ZS 
1797-] 
ed, and brought more moncy to the ac- 
tors than thirty of the beft plays which 
had been written before them.” ‘+ Un- 
doubtedly (replied the aétor) you muft 
Speak of the Ifabella, Phillis, and Alex- 
andra.” ‘I fpeak of them (replied the 
curate) ; fee it they do not obterve the 
rules of art, and in confequence of ob- 
ferving them, pleafe all the world.” 
The name of the author was unknown, 
and the tragedies were fuppoled to be 
loft, till, a few years fince, two of them 
were difcovered, and proved to be the 
productions of ~ Lupercio Leonardo. 
Thete two, the Ifabella and Alexandra, 
were published, for the firit time, by Don 
Juan Jofeph Lopez de Sedano, 1n his 
Parnafo Efpanol, a work whichit would 
be equally unjuitand ungrateful vo men- 
tion without high approbation ; an ana- 
lyfis of one of thefe tragedies will give 
an idea of the ftate cf the Spanifh dra- 
ma, in the golden age of their poetry. 
The feene lies in Zaragoza, and the 
piece opens with aconverfation between 
Alboacen, king of that city, and his mi- 
niiter Audalla. It appears, that Alboa- 
cen is on the point of going to war with 
Pedro, the Spanifa monarch; this, how- 
ever, alarms him not, his anxiety pro- 
ceeds from an enemy within the walis of 
Zaragoza. By this enemy, Audalla un- 
derftands the Chriftians, and the Moors - 
are reprefented as intolerant in his 
{peech; a right Catholic idea of the re- 
Jigion of Mohammed. Here toohe re- 
Jates the hiftory of our Lady of the Pil- 
lar, and this relation muft have fecured 
the favour of a Zaragozan audience.— 
The king refufes to expel the Cariftians ; 
he will favour them for Ifabeila’s fake, 
the caufe of his anxiety, becaufe the ob- 
ject of his fruitlefs love. This refolu- 
tion of the king foon changes, when he 
learns, that Muley Albenzayde, his 
friend and favourite, is the favoured 
Jover of Ifabella,.and her convert to 
Chriftianity. A foliloguy of Ufabella fol- 
lows, her fears and prayers are inter- 
rupted by the arrival of Muley, now re- 
turned from the Chriftian territories ad- 
joining, where he has been baptized by 
the name of Lupercio. ‘It is fomewhat 
fingular, that the author fhould -have 
given his own name to the heroes of 
botli his plays. 
Ifabella appears much diftreffed at the 
rumour that the Chriftians are to be ex- 
pelled the city. Muley endeavours to 
quiet her apprehenfions, and fays, that as 
he is intimate with the king, he will 
make him delay this meafure, under the 
On the Poetry of Spain and Portugal: 
a7). 
pretext that it would inform Pedro pre- 
maturely of his hoftile intentions; he 
will perfuade Alboacen to promife tribure 
to Pedro, that he may have time to pre- 
pare for war. In the siean time, the 
Chrifians in Zaragoza may prepare 
themfelves for refiftance,; and, when the 
king refutes tribute, he may be attacked 
or overpowered by foreign and domeftie 
enemies. Satisfied thar the end fanéti 
fies the means, Muley departs with this 
intention. 
In the following fcene, Audalla ine 
forms himfelf and the audience, that he 
is defperately in love with Mabella ; that 
it is very foolith, and very unfortunate, 
-but he cannot help it. 
The fervant of Muley tells Ifabella 
that he has feen his mafter thrown into 
a dungeon among venomous. ferpents. 
Her fifter enters, and tells her, that the 
houfe is furrounded by a crowd of 
Chriftians, that they know the king’s 
love for her, and that.they come, led 
by her father, to intreat mercy from 
fabella, | 
The fecond aét opens with the fuppli- 
cations of the Chriftians to Lfabella ; her 
parents and her fifter join them in in- 
treating that the will fupplicate the king 
forthem. Ifabella yields at laf. 
A fcene follows between Adulce, the 
exiled king of Valencia, and Selin, his 
friend. He expreffes his hope of being 
‘reftored, by the aid of Alboacen, to his 
kingdom; but complains heavily of his 
love for that prince’s inexorable fafter, 
Aja. He is now about to ride to fee her, 
and Sclin tells him his horfe 1s ready : 
A goodly fteed 
Waits you; fo fleet and forcible, he feeme 
Foal’d by the fire, and nourifh’d by the winds. 
Alboacen and. Audalla are difcovered 
in the palace; the king deeply laments 
the perfidy of Muley, whofe death 
Audalla demands. Ifabella enters; in 
an{wer to her intreaties, Alboacen fiates, 
that he had applied to a holy man, to 
know the will of heaven, who had de- 
clared that the prophet could only be 
appeafed by the facrifice of that perfon 
whom the king loved beft; that. perfon 
is Ifabella, but, willing to fave her, he. 
had banifhed the Chriftians that. Jfabella 
might depart with them, and chofen 
Muley for the viétim. She attempts to 
convince him that he ought to facrifice 
her, becaufe this very attempt to fave 
her, proves her to be the perfon he loves 
beft. Provoked, at length, by jealoufy, 
the king exclaims, that fhe fhall have the 
death fhe defires, with the dog fhe loves. 
E 2 Mafhnger 

