An account of the English dramatick poets, or, Some observations and remarks on the lives and writings of all those that have publish'd either comedies, tragedies, tragi-comedies, pastorals, masques, interludes, farces or opera's in the English tongue by Gerard Langbaine.

Thomas NEWTON.

An Author that liv'd in the Reign of Que•••• Elizabeth; and joyn'd with Jasper Heywood, and Alexander Nevil above-named and others, in the Translation of Seneca's Tragedies. Tho' our Author translated but one Play, yet he pub∣lished all the Ten; and dedicated them to Sir Thomas Henage, Treasurer of her Majesties Chamber. The Play which our Author has render'd into English, is intituled

Thebais, a Tragedy. This by some is be∣lieved not to be Seneca's; because in this Tra∣gedy Jocasta appears alive, and in Oedipus she is kill'd: and it is not likely that he would w••ite two Drammas, that should so very much differ in the Catastrophe. But if it be Seneca's, 'tis the shortest of his Tragedies, and has no Chorus; and is said by One,* 1.1 to be Perpetuum Canticum, nullis diverbiis incorruptum.

I know not how Mr. Philipsg 1.2 came to

[illustration]

[illustration]

THOMAS OTWAY.

ascribe Tamburlaine the Great to this Author; for tho' Marloe's Name be not printed in the Title-page, yet both in Mr. Kirkman's and my former Catalogue printed 1680. his Name is prefix'd.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Toysii Collect. Comm. in Trag. Senec.
• g 1.2

  Pag. 182.