FARCE, a dramatic piece or tainment of law comic character. It was originally a droll, or petty show exhib ited by mountebanks and their buffoons in the open streets, to gather the people together. It has, however, long been re moved from the street to the theatre ; and instead of being performed by merry andrews to amuse the rabble, is acted by comedians, and become the entertainment of a polite audience. As the aim of a farce is to promote mirth, the dialogue is not refined, nor is there any opportunity lost to excite laughter, however wild or extravagant the plot, or however ridicu lous the eharacters. The original term seems to signify a miscellaneous com pound or mixture of different things. In modern languages it has borne various signifmations. Certain songs which were sung between the prayers on the occa sion of religions worship are said to have been denominated farces in Germany, during the middle ages; whence the word appears to have denoted simply an in- , terlude of any kind. In England, the farce appears to have risen to the dignity of a regular theatrical entertainment about the beginning of the last century; since which time it has formed one of the most popular exhibitions, and is usually performed. by way of contrast, after a
tragedy at the national theatres. The farce is restricted to three acts as its lim it, but frequently consists only of two or one. Of all the pieces of this class which have successively amused English audi ences, none here acquired a permanent literary reputation except those of Foote, —performances in which the license of the theatre in satirizing living persons was carried to the utmost height. The Rebuke Ateliana- of the Romans, which appears to have been short dramatic en tertainments of a miscellaneous charac ter, sometimes pastoral, sometimes tragi comic, but not so coarse in plan or diction as the .1fintes and their Exodia, which were satirical dialogues in verse between some set characters or stage buffoons, appear to have filled in some respects the place of the modern farce. On the French stage the vaudeville an swers to the English farce.