The Mirror of Taste, and Dramatic Censor, Vol. I, No. 6, June 1810

The essay guides listeners through the birth of Roman theatre, showing how early Romans clung to their native brutality even as they began copying Greek models. It describes chaotic public revels filled with vulgar verse and how a senate decree made personal attacks punishable by death, prompting a shift toward more structured performances. By the third century BCE, itinerant troupes resembling British mummers introduced crude satires that gradually earned applause and gave rise to organized histrion companies.

The narrative then follows Livius Andronicus, the first Roman playwright to reshape those rough sketches into dialogue‑driven drama after an accidental improvisation with a slave sparked a roaring response. His innovations opened the door for later poets such as Pacuvius and his student Accius, who tried to balance Greek refinement with Roman taste. Listeners will come away with a vivid picture of a culture wrestling between savage spectacles and the emerging art of the stage.