CRITICAL ESSAYS

ON

DRAMATIC POETRY.

BY

Monfieur de VOLTAIRE.

Et vos, O Lauri, carpam, et te, proxima Myrte,

Sic pofitae quoniam suaves miscetis odores.

VIRGIL:

GLASG

ow,

Printed for ROBERT URIB,

MDCCLXI.

AVSEVM BRITAN NICVM

THE

CONTENT S.

ESSAY on tragedy. Addressed to Henry St. John, Lord Viscount Bolingbroke. Page 1 Of love-intrigues in tragedy. In a letter to fa

ther Poree.

25

A defence of the laws of the drama, concerning the unities of action, place and time; against opinion of monfieur de la Motte.

the

the preface to Oedipus. Of elegance of expreffion in tragedy.

preface to Herod and Mariamne.

Of fimplicity in tragedy, etc.

In

26

In the

48

Addreffed to Sir

Eve rad Falkener, an English merchant. fixed to the tragedy of Zara.

Pre

56

In a

Of delicacy and decency in tragedy, etc. fecond letter to Sir Everard Falkener, ambaffador at Conftantinople. Taken from the fecond edition of Zara.

65

Of the advantage of literature to ladies of quality. In a letter to the marchionefs du Cha

stelet,

Of

envy

on fending her the tragedy of Alzira.

77

that attends merit and fuccefs in li-
In a preliminary difcourfe to the

terature.
tragedy of Alzira.

A defence of the tragedy of Mahomet,

the charge of encouraging fanaticism.

8.5

against

In an

iv

CONTENTS.

advertisement prefixed to the tragedy of Ma-. homet, of the year 1742. Page 92

On the fame fubject. In a letter to the king of

Pruffia.

98 A letter to pope Benedict the fourteenth, on fending him the tragedy of Mahomet. 107 A letter from the sovereign pontiff, Benedict the fourteenth, to Mr. de Voltaire. 108 A letter to his Holiness, in anfwer to the former.

110

Of the exceffive delicacy of the French taste in their dramatic reprefentations. In a letter to the marquis Scipio Maffei, author of the Italian Merope, and of several other celebrated performances Of Shakespear; and the taste of the English in their theatrical entertainments. In a preface to the tragedy of Caefar, 1738.

112

129

A differtation on antient and modern tragedy. Addressed to his eminence cardinal Querini, a noble Venetian, bishop of Brescia, and librarian of the Vatican.

161

132 Of the contraft of merry and affecting fentiments, and of the cause of laughter in comedy. Of the proper province of tragedy and of comedy. In the preface to the comedy of Nanine. 167 Of the excellencies of the Greek, and defects of the French drama. In a letter to her ferene highness the duchess of Maine. Of the Chinese tragedies. In the dedication of the Orphan of China to the duke of Richelieu.

172

188