he pretends to be with Homer, he would have weigh'd his Opinion before he had made any progreffion as he calls it in his Thefts. (d) Mutare dominum non poteft liber notus.----Aliena quifquis recitat, & petit famam; Non emere Librum, fed filentium debet.

Rambling Justice, or The Jealous Husbands, with the Humours of Sir John Twiford, a Comedy acted at the Theatre-Royal; printed 40. Lond. 1680. A great part of it is ftoln from a Comedy of Middleton's call'd More Diffemblers befides Women. As the Scene between Sir Generall Amorous and Bramble Act 2. Sc. 1. is ftoln from the Scene between Laftantio and Dondolo. A& 3. Sc.1. Petulant Eafy difguis'd like a Gipfy in the fame Act, is borrow'd from Aurelia's Difguife in Middleton's Play, Act 4. Sc. 1. The Scene between Bramble and the Gipfies is ftoln from the fame Play; but fince our Author is forc'd to ftrole like One of that Tribe for a Livelihood, with the Iffue of other Men's Brains, I leave him to his hard Stars: tho' poffibly Gipfy-like, he begs with ftoln Chil dren, that he may raise the more Compaffion.

Nathaniel LEE.

An Author whofe Plays have made him fufficiently remarkable to those who call themfelves The Wits; and One whofe Mufe deferv'd a better Fate than Bedlam. How truly he has verified the Saying of the Philofopher, Nullum (d) Lib.1. Epigr. 67.

fit Magnum Ingenium fine mixturâ dementia; even to the Regret and Pity of all that knew him, is manifeft: I heartily with his Madness had not exceeded that Divine Fury which Ovid mentions, and which ufually accompanies the best Poet;

Eft Deus in nobis agitante calefcimus illo.

But alas! his Condition is far worse, as it has been defcrib'd in a Satyr on the Modern Poets. There (), in a Den remov'd from human Eyes Poffeft with Mufe, the Brain-fick-Poet lyes, Too miferably wretched to be nam'd;

N

For Plays, for Heroes, and for Paffion fam'd.
Thoughtless he raves his fleepless Hours away,
In Chains all Nights, in darkness all the Day.
And if he gets fome intervals from pain,
The Fit returns; he foams,and bites his Chain,
His Eye-balls rowl, and he grows mad again.

However, before this misfortune befel him, he writ feveral Dramatical Pieces, which gave him a Title to the First Rank of Poets; there being feveral of his Tragedies, as Mithridates, Theodofius, &c. which have forc'd Tears from the faireft Eyes in the World: his Muse indeed feem'd deftin'd for the Diverfion of the Fair Sex; fo foft and paffionately moving, are his Scenes of Love written. He has publifht Eleven Plays, befides those two, in which he' joyn'd with Mr.Dryden (and of which we have already fpoken) viz.

Cafar Borgia, Son to Pope Alexander the VI. (e) In Bedlam.

a Tragedy acted at the Duke's Theatre, by their Royal-Highneffes Servants; printed 40. Lond. 1680. and dedicated to the Right Honourable Philip Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery. For the Plot, fee Writers of those times, as Guicciardine, L. 5, 6. Mariana L. 27, 28. Sr. Paul Ricaut's Continuation of Platina, in the Reign of Pope Alexander the VI.

Conftantine the Great, a Tragedy acted at the Theatre-Royal by their Majefties Servants, printed 40. Lond. 1684. Many are the Authors that have writ the Actions of this Illuftrious Emperor, as Socrates, Sozomen, Eufebius, Zonaras, Eutropius, Ruffinus, Baronius,&c. The Story of Crifpus and Faufta, is particularly related (as I think) in Ammianus Marcellinus: See befides Beard's Theatre of God's Judgements, Ch. 13. p. 225.

Gloriana, the Court of Auguftus Cæfar, a Tragedy in Heroick Verfe, acted at the Theatre-Royal by their Majefties Servants, printed 4o. Lond. 1676. and dedicated to her Grace the Dutchefs of Portsmouth. The Plot I take to be rather founded on Romance than Hiftory, as the Reader will find by comparing the Play with the Romance of Cleopatra, in the feveral Stories of Cafario, Marcellus and Julia; Part 1.Book 3. Part 5. Book 3. Ovid, Cypallis and Fu lia, Part 7. Book 3. A Modern Poet, in a Satyr writ in Imitation of Sir John Suckling's Seffion of the Poets, writes thus of our Author and this Play (1):

́ ́ (£) Rochester's Poems, p.111.

Nat

Nat Lee ftept in next, in hopes of a Prize,
Apollo remember'd he had hit Once in Thrice;
By the Rubies in's Face, he could not deny,
But he had as much Wit,as Wine could Jupply;
Confeft that indeed he had a Mufical Note,
But fometimes ftrain'd fo hard, that it rattled
i' th' Throat;

Tet own'd be bad Senfe,t' encourage him for 't,
He made him his Ovid in Auguftus's Court.

Lucius Junius Brutus, Father of his Country, a Tragedy, acted at the Duke's Theatre, by their Royal Highneffes Servants; printed 40. Lond. 1681. and dedicated to the Right Honourable Charles, Earl of Dorfet and Middlefex. This Play well deferv'd fo great a Patron as his Lordship, few Plays that I know, being writ with more Manly Spirit, Force and Vigour. For the Plot our Author has partly follow'd Hiftory, partly Romance: For Hiftory, confult Floras Lib.1. Ch.9,10. Livy Lib. 1. Dionyfius Hallicarnafæus, Eutropius, Sextus Rufus, Orofius, &c. For Fiction, read in the Romance called Clelia, The Hiftory of Junius Brutus, Part 2, Book 1. p. 170. Part 3. Book 1.

P. 229.

Mallacre of Paris, a Tragedy aed at the Theatre-Royal, by their Majefties Servants, printed 40. Lond. 1690. This Play is founded on that Bloody Maffacre which was acted on St. Bartholomew Day, in the Year 1572. For the Story, confult Thuanus, Davila, Lib. s. Pierre Matthieu, or, (as fome fay) Monliard his Continuation of De Serres, Mezeray and other X 2

Hi

Hiftorians in the Reign of Charles the IX. Several paffages in the Duke of Guife, are borrow'd from this Play, as the Reader may find by comparing p. 6. of the former, with P. 4. of the latter, p.11.with p. 5. p. 13. with 6, &c.

P. S. and Mithridates King of Pontus, a Tragedy,acted at the Theatre-Royal, by their Majefties Servants; printed 40. Lond. 1678. and dedicated to the Right Honourable Charles Earl of Dorfet and Middlefex. This Play may be reckon'd amongst thofe of the First-Rank, and will always be a Favourite of the Tender-hearted Ladies. It is founded on History: See Appian de Bell. Mithrid. Florus 1.3.c.s. Vell. Paterculus, 1. 2. Plutarch in the Lives of Scylla, Lucullus and Pompey, &c.

Nero Emperor of Rome his Tragedy, acted at the Theatre-Royal by his Majefties Servants; printed 4°. Lond. 1675. and dedicated to the Right Honble the Earl of Rochefter. This Play is writ in a mixt Stile, part in Profe,part in Rime, and part in Blank Verfe. For the Plot, confult Suetonius in his Life; Aurelius Victor; Tacitus Ann. lib. 13,14, &c. Sulpicius Severus, &c.

42.

Princefs of Cleve, a Tragi-comedy, acted at the Queen Theatre in Dorfet Garden; printed Lond. 89. and dedicated to the Right Honourable Charles Earl of Dorfet and Middlefex, Lord Chamberlain of his prefent Majesty's Houfhold, and one of his Majefties moft Honourable Privy Council. This Play is founded on a Romance call'd The Princefs of Cleves, tranflated from the French. The Invective

against