VOLTAIRE. 33 



Of the inferior dramas, ' Alzire ' and ' Mahomet ' or 

 ' Le Fanatisme ' are certainly the best ; but they are far 

 from being equal to the ' Zaire ' and ' Merope,' though 

 far superior to the ' Catiline.' The object of both is 

 to present fanaticism in its most dangerous shape in 

 the union which it not unfrequently forms with great 

 and even with good qualities. This object is well 

 attained, and there is also a mixture of softness in the 

 characters of Alzire and Palmire which forms a pleas- 

 ing relief to the harsher features of Mahomet, Gusman, 

 and Zamore. Both tragedies contain fine passages of 

 declamation ; and the picture of the revolting and 

 hateful character of the Spaniards (in the New World, 

 at least) that execrable and yet despicable mixture of 

 cruelty and fanaticism, fraud and avarice with which 

 ' Alzire ' opens, is not surpassed in moral descriptive 

 poetry. * Alzire ' was perfectly successful from the 

 first ; but the favour which it then enjoyed has worn 

 out. ' Mahomet ' was at first only performed at Lile, 

 and during its first representation the news of Frede- 

 rick's victory at Molwitz having been received by Vol- 

 taire, he interrupted the performance to make it known, 

 saying to those around him, " You'll see, that piece of 

 Molwitz will make mine pass." At Paris it was for- 

 bidden by the timidity of Cardinal Fleury, alarmed by 

 some passages. Voltaire presented it to the Pope 

 Benedict XIV. (Lambertini), accompanying it with 

 two very indifferent Latin verses as an inscription for 

 his Holiness's portrait. He received an answer full of 

 kindness and liberality from that eminent priest, who 

 also mentioned that an ignorant Frenchman had 

 objected to the quantity of Hie in the Latin lines, 



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