for the Stage.

But certainly the greatness of this Author's Genius do's no where so
much appear, as where he gives his Imagination an entire Loose, and
raises his Fancy to a flight above Mankind and the Limits of the visible
World. Such are his Attempts in _The Tempest_, _Midsummer-Night's
Dream_, _Macbeth_ and _Hamlet_. Of these, _The Tempest_, however it
comes to be plac'd the first by the former Publishers of his Works, can
never have been the first written by him: It seems to me as perfect in
its Kind, as almost any thing we have of his. One may observe, that the
Unities are kept here with an Exactness uncommon to the Liberties of his
Writing: Tho' that was what, I suppose, he valu'd himself least upon,
since his Excellencies were all of another Kind. I am very sensible that
he do's, in this Play, depart too much from that likeness to Truth which
ought to be observ'd in these sort of Writings; yet he do's it so very
finely, that one is easily drawn in to have more Faith for his sake,
than Reason does well allow of. His Magick has something in it very
Solemn and very Poetical: And that extravagant Character of _Caliban_ is
mighty well sustain'd, shews a wonderful Invention in the Author, who
could strike out such a particular wild Image, and is certainly one of
the finest and most uncommon Grotesques that was ever seen. The
Observation, which I have been inform'd[A] three very great Men
concurr'd in making upon this Part, was extremely just. _That
_Shakespear_ had not only found out a new Character in his _Caliban_, but
had also devis'd and adapted a new manner of Language for that
Character._ Among the particular Beauties of this Piece, I think one may
be allow'd to point out the Tale of _Prospero_ in the First Act; his
Speech to _Ferdinand_ in the Fourth, upon the breaking up the Masque of
_Juno_ and _Ceres_; and that in the Fifth, where he dissolves his
Charms, and resolves to break his Magick Rod. This Play has been alter'd