he breathes out fire and slaughter against all who oppose him, as Jonson has him do, for instance, in the furious rant of 4. 640-658. The character of Cethegus is also quite after Seneca's manner. A final and convincing proof that Jonson had an eye to Seneca is the imitation of Thyestes in the very opening lines of Catiline.1 8. Catiline in the Drama Catiline has been a much more ancient and popular dramatic figure than has been commonly supposed. Even before the appearance in 1470 of the editio princeps of Sallust, there was performed at Florence the Istoria Fiorentina of Ricordano Malespinis, a dramatic chronicle beginning with Adam, and including such other wellknown mythological characters as Electra, Dardanus, Hercules, etc. The thirteenth section of this rather monumental performance treated of Catiline and 'della congiura, che fe Catellino con certi Romani.' From all reports, however, Malespinis' treatment of history was, to say the least, highly fanciful, as Attila (!) plays a prominent part in the plot.2 Preceding Ben Jonson's play came at least two English Catiline-dramas. About 1578 Stephen Gosson produced Catillins Conspiracies, a tragedy. Gosson was a sturdy Puritan, and put out a tract against the stage, The School of Abuse, in 1579. However, as he says in that pamphlet, tragedies are 'tollerable at sometyme,' and this one, 'a Pig of myne owne Sowe' as he styles it, he frankly confesses to be of that sort. This play is unfortunately lost, as is also another, mentioned in Mr. Henslowe's MSS., Catiline's Conspiracy, by Robert 1 See Notes. 2 For a full discussion of this, see Hermann B. G. Speck, Katilina im Drama der Weltliteratur. Wilson and Harry Chettle, acted in 1598. As Gifford ably argues, however, Jonson's use of original authorities is so marked that it is highly improbable that he owed anything to either of these productions. Catiline by no means ceased to be an attractive figure with the appearance of Jonson's drama. In Dr. Speck's Katilina im Drama der Weltliteratur, a Katilina is recorded as late as 1905. Dr. Speck gives a list, thirty-nine titles in all, of plays dealing with Catiline, which is here reproduced, with occasional restoration of an original language. Stephen Gosson, Catillins Conspiracies. Before 1579. R. Wilson und H. Chettle, Catiline's Conspiracy. 1598. Ben Jonson, Catiline his Conspiracy. 1611. Rhetorische Sallustübung, am Magdalenæum zu Breslau. 1658. Actus Oratorius Sallustianus, zu Görlitz. 1669. Conjuracion de Catilina (Spanish; undated; anonymous). Fénelon, Dialogues des Morts. 1710. The Conspirators, or the Case of Catiline. 1721. P. J. Crébillon, Catilina. 1748. Cargula, Parodia del Catilina, trag. de Crébillon. 1749. Catilina, Ambitionis Victima. Salzburg. 1749. Voltaire, Rome Sauvée (Catilina). 1754. E. v. Kleist, Charon und Katilina. 1759. Karl B. Stieff, Catilina am Elilzabetan zu Breslau. 1782. J. G. Casti, Catilina. Before 1792 (opera). A. von Perglas, Katilina. 1808. J. O. Rauscher, Katilina. 1813. Croly, Catilina. 1822. Grillparzer, Katilina. Circa 1822. Catiline. 1823 (historical tragedy by the anonymous author of The Indian merchant). H. von Schmid, Katilina. 1824. A. E. Guichard, Catilina Romantique. 1844. Dumas-Maquet, Catilina. 1848. H. Ibsen, Katilina. 1850. F. Kürnberger, Katilina. 1855. Karl Schroeder, Die Verschwörung des Katilina. 1855. H. Lingg, Katilina. 1864. H. zu Ysentorff, Videant. 1899. S. Lublinski, Der Imperator. 1901 (a Cæsar-drama, H. Eulenberg, Künstler und Katilinarier. 1902. Adolf Bartels, Katilina. 1905. The Conspirators, or the Case of Catiline, which is quoted anonymously in the above list, has been inserted by mistake. This was not a play, but a very indifferent historical essay, culled for the most part from Sallust, by one Thomas Gordon. To the above list should be added a Latin play in MS., Catilina Triumphans, of uncertain date, probably circa 1595. Of the plays mentioned in this list, I have been able personally to examine only those by Crébillon, Voltaire, Croly, and Dumas-Maquet. None of these hae much in common with Jonson, nor, indeed, with history. In Crébillon's drama, Cicero is so far entrapped by Catiline's wiles as to entrust him with a command in the army; and at the end, Catiline commits suicide in the temple of Tellus, in company with Cicero's daughter Tullia, whom he loves. In Voltaire's play, Aurelia is a lovable woman, totally ignorant of Catiline's baseness, who dies from a broken heart on discovering in her husband the murderer of her father and the betrayer of his country; and the dénouement is brought about by Cæsar, who, refusing to join the conspirators, commands in the battle that subdues them. In Croly's production (quite a readable one, by the way), Catiline is at first well-meaning, but is urged on by his wife, who somewhat resembles Lady Macbeth; in the final scene, Catiline dies just as he has been informed that his troops have swept all before them. In the joint work by Dumas-Maquet-a very spirited and rapid piece, but wildly romantic-the prologue presents Catiline's rape of a vestal; later, Cicero plans to murder Catiline for the good of Rome, and Catiline is saved, just in the nick of time, by Charinus, his newly found son by the vestal; Cicero wins his election to the consulship through a rank fraud performed by Fulvia, who loves him; Aurelia, a veritable devil, discovering the existence of Charinus, kills him, and pours his blood into the pledge-cup of the conspirators; and Catiline, on discovering this horrible deed, takes his life. The play by Ibsen, one of several Catiline-dramas resulting from the 'March-Revolution' of 1848, I have, unfortunately, not been able to find in translation. That it bears any relation to Jonson, however, I consider improbable. D. CRITICAL ESTIMATES 'Starke Stilisierung zeigt sich in der Charakteristik der Personen. Jonson hat eine eigenartige aber auf medizinischen Anschauungen der Renaissancezeit beruhende Theorie der Charaktere, die der sogenannten "humours", worunter das einseitige Hervortreten einer Eigenschaft zu verstehen ist. Dies macht sich auch im Katilina bis in die Nebenpersonen hinein bemerkbar. Katilina ist immer und überall der gleiche energische, wild auf sein Ziel losstürmende Gewaltmensch, eine Entwicklung und Steigerung findet kaum statt. Cethegus ist stets der Draufgänger, Lentulus kommt immer und immer wieder mit seiner Weissagung und seinem Aberglauben, selbst den Allobrogern tischt er ihn auf. Sempronia führt unausgesetzt ihr Griechisch im Munde, und Cicero hält lange Reden, wo er geht und steht. Es ist aber nicht gerechtfertigt das so scharf zu tadeln, wie Sägelken es tut, denn jede Stilisierung-und auf eine solche geht Jonson offenbar aus-beruht auf einer Herausarbeitung des Wesentlichen unter Auslassung des Nebensächlichen und tut somit in gewissem Sinne der Natur Gewalt an. Da es dem Dichter zudem in Komödie wie Tragödie auf eine Darstellung von Typen und allgemeinen Zuständen ankam, so erscheint sein Verfahren ganz richtig. Auch darf man nicht vergessen, dass die Charaktere durch diese Vereinfachung an Wucht und Gewalt gewinnen, was sie an naturalistischer Lebenswahrheit verlieren. 'Katilina erscheint denn auch bei Jonson als eine ins Riesenhafte gesteigerte Verbrechernatur, deren Berechtigung eben, wie schon in der Einleitung hervorgehoben wurde, in der überwältigenden Macht ihres Auftretens liegt. Dabei hat der Dichter eigentlich nichts getan, um ihm würdige Gegner zu geben. Denn Cicero |