The English Novel in the Time of Shakespeare Part 25

[333] "_Cathos_: Le nom de Polixene que ma cousine a choisi et celui d'Aminte que je me suis donne ont une grace dont il faut que vous demeuriez d'accord" ("Precieuses Ridicules," sc. v.).

[334] "Natures pictures," London, 1656, fol., preface No. 2.

[335] Her "Playes," 1662, are preceded by two dedications, one prologue, and _eleven_ prefaces.

[336] "CCXI. Sociable Letters," London, 1664, fol.

[337] "Lives of the Poets ... to the time of Dean Swift," London. 1753, 5 vols. 12mo; vol. ii. p. 164.

[338] "Letters from Dorothy Osborne to Sir William Temple, 1652-4," ed.

Parry, London, 1888, 8vo. Letter ix. p. 60; Letter x. p. 64; Letter xxiv. p. 124, year 1653.

[339] May 13, 1666; Feb. 24, 1667-8; Nov. 16, 1668.

[340] Letter x.x.xiv. p. 162. Year 1653.

[341] "Parthenissa, that most fam'd romance," London, 1654.

[342] He a.s.sisted her in getting her translation of Corneille's "Pompee"

represented at Dublin with embellishments, consisting in dances, music, songs, &c. He was born in 1621 and was held in great esteem both by Cromwell and by the Stuarts. He left dramas and other works and died in 1679.

[343] "British Novelists," by David Ma.s.son, Cambridge, 1859, 8vo. p. 72.

[344] Letter LI. p. 236, year 1654.

[345] P. 54. Part of the tale, viz.: the adventures of Brandon, supplied Otway with the plot of his "Orphan" (performed 1680).

[346] "Pandion and Amphigenia, or the history of the coy lady or Thessalia adorned with sculptures," London, 1665, 8vo. Crowne died about 1703; his dramatic works have been published in four vols., 1873.

[347] Pp. 140, 141.

[348] "Almanzor and Almahide, or the Conquest of Granada," performed (with great success) in the winter, 1669-70, act iii. sc. 1.

[349] Settle's "Empress of Morocco," London, 1673, 4to. The engraving we reproduce represents the interior of a Moorish prison, with Muley Labas, son of the Emperor of Morocco, and the Princess Morena.

[350] "Andromache, a tragedy, as it is acted at the Dukes Theatre,"

London, 1675, 4to.

[351] _Spectator_, April 12, 1711.

[352] "The Constant Couple, or a trip to the Jubilee," 1700, act iii., last scene.

[353] "t.i.tus and Berenice; a tragedy," 1677.

[354] "The Princess of Montpensier," 1666; "The Princess of Cleve ...

written by the greatest wits of France, rendred into English by a person of quality at the request of some friends," 1688: "Zayde," 1688. Nat.

Lee's play is ent.i.tled, "The Princess of Cleve," London, 1689, 4to. As to the popularity of this novel in France, it will be enough to notice Madame de Sevigne's allusion to "ce chien de Barbin," who does not fulfil her orders when she wants books, because she does not write "des Princesses de Cleves."

[355] "Je ne vous dirai pas exactement s'il avait soupe et s'il se coucha sans manger comme font quelques faiseurs de romans qui reglent toutes les heures du jour de leurs heros, les font se lever de bon matin, confer leur histoire jusqu'a l'heure du diner, reprendre leur histoire ou s'enfoncer dans un bois pour y aller parler tout seuls, si ce n'est quand ils out quelque chose a dire aux arbres et aux rochers"

("Roman comique," chap. ix. ed. 1825).

"Je vous raconteray sincerement et avec fidelite plusieurs historiettes et galanteries arrivees entre des personnes qui ne seront ny heros ny herones, qui ne dresseront point d'armees, ny ne renverseront point de royaumes, mais qui seront de ces bonnes gens de mediocre condition, qui vont tout doucement leur grand chemin, dont les uns seront beaux et les autres laids, les uns sages et les autres sots; et ceux-cy out bien la mine de composer le plus grand nombre" ("Roman bourgeois," ed. Janet, p.

6).

[356] Rabelais by Urquhart, London, 1653, 8vo; Cervantes in 1612; and again by T. Shelton in 1620 and by J. Philips, 1687.

[357] Scarron's "Comical romance: or a facetious history of a company of strowling stage-players," London, 1676, fol. Preface to the continuation. The translator is at some pains to anglicize his original; when Scarron speaks of Paris, the translator puts London; Ragotin is heard defending Spenser (chapter xv.). The poet in Scarron brags of his acquaintance with Corneille and Rotrou, and in the English text, with Shakespeare, Fletcher, and Jonson (chap. viii.). There were other translations of Scarron: "The whole comical works of M. Scarron,"

translated by Mr. T. Brown, Mr. Savage, and others, London, 1700, 8vo; "The comic romance," translated by O. Goldsmith, Dublin, 1780(?) 2 vol.

12mo. His shorter novels or stories were separately translated by John Davies, who states in the preface of "The unexpected Choice," London, 1670, that he did so at the suggestion of the late Catherine Philips, the matchless Orinda.

[358] "The extravagant Shepherd, the anti-romance, or the history of the shepherd Lysis," London, 1653, another edition 1660. Strange to say, besides some adaptations from Spanish authors ("La Picara," 1665; "Donna Rosina," 1700?), a translation of Voiture's Letters, 1657, the same John Davies of Kidwelly, who had written this eloquent appeal against heroical romances, translated "Clelia," 1656, and part of "Cleopatra" in conjunction with Loveday.

[359] See also in Furetiere's "Roman bourgeois" how the reading of "Astree" made of Javotte "la plus grande causeuse et la plus coquette fille du quartier" (Ed. Janet, i. p. 173).

[360] "The Adventures of Covent Garden, in imitation of Scarron's city romance," London, 1699, 16mo. "Scarron" is here evidently for "Furetiere." This work, the author of which is unknown, has long been forgotten, though deserving a better fate. It is dedicated "to all my ingenious acquaintance at Will's coffee-house."

[361] _Cf._ Moliere: "Je voudrais bien savoir si la grande regle de toutes les regles n'est pas de plaire, et si une piece de theatre qui a attrape son but n'a pas suivi un bon chemin.... Laissons nous aller de bonne foi aux choses qui nous prennent par les entrailles et ne cherchons point de raisonnements pour nous empecher d'avoir du plaisir"

("Critique de l'Ecole des Femmes," sc. 7).

[362] "Double Dealer," by Congreve; "Plot and no Plot," by Dennis; "Beauty in distress," by Motteux.

[363] By T. D., perhaps T. Duffet (Bullen), London, Bentley, 1676, 12mo.

[364] From his "Histoire d'Alcidalis et Zelide." Voiture had begun it in 1633 in the style fas.h.i.+onable at the Hotel de Rambouillet, and even, as he pretends, with the help of Mdlle. de Rambouillet, to whom it is dedicated. It was left unfinished and was published after his death, being completed by Desbarres. A regular translation of it was published in English in 1678.

[365] These two pieces which appeared in 1730 and 1734 are not, as is often stated, caricatures of cla.s.sical tragedy. In the same way as the Duke of Buckingham in his "Rehearsal" (1671), Fielding and Carey ridicule heroic drama, born of romance _a la_ Scudery, as Dryden and his followers had understood it.

[366] "The English Rogue described in the life of Meriton Latroon,"

London, 1665, 8vo, continued by F. Kirkman, 1661, _et seq._, 4 vols.

(reprinted by Pearson).

[367] The "Mundus alter et idem," by Hall, was written about 1600, and appeared some years later on the continent, without date. "The Man in the Moon or a discourse of a voyage thither," by F. G.o.dwin, appeared in 1638, and was translated into French, which allowed Cyrano de Bergerac to become acquainted with it: "L'Homme dans la Lune ou le voyage chimerique fait au monde de la Lune" ... by Dominique Gonzales (pseud.), Paris, 1648, 8vo. The translation is by that same Baudoin who had already turned Sidney's "Arcadia" into French. Barclay's "Argenis"

belongs to European rather than to English literature.

[368] "The perplex'd Prince," by T. S. In this romance Westenia is Wales; Otenia, England; Bogland, Scotland; the amours of Charles II. and those of the Duke of York (the Prince of Purdino) are related in it under fict.i.tious names. "The Court Secret," 1689; Selim I. and Selim II.

represent Charles I. and Charles II.; Cha-abas, Louis XIV., &c. In "Oceana," Parthenia is Queen Elizabeth; Morpheus, James I.; in Ingelow's work, Bentivolio represents "Good will," and Urania "Heavenly light."

"Oceana" and "Bentivolio" are didactic treatises rather than romances; the first is a political treatise, and the second a religious treatise, an enormous morality in prose. "The Pilgrim's Progress" must be placed among religious literature properly so-called, as being its master-work in England.

[369] "The plays histories and novels of the ingenious Mrs. Aphra Behn,"

London (Pearson's reprint), 1871, 6 vols., 8vo, vol. i. "Oroonoko or the royal slave," first printed, 1698. The adventures and virtues of Oroonoko made him very popular; his story was transferred to the stage by Th. Southern; his life was translated into German, and into French (by La Place, 1745). Mrs. Behn's other novels show much less originality. She died in 1689.

[370] Beginning of "Emile."

[371] "Oroonoko," _ibid._, pp. 121, 79, 135.