The Preface.
out all that was Superfluous: And this the rather, because I had several Lives and Remarks to add to this Edition, which he cou'd give no Account of, some of the Authors having appear'd since his time, and others, by the Advantage of the ingenious Mr. Ash's admirable Collection of English Plays, I have met with, which he never saw; all which has render'd this more Perfect in its Kind than his cou'd be: besides, writing after him, I have endeavoured to avoid his Faults, and preserve his Beauties.
Next I have to inform the Reader, that the following Piece is not writ all by one Hand, as will, I believe, be perceived in the Reading. And lastly, I find on the perusal of it, something in the Book, which I must differ from in the Preface, and that is in the Account of Mr. Oldmixon's Amintas, where 'tis remark'd, that Pastoral is a Modern Invention, when in reality, the Ancients had a sort of Dramatick Performance not unlike it, that is, their Satyrs, which might be said to be something of a nature with our Pastoral; but if we may guess at what is lost by what remains of that kind, it was also something different. In the Cyclops of Euripides, we find the Shepherds were the major part of the Dramatis Personæ; for such was Polyphemus, Silenus, and the Chorus: But the Character of Ulysses hightned the Play, and gives a greater Force to the Passions; 'tis not the Love of Polyphemus, but his Cruelty we see; and the Dexterity and Wisdom of Ulysses. Of this sort of Poem, Mr. Dacier in his Preface to the Satyrs of Horace, will give you something a fuller Account. And as this takes its Rise from Antiquity, so Farce, in some Measure, may derive it self from the Pantomimi; at least that sort of Farce which the Italian Players in Paris us'd to act; tho' the Mimi and the Pantomimi were esteem'd for their admirable Expression of Nature in Action and Dancing; but our Farce is something beyond Nature, and Extravagant to a Degree of Nauseousness, to all good judges.
I have lately read Mr. Congreve's Love for Love over, and am of Opinion, that the Contrivance of the Marriage of Tattle and Mrs. Frail is highly probable, tho' the Reflections on that Play do seem not to admit it as absolutely so.
Lastly, I have to advertise the Reader, that on the Perusal of the last Sheets of this Book, I found that in the Remark on Beauty in Distress, one of my Assistants has seem'd to imply, that the Author is more a Comick than Tragick Poet; I cannot agree with him, for I think 'tis an extraordinary Effort for the first Undertaking in Tragedy, in which most have fail'd in their first Attempt: I say this, least any thing my Friend said, should seem a lessening of that Performance of the Author, which he assures me he never meant.
