SE C T. XXXIX. TH HIS appearance of a regular tragedy, with the divifion of acts and scenes, and the accompaniment of the antient chorus, represented both at the Middle-temple and at Whitehall, and written by the most accomplished nobleman of the court of queen Elifabeth, feems to have directed the attention of our more learned poets to the study of the old claffical drama, and in a short time to have produced vernacular verfions of the JOCASTA of Euripides, as it is called, and of the ten Tragedies of Seneca. I do not find that it was fpeedily followed by any original compofitions on the fame legitimate model. The JOCASTA of Euripides was tranflated by George Gafcoigne and Francis Kinwelmersh, both students of Grays-inn, and acted in the refectory of that fociety, in the year 1566. Gascoigne tranflated the second, third, and fifth acts, and Kinwelmersh the firft, and fourth. It was printed in Gascoigne's poems, of which more will be faid hereafter, in 1577, under the following title, "JOCASTA, a Tragedie written in Greeke by Euripides. Translated and digested into Acte, by George "Gafcoigne and Francis Kinwelmerfhe of Graies inn, and there by them prefented, An. 1566." The Epilogue was written in quatraines by Chriftopher Yelverton, then one of their brother students. So ftrongly were our audiences ftill attached to fpectacle, that the authors did not venture to present their play, without introducing a DUMB SHEW at the beginning of every act. For this, however, they had the example and authority of GORDOBUC. Some of the earlieft fpecimens of Inigo Jones's Grecian architecture are marred by Gothic ornaments. It must, however, be observed, that this is by no means a just or exact translation of the JOCASTA, that is the PHOENISSÆ, of Euripides. It is partly a paraphrafe, and partly an abridgement, of the Greek tragedy. There are many omiffions, retrenchments, and tranfpofitions. The chorus, the characters, and the substance of the story, are entirely retained, and the tenor of the dialogue is often preferved through whole fcenes. Some of the beautiful odes of the Greek chorus are neglected, and others substituted in their places, newly written by the tranflators. In the favorite addrefs to Mars, Gafcoigne has totally deferted the rich imagery of Euripides, yet has found means to form an original ode, which is by no means deftitute of pathos or imagination. O fierce and furious Mars! whofe harmefull hart Father of warre and death, that dooft remoue, So graunt the goddes, that for our final reft And thou mayst proue fome other • See PHOENISS. pag. 140. edit. Barnef. Ω πολύμοχθος Άρης, Τί ποθ' άιμαλι Kay Imvaly nalixn, &c. way ful wel So Tibullus, where he cautions Mars Wherewith Wherewith thou raisest from the depth of hel And when thou haft our fields forfaken thus, Yet thou returne, O Ioie, and pleasant Peace! Euen from the breast of Oedipus his fonne Whose swelling pride hath all this iarre begon, &c *. I am of opinion, that our tranflators thought the many mythological and historical allufions in the Greek chorus, too remote and unintelligible, perhaps too cumbersome, to be exhibited in English. In the ode to CONCORD, which finishes the fourth act, tranflated by Kinwelmerfhe, there is great elegance of expreffion and verfification. It is not in Euripides, O bliffefull CONCORD, bred in facred breft From height of heauens vouchsafest downe to flie! A&t ii. Sc. ult. In thee alone the mightie power doth lie, In thee, in thee, fuch noble vertue bydes, Thou only, thou, through thy celestiall might, From th' old confused heap, that Chaos hight: When tract of time returnes the lufty ver', Thou doft inspire the hearts of princely peers, And looke howe faft to death man payes his due! By thee the basest thing aduanced is: Thou euery where doest graffe such golden peace, But if thou fayle, then all things gone to wrack: And this, thou woful THEBES! to ovr greate payne, With gafping breath, and yet they cannot die, &c'. The conftant practice of ending every act with a long ode fung by the chorus, feems to have been adopted from GORDOBUC'. f A&t iv. Sc. ult. ? It may be proper to obferve here, that the tragedy of TANCRED and GISMUND, acted alfo before the queen at the Innertemple, in 1568, has the chorus. The title of this play, not printed till 1592, fhews the quick gradations of tafte. faid to be" Newlie revived and polished according to the decorum of thefe daies, "by R. W. Lond. printed by T. Scarlet, 66 It is "&c. 1592." 4to. R. W. is Robert Wilmot, mentioned with applause as a poet in Webbe's DISCOURSE, Signat. C 4. The play was the joint-production of five ftudents of the fociety. Each feems to have taken an act. At the end of the fourth is Compofuit Chr. Hatton, or fir Christopher Hatton, undoubtedly the fame that was af terwards exalted by the queen to the office of lord Keeper for his agility in dancing. But |