The only serious poetical work of Cyrano is his tragedy of _Agrippine, veuve de Germanicus_, written at some time in the forties, played in 1653, and published in 1654. The statement, repeated categorically by Mr. Sidney Lee in his recent Life of Shakespeare, that "Cyrano de Bergerac plagiarized 'Cymbeline,' 'Hamlet,' and 'The Merchant of Venice' in his 'Agrippina,'" has not the slightest foundation. There are no resemblances, either superficial or essential, on which to base it, and it is altogether improbable that Cyrano even knew of Shakespeare's existence. The subject of Agrippine is similar to that of Corneille's _Cinna_--a conspiracy under the Roman Empire. There are no resemblances to Corneille's work in the details of the plot, but in general spirit the play is what we call Cornelian, partly because Corneille was the only one who possessed this spirit of the epoch with sufficient creative and individual power to compel the attention of posterity. Cyrano, once more, just missed this. But his play is worthy not only to be ranked with the best dramas of any of his contemporaries except Corneille, but even to be at least compared with Corneille's better work (except perhaps the _Cid_ and _Polyeucte_). The play is not thoroughly well constructed, and so misses something of dramatic effectiveness, though by no means missing it entirely; but it is as well constructed as Corneille's _Cinna_, and better than his Horace to take examples only among his greatest plays. It has no scene to compare with that of the clemency of Augustus in _Cinna_, no character-study so fine as that of the different sentiments of Augustus. But it approaches, though it does not quite attain, the heroics of _Horace_. It is full of exaggeration so is Corneille; and of an exaggeration that sometimes becomes burlesque as in Corneille; but it is an exaggeration that is high and heroic, like Corneille's. And the high and heroic sometimes as in a line like this: Et puis, mourir n'est rien; c'est achever de naître-- sometimes, but too rarely, drops its exaggeration to become simple as simple as real heroism, which is the simplest thing in the world. Except real genius. Real genius is, finally, the essential thing, which Cyrano once more just missed attaining missed just by the lack of that simplicity, perhaps. But exaggeration, sometimes carried to the burlesque, is the essential trait which makes him what he is; and we cannot wish it away. CURTIS HIDDEN PAGE. NOTE ON THE TRANSLATION.