1806.] 
Bredero furnifhed the theatre with pieces 
of’a fuperior order, and in greater number 
than the above mentioned writers. Though 
he compofed feveral tragedies,  inter- 
mingled with comic fcenes, he has no re- 
putation but in comedy, and principally 
in farce. He was in the habit of fre- 
quenting the fruit-markets, for the pur- 
pofe of ftudying from nature the language, 
tone, and manners, of the loweft claffes of 
the people at Amfterdam, and of repre- 
fenting them with the greateft accuracy in 
his pieces. Two are worthy of notice, 
one of which is an imitation of the Eu- 
nuch of Terence. The Iphigenia of Sa- 
muel Cofter is his beft tragedy : he like- 
wife compofed feveral comedies abound- 
ing in wit and humour. 
But all thefe luminaries of the Dutch 
Parnaflus were eclipfed by the luflre of one 
ftill more brilliant, the immortal Von- 
del. Jooft van den Vondel, honoured 
with the furname ef the Dutch Virgil, 
eclipfed all his predeceffors. | He was born 
at Cologne in 1587 ; but this great man 
was educated in Holland. Notwithftand- 
ing the efforts of John Vos to lower him 
in the public eftimation, he gave, by the 
great number of his excellent tragedies, a 
new charaéter to the national theatre at 
Amfterdam ; and he is the only one of the 
authors that have yet been mentioned, 
whole plays are ftill aéted with applaufe. 
His firft work, The Pacha, written in 
1612, was at firft aéted by the Redenry- 
kers ; all the others were compofed for 
the theatre of Amiterdam. 
His tragedy of Palamedes produced a 
great fenfation in 1625. In the perfon of 
Palamedes he intended to reprefent the ce- 
lebrated Olden ba: eveldt ; and he intro- 
duced very ftrong expreffions againft 
Prince Maur‘ce of Orange and the fynod 
of Dordrecht. An order of arreft againtt 
him arrived at the Hague, but the magif- 
‘traies of Amiterdam refuled to deliver 
him up ; he was however fined three hun- 
dred florins. 
The pieces of this author which were 
the moft relifhed in the fucceeding years 
were, Electra, Jofeph at Dothan, Jofeph 
at Court, Jofephin Egypt, the Brothers, 
Salmoneus, Phaeton, Jeprha, David Ba- 
nifhed, David Reftcred, Solomon, Samp- 
fon, (Edipe, the Batavian Brothers, Luci- 
fer, &c. OF all his tragedies, however, 
-Gyibrecht'van Amftel obtained him the 
bighett reputation, both on account of the 
fubject, and the manner in which it was 
treated. It was acted for the firft time in 
1638, at the opening of the great theatre 
at Amfterdam. Notwithfanding the faults 
Abridged Hiftory of the Dutch Stage. 
301 
of this tragedy, and the difference of tafte 
between the prefent age and Vondel’s, it is 
{till reprefented every year, towards 
Chriftmas, five or fix times fucceffively, at 
the theatre of Amfterdam. This is in 
fat a truly national piece. The author 
paints in the moft vivid colours, and with 
the greate(t truth, the early times of the 
rifing ‘grandeur of Amfterdam 3 and at 
the conclufion an angel predicts and dif- 
clofes the high deftinies which await it. 
Hence proceeds the intereft, or rather the 
enthufiafin, with which the inhabitants of 
Amtterdam annually go to fee this tra- 
gedy. They applaud with tranfport their 
favourite hero, and at the fame time cele. - 
brate the memory of their cifing greatne{s 
and that of their illuitrious poet. Were 
this piece of Vondel’s to be retouched, 
and five or hx pages of long foliloquies re. 
trenched, Gyfbrecht van Amftel would 
have a better claim to the repuration it 
enjoys, and which it f{carcely deferves in 
its prefent flate. Several biographers 
have given an account of the lite and the 
poverty of Vondel. He died in 1679, at 
the age of ninety-two years, and his coffia 
was carried by fourteen poets. In 1772 
a maufoleum of marble was ereéted to him 
in the New Church at Amfterdam ; and 
the only infcription and eulogy engraved 
Upon it was ** Vondel.”” 
So far we have treated only of the poets 
of Amfterdam, all of whom iffued from 
the bofom of the Redenrykkamer cf that 
city. 
the refidence of “the greateft Dutch poets, 
though Rotterdam, Leyden, Middleburg, 
and other piaces, likewite have their Par- 
naflus. But public amufements and bril- 
liant fpectacles are the natural confe.~ 
quences of the luxury and the wealth 
which, as may eafily be conceived, muit 
centre in a city poffefling an extenfive 
commerce. Accordingly itis at Amfter- 
dam that the Dutch poet finds the faireft 
opportunity of developing, exercifing, and 
improving, his talents. Emulation is 
there excited ; merit is diftinguifhed and 
rewarded ; ue there the true national {pi 
rit appears in all its energy.. 
Since the time of Vondel, Hollaad has 
had more than one poet who has obtained 
great reputation ; but few of them can be 
placed in the fame rank with him, An- 
tonides, Poot, and Feith, who is ftill liv- 
ing, are in particular deferving of men- 
oes But we fhall confine ourfelves to 
dramatic merit, and the degrees of perfec- 
tion in this kind of compofition. 
Antonides, likewife called Van der 
Gor. from Ter Goes the place of his 
nativity, 
Amfterdam is at the prefent day | 
