us gaiety, curiofity, dramatical concern, emotion, tears. It fhould particularly be the province of dramatic authors to unfold to us those springs, which they set in action. But they are more employed in moving our paffions than examining their origin; they fet a greater value on a fentiment, than on a definition; and I am too much inclined to be of their opinion, to prefix a philofophic enquiry to a theatrical performance.

I fhall therefore content myself at prefent with infifting a little on the neceffity we are in, of introducing fomething new.

If we had confined the tragic stage to fcenes of roman grandeur, it would have, at laft, been fulfome. If our heroes were always bufied in expreffing the pangs of despised love, it would at length become infipid..

O imitatores fervum pecus!

The good performances we have had fince the time of the Corneilles, the Racines, the Molieres, the Quinauts, the

Lullis,

Lullis, the Le Bruns, all contain fomething new and original, which has preferved them from finking into oblivion. In fhort, every species is good that is amufing.

Therefore, if fuch a piece of music does not fucceed, if fuch a picture does not please, if fuch a play is ill received, we must never attribute it to its being of a new kind, but to its being worth nothing in its kind.

BRE

PREFACE

To the Comedy of NANINE.

HIS trifle was acted in July 1748.

TH

It was not intended for the theatre of Paris, and ftill lefs for the prefs; nor would it now be fent into the world, had not a fpurious and imperfect edition been. published, under the name of the company of bookfellers of Paris. There are above an hundred verfes in that edition, which were not wrote by monfieur de Voltaire. We muft take this opportunity to caution lovers of literature from giving credit to any of thofe editions, which have not been published under the author's eye, and by his directions. They muft give ftill lefs credit to the multitude of fugitive pieces. that come out under his name, or to those verses that are inferted in the collections and magazines of the times, which are the ridiculous confequence of a trifling, vain:

and

and dangerous reputation. Until a proper and correct edition of all his works could be prepared, it was thought neceffary to give into the hands of a creditable bookfeller, the tragedy of Semiramis, to gether with the comedy of Nanine; and they both appeared laft winter among the number of new theatrical performances which come out every year in Paris.

Among the very many pamphlets that are conftantly published in that great city, there was one of fufficient merit to diftinguish it from the reft. It is an ingenious and well wrote differtation of an academician of La Rochelle, on a queftion which feems to have divided the lovers of literature: I mean, whether comedies of a tender, ferious turn, can be reconciled to true tafte; or, whether they fhould be entirely

There are few towns of note in France, Italy, or Germany, in which there are not academies, or literary focieties of different denominations. They serve as honorary recompences to those who apply to the belles-letters; many of the learned abroad are of half a dozen such societies. Monfieur de Voltaire mentions in fome part of his works, that he had the honour of belonging to eighteen academies.

exploded

exploded by the rules of criticism. This gentleman is of opinion they should; and condemns with a great deal of reafon any thing that looks like familiar tragedy. Subjects of that kind really debafe the bufkin. The true aim both of tragedy and comedy would be totally forgot; and fuch a performance would be, rather, a mongrel fpecies, the monftrous offspring of an inability to compofe either true tragedy or comedy.

This judicious academician blames, with great good fenfe, all romantic and improbable intrigues in thofe comedies, where it is attempted to raise the pity and affecting concern of the fpectators; and which, through derifion, have been called whining comedies. But I must beg leave to afk this gentleman, whether fuch romantic, improbable intrigues ought to gain admiffion into any species of dramatic writing? Are they not always effential faults, and therefore to be avoided every where with care? He concludes, by faying, that if comedy can any way be allowed the attempt of melting the fpectators into tears:

at