and reproaches him with every fpecies of base ingratitude, tells him he first gave him his life, enriched him with the spoils of Antony, upon every occafion had been profufely liberal and kind to him, preferred his interest even to those, who had fought for him, and by whofe blood he had purchased the empire; and had admitted him, upon the death of Mæcenas, into the firft place in his confidence. Auguftus adds too, that it was by his advice he retained his power; and after all this, fays he, you would affaffinate me. Cinna does not barely deny the confpiracy, but exclaims, "I, Sir, have I such a treacherous foul, such a base design!”

Augustus cuts him fhort in this disgraceful lie, fhewing him he has full information of the plot; and very juftly fays, "The liberty of thy country could not be thy object, for then thou wouldst not have hindered my restoring it. Thou must design therefore to reign in my place. Alas! Rome must be unhappy indeed, if I were the only obstacle, and that after my death

it fhould not fall into better hands than thine. Learn to know what thou art: defcend into thyfelf: thou art honoured, praised, and loved, all tremble before thee, fo high have I raised thy fortune: but thou wouldst be the pity of those who now envy that fortune, if I abandoned thee to thy own little merit. Contradict me if thou canft; tell me what is thy merit, what are thy virtues, what are thy glorious exploits, what are those rare qualities, by which thou could't pretend to my favour, what is it raises thee above the vulgar? My favour is thy only glory; thy power arifes from it; that alone raises and fupports thee; it is that, not thou, which is refpected: thou haft neither rank nor credit, but what arifes from

it ; and to let thee fall, I need only draw back the hand that fupports thee.”

Quel était ton deffein, et que pretendais-tu,
Après m'avoir au temple à tes pieds abattu?
Affranchir ton pays d'un pouvoir monarchique ?
Si j'ai bien entendu tantôt ta politique,

Son falut déformais dépend d'un fouverain,

Qui pour tout conferver tienne tout en sa main ;

Et

Et fi fa liberté te faifait entreprendre,

Tu ne m'euffes jamais empêché de la rendre ;
Tu l'aurais acceptée au nom de tout l'état,
Sans vouloir l'acquerir par un affaffinat.

Quel etait donc ton but? d'y regner en ma place?
D'un etrange malheur fon deftin le menace,

Si pour monter au trône et lui donner la loi,
Tu ne trouves dans Rome autre obstacle que moi ;
Si jufques à ce point fon fort eft deplorable,
Que tu fois aprés moi le plus confiderable:,

Et que ce grand fardeau de l'empire Romain

Ne puiffe aprés ma mort tomber mieux qu'en ta main.
Apprens à te connaître, et defcens en toi-même.
On t'honore dans Rome, on te courtife, on t'aime;
Chacun tremble fous toi, chacun t'offre des vœux;
Ta fortune eft bien haut, tu peux ceque je veuxe:
Mais tu ferais pitié, même à ceux qu'elle irrite,
Si je t'abandonnais à ton peu de merite.
Ofe me dementir, dis-moi ce que tu vaux,
Conte-moi tes vertus, tes glorieux travaux,
Les rares qualités par où tu m'as dû plaire,

Et tout ce qui t'éleve au-deffus du vulgaire.
Ma faveur fait ta gloire, & ton pouvoir en vient;
Elle feule t'éleve, & feule te foutient,

C'eft

C'eft elle qu'on adore, et non pas ta perfonne,
Tu n'as crèdit ni rang qu'autant qu'elle t'en donne;
Et pour te faire choir je n'aurais aujourd'hui
Qu'à retirer la main qui feule eft ton appui.

Emilia enters, and behaves with the most infolent pride, undaunted affurance, and unfeeling ingratitude; and declares to Auguftus, that fo long as fhe is handfome enough to get lovers, he fhall never want enemies. Auguftus still adheres to his plan of clemency, (for that too is plan, and the refult of prudent deliberation, not of generous magnanimity) he pardons Maximus, forgives Cinna in fpite of his unworthiness, and beftows upon him Emilia and the confulfhip. Emilia is at last mitigated, and modeftly tells Auguftus, that Heaven has ordained, a change in the Commonwealth, fince it has changed her Heart. What is there in all this that can move either Pity or Terror? In what is it moral, in what is it interesting, where is it pathetic?

3

It is a common error, in the plan of Corneille's tragedies, that the intereft of the piece turns upon fome unknown person, generally a haughty princess; so that instead of the reprefentation of an important event, and the characters of illuftrious perfons, the bufinefs of the drama is the love-intrigue of a termagant Lady, who, if she is a Roman, infults the Barbarians, if she is a Barbarian, braves the Romans, and even to her Lover is infolent and fierce. Were fuch a person to be produced on our theatre, fhe would be taken for a mad Poetefs efcaped from her keepers in Bedlam, who, fancying herself a Queen, was ranting, and delivering her mandates in rhyme upon the stage. All the excufe that can be made for Corneille in fuch representations is, that characters like thefe, dignified indeed with nobler fentiments, were admired in the Romances, where the manners of chivalry are exaggerated. By the inftitutions of chivalry, every valiant knight profeffed a peculiar

devotion