is

in

character,

afTexaggeratio^j.

is

is

go,'

'

we

them nc
,

the^

in

even the

The

fun of

wntch evaporates on the ftage

an edged tool whic h would cu t

focietyr!~I''or imafrinarv beings

the confideration

jn

and .thaLis__wh;J

that d epends o n

a light froth,

the fun of the ftage

deep

their broadef
is

don't reco gnife themfelxes

The comedy

ty^gs

The

from the Toinards

th ey contain

mark ed^eaturf S) h^t

and mof

is

Toinard, the

not the Tartufe.

is

are

bound

.^Saiii_dfiali.with_gtartu|e

to

have

we have

not

for real beings.

comedy with

the

Tar-

T^he T'aradox

50

S atire

tufe.

of aASiing.

atta&ks- theKicious

CQrpedy attacks a

vice^ If there had been only one or two Precieufes

ridicules in the world they would have aiForded matter
but not for a comedy.

for a fatire,

Go

to

La Grenee,*

Painting; he

when
eafel

and afk him for a

picSture

of

think he has done what you want

will

woman

he has put on his canvas a

before an

with her thumb through a palette and a brufh in

Afk him for Philofophy ; he will think he

you by producing a woman in carelefs
attire refting her elbow on a defk by lamplight, dishevelled and thoughtful, reading or meditating.
Afk
him for Poetry ; he will paint the fame woman with a
her hand.

has given

it

laurel-wreath round her brows and a

her

in

hand.

woman
Beauty
and,
that

For Mufic^ you

with a lyre
;

aflc

unlei's I

inflread

am much

fome woman.

The

Your

and the

*
as it

but

fame

Afk him for

man than him
;

fault

pifture of a hand-

is

common

to

your

would fay to them,

are mere portraits of indi-

and

below the general idea traced by the poet

type of which I hoped to have a repre-

ideal

fentation.
like

fee the

roll.

his art is a

fame

pifture, your a<Jting,

viduals far

of manufcript

miflaken, he will be perfuaded

aftor and to this painter

'

of the

the fame from a cleverer

you want from

all

roll

fhall

This lady of yours

fhe

is

not

fafliionable painter

Beauty.

is

as

handfome

There

is

as

you

the fame

of the time, whofe hiftory, curious

was, need not here be enlarged upon.

The 'Paradox of zASling.

difference

between your work and your model

as be-

tween your model and the type.'

The
But, after

all, this

Second.

ideal type

The

may be

phantom

First.

No.

The
But

fince

it is

ideal

underftand a thing that

Second.

it is

The
True.
beginning.

But

and you cannot

First.

us take an

It copied

Then

hand.

let

not real

impalpable.

is

the

art, fay fculpture, at its

firfl:

model that came

to

faw that there were better models, and

it

took them for choice.

Then

it

correfled

firfl:

t helc.

obvious^^tliexi-tlieir lefs-obAdousAuItj-uMtii -by-dint-

long, ftydy it_arrived_at-a Jigure

of

which was nojongeji

nature.-

The
Why,

pray

Second.

The

First.

Becaufe the development of a machine

fo

complex

human body cannot be regular. Go to the

Tuileries or the Champs Elyfees on a fete-day; look at
as

the

women

walks, and you will not find one

two corners of the mouth are exaftjy
Titian's Danae is a portrait
the Love at the

all

the

in

whom

alike.

foot of the

in the

the

couch

is

an

ideal.

In a pifture of Raphael's,

The 'Paradox of <iA5img.

52

which went from M. de Thiers' collection to Catherine

the Second's, St. Jofeph is a common-place man
the
;

Virgin
Chrift

a real and a beautiful

is
is

more as
you my

an

But

ideal.

if

you would

the infant

like to

know

to thefe fpeculative principles of art I will fend

Salons.

The
tafl:e

woman

Second.

have heard the work praifed by a

man

of fine

and keen difcernment.

M.

The

First.

The

Second.

Suard.

And by
with the

woman who combines

The
Madame

The
to

means

praifes of virtue

Second.

our fubjedi.

The
all

First.

Necker.

Let us go back

By

an angel's purity

fineft tafte.

First.

though

would rather

than difcufs fomewhat

The

fing

the

idle queftions.

Second.

Quinault-Dufrefnej a boafter by nature, played the

Boafter* fplendidly.
*

Le

Glorieux.

T^he 'Paradox

The
You

are right

own

playing his

havejiaHp
rpal

fii^p

but

\\\f

53

First.

how do you know

Anr| ^yViy

felf?

hoaCbei^.

anrl

of zABing.

very near-^he

finp jHpal., the

line

that he

between- the

on_which the

line

differentJclioolsfind- theif-exercife-ground

The

do not underftand you.

have explained myfelf more

which

Beauty

commend

to

First.
fully in

me

Meanwhile tell
Orofmanes ?
No.

Was

The
According

to

his place, in this

man for the Prejuge a

how much truth he played

he the

Yet with

No.

Salons^

this
Is QuiHowever, who

has taken his place, or ever will take

part

my

your notice the pafTage on

in general.

nault-Dufrefne

Second.

The
in

was

n ot Nature

fh'^iild

la

Mode ?

it

Second.

you the great aftor

is

everything and

nothing.

The
Perhaps
before

is

jufl:

everything.

all

interferes

it

First.

becaufe he

His

own

is

nothing that he

fpecial fhape

is

never

with the fhapes he aflumes.

Among

all

thofe

who have

praftifed the fine and

valuable profeffion of aftors or lay preachers, one of

the moft

moft

in

fl:erling

his

charafters, one

who fhowed

it

the

phyfiognomy, his tone, his bearing, the

of ^Bing.

T^he 'Paradox

54

Diable

brother of the

Boiteux of Gil Bias, of the

Bachelier de Salamanque^ Montmefnil *

The

father of the illuftrious family

The
.

Second.

Son of Le Sage, t^e

you have named.

First.

played, with equal fuccefs, Ariftides in the

Pupille, Tartufe in the

comedy

fo

named, Mafcarille

M.

the Fourberies de Scapin, the lawyer, or

in

Guillaume,

in the farce of Patel'in.

The
I

Second.

have feen him.

The
And

First.

to your aftonifliment, for

all

thefe different

This did not come by

Nature, for Nature had given him but one, his own
the others he drew from Art.
parts

he had a

fitting vifage.

* Montmenil,
firft

in

He

VEtourdi.

counfelled

him

to

Le

fon of the celebrated

appearance at the Frangais in

May

Sage,

1726,

as

Mazurier

his

fuccefs

fays,

provinces.

in the

was

not

This he

Coufines,

'

et

U Avocat

en general

fuddenly in September 1743.

la

Mode,

tous les

did, re-

Thence-

Montmenil, Le

doubtful.

played capitally

the Valet in Les Bourgeoijes

Trot!

his

gained fome fuccefs, but his fellow-aftors

work

appearing in Paris in 1728 as Hedlor in Le Joueur.

forward

made

Mafcarille

Patelin,

Turcaret,

M. Delorme
payfans.'

in Les

He

died

'The 'Paradox

of zASling.

^
?

Con-

is

not in

Is there fuch a thing as artificia l fenfibilitv

fider, fenfibility,

place in

le

What,

charafters.

all

acquired

whether acquired or inborn,

Joueur^

Flatteur,

le

Grandeur^

lui (the leaft fenfitive or

by a poet),
' ginaire^ le
in

then,

the quality

is

which makes an aftor great

moral perfonage yet devifed

Casur Imaginaire

Atreus,

Medec'in malgre

le

Bourgeois Gentilhomme,

le

VAvare^

in

in

le

Nero,

Malade ImaMithridates,

in

Phocas, in Sertorius, and in a

in

hofl:

other characters, tragic and comic, where fenfibility

diametrically oppofed to the fpirit of the part
t

he

faculty

Rplievp mp,

imitating

of

Ifnnwii^p;

and

WP

"pp'^

miiUiply raufpg

caufe a ccounts for

all

H"*'

all

of
is

it 4s-

natw-es.

wKen- ene

appearances.

Sometimes the^poet

feels more deeply than the

ador; fometimes, and perhaps oftener, the acSor's

conception

is

ftronger than the poet's

and there

nothing truer than Voltaire's exclamation,

is

when he

heard Clairon in a piece of

his, 'Did I really write

Does Clairon know more about it than Voltaire?
Anyhow, at that moment the ideal type in the fpeaking

that?'

of the part went well beyond the poet's ideal type in

the writing of it.
But this ideal type was not Clairon.

Where,

then, lay her talent?

fhape, and in copying

the

movement, the

bodiment of a being

it

In imagining a mighty

with genius,

She imitated

aftion, the gefture, the

far greater

learnt thatiEfchines,repeating a fpeech

could never reproduce

'

whole em-

than herfelf^;

She had

ofDemofthenes,

the roar of the brute.'

He

The Taradox of <iA3iing.

56
faid to

difciples,

his

'

If this touches you, or nearly,

what would have been the

mugientem

it

would be

It

all

The

made

Clairon

the

name of

effedt fi audivijfetls

roar.

a ftrange abufe of language to give

fenfibility to this

faculty of reproducing

even ferocious natures.

natures,

beJUam

poet had engendered the monfter,

Se,nfi;biliJ;yT--at:

cordingjojlie j)nIy_acc.ptation_3iel^i_yen of the^term,

is,

as

feems to me, that difpofition which accom-

it

panies organ ic weaknefs,, which-falLo ws on eafy a ffeftion

of the

di aphragm^jan-jaKacit y

fionate, to

of

magination, on

deli^

inclines

one to being compas-

bein g horrified, to

adm irjition,,_to_fearj_to

cjcy of nerves,

which

b^in g upfe t_, XQ- teaia^^JxiJain ti nga, to refcues, to fligh ts

t o_exclama tions,

tejn Btuous,

what

is

to lofs of felf-con trol , to beijig^CQi;:.

difdainful,

true, good,

Multiply

XQsA.

having no c l ear notion o f

to

and

fouls

fine, to

of

being unjuft, to g oing

fenfibility,

you

and

will

multiply in the fame proportion good and bad aftions

of every

kind,

extravagant

and

praife

extravagant

blame.

Work,
fenfitive

poets, for a nation given to vapours, and

content yourfelves with the

monious, and touching elegies of Racine

would
fpirit
it

flee

too vigorous a pidlure

Et

fils

tout degouttant

fa t^te a la

this nation

the butcheries of Shakfpeare

cannot ftand violent fhocks

'Le

tender, har-

its

beware of

rehearfe to

it, if

you

will,

du meurtre de fon p^re,

main, demandant fon

falaire.'

feeble

offering

The Taradox of ^ASiing.

57

But go no further. If you dared to fay with Homer,

Whither goeft thou, unhappy one ? Thou know'ft
not, then, that it is to me Heaven fends the children of
'

embraces

laft

earth

thou wilt not receive thy mother's

fathers;

ill-fated

e'en

now

I fee

thee ftretched on the

the birds of prey, grouped round thy corpfe, tear

out thine eyes, flapping their wings with delight'

you

faid this all the

would

cry,

'

Oh

women,

horrible

turning
'

away

And

it

If

their heads,

would be

all

the worfe if this fpeech, delivered by a great adior,

had

all

the ftrength of truthful accent.

The
I

am tempted

Second.

to interrupt

you

to afk

what you

think of the bowl prefented to Gabrielle de Vergy,*

who faw

in

it

her lover's bleeding heart.

The
I

fliall

we

if

First.

we muft

anfwer you that

be confiftent, and

we

are revolted at this fpeftacle neither muft

permit QEdipus to fhow himfelf with his eyes torn

we muft drive
wound, and expreffing

Philoftetes, tormented by

out, while
his

cries, ofF the ftage.

idea of tragedy different

that

his

The

from ours

the Greeks, that

is

pain with inarticulate

ancients had, as I think, an

is

and thefe ancients

the Athenians, this fine

* The troubadour ftory of Gabrielle de Vergy

with the

name given as Margaret de

of Scott's Anne of Geierftein.

lady's

chap. xxix.

is

told,

Rouffillon,

in

'The 'Paradox

58

who have

people,

of aASting.

us models in every diretion

left

of art unequalled by other nations

Sophocles,

Euripides,

v^ere

produce the

together to

not

^fchylus,

at

wrork

palling

trifling

I fay,

years

for

impreflions

which difappear in the gaiety of a fupper- party. It

was their objedt to roufe a deep grief for the lot of
the ill-fated
it was their objecS not only to amufe
their fellow- citizens but alfo to make them better.
;

Were

To

produce

made the Eumenides

rufli

on the

Were

they wrong.?

their efFedl

they

they right

fcene, tracking the parricide and guided

blood

in their

They had

noftrils.

by the fcent of

too

much

tafte to

approve the imbroglios, the jugglings with daggers,

which

are

fit

only for children.

tragedy

is,

to

my

thinking, nothing but a fine page of hiftory divided

into a certain

number of marked

Thus, we

periods.

He arrives. He queftions
the fquire of the village.
He propofes apoftafy to
him. The other refufes. He condemns him to death.
He fends him to prifon. The daughter implores mercy
for her father.
The flieriiF will grant it but on a
are waiting for the flieriff*

revolting condition.

All this talk

The

fquire

about Le Sh'erif

put to death.

The

refers direftly to

one of

is

Diderot's fcenarios for plays

which he never

Thitfcenario of Le Sherif

publiflied in the eighth

of

M.

is

Aflezat's edition of the

(Gamier,

Paris).

curioufly bad play.

aftually wrote.

volume

CEuvres completes de Diderot

It would, fo far as I can fee, have

made

T!he 'Paradox

inhabitants rufli

The

on the

of zASi'mg.

He

fheriffi

flies

59

before them.

lover of the fquire's daughter ftrikes him dead

with one dagger thruft, and the abominable fanatic

poet does not need
dies curfed by all around him.

much more

Suppofe the

material for a great work.

daughter goes to her mother's tomb to learn her duty to

in

doubt

of honour demanded from her;

that in

the author of her being

about the facrifice

fuppofe that fhe

doubt fhe keeps her lover

this

the language of his paffion

her father in prifon

vifit

aloof,

that
that

is

and will not hear

ftie

obtains leave to

her father wiflies to

marry her and Jier lover, and fhe refufes

facrifice her honour, and her father

does

death the while

her lover,

when

that

fhe

that fhe

you are unaware of her

is

diftraited with

put to

is

fate until

grief at her

what fhe has done to fave him

that then the fherifF comes in hunted by the mob
and is ftruck down by the lover. There you have part
of the details of fuch a work.
father's death, learns

The
Part

Second.

The
flight

him

-part.

to exterminate the fheriff

there not be a
in the midfl:

And

First.

Will not the young lovers propofe

Will not the villagers propofe to
to the fquire ?

Yes,

of

priefl:

who

and his

fatellites

preaches toleration

this terrible

day will the lover be

cannot one fuppofe certain

ties

Will

And
idle

between thefe

6o

The T^aradox of zASiing.

charafters,

and make fomething out of fuch

Why

(hould not the

fquire's daughter

flierifF

have been a

him out of the

fcorned his

fuit

of the

Why fhould he not return with ven-

in his heart againft the fquire,

geance

fuitor

tiesf

place,

What

who

has turned

and the daughter,

who

has

important incidents one can

get out of the fimpleft fubjeft if one has patience to

think

it

over

What

colour one can give them

if

one

And you cannot be a dramatic poet withAnd do you fuppofe I fhan't have
out being eloquent.
The (herifF's interrogatory, for
a fine ftage efFeft ?
inftance, will be given with all the pomp of circumis

eloquent

No,

ftance.

leave the ftaging to me, and fo an end to

this digreffion.

1 take thee to witnefs,

brated Garrick; thee,

all

Now

thou not told

thy

confentof

exifting nations art held for the greatefl: aftor they

have known

'

Rofcius of England, cele-

who by the unanimous

me

render homage to truth.

that, defpite

would be weak

aftion

if,

Haft

thy depth of feeling,

whatever paflion or

character thou hadft to render, thou couldft not raife

thyfelf

by the power of thought

Homeric

fiiape

thyfelf?

When

to the grandeur of a

with which thou foughteft to identify

I

replied that

it

was not then from

own

type thou didft play, confefs thine anfwer.

Didft not

avow avoiding this with care, and fay that

was aftounding only becaufe thou didft

thine

thy playing

conftantly exhibit a creature of the imagination which

was not

thyfelf?

The

great aftor's foul

Second.
formed of the fubtle element

is

with which a certain philofopher

fpace, an element

filled

neither cold nor hot, heavy nor light,

definite

fliape,

6i

'Paradox of oASiing.

'The

which

capable of afluming

and,

aiFefts

no

keeps

all,

none.

The

great adtor

nor a fpinnet, nor a

no key peculiar

violin,

him

to

First.

neither a pianoforte, nor a harp,

is

nor a violoncello

put a high value on the talent of a great aftor

a rare being

he has

he takes the key and the tone

as rare as,

he

is
J

and perhaps greater than, a

poet.

He who
luckily has

in

the

fociety
fkill,

makes

to pleafe

his objeft,

it

every one,

is

and un-*"]
nothing, /

has nothing that belongs to him, nothing to diftinguifli

him, to delight fome and weary others.

talking,

and always talking well

profeflion, ju*

is

he

gre a t r mirtier, he

The

is

is

He

is

always

an adulator by

Second.

great courtier, accuftomed fince he

firft

drew

takes every kind of fhape at the pull of the ftring in

his mailer's hands.

* Pantin.
it.

figure cut out in card,

I have ufed the

expreffion.

word puppet

with

f
1

,.^

a great a.&.ot

breath to play the part of a moft ingenious puppet,*

to

ftrings attached

to avoid

roundabout

62

T^he 'Paradox

great aitor

is

of zASling.

The

First.

alfo a

moft ingenious puppet, and

by the poet, who

cates the true form he muft take.

his ftrings are held

The

at

each

line indi-

Second.

So then a courtier, an aiSor, who can take only

one form, however beautiful, however attractive it
may be, are a couple of wretched pafleboard figures t

The
I

like

First.

have no thought of calumniating a profeflion

and efteem^I mean, the adlor's.

defpair if a mifunderftanding of

fhade of contempt on

men

my

1 fliould

be in

obfervations caft a

of a rare talent and a true

on the fcourges of abfurdity and vice, on the

moft eloquent preachers of honefty and virtue, on the
rod which the man of genius wields to chaftife knaves
^and fools.
But look around you, and you will fee that
ufefulnefs,

people of never-failing gaiety have neither great faults

nor great merits ; that as a rulo people who lay ih 1:11 1

fc lves out to

be agrreeable are frivolous peop le, without

any-ibw^d^Mi nc p lp ; a nd-thatithofe who,. lik -certain
i

perfons

who mix

excel in playing

in

our foc jety, have n o ch a rafter,

all.

TIas'not~tKe aSor a father, a mother, a wife, chilfitters, acquaintances, friends, a mis-

dren, brothers,
trefs.?

bility

If he were endowed with that exquifite fenfiwhich people regard as the thing principally

'The 'Paradox

needed for

of tASling.

his profeflion, harafled

63

and ftruck like us with

an infinity of troubles in quick fucceflion, which feme-

how manj^
amufement^

times wither and fometimes tear our hearts,

days would he have

devote to our

left to

The Groom

Chambers would
would
often make him anfwer, ' My lord, L cannot laugh today/ or, ' It is over cares other than Agamemnon's
It is not known, however, that
that I would weep.'

Mighty few.

of the

vainly interpofe his fovereignty, the aftor's ftate

the troubles of

more oppofed

life,

common

to acSors as to us, and far

to the free exercife of their calling, often

interrupt them.

In focie ty. unlefs they are buffoons. I find them,,

poliftied, cauftic,

and cold

fp^ndthritts, lelt-RTreretted
ties

;
;

proud^li ght of behaviou r,

Itruck ratherby our abfurdL.

than touched by our misfortunes

felyes at the fpediacle of

mafters of th env^

an untoward incide nt J3t Jthe

re cital of a pathetic ftory; ifolated, vagabonds, at the

com mand of

the

great

little

conduft, ~no

'fFferidfs,

which

aflbciate

who

in turn

fcarce any of thofe holy and tender ties

us

ill

the pains and pleafures of another,

fhares our

the

fl:age

own.
I

have often feen an acSor laugh off

do not remember to have ever feen one

What

weep.

do they, then, with

this

fenfibility that

they arrogate and that people grant them

leave

it

at their

next entrance

Do

o n the ftage at their ex it, to take

it

they

up,again

What makes them flip on

Want of education, poverty,

the fock or the bufkin

a libertine

fpirit.

The

64

T^he

'ftage

'Paradox of <iASling.
Never

a refource, never a choice.

is

did aftor

[jbecome fo from love of virtue, from defire to be ufeful

in

the world, or to ferve his country or family; never

from any of the honourable motives which might

cline a right

mind, a feeling heart, a

in-

fenfitive foul, to fo

a profeiSon.

line

I myfelf, in

my young

Sorbonne and the

winter

I ufed to

go and

To

whom

firfi:

of the Luxem-

To

gain applaufe

aftreffes

who I knew were not

know not what I would
Gauflin, who was then making

Certainly.

appearance, and was beauty

who on

It has

c aufe in

projeft

mix on intimate terms with

not have done to pleafe

ville,*

depth of

found charming, and

ftraitlaced

her

bittereft

aloud parts in Moliere

folitary alleys

What was my

Perhaps.

In the

recite

and in Corneille in the

bourg.

days, hefitated between the

ftage.

been

the ftage

was

fo full

faid that afl-ors

playing

all

itfelf

or Daiige-

of charm.

have

nr

rharafl-pr, be-

characte rs they lofe that which

Ijature ^ave them, and they

become falfe juft as the

become hardened.

dofloTjjheJ'urgeon, and the butcher,

* Mile. Dangeville was born

of a ballet-malter and an

in Paris in 1714.

aftrefs, flie

made her

Daughter

firft

appear-

ance at the Franjais at the age of feven and a half.

Her
official firft appearance was made in 1730, as Lifette in
Deftouches's M'edifant.

She was admitted two months

wards, remained on the ftage

The

till

1763, and died

editor of the M'emoires Secrets, echoing

after-

in 1796,

public opinion.

Hhe 'Paradox of ^ASiing.

I

fancy that here caufe

that'they are

fit

to play

"^

confounded with

is

The

executioner

Second.

become

The
It

is all

charalers

from

very well for

in

pany wItH'trouble and hatred,

pi i hlir

i ti

clearly facrificed t " wrp'"''^'"^

is

ot

aJi aflbcia'

common

m nrp fonftantly and

\\t^r\t^

pr^totULM^

worfe among them than among authors

faying a good deal, but

eafily forgives

it

is

true.

illufl:rious

them great on the

wrote of her
old.

So

as

mffrp

Env y

this

poet

is

more

which marks her

you

fay,

time.

to

endow you

grow

we fee you we

Nature has Ihowered her

though Art had refufed

find

they have

alone, inimitable Dangeville, never

novel are you, that each time

firit

You

or rich debauchee.

ftage becaufe, as

You

frefti, fo

take to be the

you,

'

One

in^

another the fuccefs of a piece than one

adirefs forgives another the applaufe

out for fome

com-

their

fills

remaps

gifts

on

and Art has

haftened to enrich you with her perfeftion as though Nature

Her

had granted you nought.'

fuccefsful that it

was

where great adrefles

faid

firft

which mig ht

tions there^is not one where the aflbciates'

nfthe

an

them

to diftinguifli

be termed infolence, a jealoufy which

ttlflt

is

cruel.

to look into thefe perfons\

them

their fellow-citizens except a vanity

tereft Tind

is

First,

me

nothing

fee

cruel becaufe he

but an executioner becaufe he

and

efFet,

charadlers becaufe they havej

all

perfon does not

65

appearances were fo

of her at the time that Ihe began

left off!

The 'Paradox of nASiing.

66
foul

find

them

Vhey have none

and mean

little

in fociety becaufe

with the words and the tone of

Camille or the elder Horace they have ever the con-

Now,

duct of Frofine or Sganarelle.

is

to eflimate

borrowed reports that are

admirably tricked out, or

fo

on the nature of adtors and the tenor of

The
But of
in great

and

Second.

fearleflly

you would

much more

home

* Brizard was born

by playing

in

of our altar

priefl:

in

April

comedy

fecurity than

gentleman of the Court

to this or that great

or this or that venerated

in

equally at

your wife's honour and your

trufl:

daughter's innocence, with

firft

is

company, to whofe keeping you

confide your fecrets and your purfe, to

whom

as an adlor

little

would

you would

their life

Moliere, the Quinaults, Montmefnil,

old

and to-day Brifart* and Caillot,! who

his

what

the bottom of their hearts, mufi: I rely on the

at

72

1,

and began

his career

He made

in the provinces.

appearance at the Franjais in July 1757, as Alphonfe

La Motte's tragedy,
left

The

Secrets

Memoires

He was

Ines de Caftro.

following year,

the

ftage

defcribe

admitted in the

1786, and died in 1791.

in

him

thus

'

He

has the

majefty of the king, the fublimity of the pontiff, the tendernefs or fternnefs

of the father.

combines force with pathos,

An

f
later

He

fire

is

with

a very great aftor,

account of the great aftor Caillot will be found

on in a note on a pafTage referring to

detail.

who

feeling.'

him

in greater

The Paradox of zAEling.

The
The
who
is,

is

First.

among
which

many

me

annoys

who

man

is

woma n__of

is'_a

of honouj^

Let us conclude from

have an exclufive claim to

this that

it is

if

that

it

in private life as

they were endowed with

bafis of their charafter

it, is

o:

neither th

nor the caufe of their fuccefi

belongs to them neither

Jo any other clafs

untrue that they

this quality,aad that the fenfi

which would overcome them

the ftage,

of people

more nor

lefs

and one fees

fo

tha
fe

ereat adtors becaufe parents do not bring up their chil-

/dren for the flage

it

becaufe people do not prepare for

by an education begun

vaftors

who

is

not

as

it

in

youth

would have

and a company of

to be

among

people

attached the due importance, honour, and recom-

penfe to the funftion offpeaking to aflembled multitudes

who come

to

be taught, amnrpH^ and rnr rpAffl

a corporation formed

like other

commonwealths, of

perfons chofen from every kind of good family, and led

to the ftage as to the fervices, the law, or the church,

by

tafte

or choice,

natural guardians.t

and with

virtue, are fuc h_rarg/

phenomena.^

bility

of one

ex-officio

the valuable and fruitful fource of

is

who

What

it.

poflelTors

thefe

all

is,

number of aftors

cite a greater

others, an alor

an aftrefs

What annoys me

not overcharged.

deferve or have deferved

that

quality,
fo

praife

do not hear you

that I

67

the approval of their

<

68

T^he 'Paradox

The

of <iAiing.

Second.

The degradation of modern acSors is, it feems

me, an unlucky heritage from the old aftors.

The

to

First.

I think fo.

The

Second.

If plays had been invented in thefe days,

people have more fenfible notions, perhaps

you

are not liftening

am

morals

if

profeflinn

when
.

But

you thinking of?

and thinking of
havp nn g ood tafte and
players wprp ppnpip nf pnfif^rm janrl their
an

pl ays

firfi:

migTit

hnn aurprl

would dare propofe

nr r;^ __y^hprp
i

to nien

coarfe or ftupid fpeeches

much

are

The First.
my
idea,

following up

influ ence

t he

what

lighter than the

is

the

poet

of birth to publicly repeat

to women, of character not

women we know, to

impudently

utter before a quantity of lifteners fuch things as they

would blufh to hear in private at their firefide ? If

the conditions were altered our playwriters would foon
attain to a purity, a

delicacy, a grace, that they are

further from than perhaps they think.

that

it

Can you doubt

would re-at upon the national tone

The
One

Second.

might perhaps objed: that the pieces, old and

new, which your well-behaved players would exclude

The Paradox of iABing.

from their repertory, are the very ones

69
we

play

in

private theatricals.

The
And what
citizens

defirable, that

to the level

make

Would

of the beft citizens

change

is

if

our fellow-

gave the

of police exhorted

did

themfelves

Second.

me

First.

Pne

de Famille, the magiftrate

to follow the career.

The

Why

the

lefs ufeful,

raife

not eafy.

The

When

be the

it

our adors fliould

The
The

it

lower themfelves to the level of the moft

wretched players
lefs

First.

difference does

Second.

you not ?

The

First.

Becaufe, not h aving; af;hiRvpd the furrefs whirh T

had pr omifed myfelf wi th

much

that 1 could do
cabling for

which

thought

The
And why
houfe before

it,

always put up

grew

fla ttering

myfelf

di fgulted^ th "a

had not enough

talent.

Second.

did this piece,

half-paft

and not

better, I

four,

which nowadays

fills

the

and which the players

when they want

have fo lukewarm a welcome at

a thoufand crowns,

firft ?

of zABing.

'The T'aradox

70

The
Some

faid that

themfelves to a

First.

our habits were too faftitious to

ftyle fo

fimple

fuit

too corrupt to tafte a

ftyle fo virtuous.

The

Second.

That was not without

The

fhow of truth.

First.

But experience has fhown that it was not true,

/for we have grown no better. Befides, the true, th^
}

honefl- has fuch

work

an afcendency over us, that

two characters

includes

has genius, his fuccefs will be only the

It is,
it is,

above
above

comes
jtnfe

all,
all,

vyfaen

when

The

pureft.

all is falfe

all is

that

we

who

a poet's

and

if

he

more affured./
love the true

corrupt that the

citizen

if

in this kind,

firage

be-

prelents "hmifelf at

door of a theatre leaves his vices there, and only

takes them up again as he goes out.

Impartial, a

good

often feen by
ai:ions

my

friend, a lover
fide

There he

of virtue

and

is

juft.

have

bad fellows deeply indignant

which they would not have

failed to

at

commit

had they found themfelves in the fame circumftances

which the poet had placed the perfonage they

If I did not fucceed at firft it was becaufe
the flyle was new to audience and a<3:ors
becaufe
there was a ftrong prejudice, ftill exifting, againft
what people call tearful comedy
becaufe I had a

in

abhorred.

crowd of enemies at court, in town, among magiftrates,

among Churchmen, among men of letters,

The Paradox of ^Sling.

The
And how did you

Second,

incur fo

The
Upon my word

ji

much enmity

First.

know,

don't

for

have not

written fatires on great or fmali, and I have croffed

man on
that

the path of fortune and dignities.

It

is

was one of the pe oglejralj ed Philofo ph ers,

two or three wretched fub-

alterns_withQutvirtue, without infight, and,

worfe, without talent.

But enough of

The

To

fay nothing

general,

what

is

that.

Second.

of the fadi that thefe philofophers

had made things more

letters in

whom

were then viewed as dangerous citizens, and o n

ffielGaiceJiniaentiet loofe

no

tru^
who

difficult for poets

was no longer

it

one's felf diftinguiflied

and

men

poffible to

by knowing how

of

make

to turn out a

madrigal or a nafly couplet.

The
That may

be.

First.

young rake,

inftead of feduloufly

haunting the ftudio of the painter, the fculptor, the

artift who has adopted him, has wafted the beft years
of his
talent.

life,

and at twenty he has no refources and no

is he to become ?
foldier or an aflor.

What

You find
He ftroUs

him, then, enrolled

it

until

in the capital.

in a

country company.

he can promife himfelf an appearance

An unhappy

creature has wallowed in

The "Paradox of aABing.

72

gutter debauchery
tions, that

heart

tired

of the moft abjedi of condi-

of a low courtefan, fhe learns a

kw parts

by

fhe goes one morning to Clairon, as the flave of

old ufed to

go to the

takes her by the hand,

aedile

Clairon

or the praetor.

makes her turn round, touches

her with her wand, and fays to her,

'

Go and make

the

gaping crowd laugh or cry.'

They

are

The

excommunicated.

public,

flaves,

can

fail

to

fhame the

that the

have
foul

marks of

efFeft,

pratStife

fo

continual a degradation

and that under the burden of

can be ftrong enough to reach the

heights of Corneille

The

are

the rod of another flave.

conftantly dreading

Think you

which

They

cannot do without them, defpifes them.

.''

defpotifm that people pralife to

in turn to authors,

and

know

them they

not which

the meaner, the infolent aftor or the author

who

is

en-

dures him.

The
People

like to

have

their plays ated.

The

On

Second.

First.

Give your money at the

weary of your prefence and your
applaufe.
Well enough off with the fmall boxes, they
!ave been on the point of deciding either that the
uthor fliould give up his profits or that his piece
whatever condition.

door, and they will

lould not be accepted.

'The

Paradox of iASling.

The
But

this projedt

73

Second.

involved nothing

than the ex-

lefs

tindtion of the dramatic author's career.

The
What

First.

does that matter to them

The

Second.

You

have, I think, but

You

are miflalcen.

The

more

little

to fay.

First.

muft now take you by the

hand and lead you to the prefence of Clairon, that

in-

comparable enchantrefs.

The

Second.

was proud of her

She, at leaft,

calling,
j

The
As

will be all

who

First.

excel in

iti

The

by thofe adtors only who have been

fpifed

boards.

of anger.

muft fhow you Clairon

is

to preferve

bearing, the accent, the aftion of the ftage, with

its

artifice

fides

true

the
all

and emphafis, would you not hold your

could you contain your laughter

would you

de-

in the real tranfports

them fhe happened

If in

Itage

hifled off the

me

tell

fenfibility

Do

What,

you not roundly

then,

affert that

and affiimefMRnfib'ilif y are tyrovery

different things"?

Youlaugh

at

what you would have

'Paradox of iABing.

T^he

74

and why, pray ? The fait is,

admired on the ftage
'^at Clairon's real anger refembles fimulated anger,
knd you are able to diftinguifh between the perfonality
;

The

i/and the pafEon which that perfonality aflTumes.

likenefs of paflio n on the ftage
nefs

not then

its

true like-

but extravagant portrai^re, c aricature on

is

it

is

a grand fcale,

to

(iibjei^i

conventional

Well,

jy les.

iterrogate yourielfTafk yourfelf what artift will confine

himfelf moft ftriftly within the limits of thefe rules

What

kind of adlor

/regulated bombaft

m an

rafte r, or the

who

ftrips

ill

moft fuccefsfully lay hold on

man dominatedby

the

ffelf by nature

the heart one

own

man

on another greater,

to put

more elevated

fiery,

o ne becomes fome one

is

ownT cha-

born without charafler, or the

himfelf of his

^more^no ble, more

his

fuppofed to have

this

is

One

elfe

by

is

one's

IT? 'fatlTfr'

.o ne

not the heart

What, then^Js

has.

the true talent

That of knowing

well the ou tward fymptoms of the foul

we

borrow, of

ad dreffing ourfelves to the fenfations of thofe

*"^"'"' l^y

n"j_f^;_M, of dl'Tpivipc

who

f^p mita'""''"

hear

o^-fcU^*""

fymptoms, by an imitation which aggrandifes everythTng in their imagination, and

meafure of their judgment

me

to appreciate that

after all,

what_d oes

it

which

then,

who

beft

fo r

w hich
it is

paltes

bec orD, the

impoffible othe ri

nfide us.

J\.nd

matter to us whether they

/ or do not feel, fo lohg as

He,

we know

knows and

nothing abn'i^

fe el

'> ?

beft renders., after

th e beft conceived ideal type, thefe outward fig ns.

the great^ft

a<Stor.

is

'The 'Paradox

The

of <iA5ling.

Second.

He, then, who leavesja aft

the great ator

is

was

First.

it

When

juft going to fay fo.

habit one keeps a ftage accent

into

to th p imcigmaf-irvn of

the p;reateft po et.

The
I

75

by long

ftage

and brings

in private life,

Brutus, Cinna, JVIithridates, Cornelius, Merope,

Pompey, do you know what he does ? He couples

with a foul fmall or great, exaftly as Nature has cut
its

meafure, the outward figns of an exalted and gigantic

that

foul

is

own.

not his

The

refult

of

this

is

ridiculcj^^

The
What

a cruel fatire

Second.
this,

is

The

How

fo

Any
;

First.

The
foul

innocent or of malice

on aftors and authors

prepenfe,

one,

any one,

imagine,
I

Second.

may have

imagine,

a great and ftrong

may have

manner, the adlion, appropriate to

the bearing, the

his foul

and

do

not think that the expreffion of true grandeur can ever

be ridiculous,

The
What

follows then

The
Ah, you rogue

First.

Second.

you dare not fay

it,

and

I {hall

'

76

Paradox of <iA5iing.

T^he

have to incur the general indignation on your behalf.

It

follows that true tragedy

with

all

than

we

yet to feek, and that,

came nearer

to

it

do.

The
It

is

their faults, the ancients

true that

is

it

First.

delights

me

fay with fuch fimple ftrength to

to hear PhilocEtetes

Neoptolemus,

who

him back the arrows of Hercules, which he

ftole at Ulyffes's inftigation,
'See what a deed you had
done
Without knowing it, you had condemned an
unhappy wretch to perifti of grief and hunger. Your
brings

crime is another's, your repentance your own.

No ;
never would you have thought of doing a deed fo fliameful had you been left to yourfelf.
See then, my child,

how

important

is it

honeft company.

for

your time bf

This

is

to

keep only

what you got by

aflbciatino-

life

And why have aught to do with a man

of this charafter
Would your father have chofen
him for your companion an4 friend
Your good
father, who never let any but the firft men in the army
with a

rafcal.

.''

come

near him, what would he fay

if

he faw you with

Is there anything in this difcourfe

which you might

a Ulyffes

not addrefs to

my

fon, or I to yours

The

Second.

No.

The
Yet

it is

finely faid.

First.

of nABing.

'The 'Paradox

The

yy

Second.

Certainly.

The
And would

it

differ

in fociety

The
I

do not think

at

mnrp

would
which

this

First.

tone be ridiculous in private

life ?

Second.

all.

The
thp

in

Second.

The
Not

this difcourfe

from the tone

fo.

The
And would

which

the tone in

be given on the ftage

one would give

First.

First.

am much

T oflmirg it-. I

afraid that for a

we have

taken the rodomontade

of Madrid for the heroifm of

Rome, and mixed up

hundred years on end

the tone of the Tragic with that of the Epic

The
Our

Mufe.

Second.

Alexandrine verfc

jg

fnn harmonious, and

too noble for dialogu e.

The
And

our verff nf tpn

JightHowever this may

First.
fyllahlpg tnn fiitilp and.tQCh

be, I

would

like

go to a performance of one of Corneille's

you never to

Roman pieces,

'

'

The Paradox of <tABing.

jS

but when you are frefh from reading Cicero's letters to

How

Atticus.

bombaftic our dramatic authors feem

me, how repulfive are their declamations, when I

recall the fimplicity and ftrength of Regulus's difcourfe
to

Roman people from an

Thus he expreffes himfelf in

difTuading the Senate and the

exchange of prifoners

poem which

an ode, a
fire, fpirit,

He

fays
'

more of

includes a good deal

and exaltation, than a tragic monologue,

have feen our enfigns hanging

Carthage.

have feen

their arms, unftained

Roman

temples of

in the

ftripped of

foldiers

with one drop of blood.

behind their backs.

have feen the town gates wide

open, and the harveft thick on the

And you

fields

we

ravaged.

think that, brought back, they will return

You

braver.

have

bound

feen liberty forgotten, citizens with their arms

add

lofs to ftiame.

Virtue once driven

Hope nothing
who might have died and has let himfelf be
O Carthage, how great and proud thou art

from a degraded foul never returns.

from him
ftrangled.
in

our fhame

Such was
fufes the

his difcourfe,

embraces of

and children

himfelf unworthy of them, like a vile flave.

his eyes

He

feels

keeps

he has brought the fenators

to a determination he alone could

he

he

re-

moodily fixed on the ground, and fcorns the

tears of his friends until

until

He

fuch his conduit.

his wife

is

have propofed, and

allowed to go back to his exile.

Taradox of zASiing.

T!he

The

Second.

That is fimple and fplendid, but the

moment was afterwards.

The
You

79

really heroic

First.

are right.

The
He knew
paring for

Second.

well the torture the favage foe was pre-

him.

However, recovering

he difengages himfelf from his kinfmen,

his

who

ferenity,

feek to

put ofF his return, as eafily as in former times he dis-

engaged himfelf from the crowd of his clients to go and

{hake off the fatigue of bufinefs in his fields at

frum or

his

champaign

The

Now

Very good.
and

tell

if

proper

tone

and

me

First.

your hand on your heart

lay

our poets contain

for

grand yet

fo

how from fuch

as

lips

many

fo

our tender jeremiades or moft

in Corneille's

not dare to confide to you

and

crown.

were

am
If

known

How

of our brave

many

things do I

I fhould be ftoned in the

to be guilty of fuch blafphemy

not anxious
the

a virtue,

Regulus's would found

either

manner.

paffages of a

domeftic

words

ftreets

Vena-

Tarentum.

at

for

Luiiies

ddy

any kind of a martyr's

wliua

man of g e nius

d are g i ve hi s charact ers thefiflapletone^of~a^ntique

heroifm, the^ -amor's- -art wiH- ' affti-n*ea- new diffi-

'

T^he 'Paradox

8o

of zABing.

declamation will

culty, for

ceafe

to

be

kind of

fing-fong.*

For the reft, in faying that fenfibility was the mark

of a good heart and a middling genius I made no
common confeflion ; for if Nature ever moulded a
fenfitive foul that foul
i

m uch

top

king,

great

clofe obferver,

admirable imitator of Nature

the

of

aid

lip

is

and, confequently, an
fe;

indeed, -^iS-can

fpFHWbimj^lfp^-tulj-wif-ll

malfp

jpiaginaf-ion.,

Ifppps his aftpnti nn

concerned

fiypd, wifh

Only then

teaacious iiicmoiy.

that

himfplf

fnr

which ferye him fortypeSTanden

fha pe s

fpri-ain

mh\r\\

fl-rnng

to_]Jje-

gital' m^gillTate,

uals

h\mMf

^"gflf hirr^f^^j rUfl-mr^

of fenfibility

diaphragm

his

gieilL puliliLUli,- a

man, or a

juft

Tjie man

mine.

is

mercy of

at the

it

another's

is

is

it

fhp aid nf a

own

not his

mind and

felf

will that

mafter him.

Here

fhould flop

me

forgive

obfervation.

This phenomenon

have ftruck you.

budding
*

as

This

the

omifTion

of an

mufi: furely fometimes

budding aflor, or

you to come and

fad, fo ceafe with

much from

in other authors.
fight

adtrefs, afks

It did, in

gathers

but you will more readily

mifplacing than

the

us fay a

let

fee her quietly

Le Kain

at

leaft

one

that can be learnt of his method'

all

fo

is

much

the cafe that

at

firft

Harding to find in one part of Diderot's work a

full

reference to

Le Kain, and

aflor had yet ventured

But Diderot was

in

to

as capable

it is

another an implication that no

vary the conventional fing-fong.

of maliing a

flip as

Homer.

'

The 'Paradox of lASiing.

to

form an opinion of her

has foul,

You grant that fhe

You cover her with

talent.

paflion.

fenfibility,

8i

and leave her when you depart in hope of

But what happens ? She apthe greateft fuccefs.
pears, fhe is hifled, and you acknowledge that the

praifes,

hiffes

her

are

Why

deferved.

morning and the evening

flnniV)Vwn_jnii
lift^n ed to

to -face

this

is

her fenfibility, her

foul,

wpre

No

Has

fhe loft

paflion,

between the

hut

hrr grriind

h^^jJLP" '"^^ (^rnf

jn

Inw

Igvpl.
;

ynn

her regardlefs iiLcorLventiefl-ifl>e-^ya-feee-

with you

between you there was, go model

foi_B!EpQfesjafxoiii.papi-fofr;-7tr(rwerefatisfied with her

v oice, herjgefture, her-expreflioiu-her-beanag-; -aU
in

proportion to,-th-a.ttd4en-ee-and^the^pace

nothingthatcalled for exaltatiom

were changed

the conditions

was needed,

fonation

fince

On

was

there was

the boards

all

there a different imper-

all

the furroundings were

enlarged.

In private theatricals, in a drawing-room, where

the fpeftator

is

almoft on a level with the ailor,

true dramati c imperfonation

would have

ftxuck

being on an enormous, a giganticfrale , and

at-

th^

you as/

fhe

e.

nfi

of tneTSeri'ormance"you would Have faid confidentially to

a friend,

'

She

not fucceed

will

fhe

is

too extravagant

and her fuccefs on the ftage would have aftonifhed you,.

Let

me

repeat

it,

whether

for

good or

nothing and does nothing in private

way as on the ftage jtis

But there is a decifive
:

ill,

the aftor fays

life

in

the famey

a different world.
fatt,

which was

"told

me by

The Paradox of zAEling.

82
,in

accurate perfon of an original and attractive turn

of mind, the

Abbe

heard confirmed

Galiani, and

which

have fince

by another accurate perfon,

of

alfo

an original and attraftive turn of mind, the Marquis

de Caraccioli, ambaffador of Naples at Paris.

that at Naples,

This

the native place of both, there

dramatic poetwhofe chief care

is

is,

is

not given to compofing

his piece.

The
Yours, the

P'ere.

Second.

de Famille, had a great fuccefs

there.

The

First.

Four reprefentations running were given before the

This was contrary to court etiquette, which

King.
lays

down

that there fhall be as

The

performance.

^the Neapolitan
.

many

plays as days of

poet's care

is

to find in fociety perfons

of the age, face, voice, and characEler

People dare

parts.

Sovereign's

However,

people were delighted.

not

amufement

is

to

fitted

fill

him, becaufe

refufe

concerned.

And when,

his

the

think

you, do the company begin really to at, to underftand

each other, to advance towards the point of perfedtion

/
'

he demands

w ith

I t_is

when

conftant rehearfals, a re

From

this

identifi es

moment

th e ators

what we

their progrefs

is

himfelf vvijhjhis pjirtj and

thjsJiard_ssawJt-thatJii_4>erforj^

worn out

are
call

'

ufed upT*^"

furprifing
it is

at tjT

each

end of

begin and go

on~

for^Jix-months- on endjjwhile the_ Sovereign anTBis"'

Paradox of zASling.

T^he

fubjecfts

enjoy the higheft pleafure that can be obtained^

from a ftage

And

illufion.

as perfeit at the laft as at

in

your opinion to

am

tion I

man

of

and a great alor,

can this

the

fenfibility

diving into

a middling

The

ftory

firft

illufion, as fi:rong,\

performance, be due

For the

was once before

reft,

the ques-

ftarted

between

Remond de Sainte-Albine,*
The man of letters
Riccoboni.f

letters,

pleaded the caufe of fenfibility

cafe.

83

is

the adtor took up

my

one which has only juft come to

my knowledge.
I

now

I afk

think that that arrogant, decided, dry, hard

little

have fpoken, you have heard me, and

you what you think of

it.

The
I

man,

to

whom

one would attribute a large allowance

of contemptuoufnefs
as prodigal

Second.

if

he had only a quarter

* Author oi Le Comedien.
f Riccoboni

was born

at

France with his parents in

1716.

in 1707,

company.

and definitive retreat

member of

and came

to

In 1726 he made his

ComMe

Italienne,'as the

He

Marivaux's Surfrife de I'Jmour.

twice rtjoined the

a third

much

171^7.

Mantua

appearance, with fuccefs, at the

firft

lover in

as

Nature has given him of felf-fufRciency,

twice

left

and

In 1749 he made what feemed

but in 1 7 5 9 he reappeared again

Troupe Italienne. He died in 1772.

Baron Grimm defcribes him as a cold and pretentious aftor.
as a

He

the

was the author of various pieces, alone and in collaboraand publiflied a work called Penfees fur la Declamation.

tion,

The 'Paradox of <tA5iing.

84

would have been a little more referved in his judgment if you had had the condefcenfion to put your
arguments before him and he the patience to liften to
Unluckily he knows everything, and as a man
you.
of univerfal genius he thinks himfelf abfolved from
ftening.

The

First.

Well, the public pays him out

know Madame Riccoboni

The

Who

know

does not

of charming works,

call

of her tears

woman

The

Second.

it,

flie

of fenfibility

not only by her works, but by

There was an

is

of

First.

her a

incident in her

led her to the brink of the tomb.

twenty years

number

She has proved

her condudt.

you

Second.
the author of a great

The
Would you

Do

it.

of intelligence, of purity,

full

delicacy, and grace

for

?*

which

life

After an interval of

has not ceafed to

weep

the fource

not yet dry.

Mme.

Riccoboni, wife of the aftor at the Comedie

made her firft appearance on that ftage in Auguft
She went on afting for forty-fix years, and was, ac-

Italienne,

1734.

cording to

and

1792.

bad

all

accounts, a very clever and interefting

woman,

760 and

died in

aftrefs.

She

left

the ftage in

'the

'Paradox of aASling.

The
Well,

First.

woman, one of the mofl:

mad e, was one of the worft

No

ever a ppeared

on

dramatic a rt

no one plays worfe.

the ftage.

The
Let

fenfitive tha:

this

Nature ever

me

add that

85

atr efles that)

one talks be tter on

Second.

flie is

aware of it, and thatfhe has

never complained of being unjuftly hifled.

The
And why with
according to you,

Mme. Riccoboni

exquifite

this

is

fo

fenfibility,

which,

the aftor's chief requirement,

bad

is

The
It

First.

Second.

muft be that other requirements

an extent that the chief one cannot

her to fuch

fail

make up

for their

abfence.

The
But fhe
her

ftie

is

flie

has her wits about

has a tolerable bearing; her voice has nothing

difcordarit

about

that education

it.

liften to

She

poflefles all the

good

In fociety there

is

can give.

point about her.

you

First.

not ill-looking

You

fee

her with no feeling of pain

her with the greateft pleafure.

The
I don't

qualities

no repellent

underftand

public has never

it

Second.

at all

all

know

been able to make up

its

is,

that the

quarrel with

86

T^he

Paradox of iASling.

her, and that for twenty years

on end fhe has been the

vidtim of her calling.

The
And

of her

and

raife herfelf;

it is

First.

out of which {he could never

fenfibility,

becaufe fhe has always remained

herfelf that the public has confiftently rejedied her.

The

Second.

Now

come, do you not know Caillot

Very

well.

The
The
Have you

.''

First.

Second.

ever talked with him of this

The

First.

No.

The
In your place

I fliould

The
I

have

First.

Second.

is it ?

The
Your own and your

is

First.

friend's.

The
There

be glad to have his opinion.

it.

The
What

Second.

Second.

a tremendous authority againfl: you.

The 'Paradox of <iASling.

The
admit

First.

it.

The
And how

did

Through

Second.

you know

The
Princefs

the

87

woman

de

Deferter,* and

Caillot's opinion

First.

full

of intelledt and keennefs,

Galitzin.

was

ftill

Caillot

on the

fpot

was playing the

where he had juft

gone through the agonies which fhe, clofe by, had

unhappy man refigned

fhared, of an

to lofe his miftrefs

draws near the Princefs's box,

and with the fmile you know on his face makes feme
and

his

lively,

Caillot

life.

aftonilhed, fays to
I,

who was
come

juft

My
'

fo

The

well-bred, and courteous remarks.

ot

I'hen

him,

'

What

You

only a fpedlator of your anguifli, have only

to myfelf '

'

you

feel

No^Madam I^m
,

would be indeed

ours will end

The

nothing?'

I {hall

nqt^deai

pitiable iJlX-diedfo-oftenr'

'Ah, pardon me.'

which ended as

they engaged in a difcuflion

yours.

Princefs,

are not dead

keep to

my

Princefs could not

And
this

of

opinion and you to

remember

Caillot's

arguments, but fhe had noticed that this great imitator

of Nature at the very moment of his agony, when he

was on the point of being dragged to execution, feeing

that the chair on which he would have to lay down the
* Le Dejerteur,
the old fenfe

pretty and interefting

of the word, by Sedaine.

'

melodrama,' in

The 'Paradox of dABing.

88

was badly placed, rearranged it as he

moribund voice, Louife comes not, and my

fainting Louife

cried in a

hour

nigh

is

The
am

the

Second.

going to propofe a compromife

to keep for

moments

natural fenfibility thofe rare

ai:or's

in

which he no longer fees

the play, in which he forgets that he is on a ftage, in
which he is at Argos, or at Mycenas, in which he is
the very charadter he plays.
He weeps
which he

forgets himfelf, in

The
In proper time

First.

.'

* Caillot was born

Honor^, where

1733 in Paris, in the Rue St.

on a jeweller's bufinefi.

in

father carried

his

In 1743 he was admitted under the name of Dupuis to the

king's private band of muficians.
In 1752 he took to afting

1760 he made

in the provinces, and in

with the Troupe Italienne

His

Cour.

went

on.

Among
words

fuccefs

He

was

inftant,

firft

and increafed

was admirable both

his greateft fuccelTes

to Gretry's mufic).

his

appearance

as Colas, in Favart's Ninette

was

as a finger

and

Blaife in Lucile

In

this it

as

la

his career
as

an

aftor.

(Marmontel's

was thought

unuliial

daring on his part to appear on the ftage in a real peafant's

drefs,

with

Grimm

really dully boots,

wrote of

part of Blaife

is,

this

I believe, one

that can be feen

and with a

performance

on any

into his performance fo

'

really bald head.

Caillot's playing of the

of the moft interefting things

ftage.

much

This charming aftor puts

finenefs, fo

much

perfeftion.

The 'Paradox of <iASiing.

The
He

Yes.

exclaims

Second.

The
With proper

prefents to
ears

First.

intonation

The
Yes.

89

Second.

He

is

my

eyes the real image, and conveys to

tormented, indignant, defperate

he

my

and heart the true accents of the paflion which

me away and I forget

no longer Brizart or Le Kain, but

fhakes him, fo that he carries

myfelf, and

is

it

Agamemnon

or

Nero

art.

I think

with Nature as with the flave

that

it

impoffible

is

All other

that I hear.

of the part I give up to

to

it is

who

moments

perhaps then
to

learns

imagine anything

better.

move
I

defy

Garrick, the great Garrick, to play the part better

Caillot in all his parts carries truth in nature

very

far.

I do not

know how he

has

As

the bald head that Blaife fhould have.'

Caillot

in Blaife, like Charles

appeared for the

by a wig.

Of

firft

time with

his prefence

ftory parallel to Diderot's.

father's feet

Mathewrs
his

and in coftume

managed

own

to

have

a matter

in Affable

juft

of faft,

Hawk,

bald head uncovered

of mind on the

ftage there

In Syhain he had

and catch him by the knees.

is

to fall at his

The

other aftor,

mifunderftanding the movement, drew back, fo that Caillot

fell

on the ftage ; but he managed the fall fo

was taken for a fine ftroke of art. He left

face forwards

cleverly that

it

the ftage in 1772, but occafionally returned to

of a lick comrade.

fill

the place

90

Paradox of iASiing.

T^he

The

freely defpite his chain.

from

Xhe
An

habit of carrying

it

takes

weight and conftraint.

it its

of

ai:or

First.

fenfibility

may perhaps have

in

his

two of thefe impulfes of illufion ; and the

effeft the more they will be out of keeping

part one or
finer their

with the

But

reft.

tell

me, when

happens does

this

not the play ceafe to give you pleafure and become a

caufe of fuflfering

The

Second.

Oh, no

The
And
powerful

First.
of fufFering have a more

will not this figment

efFeiSl:

of a family

than the every-day and real fpeiStacle

around the death-bed of a loved

in tears

father or an adored

mother

The

Second.

Oh, no

The
Then you

and the aiSor have not

forgotten yourfelves

fhake you
half-paft

if

me

they

me

yet harder

you would

four;

completely

Second.

already pufhed

not you could pufti

fo

The
You have

First.

let

play

me

hard, and I doubt

but

enlift

Didoi

let

think I could

an

ally.

It

is

us go and fee

The 'Paradox of iASiing.

Mademoifelle Raucourt
than I can.
I wifli

think

flie

fhe can anfwer you better

The

it

may be

fo,

First.

but

I fcarce

firll

appearance

at

She died

in

you

1690,

17 17, as

She was admitted the fame

1730, and the

faft that (he

was refufed
which Mrs.

all pomp in Weftminfter Abbey is

Le Mazurier, who gives the outlines of the
concerning her on which the play oiAdrienne Lecouvreur

was buried with

Oldfield

ftory

in

May

Chriftian burial in Paris in the fame year in

well

Do

it.

Fismes (Marne)

at

the Fran9ais in

Eledlra in Crdbillon's tragedy.

month.

hope

can do what neitherLecouvreur,* nor Duclos,

* Mile. Le Couvreur, born

made her

91

known.

was founded, has alfa a full and moft interefting account of

her afting, from which fome brief extrafts may here be given.
She was of a medium height, with fparkling eyes,

Her

and much^iftinftion of manner.

few tones, but Ihe had karnt

Her

diftion

her favour,

was extremely
as, all

to give

natural,

be the moft loyal

members of

avoided the pradlice of

which of
Franjais.

had to

In

all

late years

The

liften

infinite variety.

this

told greatly in

her predeceflbrs, except Floridor and Baron,

She and Baron were

had adopted a Hiked enunciation.

to

them

and

fine features,

voice had naturally

'

ftarring

has given

'

the company.

in the provinces, a praftice

rife to

much

difturbance at the

excellence of her afting in fcenes

inftead of fpeaking

faid

They both

was

where

fhe

efpecially remarkable.

fcenes her adling was full of nature and

fire.

She had

every merit that Clairon hadj with an amount of feeling that

Clairon never poffefTed.

She played many parts in comedy

it was as a tragedian that fhe was

and played them well, but

unrivalled.

Her death was

felt as a

public misfortune.

The Paradox of iASling.

92

norDefeine,* norBalipcourt,t norClairon, nor Dumefnil

has accomplifhed

Ypung beginner
|fhe

much

too

is

dare

is

far

ftill

tell

you

the

to prefer

narrow^

Mmitlefs ftudy of art,

of the adtreffes

* Mile.

flie vf'iW

Defeine,

who

J and I

remain

herfelf,

of nature to the

inftinft

never

have named^

becaufe,

is

it

of a novice to avoid feeling

Ipredidl that if flie continues to feel, to

knd

that if our

this,

from perfect,

to the height

rife

She

will

have

married

afterwards

fine

Quinault-

made her firft appearance at Fontainebleau before

Louis XV. as Hermione in Andromaque.
Her fuccefs was
fo marked that the king made her a prefent of a magnificent

Dufrefne,

Roman

drefs,

and fhe was

She appeared

as

once admitted by fpecial ordinance.

at

Hermione

at the Fran9ais in

1725, left the

1733, and quitted it definitely
in 1736.
She died in 1759. That Ihe was a great aftrefs
would be evident, if from nothing elfe, from the unreferved
ftage in

praife

1732, returned to

Balicourt (fo

appearance

Rodogune.

was

in

which Clairon bellows on her

t Mile.
firft

it

at

the

in her Memoirs.

Le Mazurier

Fran9ais in

fpells it)

1727

A month later Ihe was admitted.

in parts

demanding

made her

Cleopatre in

as

Her great fuccefs

All that was

was her youth, and this Le Mazurier
fays, with a peculiarly French touch, the pit forgave her
with more readinefs than it forgave Duclos for remaining
a queenly prefence.

againft her in thefe

on the boards when

1738 and died

J

A very

in

Ihe

is

full

fixty.

She

left

diftinguifhed Englilh aftor of our

of a part in which he has

which

was

the ftage in

1743.

won much

own day

fays

well-deferved fame, and

of feeling, that his great difiiculty was to get

The 'Paradox of aASiing.

moments, but flie will not be
her as with GaufEn and many

fine.

93

It will

others,

who

be with
all

their

Jives have been

mannered, weak, and monotonous,

only becaufe they have never got out of the narrowlimits which their natural fenfibility impofed upon
them.

You

are

bent on marfhalling Mademoifelle

ftill

Raucourt againft

me

The

Second.

Certainly.

The
As we go

First.

you a thing which has a

I will tell

enough connexion with the fubjeft of our

knew

Pigalle ;*

houfe

his

morning I go there

was open

knock

over the feeling with which

the

to
artift

One

me.

opens the

naturally imprelTed him.

it

clofe

talk.

He

words like a parrot before he could truft

When he firft played
himlelf to give any meaning to them.
it he was ftill a little liable to be carried away by its emotion,
and he notes that whenever I began really to cry the audihad

to learn

ence

the

left off crying.'

*
called

Pigalle

him

was born

in

71 4 and died in 1785.

Voltaire

the French Phidias, and in return Pigalle executed

perhaps,,the worft ftatue of Voltaire extant.

His Mercury

Academy, and

led to his vifit

gained

him

his eleftion to the

to Frederick the Great.

He

prefented himfelf at the Palace

du Mercare, and was told that His Majesty

would give him twenty-four hours to leave the kingdom.
Frederick's poems had been maltreated in the Mercure de
at Berlin as Fauteur

France, and he took Pigalle for the critic.

^he 'Paradox of aJtSiing.

94
door with
flopping
'

Before

alarmed

on the

you

let

monument

- chifel

and walked

hand;

his

me you

pafs, aflure

woman

in

then

of the ftudio he fays,

threftiold

at a beautiful

I fmiled

on.'

roughing

his

me

not be

will

without a rag of clothes

in.

He was

working

at his

Marfhal Saxe, and a very handfome

model was flanding to him for the figure of France.
to

But how do you fuppofe {he ftruck me among the

around her
She feemed poor, fmall,
mean a kind of frog fhe was overwhelmed by them,
coloffal figures

.?

and

I fliould

have had to take the

that the frog

was

waited for the end of the

fame level with myfelf,

figures
to

fitting

my

which reduced her

you to apply

Riccoboni, to

all

ailreffes

on the

word

if I

for

it

had not

and feen her on the

back turned to the gigantic

to nothingnefs.

this curious

attain to greatnefs

artift's

woman,

a beautiful

leave

it

experience to Gauffin, to

who have been

unable to

ftage.

If by fome impoffible chance an actrefs were endowed with a fenfibility comparable in degree to that
which the moll finifhed art can fimulate, the flage
offers

fo

many

different charafters for imitation,

leading part brings in fo

many

this rare and. tearful creature, incapable

different

parts well,

would

at

one

oppofite fituations that

beft

of playing two

excel

in

certain

paffages-of one part; fhe would be the moft unequal,

the narroweff, the leaft apt ailrefs

If

it

happened that

predominant

flie

fenfibility

you can imagine.

attempted a great

flight,

would foon bring her down

her
to

'The

Paradox of aytSling.

She would be

mediocrity.

like a ftrong fteed at

lefs

the gallop than a poor hack taking the bit

Then one

95

in its teeth.

momentary, fudden,
without gradation or preparation, would ftrike you

as

of energy,

inftaht

an attack of madnefs.

mate of Sorrow and

Senfibility being after all the

Weaknefs,
is

me

tell

if

a gentle, weak, fenfitive creature

to conceive and. exprefs

fit

the

of

felf-poffeflion

Leontine, the jealous tranfports of Hermjone, the fury

of Camilla, the maternal tendernefs of Merope, the

delirium and remorfe of Phaedra, the tyrannical pride

of Agrippina, the violence of Clytemneftra

your ever tearful one to one of our elegiac

do not take her out of

The
feel is

exprefs

it

firefid e,

for a

One iT"a^atter

One may

judgment.
;

Leave

arts,

and

it.

fa(S is, that to havejenfjbility

another.

of

feel ftron gly

one~ may alone, or

in

is

foiil

"np thing, ?o\

thp mVipy of/

and be unable to

private \is..-tt the

give e xpreflion, in reading or acSing, adequate

few

the ftage

lifteners,

On

anS"

givermm^^ot any'liccount on
,

the Itage, with

iJvTiS:

we

ca ll fenfib ility,

foul,

paiEon, one-may give on e or two tirades well an d

rtlifc

tll il

R-n

lafl :

part, to arrange
"to

its'

^t-alfe

light

in

the whole extent of a g reat

and fhade,

its

forts

maintain an equal merit in the quiet and

paflages

and

in the

to

have variety both

broad

mation which
of the poet's

efFeft

fliall

this

in

and feebles

in the violent

harmonious

detail

to eftablilh a fyftem of decla-

fucceed in carrying ofF every freak

is

matter for a cool head, a profound


I'he

96

Paradox of z^Bing.

judgment, an exquiiite

tafte,

for long experience, for

The

imory.

an

a matter for hard work,

uncommon

'rigorous enough forthe poet, is fixed

point for the

Or

if

fpirit,

he

part of a beginner.

and

felf-fufEciency,

wit and the habit of his

with

you

fmile at

out from the wing

in his head,

endowed with intrepidity^

relies on his quicknefs of
calling, he will bear you down
his

emotions, and

applaud him as an expert of painting might

a

where

fketch,

free

nothing marked.

may

conftet,

will all his life play the

and the intoxication of

his fire

will

me-

to the minuteft

whole fcheme of acting

his

whole part marked out,

his

down

He who comes

a<5i:or.

without having

tenacity of

Quails ah incepto procejjerit etftbi

rule,

This

is

be feen fometimes

all

was indicated and

the kind of prodigy which

a

at

fair

or at

Nicolet's.*

Perhaps fuch people do well to remain as they are

mere roughed-out alors.

More ftudy would not
them what they want, and might take from
them what they have. Take them for what they
are worth, but do not compare them to a finiflied
give

pidture.

* Nicole t was,

as

may

be judged from the context, one

of the greateft managers of the Theatres de Foire.

bated defperately, and had not a
exclufive rights claimed

were

Forains

ftory,

(Paris

He

com-

do with upfetting the

by the Com'ediem du Rot, which

rights

eluded by Piron in his Arlequin Deucalion.

fo flcilfully

The whole

little to

which

is

given in

Dentu), affords

fimilar ftruggle in England.

M.

Bonnaffies's SpeBacks

curious parallel
,

to

the


Paradox of iASling.

"The

The

Second.

have only one more queftion to

97

aflc

you.

Thb First.
Afkit.

The
Have you
feflion

Second.

ever feen a whole piece played to per-

The

On my

word

fometimes

yes,

First.

remember

I can't

it.

Stop a bit

a middling piece by middling adlors.

Our two

talkers went to the playhoufe, but as

were no places to be had they turned ofF to the
They walked for fome time in filence.
Tuileries.
They feemed to have forgotten that they were to-

there

and

gether,

each

talked

to

himfelf as

alone, the one out loud, the other fo

not be

heard, only at intervals

but diftinft, from which

ifolated

letting
it

if

he were

low that he could

was

out words,
eafy to guefs

he did not hold himfelf defeated.

that

The

thoughts of the

man

with the paradox are the

only ones of which I can give an account, and here

when one

they are, difconnefted as they muft be

in

a foliloquy the intermediate parts

hang

it

together.

in his place,

What

and

did this

He
fee

man

faid

how he
do,

omits

which ferve to

Put an aftor of

fenfibility

will get out of the mefs.

however

He

puts his foot

;
'

'The 'Paradox

98
on the

of zASiing.

baluftrade, refaftens his garter, and anfwers the

courtier he defpifes with his head turned on his fhoulder

and thus an incident which would have difconcerted

any one but

cold and

this

great adtor

fuddenly

is

adapted to the furroundings and becomes a

of

trait

genius.*

[He
Comte

fpoke, I think, of Baron, in the tragedy of the

He

d'EJfe'x.

Yes

he will

added with a fmile

tell

you

flie

feels

:]

when, her head

in

her confidante's bofom, almoft at the point of death, her

eyes turned to the third tier of boxes,

an old Juftice,
grief exprefles

exclaims,

'

who

itfelf in

Look up

flie

fuddenly fees

diffolved in tears,

is

and whofe

ludicrous grimaces,

there

when

there's a fine face for

{he

you

muttering the words under her breath, like the end of

fome

inarticulate

If

And
him

talk to

this third,

knew

me no fuch ftufF!
was Gauflin in Zaire.
whofe end was fo tragic. I knew

moan.

remember

his father,

him through

[Here

we

Tell

right, this

who

afked

me

fometimes to

his ear-trumpet.

are evidently dealing with the excellent

Montmefnil.]

* The fame

ftory ot the accidental unfaftening of a garter

being turned to excellent account by an aftor of great prefence

of mind has in

later

days been referred, probably by confu-

fion with Diderot's ftory, to the fcene in

Don

Ruy Bias, in which

commands to Ruy

Sallufte, difguifed as a lackey, gives his

Bias difguifed as

Prime Minifter.

T^he

'Paradox of zASiing.

He was candour and

common between

there in

99

itfelf.

What was

his character

and that of

honour

Tartufe, which he played fo well

Where

Nothing.

did he find the ftiiFneck, the ftrange roll of the eyes,

the honeyed tone, and

the hypocrite's part

the other fine touches in

all

Take

how you

care

anfwer

have you.
In a profound imitation of Nature.

In a profound imitation of Nature

And you

inward

will note tha t the

fi

gps-

which

mark the fimplicity of the fo ul are not fo m uch /

to^eleen m Nature as the outward figns of hypoc rify.
Yo u cannot ftudy them there, and an aftor of great'
talent will find more difliculty in feizing on and exchiefly

a mining the

one than th e other.

that of

th e qualities

all

pafipft fo r^iintt^rfp"']

fo cruel, fo

heart, and

fi

nce there

inhuma n, that there

hag n^ypx

that h f

cannot be fafely

faid

av arice, d iftruit

And

of the foul
is

is

if I

maintained

carce a

man

no germ of

fpl*--

i<-

t he

fenfibility is

in his

it

t hing-

alive

whi ch

of all the othe r paflions, fuc h as

iJut an excellent inltrument

?.

Ah, lunderftand you. Between him who coun ter- \

feits fenfibility and him who feels th ere will always be /
the differen c e between an im itation and a reality.
/
,

And
you.

fo

much

In the

the better

firft

fo

at

one bound,

At one blow,

the better^I

tell

no trouble about
he will arrive at one

cafe the aftor has

feparating himfelf from himfelf ;

blow,

much

at

at the height

one bound

of his ideal type.

.^

loo

'The 'Paradox

You
''

hypocrify,
his

he
an

perfeft

as

perfon

be

w^ill

great,

as

of

imitator

duplicity

own, of every

the

brought back to the

being

him,

before

fenfibility

of every

paffion that

of natural

grant you, the one,

fl:

as

of avarice,

ma fter

us,

more of a

me

fhows

froirihimiHf.

may be

which
as

firudy, part

However

who
two

cleverly the

keen fpecSator
eafily

which marks

plays part

imitations

than a great

artift will

off either

two

from one model and a

different flyles or a front taken

.

or7~if the

will difcriminate

difcern in a flatue the line

by no means

from a typ e,_pjrt

between them even more

hack from another.

What
wilP be

d aily experience

piece than the one

fufed together, a

not

of himfelf, play ing entirely

will be,

from nature, par t from

is

he does not feep

fenfibility

udy and judgment,

fhows

type

aftonifhing,

charafter that

copies fhould be of equal ftrength ,

by

mean

as

the other^s imitation will be ftrong

l ittle ;

little

are pettifogging over an expreflion.

never

that,

of <iA5ting.

Let

leave off playing from his head, let

confummate aftor
him forget himfelf,

I
I

let his

Vhim

heart be involved, let fenfibility poffefs him, let

give himfelf up to

He

it

....

will intoxicate us.

Perhaps.

He

will tranfport us

It

is

tion of not breaking

tion

with admiration.

not impoffible

but

through

it

his

will

be on

condi-

fyftem of declama-

of not injuring the unity of the performance;

otherwife you will fay that he has gone mad.

Yes,

The 'Paradox of nABing.

on

you

fuppofition

this

moment

than a fine part

Here

the

will,

wo uld you

but

man

walked with long

is

and

by the arm, he

My

iTiari^the

and

He

filent.

who met him

againfl: thofe

catching

his antagonift tight

with a dogmatic and quiet Cone,

faid,

man.

aftnr' ;;

than rhepoet's, the poet's

wh ich

moment

not mine.

not feeing where he went

friend, th ere are three types

popt^

it is

they had not got out of his way. Then,

left if

fuddenly flopping,

'

your choice

with the paradox was

ftrides,

he would have knocked up

right

admit, have a fine

rather have a fine

""TFthat

loi

Nature's man

Nature's

lefs

the

lefs

g reat

great than the

p;re at

is

the mnfl: exalted jjfall.

This lafl
climbs on the fhoulders of the one before him and fhuts
ator's,

is

himfelf up infide a great bafket-work figure of

he

is

the foul.

even the poet,

he

terrifies

He moves this figure fo

who no longer recognifes

us, as

which

as to terrify

himfelf; and

you have very well put

it,

juft as

children frighten each other by tucking up their

and putting

fkirts

them over

their

heads,

little

fliaking

themfelves about, and imitating as belt they can the

croaking lugubrious accents of the fpetSre that they
counterfeit.
fports

* For
to Les

fpecial inftances

Jeux

Reinwald,

Ha^e ybu not feen engravings of children's

Have you not obferved an urchin coming

des Jnciens,

869).

of fuch plates

by

M. Becq

M.

Afl'ezat refers us

de Fouqui^res (in 8vo.

I02

Paradox of oASiing.

'The

forward under a hideous old man's mafk, which hides

him from head

,

to foot

Behind

who

companions,

at his little

This urchin

is

mafk he laughs

this

terror before him.

fly in

fymb ol of the

th e true

adtor

his

com-

Ifthe -adior has

rades are the fymbol of the audience.

only me rit,
Take care,
for this is another trap I am laying for you.
And if he
is endowed with extreme fenfibility what will come of
That he w ill either pla y
it ? What will come of it ?

but middlin g

you not

will

to prove

lu dicroufly

you can

ifTliat

a middling

ill ;

yes, ludicroufly

iame thing

fee the

his

is

man

in

and

me when you

fome pathos to give, a

heart and head
my
changes,
voice
my ideas wander, my

If I have a recital of

like.

ftrange

trouble
trips,

my

fpeech hangs

fire.

tongue

down my cheeks
an

him

c all

no more, or play
it

and

fenfibility ,

efFeiSi:

arifes

babble

I
;

my

in

am

in private

perceive

filent.

life

it

But with

on the ftage

tears courfe
this I
I

make

fhould be

hooted.

Why.?
Becaufe p eople come not to
fpeeches that draw tear s

fee tears^

becaufe this

hut to hear

t ruth

of nature

of conv ention.

Let
drama tic
fyftem, nor the ai:ion, nor the poet's fpeeches, would
fit~themielves to my Itifled, bro ken, iobbmg d eclamaYou fee that t is no t al lowable to imitate Natur e,
tioiiL
even at her beft, or Truth too clofely ; there a re lim its
withm which we muft reftridt ourfelves.

is

out of tun e with the truth

me

explain myfelf :

mean

that neithe r the


I^he 'Paradox

And who has laid down

Good fenfe, which wiU

thofe limits

103

not play ofF one talent at

'Ihe adtor mult Ibmetimes

the expenle of another.

"himlpit tn ^the pnpf"

faf-jjfi(-p

But

of eASiing.

if the poet's

compofition lent

Then you would have

what you have

ferent to

itfelf to

that ftyle?

a fort of tragedy very dif-

here.

And where would be the harm ?

I do not know what you would gain,
very well what you would

but I

know

lofe.

Here the man with the paradox came near

for the fecond

antagonift

his

or third time, and faid to

him,

The
faid

faying

by an

is

grofs,

acSrefs as to

opinions.

It

of Gauflin

Pillot-Pollux

is

it

is

amufing, and

confiflently

was

a pendant to the fpeech and fituation

has her head on the breaft of

fhe

is

dying, at leaft I think fo, and

in a

low tone, 'Ah,Pillot, que

This was Arnould playing Telaire.

was Arnould

it

no two

talent there are

fhe, too,

him

fhe fays to

but

whofe

really Telaire?

Arnould.*

You

No;
will

At

tu puesl'

this

moment

fhe was Arnould,

never bring

me

to

* Sophie Arnould, the moll famous finger of her day,

was born in 1740 and died in 1802. She

notice by finging, when little more than a

Mme.
the

de Pompadour, and fhe made her

Opera

at

the age of feventeen.

firft

firft

attrafted

child,

before

appearance at

Mile. Fel taught her

I04

T^he

'Paradox of aABing.

praife the intermediate degrees of a quality

were carried

to

maftered by

it,

its

would

which,

extent, and the ator

fulleft
fpoil

But

all.

me

let

if it

were

fuppofe

that the poet has written a fcene to be declaimed

the ftage as I fliould recite

play fuch a fcene

No

it

in private life,

one

no, no one; not even

an ator moft completely mafter of

came

that he

well out of

on

Succefs, then, hangs

times.

argument

flrikes

but not the

you

fo little

dedudt from

For one poet of genius who

and

infipid imitators.

pain of becoming infipid,

go one

line

you think

below the

fo

It

is

burfHng

by a few

much

as they

a vaft

number

not allowable, under

awkward, and

fimplicity

This laft
So be it,

attained this pro-

would be

digious truth to nature there

ftilts

notches, and the leaving things pretty

, of flat

once

a thoufand

a little

it

of fome bubbles, a lowering of fome

are.

it

not very cogent

as

lefs fhall I

his actions; for

he would mifs

it

on

who would

deteftable, to

of Nature.

Don't

.''

The

Second.

I don't think anything.

did not hear

what you

faid.

The
What.''
finging,

Clairon taught her ailing.

her romantic hiftnry readers

coiirt's

(Paris,

First.

We have not been

may be

continuing our difpute?

For

details

referred to

concerning

MM. de Gou-

compilation, Sophie Arnould d'apres fa Correjponiance

The fcene related by Diderot took place in

Dentu).

the opera of Caftor et Pollux.

The 'Paradox of zA^Sting.

The

loc

Second.

No.

The
Then what

First.

the deuce were you doing

what were you dreaming

The
That an
was

(I

Englifli

And

of

Second.

aftor, called, I think, JVIacklin

at the playhoufe that day),

having to make his

know

excufes to the pit for his temerity in playing I

what part in Shakfpeare's Macbeth after Garrick,

faid, amongft other things, that the impreffions which
not

them

fubjugated abors and fubmitted

the poet's

to

genius and infpiration were very hurtful to them.

not

remember the

reafons he gave for

very good, and they were

reft, if

letter inferted in

fignature of

On

M.

felt

you are curious about

'

this

the St.

remarkable

and of which I append a

'

The

and applauded.

you

it

Jama's

paflage

faft here

is

it

is

fpirit

went

faid,

ufually

irrefragable

is

The

Italics

are

my

another affiilance to fixing

lafted

The

work.
feveral

qijarrel

years,

but

it

1773 'h^' Macklin took up Garrick's parts,

of Macbeth.
As he had formerly been the

till

notably that

talent,

For the
them in a

Chronicle, over the

the

tranflation.

recorded

between Macklin and Garrick

moving

will find

perhaps equally remarkable,

approximately the date of Diderot's

was not

do

but they were

Quintilian.' *

Aflezat has a note which

own.

it,

of a cabal againft Garrick, which, defpite his

the length of rotten apples and bad eggs, fo

Garrick foftered

cabal againft

Macklin.

now,
Lefs

The 'Paradox of (tASling.

io6

The

First.

So, then, I have been talking

time

The
Very
all

all

alone

all this

long

likely

Second.

juft as long as I

You knowr that

alone.

have been dreaming

of old acSors played wromen's

parts ?

The
I

know

First.

it.

The

Second.

Aulus Gellius recounts

in his Attic

Nights that a

certain Paulus, robed in the lugubrious trappings

of

Eledtra, infl-ead of prefenting himfelf on the ftage with

the urn of Oreftes, appeared holding in his arms the

urn containing the

juft

lofl:

lucky than

( Sufficing
It

aflies

and then
his

it

compeer,

gang of

bruij'ers,

of his

or, unlike

fpeech,

in

fon

whom

he had

reprefentation,

no

him, being unprovided with a

Macklin had

was before he played Macbeth

made

own

was no vain

to give

for the

accordance with

up the boards.

firft

time that he

Englilh ftage cuftom,

belpeaking the indulgence of the audience.'

Diderot has made a hopelefs confufion between Garrick's

quarrel with Macklin (as to

which Macklin

publiftied a

pam-

743) and the riotous proceedings which took place on

Macklin's third performance of Macbeth at Covent Garden in

phlet in

1773- Thefe were due to Coleman's fimultaneous engagement

of William Smith and Macklin, both of whom claimed an exclufive right to aftingcertain charafters, Macbeth

amongft them.

Full particulars will be found in Kirkman's Life

of Macklin.

The 'Paradox of <tA6itng.

petty forrow of the ftage

but the houfe rang with

and groans.

flirieks

real

107

The

First.

And you believe that Paulus at this moment fpoke

on the ftage as he would have fpoken at his firefide ?
This prodigious eiFedt, as to which I enterNoj no.
no doubt, depended neither on Euripides's verfe

tain

nor on the declamation of the adlor, but on the fpecftacle

who

of a defolate father
holding his

own

only a middling aftor

whom

bathed with his tears the urn

fon's aihes.
;

This Paulus was perhaps

no better than that iEfopus of

Plutarch reports, that,

'

playing one day to a

houfe the part of Atreus, deliberating with himfelf

he

fliall

avenge himfelf on

was one of the fervants

paft

the

his brother

who

full

how

Thyeftes, there

wifhed to run fuddenly

him, and he (^fopus) being befide himfelf with

vehement emotion and the ardour he threw into

reprefenting to the

life

the furious paflion

of King

Atreus, gave him fuch a blow on the head with the

fceptre

he held

fpot.'

He was

in his

hand that he

madman, and

killed

him on the

the tribune ought to

have fent him ftraight ofF to the Tarpeian rock.

The
Probably he

The
I

doubt

it.

portance to the
life

of a flave.

Second.

did.

First.

The Romans

attached fo

of a great

and

life

a<3:or,

much im-

fo little to the


io8
^''~~

'The

But they

cited, for

an ator

fay

being angry.

is all

the better for being ex-

deny

it.

furious, but

tj^^^jire

A fl:or_ m prpfs

imitates anger.
!

'Paradox of (tASting.

tribunals, in alTemblies,

He

bell

is

th p pnhji c

when he

not

wh en

when they

play fury well .^

everywhere

w here

In

man wiflies
he feigns now
a

tomakehimfelf mafter of others' minds,

anger^now fear, now pity, now Jove, to brmg others
into thefe divers ftates of feeling.

What

paiEon

itfelf

mils to do, pallion well imlrated accompiilhes.

L>o not people taiK in lociety of a

aflor
that

They do

he

not

mean by

man

though he

e xcels in firaulating,

being a great

that that he feels , but

feels

nothing

much more ditfacult than that ot the a6tor; for

man of the world has to find dialogue befides, and

a part

the
to

fulfil

two functions, the poet's and the aftor's.

may be more clever than the

poet on the ftage

The
atot%

of private life, but is it to be believed that an adlor on]

the ftage can be deeper, cleverer in feigning joy, fadnefsV
fenfibility,

courtier

But

admiration, hate, tendernefs, than an

it is

late.

Printed by

Let us go

London
Strangeways

Offer

fup.

&

St.

Sons,

tmer

Martin's Lane, IV.C.

Street,

olfl