Page:The Lives and Characters of the English Dramatick Poets.djvu/62

42 does by no means constitute the Character, (which is a thing Mr. Langbain seems never to understand). Hippolytus has an Aversion to Love, Aureng-zebe is in Love, and much more Polite; Hippolytus was a Hunter indeed, and Aureng-zebe a Warrior: Nourmahal is a degree beyond the Lewdness of ev'n Seneca's Phædra, who Degenerated extremely from her Original in Euripides, and indeed shews none of her Qualities, but Revenge for disappointed Love: It must be own'd, that these Lines which Mr. Langbain instances are borrowed from Seneca in that place; Aur. Heavens! Can you this without just Vengeance bear? When will you Thunder, if you now are clear? Yet her alone let not your Thunder seize, I too deserve to dye, because I please.

Hip. Magne Regnator deum Tam lentus audis scelera tam lentus vides Ecquando sæva fulmen emittes Manu Si nunc serenum est Me velox cremet. Transactus ignis sum Nocens; merui mori Placui Novercæ.

Here, what is uncommon with Mr. Dryden, he seems to have lost the Beauty of Seneca's Expression of Me velox cremet Transactus ignis, which gives you some Image of the stroak of a Thunder-Bolt, whereas Mr. Dryden


 * Yet her alone let not your Thunder seize,

looks more like the taking a Thief or Debtor by a Constable or Bayliff; for seizing is too calm, and impotent a word to express the force of a Bolt sent from the Arm Trisulci Jovis. But this is the effect of Writing in Rhime; for I'm confident he had never us'd that word in Blank Verse.

Hipp. Thesei vultus amo Illos priores, ques tulit quondam puer Cum prima turas signare barba Genas.

I am not chang'd, I love my Husband still, But love him as he was when youthful Grace, And the first Bloom began to shade his Face.

Again from Milton's Sampson Agonistes.

Dal.