CRITICAL ESSAYS

Ο Ν

DRAMATIC POETRY.

B Y

Monsieur de VOLTAIRE.

W I-TH

Notes by the TRANSLATOR,

Et vos, O Lauri, carpam, et te, proxima Myrte,
Sic pofitæ quoniam suaves miscetis odores.

VIRGIL

Printed for L. DAVIS and C. REY MERS)

against Gray's-Inn, Holborn. MDCCLXI.

ADVERTISEMENT.

TH

HE tranflator had often read

with pleasure the following effays in the original ; and was as often forry, that no writer of genius had undertaken to publish, in english, a complete translation of all monsieur de Voltaire's plays, or as the french term it, his Theatre, to which thefe seves ral differtations are prefixed.

Such an'attempt would have been too great for the leisure or for the abilities of the present translator. Mr. Dryden's prefaces, which have done to nour to that name, and which run pretty much on the fame subject with these A 3

of

great ho

of M. de Voltaire, have long been wished for, in a separate edition from the rest of his works. To this thought, it must be confessed, is owing the publication here given : a task. no ways unpleasing to the person who undertook it ; nor, as he hopes, will be an unacceptable present to the public : especially since those who have already, gratified us with masterly imitations of some of M. de Voltaire's theatrical pieces, have omitted the prefatory discourses, which the author. himself thought necessary.