I do not pretend, as Mr. Voltaire does, to make the reader a judge of the stile of Corneille by my tranflation; he must allow for the want of verfification, and be content with the thoughts, the fentiments, the conceits of the original.

EMILIA.

Impatient defires of an illustrious vengeance, to which the death of my father gave birth, impetuous children of my refentment, which my deluded forrow embraces too blindly, you affume too great an empire over my mind. Suffer me to breathe a moment, and let me confider the state I am in, what I hazard, and what I would attempt. When I behold Cæfar in the midst of glory, you (I suppose this means, you the impetuous children of the impatient defires of an illuftrious vengeance) reproach my melancholy memory, that my father, maffacred by his hand, was the first step to the throne on which I fee him. Andwhen you prefent me that bloody image, the caufe of my hatred, the effect of his rage, I abandon

abandon myself to your violent transports, and think that for one death I owe him a thousand deaths. In the midst of so just an indignation I ftill love Cinna more than I hate Auguftus; and I find this boiling anger cool, when to obey it, I must hazard my Lover. Yes, Cinna, against myself, myself am angry, when I think of the dangers into which I precipitate thee. Though to serve me thou fearest nothing, to afk thee for blood is to expofe thine. One beats not down. heads from so high a place, without drawing upon one's felf a thousand and a thousand storms; the iffue is doubtful, the peril is certain. The order ill concerted, the opportunity ill chofen, may on their author. overturn the whole enterprize, turn on thee the blow thou wouldst ftrike, and even envelope thee in his ruin; and what thou executeft for my fake may crush thee in its fall. Ah! do not run into this danger. To ruin yourself, in revenging me, is not to revenge. me. That heart is too cruel which finds a sweetness in that vengeance, which is cor-: rupted by the bitterness of sorrow and one fhould

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fhould put in the rank of the greatest miffortunes, the death of an enemy, which cofts fo many tears. But can one fhed tears when one revenges a Father? Is there a lofs which does not feem light at that price? And when his affaffin dies by our means, ought we to confider what his death cofts us? Ceafe vainfears, ceafe foolish tenderness to affect my heart with your unworthy weakneffes: and thou who produceft them by thy fuperfluous anxieties, O Love, aflift my duty, do not combat with it; to yield to it is thy glory, to vanquish it thy difgrace; fhew thyself generous, fuffer it to overcome thee. The more thou givest to it, the more it will give thee, and will triumph only to crown thee." Such mighty nothings in so strange a ftile

Amaze th' unlearn'd, and make the learned smile.

The second scene of Emilia, and Fulvia her friend, is not fo abfurd as the foliloquy; but the answer Emilia, gives to Fulvia, who urges to her, that the benefits fhe has received from Auguftus, and the credit fhe has with him fhould

mitigate

mitigate her refentment, fhews her difpofition to be ungrateful, violent, and treacherous.

EMILIE.

Les bienfaits ne font pas toûjours ce que tu penses;
D'une main odieuse ils tiennent lieu d'offenses :
Plus nous en prodiguons à qui nous peut hair,
Plus d'armes nous donnons à qui nous veut trahir.
Il m'en fait chaque jour fans changer mon courage.
Je fuis ce que j'etais, & je puis davantage;
Et des mêmes préfens qu'il verfe dans mes mains
J'achette contre lui les efprits des Romains. .
Je recevrais de lui la place de Livie,
Comme un moyen plus fûr d'attenter à fa vie.

"Benefits do not always do what you think. From an odious hand they are fo many offences: the more we bestow upon those who hate us, the more arms we furnish to thofe who may betray us. He beftows them upon me every day, without changing my refolution. I am what I was, and I am able to effect more; and with the presents he pours into my hands, I purchase the hearts of Romans to fet them against him. I would receive

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receive from him the place of Livia, to obtain furer means to attempt his life."

The next scene, Cinna enters, and tells his furious charmer, that the confpirators enter into the plot with as much zeal as if they too were serving a mistress.

CINNA.

Tous s'y montrent portés avec tant d'allégreffe,
Qu'ils femblent comme moi servir une maîtreffe.-
Plût aux dieux que vous-même euffiez vû de quel zele
Cette troupe entreprend une action fi belle!
Au feul nom de Céfar, d' Augufte, d'Empereur,
Vous euffiez vû leurs yeux s'enflammer de fureur;
Et dans un même instant, par un effet contraire,
Leur front pâlir d'horreur, & rougir de colére.

Here is a childish play upon words, and a mere rant: for, in thofe times, neither the names of Cæfar, Auguftus, or Emperor, were detefted. It was by the monsters, who afterwards affumed them, that they were rendered odious.

The fcene is very long, as we may fuppofe,

where

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