CRITICAL ESSAYS

O N

DRAMATIC POETRY.

BY

Monfieur de VOLTAIRE.

WITH

NOTES by the TRANSLATOR.

Et vos, O Lauri, carpam, et te, proxima Myrte,
Sic pofitæ quoniam fuaves mifcetis odores.

*

VIRGIL

LONDON:

Printed for L. DAVIS and C. REY MERS,

against Gray's-Inn, Holborn. MDCCLXI.

ADVERTISEMENT.

TH

HE tranflator had often read with pleasure the following effays in the original; and was as often forry, that no writer of genius had undertaken to publish, in english, a complete tranflation of all monfieur de Voltaire's plays, or as the french term it, his Theatre, to which these several differtations are prefixed.

Such an attempt would have been too great for the leisure or for the abilities of the present tranflator. Mr. Dryden's prefaces, which have done fo great nour to that name, and which run pretty much on the fame fubject with these

A 3

ho

of

of M. de Voltaire, have long been wifhed for, in a feparate edition from the rest of his works. To this thought, it must be confeffed, is owing the publication here given: a task no ways unpleafing to the perfon who undertook it; nor, as he hopes, will be an unacceptable prefent to the public especially fince those who have already gratified us with mafterly imitations of fome of M. de Voltaire's theatrical pieces, have omitted the prefatory difcourfes, which the author himself thought neceffary.

THE

CONTENT S.-

E

SSAY on tragedy. In a letter to the

late lord Bolingbroke,

page 1

Of love-intrigues in tragedy. In a letter

to father Porée a jefuit.:

34

On the neceffity of writing dramatic pieces

in verfe, against the opinion of mon-

fieur de la Motte. In a preface to

Edipus.

40

On