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UPON THE

CINNA

OF

CORNEILLE.

UPON THE

CINN A

OF

CORNEILL E.

THOUGH it is an agreeable task, upon the whole, to attempt the vindication of injured fame, the pleasure is much allayed by its being combined with a neceffity to lay open the unfairness and errors in the proceedings of which we complain. To defend is pleasant, to accuse is painful; but we must prove the injuftice of the fentence, before we can demand to have it repealed. The editor of the late edition of Corneille's works, has given the following preface to the tragedy of Cinna: "Having often heard "Corneille and Shakespear compared, I thought it proper to fhew their different

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66

manner

manner in fubjects that have a refem"blance. I have therefore chofen the first "acts of the Death of Cæfar, where there "is a confpiracy, as in Cinna, and in which every thing is relative to the confpiracy 66 to the end of the third act. The reader

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may compare the thoughts, the style, " and the judgment of Shakefpear, with "the thoughts, the style, and the judg"ment of Corneille. It belongs to the "readers of all nations to pronounce be"tween the one and the other. A Frenchman or an Englishman might perhaps be fufpected of fome partiality. To institute "this process, it was neceffary to make an "exact translation; what was profe in the tragedy of Shakespear is rendered into

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profe; what was in blank verse into "blank verfe, and almost verse by verfe; "what is low and familiar is tranflated

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familiarly and low. The tranflator has "endeavoured to rife with the author when "he rises; and when he is turgid and bom"baft, not to be more or lefs fo than he. "The translation given here is the most "faithful

"faithful that can be, and the only faithful "one in our language of any author ancient 66 or modern. I have but a word to add, "which is, that blank verfe cofts nothing "but the trouble of dictating; it is not << more difficult to write than a letter. If people should take it into their heads to "write tragedies in blank verfe, and to act "them on our theatre, tragedy is ruined; "take away the difficulty and you take away

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"the merit."

An English reader will hardly forbear smiling at this bold affertion concerning the facility of writing blank verfe. It is indeed no hard matter to write bad verse of any kind; but, as fo few of our poets have attained to that perfection in it which Shakespear and Milton have done, we have reason to suppose the art to be difficult. Whatever is well done in poetry or eloquence appears eafy to do. Theatrical dialogue being an imitation of discourse, our critics do not require the appearance of effort and labour, but, on the contrary, the

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