IF it be true, what Aristotle Poet. c. 10. that great Philosopher, and Father of Criticism, has own'd, that the Stage might in­struct Mankind better than Philosophy it self. If Homer was thought by Horace Erist. 2. ad Lol­lium. to exceed Crantor and Chry­stippus, in the Precepts of Morality; and if Sophocles and Euripides, obtained the title of Wise, for their Dramatich Writing, certainly it can be no discredit for any man to own himself a lover of that sort of Poetry, which has been stiled, The School of Vertue and good Manners? I know there have been many severe Cato's who have endeavoured all they could, to decry the use of the Stage; but those who please to consult the Writings of the Learned Dr. Ga­ger, Albericus Gentiles, Sir Philip Sidney, Sir Richard Baker, Heywood, the Poet and Actor both in one; not to mention several o­thers, as the famous Scaliger, Monsieur Hedelin, Rapin, &c. will find their Objections fully answered, and the Diversion of the Theatre sufficiently vindicated. I shall therefore without any Apology, pub­lickly own, that my inclination to this kind of Poetry in particular, has lead me not onely to the view of most of our Modern Represen­tations on the Stage, but also to the purchase of all the Plays I could meet with, in the English Tongue; and indeed I have been Master of above Nine Hundred and Fourscore English Plays and Masques, besides Drolls and Interludes; and having read most of them, I think am able to give some tollerable account of the greatest part of our Dramatick Writers, and their Productions.

The general Use of Catalogues, and the esteem they are in at pre­sent, is so well known, that it were to waste Paper to expatiate on it: I shall therefore onely acquaint my Reader, that I designed this Catalogue for their use, who may have the same relish of the Dram­ma with my self; and may possibly be desirous, either to make a Collection, or at least have the curiosity to know in general, what [Page] has been Publish't in our Language, as likewise to receive some Re­marks on the Writings of particular Men.

The Reasons that induc'd me to the publishing this Catalogue, were these: First, That the former Catalogues were out of Print. Secondly, That they were all of them full of gross Errours. Third­ly, That they were not, as I thought, so Methodical as this which I have now made; wherein the Reader will find the Imperfections I observed in the former Catalogues, amended; all the Plays which have been Printed since 1680, to this present time, added; with several Remarks, which whether or no observed, I cannot tell, but never pub­lished by any Author till now.

To begin then first with the Errours of former Catalogues, they are chiefly Five:

First, There were Plays inserted in all of them, which were never in Print; as for Brevity's sake, to give one instance for many, The Amorous Widow, and Wanton Wife, a Comedy. This is a Stock-Play, and was written (if not Translated from Mollieres George Dandin) by Mr. Batterton.

Secondly, Some Plays were omitted, which had been Printed ve­ry long ago; as, Cola's Fury, and Lirenda's Misery. Written by Henry Burkhead. The Religious Rebel; and several others.

Thirdly, Two Titles which belong'd to one and the same Play, were frequently printed, as if they had been two distinct Plays; as The Constant Maid, or Love will find out the Way. Written by Shirly. Ferex and Porex, or the Tragedy of Gorboduc. Written by Sacvile and Norton; with many others.

Fourthly, The same Title was often times printed twice, and that seperately, as if writ by two several persons; and sometimes ascrib'd to different Authors likewise; when it was onely a new Edition of the same Play; as for Example, Patient Grissel was again re­peated under the Title of Patient Grissel Old. And Appius and Virginia, written by Webster, is afterwards ascrib'd to T. B. though as the deceased Comedian Mr. Carthwright, a Bookseller by Profession, told me, 'twas onely the old Play Reprinted, and Corrected by the above-mentioned Mr. Batterton; with several others.

Fifthly, Some Plays are ascribed to one Author which were writ by another; as Celum Britanicum, a Masque, is to Sir William Davenant, though it was written by Carew and Jones. Which fault is rather to be imputed to the Publishers of Sir William Dave­nant's Workes, 1673, in Folio, than to the Compilers of the former [Page] Catalogue; who are more excusable than Mr. Phillips in his Ca­talogue of Poets, called, Theatrum Poetarum; and his Tran­scriber Winstanley, who has follow'd him at a venture in his Cha­racters of the Drammatick Writers, even to a word, in his Lives of the English Poets. Both these Authors through a mistake of the Method of former Catalogues, and their Ignorance in what Pieces each Drammatick Author had published, have fallen into very great Er­rours, as I am going to shew.

The first Catalogue that was printed of any worth, was that Col­lected by Kirkman, a London Bookseller, whose chief dealing was in Plays; which was published 1671, at the end of Nicomede, a Tragi-comedy, Translated from the French of Monsieur Corneille. This Catalogue was printed Alphabetically, as to the Names of the Plays, but promiscuously as to those of the Authors, (Shakspeare, Fletcher, Johnson, and some others of the most voluminous Authors excepted) each Authors Name being placed over against each Play that he writ, and still repeated with every several Play, till a new Author came on. About Nine Years after, the Publisher of this Ca­talogue, Reprinted Kirkman's with emendations, but in the same Form. Notwithstanding the Anonimous Plays, one would think easily distinguishable by the want of an Authors Name before them, yet have both these charitable kind Gentlemen found Fathers for them, by ranking each under the Authors Name that preceded them in the former Catalogues. Thus Charles the First is placed by them both to Nabbs; because in both the former Catalogues it followed his Co­vent-Garden: and for the same reason Cupid's Whirligig is ascri­bed by both of them to Goff; because it follow'd his Careless Shep­heardess; and so of many others, too tedious to repeat.

To prevent the like mistake for the future, and to make the Cata­logue more useful, I wholly altered the form: And yet that I might please those who delight in old Paths, I have Transcribed the same as a Second Part, after the former way of Alphabet, though more Me­thodically than formerly, as I shall shew presently.

In this New Catalogue the Reader will find the whole to be di­vided into Three distinct Classes. In the first I have placed the Declared Authours, Alphabetically, according to their Sirnames, in Italick Characters: and placed the Plays each Authour has written, underneath in Roman Letters, which are rank'd Alphabetically like­wise; so that the Reader may at one glance view each Authours La­bours. Over against each Play, is plac'd as formerly a Letter to in­dicate [Page] the nature of the Dramma: as C. for Comedy. T. for Tra­gedy. T. C. for Tragi-comedy. P. for Pastoral. O. for Opera. I. for Interlude. F. for Farce.

And for the better use of those who may design a Collection, I have added to the Letter the Volume also, (according to the best Edition) as Fol. 4^o. 8^o. against each Play that I have seen. And for their further help; where a Play is not printed single, the Reader will be directed by a Letter or Figure to the bottom of the Colume, where he will meet with Instructions how it is to be found; I mean, with what Poems or other Plays it is printed, the Year when, the Place where, and the best Edition of each Book so mentioned.

This may seem superfluous at first sight, but may possibly be no longer thought so, when I shall have acquainted my Reader, that when I was making my Collection, I found several Plays and Masks, bound up with other Poems, which by the name were scarce known to the generality of Booksellers: as for instance, Sir Robert Howard's Blind Lady; Daniel's Philotas; Carew's Coelum Britanicum; Shirley's Triumph of Beauty; with infinite o­thers. But two Plays I might particularly mention, both taken no­tice of in former Catalogues, to wit, Gripus and Hegio, a Pasto­ral; and Deorum Dona, a Masque; both which were written by Baron, and were wholly unknown to all the Booksellers of whom I happened to enquire, and which I could never have found but by chance; they being printed in a Romance called, The Cyprian Academy, in 8^o. The same I might add of The Clouds, (a Play which was never in any Catalogue before, and was translated from Aristophanes's Nubes by Stanley, and printed with his History of Philosophy, Fol. Lond. 1655. and now newly re­printed; and of several others) but that I must hasten back to give an Account of the two other Divisions of my Catalogue. The one of which contains those Plays whose Authors discover themselves but by halves, and that to their intimate Friends, by two Letters only in the Title-Page, or the bottom of their Epistle; and in the last Degree are plac'd all Anonemous Plays; and this compleats the First Part.

The Second Part contains the Catalogue Reprinted in an exact Alphabetical manner, according to the forms of Dictionaries, the Authors Names being here left out as superfluous; and against each Play is a Figure to direct you to the Page where you may find it in the First Part.

[Page]Thus much as to the Method and Alterations of this Catalogue: Now as to the Remarks, which are of three sorts; the first of use, and the other two conducing to Pleasure at least, if not to Profit likewise.

The First is to prevent my Readers being impos'd on by crafty Book­sellers, whose custom it is as frequently to vent old Plays with new Titles, as it has been the use of the Theatres to dupe the Town, by act­ing old Plays under new Names, as if newly writ, and never acted before; as, The Counterfeit Bridegroom, an old Play of Middle­ton's; The Debauchee, another of Brome's; The Match in Newgate, another of Marston's; with many more, too tedious to repeat. By these Remarks the Reader will find The Fond Lady, to be only the Amorous Old Woman, with a new Title, The Eu­nuch, to be The Fatal Contract, a Play printed above thirty years ago; with many the like.

The Second is an Essay towards a more large Account of the Ba­sis on which each Play is built, whether it be founded on any Story or Passage either in History, Chronicle, Romance, or Novel. By this means the curious Reader may be able to form a Judgment of the Poets ability in working up a Dramma, by comparing his Play with the Original Story. I have not been so large and full in this as I intend hereafter, not having by me several Chronicles and Novels, which might have been subservient to my Design, as the Chronicles of particular Countries, and the Novels of Cynthio Geraldi, Loredano, Bandello, Sansorino Belleforreste, &c. For this reason, in the Notes on several Plays which I have taken notice of, I have been forc'd to refer to the Chronicles of a Country in general, not have had time or opportunity to make an exact search what Historian the Author has chiefly follow'd, or what Author has most largely treated on that particular Action which is the subject of the Dramma. So in Novels I have been forc'd through Necessity to quote some which have been printed since the Plays were written to which they are referred: because I knew that they were extracted and collected from the Originals, whence the Plot was taken, though I had them not by me: of which I could produce many instances, were it material.

I would desire my Readers leave to make this Observation by the by, that a Drammatick Poet is not ty'd up to the Rules of Chrono­logy, or History, but is at liberty to new model a Story at his plea­sure, and to change not only the Circumstances of a true Story, but e­ven the principal Action it self. Of this opinion are most of our mo­dern [Page] Criticks; and Scaliger observes, not only that 'tis the priviledge of Epick Poets,Poetices. Lib. 1. c. 2. but also of Tragedians. Quis nescit omnibus E­picis Poetis Historiam esse pro argumento? quam illi aut ad­umbratam, aut illustratam certe alia facie quam ostendunt ex Historia conficiunt, Poema. Nam quid alius Homerus? Quid Tragicis ipsis faciemus. Sic multa Lucano ficta. Patriae Imago quae sese offerat Caesari: Pref. to Gondibert, p. 2. excitam ab Interis animam, at (que) alia talia. This instance of Lucan, makes me call to mind what Sir William Davenant says on account of the same Author, whom he blames for making choice of an Argument so near his own time, that such an Enterprize rather beseem'd an Historian, than a Poet. For (says he) wise Poets think it more worthy to seek out truth in the Passions, than to record the truth of Actions; and practise to describe mankind just as we are perswaded or guided by in­stinct, not particular persons, as they are lifted, or levelled by the force of Fate, it being nobler to contemplate the general History of Nature, than a selected Diary of Fortune. So that we see the business of a Poet is to refine upon History; and Reforma­tion of Manners is so much his business, that he is not to represent things on the Stage, as he finds them recorded in History, but as they ought to have been: and therefore we are not to make History so much the Standard and Rule of our Judgment, as Decency and Probability. For indeed, provided the Author shew Judgment in the heightning and working up of his Story, it matters not whether the Play be founded on History, or Romance, or whether the Story be his own, or another's Invention.

The last sort of Remarks, relate to Thefts: for having read most of our English Plays, as well ancient as those of latter date, I found that our modern Writers had made Incursions into the deceas'd Authors Labours, and robb'd them of their Fame. I am not a sufficient Ca­suist to determine whether that severe Sentance of Synesius be true, Magis impium Mortuorum Lucubrationes quam vestes furari; That 'tis a worse sin to steal dead mens Writings, than their Clothes: but I know that I cannot do a better service to their memory, than by taking notice of the Plagiaries, who have been so free to borrow, and to endeavour to vindicate the Fame of these ancient Authors from whom they took their Spoiles. For this reason I have observ'd what Thefts I have met with throughout the Catalogue, and have endea­vour'd a restitution to their right Owners, and a prevention of the Readers being impos'd on by the Plagiary, as the Patrons of several [Page] of our Plays have been by our Modern Poets. But none certainly has attempted it with greater confidence, than he that stiles himself the Author of The Country Innocence, or The Chambermaid turn'd Quaker: a Play which was acted and printed in the year 1677. but first publish'd many years before by its genuine Author Ant. Brewer.

It is not to those of our own Nation only, but to Forreigners also, that I have endeavour'd to do Justice. For that reason I have re­mark'd (as far as my knowledge would permit me) what has been translated or stollen from Tasso, Guarini, Bonarelli, Garnier, Scar­ron, both the Corneilles, Molliere, Rucine, Quinault, and others both French and Italians. Neither have I omitted, to my power, to do right likewise to the ancient Greek and Latin Poets, that have written in this way, as Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus, Aristo­phanes, Seneca, Plautus, Terence, &c. I must acknowledge, with regret, that these are not so well known to me as I could wish; but yet as far as my power, I have endeavour'd to do right to their Me­mories. But I dare assure my Reader, that for the future it shall be more my business to obtain a more intimate acquaintance with all worthy Strangers, as well as with my own Countrymen, so that if this Trifle should have the fortune to appear abroad a second time, it shall be more compleat and correct, than the shortness of the time, and my small acquaintance with Authors at present allow; the Catalogue be­ing in the Press, and the first sheet of it set, before I thought of adding these Remarks.

But before I quit this Paper, I desire my Readers leave to take a View of Plagiaries in general, and that we may observe the diffe­rent proceedings between the Ancients and our Modern Writers. This Art has reign'd in all Ages, and is as ancient almost as Learn­ing it self. If we take it in its general Acceptation, and according to the extent of the word we shall find the most Eminent Poets (not to move excentrically and out of our present Sphere) are liable to the charge and imputation of Plagiary. Homer himself is not free from it, if we will give credit to Suidas, Aelian, and others: and that the in­vention of the Iliad is not wholly due to him, seems to be confirm'd by the Testimony of Aristotle, who mentions a small Iliad, Poet. c. 23. which was written before his was produced. But whether there be any ground, for this Opinion, or no, certain it is that the most eminent Poets amongst the Romans, I mean Virgil and Ovid, made use of the Grecian Magazines, to supply their Inventions. To prove this, let us first [Page] consider Virgil, Poet. l. 3. cap. 15. stil'd the King of Poets by Scaliger, and to the opi­nion of Propertius exceeding Homer himself, as appears by the fol­lowing Lines so well known amongst all learned men.

Yet even this great man has borrow'd in all his Works; from Theo­critus; in his Eclogues; from Hesiod and Aratus, in his Geor­gicks; and from Homor and Pisander, in his Aeneads: besides what he has borrow'd from Parthenius Nicaeus, his Tutor in the Greek Tongue, and from Q. Ennius an ancient Latin Poet; as you may read more at large in Macrobius. Saturnalia, l. 5. c. 11. l. 6. c. 1. If we consider Ovid, the Flower of the Roman Wit, we shall find him imitating at least, if not borrowing from, the forementioned Parthonius: his Metamor­phosis, Vol. 2. O­rat. 3. that Divine Poem, (as Ant. Muretus stiles it in his Orati­ons) being built upon that Poem writ in the Greek Tongue, which bore the same Name; and handled the same Subject, as we are told by Plutarch and Eustathius. And if to these we add that worthy Carthaginian Terence, who by the kindness of the generous Lucan, was at once made a free man and Citizen of Rome, and whom on the account of his Comedies written in the Latin Tongue, we may number among the Roman Writers: we shall find him likewise be­holding; for his Productions, to that eminent Athenian Poet Menan­der.

But let us now observe how these Eminent Men manage what they borrow'd; and then compare them with those of our times. First, They propos'd to themselves those Authors whose Works they borrow'd from, for their Model. Secondly, They were cautious to borrow only what they found beautiful in them, and rejected the rest. This is prov'd by Virgil's Answer concerning Ennius his Works, when he was ask'd by one who saw him reading, what he was about, reply'd, Aurum se ex Enii stercore colligere. Thirdly, They plainly confess'd what they borrow'd, and modestly ascrib'd the credit of it to the Author whence 'twas originally taken. Thus Terence owns his Translations in his Prologue to Euntichus.

[Page]This behaviour Pliny commends in these words:Epist. ad Tit. Ve­spar. Est enim beni­gnum & plenum ingenium Pudoris, fateri perquos profeceris: and after having blam'd the Plagiaries of his time, he commends Cicero for making mention of Plato, Crantor, and Pariaetius, whom he made use of in his Works: and let it be observ'd by our Modern Poets, that though our modest Carthaginian own'd his Translations, yet was he not the less esteem'd by the Romans, or his Poems less va­lu'd for it. Nay, even in this Age he is universally commended by learned men, and the judicious Rapin gives him a Character, which I doubt few of our Age will deserve.Reflect. 26. part 2. Terence a ecrit d'une Mani­ere, & si naturelle, & si judicieuse, que de Copie qu'il estoit il est devenu original: car jamais Auteur n'a eu un goust plus par de la Nature. Lastly, Whatsoever these ancient Poets (particularly Virgil) copyed from any Author, they took care not only to alter it for their purpose; but to add to the beauty of it: and afterwards to insert it so handsomly into their Poems, (the body and Oeconomy of which was generally their own) that what they borrow'd, seem'd of the same Contexture with what was originally theirs. So that it might be truly said of them; Apparet unde sumptum sit, aliud tamen quàm unde sit, apparet.

If we now on the other side examine the proceedings of our late English Writers, we shall find them diametrically opposite in all things. Shakspear and Johnson indeed imitated these Illustrious Men I have cited; the one having borrow'd the Comedy of Errours from the Menechmi of Plautus; the other has made use not only of him, but of Horace, Ovid, Juvenal, Salust, and several others, according to his occasions: for which he is commended by Mr. Dryden, Epist. to Mock A­strologer. as having thereby beautified our Language: and Mr. Rymer, whose Judgment of him is this; I cannot (says he) be displeas'd with honest Ben,Tragedies of the last Age, p. 143 when he chuses rather to borrow a Melon of his Neighbour, than to treat us with a Pumpion of his own growth. But for the most part we are treated far otherwise; not with sound Roman Wit, as in Ben's time, but with empty French Kickshaws, which yet our Poetical Hosts serve up to us for Re­gales of their own Cookery; and yet they themselves undervalue that very Nation to whom they are oblig'd for the best share of their Treat. Thus our Laureat himself runs down the French Wit in his Marriage a la Mode, and steals from Molliere in his Mock A­strologer; and which makes it more observable, at the same time he does so, pretends in his Epistle to justifie himself from the impu­tation [Page] of Theft: Not unlike the Cunning of a Jugler (to apply his own Simile to him) [Epistle to the Spanish Fryer] who is al­ways staring us in the Face, Ep. to the Spanish Fryer. and overwhelming us with Gib­berish, only that he may gain the opportunity of making the cleanlier conveyance of his Trick. I will wave the Epistle to this Play, which seems to be the Picture of Bays in little, yet I can­not omit one Observation more, which is, that our Laureat should borrow from Old Flecknoe, whom be so much despises: and yet whoever pleases to read Flecknoe's Damoyselles a la Mode, will find that they have furnisht Mr. Dryden with those refin'd Expres­sions which his Retrenching Lady Donna Aurelea makes use of, as the Counsellor of the Graces, and that furious indigence of Ri­bons. But possibly he will own that he borrow'd them as Father Flecknoe did, from Mollieres Les Precieuses Ridicules: howe­ver, I hope he will allow that these Expressions better suit with the Spiritual Temper of those French Damsels, than with the known Gravity of the Spanish Ladies. I hope Mr. Dryden will pardon me this Discovery, it being absolutely necessary to my design of Resto­ring what I could to the true Authors: and this Maxim I learnt from his own Father Aldo, Kind Kee­per. Every one must have their Own. Fiat Justitia, aut ruat Mundus. In pursuance to which, I own that Mr. Dryden has many Excellencies which far out-weigh his Faults; he is an excellent Critick, and a good Poet, his Stile is smooth and fluent, and he has written well, both in Verse and Prose. I own that I admire him, as much as any man;

But at the same time I cannot but blame him for taxing others with stealing Characters from him, (as he does Settle in his Notes on Mo­rocco) when he himself does the same, almost in all the Plays he writes; and for arraigning his Predecessours for stealing from the Ancients, as he does Johnson; which 'tis evident that he himself is guilty of the same. I would therefore desire our Laureat, that he would follow that good Advice which the modest History Professor Mr. Wheare gives to the young Academick in his Antelogium, to shun this, Confidence and Self-love, as the worst of Plagues; and to consider that Modesty is it which becomes every Age, Mr. Bohun's Translat. and leads all that follow her in the streight, and right Path to solid [Page] Glory; without it we are hurld down Precepices, and instead of acquiring Honour, become the scorn of Men, and instead of a good Fame, we return loaden with Ignominy and Con­tempt.

I have not time to examine the Thefts of other Plagiaries in parti­cular, both from the French and our own Language, and therefore shall onely desire them to consider this Sentence of Pliny: Ep. ad T.V. Obnoxii profecto animi, & infelicis ingenii est, deprehendere infurto malle, quam mutuum reddere cum presertim sors fiat ex ufu­râ.

Althô I condemn Plagiaries, yet I would not be thought to reckon as such either Translators, or those who own what they borrow from other Authors: for as 'tis commendable in any man to advantage the Publick; so it is manifest, that those Authors have done so, who have contributed to the Knowledge of the Unlearned, by their excel­lent Versions: Yet at the same time I cannot but esteem them as the worst of Plagiaries, who steal from the Writings of those of our own Nation. Because he that borrows from the worst Forreign Author, may possibly import, even amongst a great deal of trash, somewhat of value: whereas the former makes us pay extortion for that which was our own before.

For this reason I must distinguish one of our best Comick-Writers, from the common Herd of Translators; Mr. Shad­well. since though proportionate to his Writings, none of our modern Poets have borrow'd less; yet has he dealt ingenuously with the World, and if I mistake not, has publickly own'd, either in his Prefaces, or Prologues, all that he has borrow'd; which I the rather take notice of, because it is so lit­tle practised in this Age. 'Tis true indeed, what is borrow'd from Shakspeare or Fletcher, is usually own'd by our Poets, because every one would be able to convict them of Theft, should they endeavour to conceal it. But in what has been stolen from Authors not so gene­rally known, as Murston, Middleton, Massenger, &c. we find our Poets playing the parts of Bathyllus to Virgil, and robbing them of that Fame, which is as justly their due, as the Reward the Em­perour Augustus had promised to the Author of that known Distich affixed on the Court Gate, was to Virgil.

Neither can this Imputation be laid at the doors of such who are onely Imitators of the Works of others, amongst which, are admired Sir Charles Sidley, and the inimitable M. Wytcherley: The last of which, if I mistake not, has Copied Mollieres le Misanthrope, in [Page] his Character of the Plain Dealer; and his Celimene, in that of Olivia: but so well, that though the Character of the Misan­thrope be accounted by Rapin, Reflect. 26. part. 2. Te Caractere le plus achevee; The compleatest Character, and the most singular that ever appeared on the Stage: yet certainly our Poet has equaled, if not exceeded his Copy. Imitation which Longinus commends in Stesichorus, Ar­chilochus, and Herodotus, all of them being imitators of Homer; but particularly he says of Plato: [...] Sect. 11. [...]. Sed omnium hujus Poetae studiosissimus imitator fuit Plato, ab illis Homericis Laticibus ad se seductos vivos quam­plurimos transferens.

But to put an end to these Observations, which may prove alike troublesome to the Reader, as well as to the Poets: I must say this for our Country-men, That notwithstanding our Modern Authors have borrow'd much from the French, and other Nations, yet have we several Pieces, if I may so say, of our own Manefacture, which equal at least, any of our Neighbours productions. This is a truth so generally known, that I need not bring instances to prove, that in the humour of our Comedies, and in the characters of our Trage­dies, we do not yeild to any other Nation. 'Tis true the unities of Time, Place, and Action, which are generally allowed to be the Beauties of a Play, and which the French are so careful to observe, add all lusture to their Plays; nevertheless, several of our Poets have given proof, that did our Nation more regard them, they could pra­ctice them with equal success: But as a correct Play is not so much understood, or at least regarded by the generality of Spectators; and that few of our Poets now-a-days write so much for Honour as Pro­fit: they are therefore content to please at an easier rate. But would some great Man appear here in the defence of Poetry, and for the support of good Poets, as the great Cardinal Richlieu, that Noble Patron of Arts and Sciences, did in France; I doubt not but we should find several Authors, who would quickly evince, that neither the Writings of Aristotle, or the practice of those admirable Rules laid down by that Father of Criticism, and his best Commentator, Horace; with the rest of those eminent Men, that have written on the Art of the Stage, are unknown to them.

But in the mean time, would our Nobility and Gentry, who de­light in Plays, but allow themselves so much time as to read over what is extant on this Subject in English, as, Ben. Johnson's Dis­coveries; [Page] Roscommon's Translation of Horace's Art of Poetry; Ra­pin's Reflections on Aristotle's Treatise of Poetry; Longinus of the loftiness of Speech; Boyleau's Art of Poetry; Hedelin's Art of the Stage; Euremont's Essays; Rimer's Tragedies of the last Age con­sidered; Dryden's Drammatick Essay; and several others; though they understood none but their native Language, and consequently could not read what Vossius, Heinsius, Scaliger, Plutarch, Athe­naeus, Titius Giraldus, Castelvetro, Lope de Vega, Corneille, Menardiere, and others which have written to the same purpose in several Languages; yet those which are to be met with in English, are sufficient to inform them, both in the excellency of the Poetick Art, and the Rules which Poets follow, with the Reasons of them: They would then find their Pleasure encrease with their Knowledge; and they would have the greater satisfaction in seeing a correct Play, by how much they were capable (by the help of these Rules) to discern the Beauties of it; and the greater value for a good Poet, by how much they were sensible of the Pains and Study requisite to bring such a Poem to perfection. This would advance the fame of good Poets, and procure them Patrons amongst the Nobility and Gentry, and through their Emulation to exceed each other, Poetry might in a few Tears be advanced to the same Perfection that it was in former­ly, at Rome and Athens.