graced his hero, and therefore makes Maximus reply to him thus:

MAXIME.

Formez vos remors d'une plus juste cause,

De vos lâches confeils, qui feuls ont arrêté

Le bonheur renaiffant de notre liberté.

C'est vous feul aujourd'hui qui nous l'avez ôtée,
De la main de Céfar Brute l'eut acceptée,
Et n'eut jamais fouffert qu'un intérêt leger
De vengeance ou d'amour l'eût remife en danger.

"Derive your remorse from a juster cause, from your bafe counfels, which alone put a ftop to the felicity of reviving liberty. 'Tis you alone that have now deprived us of it. From the hand of Cæfar Brutus would have accepted the liberty of Rome; and never, from a paltry intereft of love or revenge, would have again put it to hazard.”

As every movement in this play is to turn on mean and felfifh paffions, as foon as Maximus apprehends his rival is to receive Emilia as the reward of his enterprize, he fuffers his flave to betray the plot to Auguf

tus.

tus. He then endeavours to perfuade Emilia to escape with him. All this is very awkwardly conducted.

It is ftrange that a dramatic writer fhould not have studied human nature enough to perceive, that the only character which cannot interest upon the ftage, is that which is mean, low, and contemptible. Great Spirits, though of a bad kind, engage our attention to all their operations, because they are capable of producing great Events. We are curious to fee, what the audacious villain will dare to do, what the cunning one will contrive; but when a man is prefented to us as a fcoundrel, un Lache, we difdain to attend to his actions. However well therefore the great fcenes of this play may be written; confidered fingly they are very injudiciously managed. We shall now fee Cinna appear so despicable, that to punish him would be below the dignity of Augusand to retain him as a friend, unworthy of any Man. Auguftus, informed by the double traitor Maximus, fends for Cinna,

tus;

and

and reproaches him with every species of base ingratitude, tells him he first gave him his life, enriched him with the spoils of Antony, upon every occafion had been profufely liberal and kind to him, preferred his interest even to those, who had fought for him, and by whofe blood he had purchased the empire; and had admitted him, upon the death of Mæcenas, into the first place in his confidence. Augustus adds too, that it was by his advice he retained his and after all this, fays he, you power; would affaffinate me. Cinna does not barely deny the confpiracy, but exclaims, "I, Sir, have I such a treacherous foul, fuch a base design !"

Auguftus cuts him fhort in this difgraceful lie, fhewing him he has full information of the plot; and very justly says, "The liberty of thy country could not be thy object, for then thou wouldst not have himdered my restoring it. Thou must defign therefore to reign in my place. Alas! Rome must be unhappy indeed, if I were the only obstacle, and that after my death

it

it should not fall into better hands than thine. Learn to know what thou art: defcend into thyfelf: thou art honoured, praised, and loved, all tremble before thee, fo high have I raised thy fortune: but thou wouldft be the pity of those who now envy that fortune, if I abandoned thee to thy own little merit. Contradict me if thou canft; tell me what is thy merit, what are thy virtues, what are thy glorious exploits, what are those rare qualities, by which thou could't pretend to my favour, what is it raises thee above the vulgar? My favour is thy only glory; thy power arifes from it; that alone raises and supports thee; it is that, not thou, which is refpected: thou haft neither rank nor credit, but what arifes from it; and to let thee fall, I need only draw back the hand that fupports thee."

Quel était ton deffein, et que pretendais-tu,
Après m'avoir au temple à tes pieds abattu?
Affranchir ton pays d'un pouvoir monarchique?
Si j'ai bien entendu tantôt ta politique,

Son falut déformais dépend d'un fouverain,

Qui pour tout conferver tienne tout en fa main;

Et

Et fi fa liberté te faifait entreprendre,

Tu ne m'euffes jamais empêché de la rendre ;
Tu l'aurais acceptée au nom de tout l'état,
Sans vouloir l'acquerir par un afsassinat.

Quel etait donc ton but? d'y regner en ma place?
D'un etrange malheur fon deftin le menace,

Si pour monter au trône et lui donner la loi,
Tu ne trouves dans Rome autre obstacle que moi;
Si jufques à ce point fon fort eft deplorable,
Que tu fois aprés moi le plus confiderable:

Et que ce grand fardeau de l'empire Romain

Ne puisse aprés ma mort tomber mieux qu'en ta main.
Apprens à te connaître, et defcens en toi-même.
On t'honore dans Rome, on te courtife, on t'aime;
Chacun tremble fous toi, chacun t'offre des vœux;
Ta fortune eft bien haut, tu peux ceque je veuxe:
Mais tu ferais pitié, même à ceux qu'elle irrite,
Si je t'abandonnais à ton peu de merite.
Ofe me dementir, dis-moi ce que tu vaux,
Conte-moi tes vertus, tes glorieux travaux,
Les rares qualités par où tu m'as dû plaire,

Et tout ce qui t'éleve au-deffus du vulgaire.
Ma faveur fait ta gloire, & ton pouvoir en vient;
Elle feule t' éleve, & feule te foutient,

C'eft