Martianus makes fubmiffive love: Vinius and Laco are two ambitious courtiers, without any quality that diftinguishes them from each other, or from any other intriguing statesman; nor do they at all contribute to bring about the revolution in the empire their whole business seems to be match-making, and in that too they are fo unskilful as not to fucceed. They undertake it indeed, merely as it may influence the adoption. Several fentences from Tacitus are ingrafted into the dialogues, but, from a change of persons and circumstances, they lose much of their ori ginal force and beauty. Galba addreffes to his niece, who is in love with Otho, the fine fpeech which the historian supposes him to have made to Piso when he adopted him. The love-fick lady, tired of an harangue, the purport of which is unfavourable to her lover, and being befides no politician, anfwers the emperor, that she does not understand state affairs a cruel reply to a fpeech he could have no motive F 2 motive for making, but to display his wifdom and eloquence. The old warrior is more complaifant to her, for he enters into all the delicacies of her paffion, as if he had ftudied la carte du tendre *. Tơ fteal fo much matter from Tacitus without imbibing one spark of his fpirit; to translate whole fpeeches yet preserve no likeness in the characters, is furely betraying a great deficiency of dramatic powers, and of the art of imitation. To represent the gay, luxurious, diffolute, ambitious Otho, the courtier of Nero, and the gallant of Poppea, as a mere Paftor Fido, who would die rather than be inconftant to his mistress, and is indifferent to empire but for her fake, is such a violation of historical truth, as is not to be endured. I pafs over the abfurd fcene between the jealous ladies, the improbability of their treating the powerful and haughty favorites of the emperor with indignity, and Otho's thrice repeated attempt to kill himself be * Roman de Clelie. fore fore his mistress's face, without the least reason why he should put an end to his life, or probability that she would suffer him to do it. To make minute criticifms, where the great parts are fo defective, would be trifling. Having obferved how poorly Corneille has reprefented characters borrowed from fo great a portrait painter as Tacitus, let us now see what Shakespear has done, from those awkward originals our old chronicles. |