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"English language in them arrived to its highest "perfection; what words have fince been taken "in, being rather superfluous, than neceffary.”.

Philafter has always been esteemed one of the beft productions of Beaumont and Fletcher; and, we are told by Dryden, was the firft play that brought them into great reputation. The beauties of it are indeed fo ftriking and fo various, that our authors might in this play almost be faid to rival Shakespeare, were it not for the many evident marks of imitation of his manner. The late editors of Beaumont and Fletcher conceive, that the poets meant to delineate, in the character of Philafter, a Hamlet racked with the jealoufy of Othello; and there are several paffages, in this play, where the authors have manifeftly taken fire from fimilar circumstances and expreffions in Shakespeare, particularly fome, that will readily occur to the reader as he goes along, from Othello, Hamlet, Cymbeline, and Lear.

To remove the objections to the performance of this excellent play on the modern stage, has been the chief labour, and fole ambition, of the prefent editor. It may be remembered, that the Spanish Curate, the Little French Lawyer, and Scornful Lady of our authors, as well as the Silent Woman

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of Jonson, all favourite entertainments of our predeceffors, have, within these few years, encountered the feverity of the pit, and received sentence of condemnation. That the uncommon merit of fuch a play as Philafter might be univerfally ac knowledged and received, it appeared neceffary to clear it of ribaldry and obscenity, and to amend a grofs indecency in the original conftitution of the fable, which must have checked the fuccefs due to the reft of the piece, nay, indeed, was an infuperable obstacle to its representation.

But though the inaccuracies and licentioufnefs of the piece were inducements (according to the incudi reddere of Horace) to put it on the anvil again, yet nothing has been added more than was abfolutely neceffary, to make it move easily on the new hinge, whereon it now turns: Nor has any thing been omitted, except what was fuppofed to have been likely to obfcure its merit, or injure its fuccefs. The pen was drawn, without the least hefitation, over every fcene now expunged, except the first scene of the third act, as it ftands in the original; in regard to which, the part, that Philafter fuftains in it, occafioned fome paufe: But, on examination, it feemed that Dion's falfification of facts in that fcene was inconfiftent with the reft

of

of his character, though very natural in fuch a perfon as Megra: And though we have in our times feen the fudden and inftantaneous tranfitions from one paffion to another remarkably well reprefented on the ftage, yet Philafter's emotions. appeared impoffible to be exhibited with any conformity to truth or nature. It was therefore

thought advifable to omit the whole fcene: and it is hoped, that this omiffion will not be difapproved; and that it will not appear to have left any void or chafm in the action; fince the imputed falfhood of Arethufa, after being fo industriously made publick to the whole court, might very naturally be imagined to come to the knowledge of Philafter, in a much shorter interval than is often supposed to elapfe between the acts, or even between the fcenes of fome of our old plays.

The fcenes in the fourth act, wherein Philafter, according to the original play, wounds Arcthufa and Bellario, and from which the piece took its fecond title of Love Lies A-bleeding, have always been cenfured by the criticks. They breathe too much of that fpirit of blood, and cruelty, and horror, of which the English Tragedy hath often been accufed. The hero's wounding his miftrefs hurt the delicacy of moft; and his maiming Bellario B 4

fleeping,

fleeping, in order to fave himself from his purfuers, offended the generofity of all. This part of the fable, therefore, so injurious to the character of Philafter, it was judged abfolutely requifite to alter; and a new turn has been given to all those circumftances: But the change has been effected by fuch fimple means, and with so much reverence to the original, that there are hardly ten lines added on account of the alteration.

The reft of the additions or alterations may be feen at once by comparing the prefent play with the original; if the reader does not, on fuch occafions, of himself too eafily difcover the patchwork of a modern hand.

There is extant in the works of the duke of Buckingham, who wrote the Rehearsal, and altered the Chances, an alteration of this play, under the title of the Restoration, or Right will take Place. The duke feems to have been very ftudious to disguise the piece, the names of the dramatis perfone, as well as the title, being entirely changed; and the whole piece, together with the prologue and epilogue, feeming intended to carry the air of an oblique political fatire on his own times. However that may be, the duke's play is as little (if not lefs) calculated for the present stage, as the origi

nal

nal of our authors. The character of Thrafomond (for fo the duke calls the Spanish Prince) is much more ludicrous than the Pharamond of Beaumont and Fletcher. Few of the indecencies or obfcenities in the original are removed; and with what delicacy the adventure of Megra is managed, may be determined from the following fpecimen of his grace's alteration of that circumftance, fcarce a word of the following extract being to be found in Beaumont and Fletcher.

Enter the guard, bringing in Thrafomond, in drawers, muffled up in a cloak,

Guard. Sir, in obedience to your commands, We ftopt this fellow stealing out of doors.

[They pull off his cloak.

Agremont. Who's this? the prince!

Cleon. Yes; he is incognito.

King. Sir; I must chide you for this loofeness: You've wrong'd a worthy lady; but no more.. Thraf, Sir, I came hither but to take the air. Clean. A witty rogue, I warrant him. Agremont. Ay, he's a devil at his anfwers. › King. Conduct him to his lodgings.

If to move the paffions of pity and terror are the two chief ends of Tragedy, there needs no apology

for

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