OF THEave spook at Dramatick Poets. oh old tensole ei doulesin.V William' ALEXANDER, Earl of Sterline.nl en ri Ο A via of Szeal and yu weured silb UR Alphabet begins with this worthy Nobleman, who was a Scor by Birth; and div'd in the Timesof King James the Firft of England, and the -Sixth of Scotland All that I am able to acquaint my Readers with concerning his priNate Affairs of Family,sionly this Thore acrcount; that he was much in Favour with his Sovereign and Fatherto the prefenty Eatlof Sterline doid) asholiga aid at The Occafion of his being mention'd in our Catalogue, is, from four Monarchick Tragedies, (as he ftiles them,) which are in Print under his Name, viz. The Alexandrcan Tragedy, Crafus, Darius, and Julius Caefar. Thefe Plays feem to be writ with great Judgment, and (if I mistake not) the Author has propos'd the Ancients, for his Pattern; by bringing in the Chorus between the Acts. They are grave, and fententious, throughout, like the Tragedies of Seneca; and yet where the fofter and more tender Paffions are touch't, they feem as moving, as the Plays fo much in vogue with the Ladies of this Age. The greatest objection that I know against them, is the Choice the Author, has made of his Verfe, which is alternate, like the Quatrains of the French Poet Pibrach; or Sr. William Davenant's Heroick Poem, call'd Gondibert. This meafure of Verfe has lately been found fault with by an Eminent Critick (2) not. (und withstanding what Sr. William () has urg'd in its Defence. I fhall not pretend to decide the Controverfy, but leave it to my Reader, to perufe both their Arguments at leifure. It may poffibly be objected that his Stile is not pure, but as the Author has already pleaded his Country, () fo he ought to be excus'd by all English Criticks, having given the preference to our Tongue, as exceeding the Scotch Dialect, both in Elegance and Perfection. His Tragedies, are all of them founded on Hiftory, and he has foftrictly ty'd himself m it, that even his Epifodes, (which ufually, are the fole Invention of every Author) are found. ed on Truth likewise. mai pig, du The Alexandreau Tragedy is a proof of this; (3) Mr. Rymer's Pref. to Rapin's Relations on Tretife of Poetry. fo) Preface to Gondibert, (e) Epifle to Darius. Edit. Edingh, 3603. for for after the First Act, which is wholly em. ployed by Alexander's Ghoft (poflibly in imi tation of Seneca's Thyeftes:) the reft of the Play is wholly circumfcrib'd by History. The The Play is built upon the Differences about the Succeffion, that arofe between Alexander's Captains after his Deceafe. The Second Act begins with the Councel held by Perdiccas Meleager, and the reft of the Commanders. The Author has chiefly followed 2 Curtius lib. 1o. cap. 6. & feq. and Justin lib. 13. But there are other Authors that have toucht upon this Story, as well Annalifts as Hiftorians; which for the Reader's fatisfaction I fhall fet down. Such are, Diodorus Siculus lib. 18. 0rofius lib. 3. cap. 21. Jofephus lib. 12. cap. 1. Appian de Bellis Syriacis. Saliani Annales Ecclefiastici A. M. 3730. Num. 30. &c. Torniel. A. M. 3730. N. 5. &c. Raleigh's Hift. lib.4. c.3. Heylin's Hift. of Greece, Howell, &c. Crafus, is chiefly borrow'd from Herodotus, fee lib. 1. five Clio. You may confult likewife, Justin lib. 1. cap. 7. Plutarch's Life of Solon fee befides Salian. Torniel. A. M. 3510. In the Fifth At there is an Episode of Abradates, and Panthea, which the Author has copied from Xenophon's Cyropaideia, Or the Life and Inftitution of Cyrus, Lib. 7. and the Ingenious Scudery has built upon this Foundation, in that diverting Romance, call'd Grand Cyrus, fee Part 5. Book 1. I leave it to the Readers, which Romance is beft, the Copy, or the Original. Darius, was the first Prefent our Author made made the world, at which time he was Lord Menftrie. He printed this Tragedy at Edinborough, in quarto 1603. and dedicated it to K. James VT, by a Copy of three Stanzas. It was firft compos'd in a mixt Dialect of English and Scoth, and even then, was commended by two Copies of Verfes. The Author has fince polJifhed and corrected much of his Native Language, and even the Play it felf is alter'd, and tis now reprinted with the Reft of his Works. For the Plot of this Play, read Curtius, lib. 3, 4, and 1. and Justin, lib. 11. cap. 5. Br. See befides Diodorus lib. 14 Arrian de Expeditione Alexandri lib. Plutarch's Life of Alexander. Salian. A. M. 19. Julius Cæfar is founded on Hiftory, and the Reader may find many Authors that give an account of his Actions, this Actions, particularly Plutarch, } See befides Appiani and Suetonius, each of which writ his Life. Bellis Civilibus, lib. 2. Floras lib. 4. cap 2. Sulian, Torniel. &c. • Befides these Plays, "he writ feveral other Poems, of a different Species, viz. Doomsday, or the great day of the Lord's Judgment; a Poem divided into Twelve Books which the Author calls Hours. A Paranefis to Prince Henry, who dying before it was publish'd, he dedicated it to Prince Charles, afterwards King and Martyr Jonathan, an Heroick Poem intended; but the first Book only extant. writ all thefe Poems in the Ottavo Rima of Tallo, or, as Michael Drayton calls it, (d) A Stanza of Eight Lines; Six interwoven, and a (d) Epistle to Barons Wars Couplet He |