DRAM A. 



of grct absurdities : and at the name time of sublime 

 and impressive traits of imagination. To uphold it al- 

 together as a good or a great tragedy, is impossible ; 

 but it i.- equally impossible to deny, th.it it must re- 

 mind every render of .VNchyhi-. of tho--e gigantic traits 

 of terror which distinguish tlic fat her of < ireek 

 dy. It fairly ehtUCBgH a comparison with .K-i hyhis's 

 TV Xu- Persians, or th* hii-fs of Thebes, in the hold- 



* ness of its pictures, and grandeur of execution, aiiyj jns- 



what an able critic lias said, that its author, in 

 more favourable circumstances, would have become the 

 /Esclnhi- of Spain. As (Yrvantes found but a very 

 tacts in the historians who relate the destruction 

 rf Numantia, he was obliged to invent most of the in- 

 cidents of the piece. His object was to unite the mar- 

 vellous and pathetic ; and though the story of a siege, 

 in which the inhabitants determined at last to destroy 

 themselves, and to jK-rish in the flamingruins of theplaee, 

 rather than submit, is not what we should con.sider,in the 

 present day, as a subject best fitted for dramatic effect ; 

 yet the mind cannot but sympathise with the xenl and 

 patriotism which a poet must have felt in endeavouring 

 to record such terrific grandeur in the national charac- 

 ter. The scene opens with the Homan camp, which is 

 before Xumantia. Scipio appears with his principal 

 officers, and addresses his soldiers, to reprimand them 

 for their sloth and luxury, which has delayed the con- 

 clusion of the siege. The address, though long, is full 

 of Roman and soldier-like eloquence. In this scene, 

 the novelty of the dramatic art is pleasantly developed 

 in the notes of direction which the author gi\es to his 



actors. Here there shall enter as many soldier 



can be brought upon the stage, and Cains Marius with 

 them ; they shall be armed in the ancient manner, 

 without firelocks ; and Scipio, mounted upon a small 

 rock, which shall be upon the stage, shall look at his 

 soldiers before addressing them. N'mnantian ambassa- 

 dors arrive with offers of peace, which Scipio rejects. 

 Spain is then personified, and appears upon the stage 

 aa a female, crowned with towers, and bearing a castle 

 in her hand, in allusion to the name of t'astille. She 

 alls for the rivers Duero, or Durius, on the banks of 

 which Numantia was situated ; and Duero presents 

 himself, accompanied by three tributary streams. These 

 allegories may make us smile, while they remind us of 

 the appearance of the Thames, in Sheridan's critic, be- 

 tween two attendants, representing his banks, with wil- 

 lows in their hands. I5ut we should also recollect, that 

 if classical example can palliate the circumstance. I'uri- 

 pides has his cliaractcr of txicfltf, or death, a principal 

 agent in the drama of Alcestes, not to mention the al- 

 legorical personages whom .'Ksehylu* brings to bind 

 1'rometheus. After Spain and the river god* have 

 consulted about the fate of the city, the scene changes, 

 and transports us to Numantia; the 

 bled, and deliberates on the common clanger. In the 

 second act, a commencing interest is created in the 

 character of a young Niimantian, Mnrandro, the lover 

 of Lira; and a story of individual and tender passion i 

 thenceforward interwoven with the history of the siege. 

 A scene of public sacrifice ensues, in which the terrors 

 of the people arc aggravated by unfavourable o< 

 the torches will not kindle their fire, and the thunder 

 sounds an evil presage, in answer to the sacred ir 

 tions. (Here another note of the author directs the ac- 

 tors to imitate thunder, by hurling under the s' 

 tun, or vessel full . .) At last the victim is 



matched from the sacrifices by an infernal spirit. So 

 much of the effect of euch scenes depends on execution, 



that it is difficult to day how much of the ludi'ton or 

 of the terrible might predominate, according to fir- 

 cum-tances, in their representation. But n scene en- 

 sues, in which, though there is some degree of the hnr- 

 rililc, there i> aUo so much intrii I we 



might conceive it to he highly i !'i . ' with or- 



dinary apparatus. This is, when , 

 failed, rccour-e is had to a magician, who is girted by 

 his enchantment! to predict the wi! 



approaches the tomb of one who h.'.d :< eelitlv di* 

 famine, and im . pint from the realms <jf death. 



I lis address to the infernal pi. 



lit- -peak- to the demons in that t<>nr of c. nnn.ind, and 

 even with that wrathful disdain, which fiction as- 

 cribes to t!- n- lliat are the i'i::-ter, nut the 



.subjects, of internal influence. The tomb open? the. 

 body arises, but at fir-t motionless and dead, till the 

 magician forces it, by new enchantments, to assume 

 animation and spi cell. The corpse then announces 

 that Numantia shall not be conquered ; but that it shall 

 not be victorious; and that all its citixen- shall pcri.-h 

 by the sword upon one another: it falls back : 

 into the tomb, ami the iir:_ici.in, in de-pair, plui:. 

 weapon into his own brc-ist. and buries himself in the 

 same tomb. After the return of a second embassy, a* 

 fruitless as the first, the Nimuititians take up the rt>- 

 solution with which their heroic senator Theogencs in- 

 spires them, to burn with the pomp of a sacrifice all 

 their precious eifects to put to death their women 

 and children, and, lastly, to throw themselves into the 

 funeral pile of ruin, that not one may survive to be n 

 slave of the Romans. From the moment that this i* 

 determined, the author crowds together, till the con- 

 clusion, the deepest scenes of grief, and the most su- 

 blime traits of patriotism. Famine desolates the city. 

 The young lover and hero, Morandro, already men- 

 tioned, accompanied by a friend, penetrates into the 

 Roman camp he returns mortally wounded, but in 

 -ion of a piece of bread, which he has ravished, 

 at the price of Iris life, from the enemy, in order t<> 

 bring to his mistress Lira. He tells her, that the blood 

 which stains the bread is his own, and expires at her 

 feet, as he bequeathes the sad and bitter nourish- 

 ment. 





JVro nii sangrc i 



) otM ettt fom mcMtlaJa, 



Jc tin tie Jar, mi duicc timada, 

 Tristt tt amurga comitla. 



'The action supports itself with the same interest (> 

 theend of the j)iccc, when Fa-ne proclaims it> conclu- 

 sion from the ruins of Nimuintia, and predicts the fu- 

 ture glory of Spain. 



Lope Felix de Vega Corpio, c-ars yoir 



than Cervantes, being born in l.V 



fertile t.ilent, if he did not create the Spanish drama, at 

 least ir.ich.-mc'- >My fixed its general character and form. 

 So much did he establish the character of his native 

 stage, for n century and a half to come, that to give an 

 idea of his works, i ., in ome degn e. to give an account 

 ofthe subdivisions ofthe Spanishdrama, and ti 

 ter of each subdivision. The word comedy (cOfttdia) 

 in the language of the Sp::iii-!i theatre, means 

 thing very ('ifli-rent from what was so called by the 

 (i recks and Komai!.-, or what it still signifies over the 

 greater jxirt of i'.uropc. It is a general name. . 

 preheiiding several tlitfcrent kinds of dramatic compo- 

 sition, eucii of which are really neither tragedies 



comedies. The principle of the anumt comedy, 





