| OCR Text |
Show The WILD GALLANT. PREFACE-IT would be a great Impudence in Me to fey much^of SComedy which has had but in iifierent fuccefs in the aftion. I m a d e the T o w n m y Judges; and the greater part condemned it. After which I do not think it m y Concernment to defend it, with the ordinary Zeal of a Poet for his decry d Poem. T ho Corneille is more refolute in his Preface before h\s Partherite, which was condemn d more Univerfally than this : For he avows boldly, That in fp.ght ofCenfurehis PAev was well, and regularly Written; which is more than I dare fay for mine. Yet it was receiv'd at Court; and w a s more than once tbeDivertifementof His Majefty, by His o w n C o m m a n d . But I have more modefty than to afcnbe that to m y Merit, which was His particular Aft of Grace. It was the firft attempt I made in Dramatick Poetry; and, Ifindfince, a very bold one, ^ o begin with C«we-dy ; which is the moft difficult part of it. 1 he Tlot was not Originally m y o w n : But fo alter'd, by m e (whether for the better or worfe, I k n o w n o p that, w h o ever the. Author was, he could not have challeng'd a Scene of it I doubt not but you will fee in it, theuncorreftnefs of a Young Writer : W h i c h is yet but a fmall excufie for him, w h o is fo little amended fince. T h e beft Apology I can m a k e for it, and the trueft, is onlv this; That you have fince that time receiv d with A p - plaufe, as bad, and as uhcorrea Plays from other M e n . ^ ^ " P R O L O G U E to the WILD GALLANT, as it was firft Aaed, I S it not ftrange, to hear a Poet fay, He comes to ask you, how you like the Play? Ton have notfeen it yet! alas 'tis true, But now your Love and Hatred judge, not Ton. And cruel Factions (brib'd by Intereft) come, Not to weigh Merit, but togive their Doom . Our voet therefore, jealous of th' Event, And {though much bcldnefs takes) not confident, Hasfent me, whither you, fair Ladies, too Sometimes upon as fmall occaftons go, And from this Scheme, drawn for the hour and day, me inquire the- fortune of his Play. Tfio£urtain drawn difcovers t w o Aftrologers; T h e Prologue is prefented to them, Firft Aftroi. reads. A Figure of the heavenly Bodies in their feveral Apartments^ Feb. the 5th. half an hour after three after Noon, from whence you are to judge thefuccefs of a new Play called the Wild Gallant. 2. Attrol. Who muft Judge of it, we, or thefe Gentlemen? We'll not meddle with it, fo tellyour Poet.Here are in this Houfe the ableft Mathematicians w Europe for hisfurpofe. They willrefolve the que (lion e'er they part. 1. Aft, T(t let us judge it by the Rules of Art. Firft Jupiter, the Afcendants Lorddifgrac'd, In the twelfth Houfe, and near grim Saturn placed, Denote fhort life unto the Play: 2. Aft. Joveyet, In his Apartments Sagittary, fet Under his own Roof, cannot take much wrong', 1. Aft. Wiry then the Lifes not very fhort, nor long', 2. Aft. The Luck not very good, nor very ill, Prolo. That is to fay, 'tis as 'tis taken still. 1. Aft. But, Brother, Ptolomy the Learned fays, T w the fifth houfe from whence we judge of Plays. Venus the Lady of that Houfe I find Is Peregrine, your Play is ill deftgn'd, It fhould have been but one continued Song, Or at the leaft A Dance of three hours long. 2. Aft. But yet the greateft Mijchief does remain, The twelfth Apartment bears the Lord of Spain J Whence I conclude it is your Authors lot, To be indangefd by a. Spanifh Plot. Prolo. Prolo. Our Poet yet protection hopes from you, But bribes you not with tiny thin" that's new. Nature is old, which Poets imitate And for Wit, thofe that boa ft their own eflale, For get Fletcher and Ben before them went Their Elder Brothers, and that vaftlyfpent: Sojnuch 'twill hardly be repair'd again, Not, though fupply'd with all the wealth of Spain : This Play is Englifh, and the growth your own', As fuch it yields to Englifh Plays alone. He could have wifh'd it better for your fakes ', But that in Plays he finds you love mi/lakes: Befides he thought it was invam to mend What you are bound in honour to defend, That Englifh Wit (how e'er defpis'd by fome) Like Englifh Valour ft ill may overcome. P R O L O G U E to the WILD G A LL A NT Reviv'd. AS fome raw Squire, by tender Mother bred, Till One and Twenty keeps his Maidenhead, (Pleas'd with fome Sport which he alone does find, And thinks afecret to all Human-Kjnd ;) Tillmightily in Love, yet half afraid, He first attempts the gentle Dairy-Maid: Succeeding there, and led by the renown Of Whetftones-Park, he comes at length toTown, Where enter'd, by fome School-fellow, or Friend, He grows to break Glafs-Windows tn the end: His valour too, which with the Watch began, Proceeds to duell, and he kills hts Man. By fuch degrees, while knowledge he did want, Our unfletch'd Author, writ a Wild Gallant. He thought him Monftrous lewd (I'll lay my Life) Becaufefufpecled with his Landlord's Wife: But fince his knowledge of the Town began, He thinks him now a very Civil Man : And, much afhanPd of what he was before, H A S fairly p lay*d him at three Wenches more.. 'Tis fome amends his frailties to confefs; Pray pardon him his want of wickeanefs : He'stowardly, and will come on apace ; His frank confefftonfljows he has fome grace. Tou balk'd him wht n he was a young beginner, And almoft fpoi I'd a very hopeful fmner : But, if once more you /light his weak indeavour ; For ought I know, he may i urn-tail for ever. NAMES ofthe PERSONS. LOrd Nmfuch, Aa old rich humorous Lord. luftice Trice, His Neighbour. Mr. Loveby, The Wild Gallant. Sir Timorous^ A balhfiil Knight. Fatler, 7 Hangers on of Sir Timorous: Burr, j\ Bibber, A Taylor. Setjtone, A leweller. WOMEN. Lady Con/lance, Lord Nonfucb his Daughter. Madam Ifabelle, Her Coufin. Mrs. Bibber, The Taylor's Wife. Sergeants Boy to Loveby. Servants. A Bawd and Whores. Watch and Conftable. The SCENE LONDON. E THE |
