OCR Text |
Show fhe Efijlle "Dedicatory. The Epjile "Dedicatory. lurch before now, and never thought the wdrfe But as I defign'd. this Play for you, when foi^ (he pJace\ People thought well of it, I hope it does n Thd^ Sir, are capital Objedions againft m e ; leffen the Prefent, that every Body does r)Ut they hit very few Faults: N o r have they mor- 'Tis only the Capacity and Commendation L d m e into a Defpair of pleafitig the more rea-the c o m m o n Miftreffes to pleafe every Body,|nabie Part of Mankind. If M r . Dryden'sjudg. w h o m I will leave fome of m y Criticks, Wf|ent goes for any thing, I have it on m y Side : were affronted at M r s . Friendall: For thofe Spariror fpeaking of this Play, he has publickly faid, w h o were moft offended with her Virtue in pt^ y o w n Was kind to Sir Antony Love, I needed lick, are the M e n that lofe little by it, in privaem onjy t0 be juft to this r A n d to prove there and if all the Wives in T o w n were of her Mifas more tha n Friendfhip in his Opinion, upon thofe metled Gentlemen would be found to h ^ Credit of this Play with him, falling lick laft the lead to do, in making 'em otherwife : B ^ m m e r ? he bequeathed to m y Care the Writing fhe was of evil Example, IV'ttwoud t^kes,|half the laft A & of his Tragedy of Ckomenes, mends for her; in the Moral of her C h a r a ^ - ^ when it comes into the World, you will where the W o m e n are manifeftly Safer in nd t^ be fo confiderable a Truft, that all the Poffeffion of a Lover, than in the Truft r o w n will pardon m e for defending this Play, Confidence of a Friend : But fhe was no m^t preferr'd m e to it. If Modefty be fometimes underftood to the Advantage of the Men, ti: Weaknefs, what I fay can hardly be a Crime : the Wife was receiv'd in Favour of the W o n ^ a fair Engli^ T r y a i both Parties are allow'd to A s to the Mufick-Meeting, I always thought^ heard . And without this Vanity of mention-an Entertainment reafonably grown op into J Mr. Dry den, I had loft the beft Evidence of Caufe. Sir, I have the Privilege of a Dedi-ttion to fay fome fine Things of m y Patron; but rill be as little Impertinent as I can, and only liking of the T o w n : 1 introduc'd it, as a fa! onable Scene of bringing good Company togetfej without a Defign of abuiing what every h likes; being in m y Temper fo far from diflurbj a publick Pleafure, that I would eftablifh twe mote of 'em, if I could : And for the BUM that was put into Mrs. Sightly'* Hand,upon! ing her out, I have heard of fuch a thing leave to fay fome true ones, and no more I have always declar'd in the Abfence of :. Wharton, that (without the Advantage of your lily, and Fortune) you are the very M a n I would |