1

CRITICAL ESSAYS

Ο Ν

DRAMATIC POETRY.

• Berry

B

Monfieur de VOLTAIRE.

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

VIRGIL:

GLASGOW,

Printed for ROBERT URIE.

MDCCLXI.

THE

CONTENTS.

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

the opinion of monfieur de la Motte.

the preface to Oedipus.

In

26

Of elegance of expreffion in tragedy. In the

preface to Herod and Mariamne.

48

Addreffed to Sir

Pre-

Of fimplicity in tragedy, etc.

Everad Falkener, an English merchant.

fixed to the tragedy of Zara.

56

In a

Of delicacy and decency in tragedy, etc.

fecond letter to Sir Everard Falkener, ambaf-

fador at Conftantinople. Taken from the

fecond edition of Zara.
65

Of the advantage of literature to ladies of qua-

lity. In a letter to the marchionefs du Cha-

stelet, on sending her the tragedy of Alzira.

77

Of envy that attends merit and fuccefs in li-

terature. In a preliminary difcourfe to the

tragedy of Alzira.

A defence of the tragedy of Mahomet,
the charge of encouraging fanaticifm.

85

against

In an