S02 
nativity, was born in 1647, and died in 
3684. His expreflions are pleafing, his 
fiyle eafy, bold, and fublime. His mafter- 
piece Isa poem on the river ¥; but of ail 
his dramatic works, F am-acquaiuted only 
with his tragedy of Trazila, or China 
Sarprized. The celebrated poet Poot, 
the fon of a day-labourer, did not exercife 
himfelf in dramatic cempoiition. M. 
Feith, formerly a burgomafier, and a very 
good poet, has diltinguifhed himfelf by 
works of confiderable merit. He has 
yaifed himtelf above his predeceffors, and 
even above the poets his contemporaries, 
by the morality which he has diffufed 
throughout his works, by the well-fuppor'- 
ed intereit of charaéters ably drawn, and 
by an eafy and excellent verfification. 
His moft beautiful productions are, Ines 
de Caftro, Thyrfa, Lady Jane Gray, and 
IMucius Cordus. 
In his Ines de Caftro the poet reprefents 
virtue in the mofi important circumftances 
of Jife, and in particular overwheimed 
with the weight of unmerited misfortune. 
This pifture poficfles charms fo affecting, 
that even perfons of the lealt fenfibility 
would rather fhare the fufferings of virtue 
than the victory of its adverfaries. 
Thyrfa, or the Trivmonh of Religion, 
eemonfirates, like the Alzire and Zaire of 
Voltaire, the power of religion, and with 
what tender, energetic, and lublime tenti- 
ments it is capable of infpiring us. How- 
ever intereftine of itfelf may be to hiftory 
the affefting fate of Jane Gray, it becomes 
doubly fo in the {piendid piétures of M. 
Feith. The fame obfervation may be ap- 
plied to his Mucius Cordus, in which the 
true, difinterefted, and fublime feotiment 
of tne love of country excites the higher 
admiration, as we fo rarely witnefs at the 
prelent day thofe efforts of ancient Roman 
virtue. It was only by thefe fublime ef- 
Fafions that M. Feith was enabled to coun- 
teract the bad impreffions which the fenti- 
mental novels of Julia, and Ferdinand and 
Conftance, thofe models of bad tafte, 
threatened to produce on the minds of his 
countrymen. Fortunately for the youth 
of Holland this {pecies of novels but ill 
accorded with the national fpirit. M. 
Feith has ikewile obtained feveral prizes, 
confifting of gold and filver medals, by 
excellent differrations on morality and re- 
ligion. His ztthetic works, or on thé 
philofophy of the fine-arts, likewife poflefs 
confiderable merit. 
Among the other dramatic authors who 
have appeared fince the days of Vondel, 
there are men of acknowledged talents and 
diftinguifhed genius ; but I know not 
Abridged Hiftory of the Dutch Stage. 
[May f, 
whether they are to be compared to @ 
Hooft, a Voidel, a Feith, for bold ideas. 
and fublime imagery.. At the time of: 
Vondel, John Six, De Dekker, and Pels, 
produced fome very good pieces. It is 
well known, and proves the bad tafte of 
the times, that the latter blended with the 
Death of Dido, a tragedy in three acts, 
performed in 1668, a comedy likewife in 
three ais; the firit aét of the one being 
reprefented after the firft a€t of the other, 
the fecond after the fecond, and the fame 
with the third. 
Focquenbroch has produced fome very 
good and very humourous comedies, but 
ethers exceedingly frivolous. Pluymer 
and Verhoek lkewife diftinguifhed tivem- 
felves by feveral good tragedics, between 
the years 1680 and 1700; but Lucas 
Rotgans, the poet, of Amiterdam, fur- 
paiied them all. - His tragedies of Eneas 
and Turnus, and Sylla, were :eprefented 
with applaufe till the conclufion of the 
eighteenth century. 
But it is time to introduee upon the 
flage the poetefles of Holland. They 
have fo much the move claim to notice, 2s 
not any nation ef Europe can boaft, for - 
the laft century ard a half, of fo greata 
numrer-of females who have immortalized 
their names by poetry, the fciences, and 
the arts. Itis matterof regret that the 
Dutch language fhould be fo little diffu. 
fed, and that the knowledge of it thould 
be confined within fuch a fmall compafs. 
In Germany, and ftiil lefs in England and 
France, the diftinguifhed poets of Holland 
have never been appreciated according to 
their merits. The names of mott of them 
are not even known out of their own 
country. } 
At the head of the celebrated females 
ef Holland muft be placed the iiluftrious 
Aona Maria Schuurmann, and next to her 
Catherine Lefcaille, a celebrated poetels, 
who merited the appellation of the tenth 
Mule. This Sappho of Holland is known 
to have produced feven tragedies, which 
have hitherto conttituted fome.of the 
brighteft ornamenis of the ftage: Genferic, 
Wenceflaus, Herod and Mariamne, Her- 
cules and D:janira, N:icomedes, Ariana, 
and Caffandra. After the death of her 
father, the celebrated James Lefcaille, in 
1677, fhe continucd his bookfeiling bufi- 
nels, aud added great value to the belt 
works of the time by her remarks, cor- 
rections, and criticifms. She died in 1711, 
at the age of fixty two years. . Elizabeth 
Hoffman difincuifhed herfelf in Dutch 
and Latin poetry; but fhe never wrote 
any thing for the lage.) , <2 oe 
In 
