love of country) by which they were often dignified, and, at times, redeemed.

The historical drama is the concentration of historical events. In the attempt to place upon the stage the picture of an era, that license with dates and details, which Poetry permits, and which the highest authorities in the drama of France herself have sanctioned, has been, though not unsparingly, indulged. The conspiracy of the Duc de Bouillon is, for instance, amalgamated with the dénouement of The Day of Dupes;* and circumstances connected with the treason of Cinq Mars (whose brilliant youth and gloomy catastrophe tend to subvert poetic and historic justice, by seducing us to forget his base ingratitude and his perfidious apostasy) are identified with the fate of the earlier favorite, Baradas,† whose sudden rise and as sudden fall passed into a proverb. I ought to add, that the noble romance of "Cinq Mars" suggested one of the scenes

* "Le Cardinal se croit perdu, et prépare sa retraite. Ses amis lui conseillent de tenter enfin auprès du Roi un nouvel effort. Le Cardinal va trouver le Roi à Versailles. Le Roi, qui avait sacrifié son ministre par faiblesse, se remit par faiblesse entre ses mains et il lui abandonne ceux qui l'avaient perdu. Ce jour qui est encore à present appellé La Journée des Dupes, fut celui du pouvoir absolu du Cardinal."— VOLTAIRE, Hist. Gen.

† "En six mois il (le Roi) fit (Baradas) premier Ecuyer, premier Gentilhomme de la Chambre, Capitaine de St. Germain, et Lieutenant de Roi, en Champagne. En moins de temps encore, on lui ôta tout, et des débris de sa grandeur, à peine lui resta-t-il de quoi payer ses dettes: de sorte que pour signifier une grande fortune dissipée aussi qu'acquise on disait en commun proverbe, Fortune de Baradas." -ANQUETIL.

in the fifth act; and that for the, conception of some portion of the intrigue connected with De Mauprat and Julie, I am, with great alterations of incident, and considerable if not entire reconstruction of character, indebted to an early and admirable novel by the author of "Picciola."*

LONDON, March, 1839.

* It may be as well, however, to caution the English reader against some of the impressions which the eloquence of both the writers I refer to are calculated to leave. They have exaggerated the more evil, and have kept out of sight the nobler qualities of the Cardinal.

NOTE.

THE length of the Play necessarily requires curtailments on the Stage, the principal of which are enclosed within brackets. Many of the passages thus omitted, however immaterial to the audience, must obviously be such as the reader would be least inclined to dispense with, - viz. those which, without being absolutely essential to the business of the Stage, contain either the subtler strokes of character, or the more poetical embellishments of description. An important consequence of these suppressions is, that Richelieu himself is left, too often and too unrelievedly, to positions which place him in an amiable light, without that shadowing forth of his more sinister motives and his fiercer qualities, which is attempted in the written play. Thus, the character takes a degree of credit due only to the situation. To judge the Author's conception of Richelieu fairly, and to estimate how far it is consistent with historical portraiture, the Play must be read.

ΤΟ

THE MARQUIS OF LANSDOWNE, K. G.,

&c. &c.,

THIS DRAMA

IS INSCRIBED,

IN TRIBUTE TO THE TALENTS WHICH COMMAND, AND THE QUALITIES WHICH ENDEAR, RESPECT.

1

DRAMATIS PERSONE.

LOUIS THE THIRTEENTH.

GASTON, DUKE OF ORLEANS, brother to Louis the Thirteenth. BARADAS, favorite of the King, First Gentleman of the Chamber, Premier Ecuyer, &c.

CARDINAL RICHELIEU.

THE CHEVALIER DE MAUPRAT.

THE SIEUR DE BERINGHEN, in attendance on the King,*

one of the Conspirators.

JOSEPH, a Capuchin, Richelieu's confidant.

HUGUET, an officer of Richelieu's household guard, — a Spy.

FRANÇOIS, First Page to Richelieu.

FIRST COURTIER.

CAPTAIN OF THE ARCHERS.

FIRST, SECOND, THIRD SECRETARIES OF STATE.

GOVERNOR OF THE BASTILE.

GAOLER.

Courtiers, Pages, Conspirators, Officers, Soldiers, &c.

JULIE DE MORTEMAR, an Orphan, ward to Richelieu. MARION DE LORME, Mistress to Orleans, but in Richelieu's pay.

* Properly speaking, the King's First Valet de Chambre, — a post of great importance at that time.

RICHELIEU:

OR,

THE CONSPIRACY.

ACT I.

FIRST DAY.

SCENE I. A room in the house of MARION DE LORME; a table towards the front of the stage (with wine, fruits, &c.), at which are seated BARADAS, Four Courtiers, splendidly dressed in the costume of 1641-2; - the DUKE OF ORLEANS reclining on a large fauteuil ; - MARION DE LORME standing at the back of his chair, offers him a goblet, and then retires. At another table, DE BERINGHEN, DE MAUPRAT, playing at dice; other Courtiers, of inferior rank to those at the table of the Duke, looking on.

ORLEANS (drinking).

HERE's to our enterprise!

BARADAS (glancing at MARION).

Hush, Sir!

ORLEANS (aside).

Nay, Count,

You may trust her; she doats on me; no house
So safe as Marion's. *[At our statelier homes

* The passages enclosed in brackets are omitted in representatation.