THE DISTREST MOTHER, TRAGEDY. TRANSLATED BY AMBROSE PHILIPS, FROM THE ANDROMAQUE OF RACINE. ADAPTED FOR THEATRICAL REPRESENTATION, AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRES-ROYAL, DRURY-LANE AND COVENT-GARDEN. REGULATED FROM THE PROMPT-BOOKS, "The Lines diftinguished by inverted Commas, are omitted in the Representation." DUBLIN: PRINTED BY GRAISBERRY AND CAMPBELL, FOR WILLIAM JONES, NO. 86, DAME-STREET. M DCC XCII. THIS tragedy, which I do myself the bonour to dedicate to your Grace, is formed upon an original, which paffes for the most finished piece, in this kind of writing, that has ever been produced in the French language. The principal action and main diflrefs of the play is of fuch a nature, as seems more immediately to claim the patronage of a lady: And, when I confider the great and fhining characters of antiquity, that are celebrated in it, I am naturally directed to infcribe it to a perfon, whofe illuftrious father has, by a long feries of glorious actions, (for the fervice of his country, and in defence of the liberties of Europe,) not only furpassed the generals of his own time, but equalled the greatest heroes of former ages. The name of Hector could not be more terrible among the Greeks, than that of the duke of Marlborough has been to the French. The refined tafte you are known to have in all enter tainments for the diverfion of the public, and the peculiar life and ornament your prefence gives to all affemblies, was no fmall motive to determine me in the choice of my patronefs. The charms that shine out in the perfon of your Grace, may convince every one, that there is nothing unnatural in the power which is afcribed to the beauty of Andromache. The firia regard I have had to decency and good manners throughout this work, is the greatest merit I pretend to plead in favour of my prefumption; and is, I am fenhible, the only argument that can recommend it most effectually to your protection. THE DISTREST MOTHER Is a tranflation by AMBROSE PHILIPS from the ANDROMAQUE of the great French dramatic poet RACINE. It was acted originally at Drury-Lane Theatre, and first printed in 1712. To thofe who confine their admiration to the strong fabrics of our dramatifts of the golden age of English poefy, the beginning of the feventeenth century, the prolixity of harangue, and the tedious progreffion of the action, characteristic of the French drama, are not likely to pass without their usual reprobation. Yet many fine touches of nature confiderably enliven. the slumber of the stage, and much flow and facility of expreffion gives to the conveyance of elegant fentiments the dress they beft delight to adopt. The tafte of ADDISON feems confiderably to have fluctuated. He naturally, it may be prefumed from the selections in the Spectator, loved the gorgeous grandeur of SHAKSPEARE, and the sublime and profound delineations of Milton, but he deferred too much to the predominant authorities of the French critics. BOILEAU hurried him into a ftigma of the Tuscan mufe, which even the fairer critics of our own day are scarcely able to fupplant-and people |