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Show / Hi 62 The Publijher to the Reader. In a fhort time I trac'd him out; and when I had found him, he appeared fuch a pofitive dogmatical Spark, that I began to repent of m y Trouble, in fearching after him. It was m y Misfortune over a Pot of Beer to begin a fhort Difcourfe of the modern Poets and A&ors ; and immediately he fell into a great PaiTion, and fwore, that there were very few Perfons n o w living, who deferv'd the Nam* of a good dramatick Poet, or natural Acior ; and declaimed againil the prefent Pradice of the Englp Stage, with much Violence j faying, he believed the two Companies were joined in a Confederacy againil Smithfie'd, and refolved to ruin their Fair, by out-doing them in their bombaitick Bills, and ridiculous reprefenting their Plays: adding that he hoped e'er long Mr. Collier and others would write them down to the Devil. At the fame time 1 could not forbear to extol the excellent Decorum and M i o n of former Years ; and magnify'd the Poets of the laft Age efpecjally Johnfon, Shake/fear, and Beaumont. ' I bore all this with tolerable Patience, knowing it to be too c o m m o n with old M e n to commend the pail A^c, and rail at the prefent; and fo took m y leave of him lor that time, with an Intent never to tiouble him more, and without acquainting him with m y Bufinefs. W h e n next I faw the Gentleman, m y Friend, who recommended him to m e , I told him how I was entertain'd by his Cynical Acquaintance. Fie laugh'd, but bid me not be difcouraged, faying, that Fit of railing would foon have been over ; and when his juft Indignation had fpent itfelf you might have imparted your Bufinefs to him, and re-ceiv'd a more fatisfa&ory Account. However (faid he) go to him again from m e , take him to the Tavern, and mollify his Afperity with a Bottle ; thwart not his Difcourfe, but give him his o w n way ; and I'll warrant you, he'll open his Budget, and fa your Expectation. I follov/'d m y Friend's Directions, and found the Event aniwcrable to his Prediction. ot long after I met him in Flcet-jlreet, and carry'd him to the Old Devil; and e'er w e had empty'd one Bottle I found him of a quite different Humour from what I left him in the time before : he appear'd in his Difcourfe to be a very honeft true Englijhman, a hearty Lover of his Country, and the Government thereof, both in Church and >ik Tie Fublijler to ihe Reader. 63 and State, a loyal Subject to his Sovereign, mi Enemy to Popery and Tyranny, Idolatry and Superftition, antimo-narchical Government and Confufion, Irreligion and En-fiafm. In fhort, I found him a Perfon of a compete. Knowledge in the Affair I went to him about, and one who underftood the Englip Stage very well; and tho' fom, what pofitive, as I faid before, yet 1 cbfcrv'd he alwa; took care to have Truth on his fide, before lie arfirm'd or deny'd any thing with more than ordinary Heat ; and when he was fo guarded, he was immoveable. W h e n I had difcover'd thus much, and called for the fecond Bottle, I told him from w h o m I came, and the Caufe of m y addrefting to him. Lie defir'd m y Patience till he ftept to his Lodgings, which were near the Tavern ; and after a fhort fpace he retum'd, and brought with him the Papers, which contain the following Note^. W h e n he had read 'em to m e , I lik'd them fo well, that I defir'd the printing of them, provided they were genuine : he aflured m e they were, and told m e farther, That while this Farce was compoiing and altering, he had frequent Occafions of being with the Author, of pe-riifing his Papers, and hearing him difcourfe of the feveral Plays he expofed, and their Authors; infomuch that few Perfons had the. like Opportunities of knowing his true Meaning as he himfelf had. If any other Perfons had known the Author's Mind fo exaclly, in all the feveral Particulars, 'tis more than probable they would have been made publick before n o w : but nothing of this nature having appear'd thefe two and thirty Years, (for fo long has this Farce iiourifh'd in Print) w e m ay reafonably and faiely conclude, that there is no other fuch like Copy in being ; and that thefe Remarks are genuine, and taken from the great Perfon's o w n Mouth and Papers. I was very well fatisfy'd with this Account, and more defirous to print it than ever; only I told him, I thought it would be very advantageous to the Sale of thefe Annotations, to have a Preface to them, under the N a m e of him, who was fo well acquainted with the Author ; but could not, by all the Arguments I was mailer of, obtain his Confent, tho' w e debated the Point a pretty while. H e alledg'd for his Excufe, that fuch an undertaking would be very improper for him, becaufe he fhould be forced |