nefs and debauchery. In our Alcibiades, a piece greatly follow'd but poorly written, and therefore at present in very little esteem, we admir'd for a long time these bad verses, which were repeated in a soft and persuafive tone by the fopus of the laft age. Fir'd with a real paffion, when I saw In your Venice Preferv'd, old Renaut wants to debauch the wife of Jaffier; fhe complains of it in terms rather indecent, and goes fo far as to fay he came to her, unbutton'd. To render love worthy of the tragic scene, it ought to arife naturally from the business of the piece, and not be brought in by mere force, only to fill up a vacancy, as it generally does in your tragedies, and in ours, which are both of them too long: it fhou'd be a paffion intirely tragical, confider'd as a weakness, and oppos'd oppos'd by remorfe: it fhou'd either lead to misfortunes or to crimes, to convince us how dangerous it is: or it fhou'd be fubdued by virtue, to fhew us that it is not invincible. In all other cafes, it is no more than the love of an eclogue, or a comedy. You, my lord, muft decide whether I have fulfill'd any of thefe conditions: but I hope that, above all, your friends will be fo candid, as not to judge of the genius and tafte of our nation by this discourse, or by the tragedy which I have sent you with it. I am, perhaps, one of those who cultivate the belles lettres in France with the least success, and if the sentiments which I have here fubmitted to your judgment are difapprov'd, I, and I only, deferve to be cenfur'd for them. DRAMATIS L3 TULLIA, Daughter of Tarquin. ALBINUS, Confidant of Aruns. Senators. Lictors. SCENE ROME. BRUTUS. BRUTUS. A TRAGEDY. АСТ I. SCENE I. BRUTUS. The SENATE. The scene reprefents part of the house appointed for the confuls on the Tarpeian mount: at a distance is feen the temple of the capitol. The fenators are afsembled between the temple and the house, before the altar of Mars: the two confuls, Brutus and Valerius Publicola prefide: the fenators ranged in a femi-circle; behind them the lictors with their fafces. BRUTUS. AT length, my noble friends, Rome's honour'd fe nate, The scourge of tyrants, you who own no kings But Numa's gods, your virtues, and your laws, He who o'er Tyber's banks hath spred his hofts, In lowlier terms, refpects the fenate's pow'r, To treat of peace, and Aruns, fent by him, VALERIUS PUBLICOLA. Whate'er his errand be, let him be sent Perhaps |