FRENCH CLASSICS A SELECTION OF PLAYS BY CORNEILLE, MOLIÈRE, AND RACINE EDITED WITH ENGLISH NOTES BY GUSTAVE MASSON, B. A. UNIV. GALLIC. VOLUME II Andromaque, a Tragedy by Racine Le Menteur, a Comedy by Corneille Oxford AT THE CLARENDON PRESS M. DCCC. LXIX [All rights reserved] 1135 749014 A 490.14/ 1886 June 22 11, French Dept. Library, 657/7X Harvard niversity, Gift of Herbert Timmins of th the senior class 1885-86 3737 رض HARVARD SEP 9 1955 INTRODUCTION. A Glance at the French Drama from the earliest Epoch to the Times of Pierre Corneille. THE question of the origin of the French theatre is one which has been more than once treated, and respect- 5 ing which scarcely anything new remains to be said. The brothers Parfait were the first to discuss it fully: the interesting history they have composed on the subject, although not very artistically written, perhaps, is still justly considered an excellent authority, and they can claim the 10 merit, at any rate, of opening the way in which Messrs. Suard, Onésime Leroy, Charles Magnin, Francisque Michel, and Charles Louandre have subsequently trodden with such success. In prefacing this new instalment of the Clarendon Press 15 Series with some remarks on the history of French dramatic literature down to the time of Corneille, we shall not attempt to do more than borrow from the works of the distinguished critics just named; thus guided, we shall feel confident of not going astray, and our task will be simply 20 to condense within the compass of a few pages the erudition scattered over thirty or forty volumes. The earliest dramatic performances on record were essentially of a religious character. About the end of the sixth century both the games of the circus and the coarse plays 25 popularized by the Romans had completely disappeared under the censure of the Church, and in their stead a species of b |