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This tragedy is a translation from the French,2 by the Rev. James Miller, who possessed the living of Upcerne, in Dorsetshire. He was a very extraordinary man—a political writer, who refused a large bribe, to abandon his opinions, and favour ministers of state.3
A second instance of political firmness is connected with this drama. On its first representation, on the Dublin stage, a few sentences in the part of Alcanor, had such accidental allusion to some great men, or man, then in power in that nation, that the audience, enraptured upon the utterance, and willing to show their own implication, encored those lines with such unanimous vehemence, that the performer thought it his duty to repeat them, in compliance with their desire.4
The late Mr. Sheridan, father of the author of "The School for Scandal,"5 was, at that time, manager of the theatre of Dublin, in which adventure, all his property, all his hopes, were embarked; yet, he boldly censured the actor, who had yielded to the command of the audience, and forbade a repetition of b 2[Page 4]any speech in the part of Alcanor, however loudly it might be called for, on the following night.
Mr. Sheridan knew the predicament in which he was placed; he knew the fury of an exasperated audience in Ireland—he knew their power over all his possessions; yet, firm in his politics, he beheld, on the next evening, his theatre totally demolished, and his own life in danger, without revoking the peremptory order he had issued.6
But upon higher ground is this tragedy worthy of note: it is, in the original, the production of Voltaire—has deep interest—and some of the happiest thoughts of that celebrated writer are here delivered by the renowned, or affecting personages introduced; whilst tumultuous passions, of various tendency, give energy to every sentence.
The action of this drama commences just a few years after the foundation of the Mahometan empire; and, as there are many allusions in the course of the work to the preceding part of the Imposter's life, a short detail from history, of previous events, may enliven the reader's memory, and increase his attention to the scenes which follow.
Mahomet, the founder of a religion, which soon became, and still continues to be, the prevailing religion of the East, was born in 570, at Mecca, a city of Arabia. His parents were poor, and, having both died in his early age, the guardianship of their orphan devolved on an uncle, who employed him to go with his caravans, from Mecca to Damascus.7
In this employment of camel-driver, Mahomet con-[Page 5]tinued till he was twenty-eight years of age, when he married a rich widow.8 Whether riches first inspired him with ambition, or ambition had induced him to marry for wealth, has not been determined; but, no sooner did he find himself elevated above his original rank in society, than he formed the mighty plan of subjugating the whole Eastern world to his dominion.
Mahomet, perhaps, falsely conceived, that imposition was the basis, on which all governments were built; and that, instead of being singular in his conduct, he merely followed the examples of other law-givers, when he became sanctified in appearance, and when he boldly spoke of prodigies, by which he was invested with sovereign power from Heaven, both as a king and prophet.
Whatever were his notions of past events, he formed an accurate judgment of the future—he foresaw that an imposter might be obeyed—adored;—and that no extravagance of mystery or miracle, was too wonderful, or too ridiculous, for a people's belief.
Though Mahomet was too illiterate to write his own sacred laws in his divine book, the Koran, he possessed the knowledge to tell a surprising tale of its being entrusted to his hands by an Angel from heaven;—which incredible occurrence had more power in gaining him proselytes, than all the moral precepts gathered from the jewish and christian scriptures, with which the learned men whose services he purchased, had adorned this work.9
No sooner was the supposed prophet followed, and b 3[Page 6]his creed accepted by the poor and ignorant, than, like most innovators, he was accused of profanation, by the rich and the wise.—To escape the punishment of the enraged senate at Mecca, he took refuge in Medina; there, first established his temporal, as well as his spiritual power, and taught, that his doctrines were to be enforced by the sword.10
Mecca, and all the jewish Arabs, were the first who experienced the cruel progress of the Impostor's faith. In vanquishing all Arabia, twice he besieged the city of his birth-place, some years elapsing between the attacks.—On his second assault upon Mecca it is, that this tragedy opens, with one of its first citizens and senators—Alcanor.