Os Machabeos: tragedia de Mr. Houder de la Motte, traduzida em verso portuguez por João Baptista Gomes.

Lisbon, na Impressão Regia, 1813.. 8°, early plain pink wrappers (faded, some wear). Wood-engraved royal arms of Portugal above publisher's initials on title page. Uncut. Title page soiled and with a small hole (touching a letter on verso). Significant dampstains at fore-edges to p. 32 and over most of final quire. Overall in good condition. 74 pp. *** Second edition in Portuguese; it first appeared in Porto, 1803. There were third and fourth editions in Portuguese, Lisbon 1830 and 1832. The volume includes a dedication to Francisco de Almada e Mendonça written in verse, by the translator. The play takes place in Antioch.Antoine Houdar de la Motte (Paris, 1672-1731) wrote texts for operas and ballets, including the enormously popular Inès de Castro, 1723. In the battle of the ancients vs. moderns, he was a champion of the moderns.Before he died at an early age, João Baptista Gomes Junior (d. 1803), a native of Porto, published two translations of tragedies and composed Nova Castro, an enormously popular drama that went through many editions. The first, judging from Porbase, was Lisbon, 1806. Innocêncio notes that Gomes is sometimes called the first Portuguese tragedian: "porém este conceito accusa ou notavel parcialidade, ou mui pouca intelligencia e conhecimento da arte em quem o aventou." Almeida Garrett wrote of Nova Castro "D'entre os bastos defeitos d'essa tragedia sobresaem muitas bellezas."*** Gonçalves Rodrigues, A Tradução em Portugal 3060. Innocêncio III, 305: listing editions of Porto, 1803 and Lisbon, 1813; on the author, see also X, 174. Porbase locates 3 copies, all at the Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal. Copac lists only a Lisbon, (1830?) edition at the British Library. NUC: DLC.