piece, nay, indeed, was an infuperable obstacle to its representation. But though the inaccuracies and licentiousness of the piece were inducements (according to the incudi reddere of Horace) to put it on the anvil again, yet nothing has been added more than was abfolutely neceffary, to make it move eafily on the new hinge, whereon it now turns : nor has any thing been omitted, except what was fuppofed to have been likely to obfcure its merit, or injure its fuccefs. The pen was drawn, without the leaft hefitation, over every fcene now expunged, except the first scene of the third act, as it stands in the original; in regard to which, the part that Philafter fuftains in it occafioned fome paufe: but, on examination, it seemed that Dion's falfification of facts in that scene was inconfiftent with the reft of his character, though very natural in fuch a perfon as Megra: and though we have in our times feen the fudden and inftantaneous tranfitions from one paffion to another remarkably well reprefented on the ftage, yet Philafter's emotions appeared impoffible to be exhibited with any conformity to truth or nature. It was therefore thought advisable to omit the whole fcene; and it is hoped, that this omiffion will not be difapproved, and that it will not appear to have left any void or chaẩm in the action; fince the imputed falfehood of Arethusa, after being fo industriously made public to the whole court, might very naturally be imagined to come to the knowledge of Philafter in a much fhorter interval, than is often fuppofed to elapfe between the acts; or even be--tween the scenes of fome of our old plays. The scenes in the fourth act, wherein Philafter, according to the original play, wounds Arethufa and Be!lario, and from which the piece took its fecond title of Love lies a bleeding, have always been cenfured by the critics. They breathe too much of that fpirit of blood, and cruelty, and horror, of which the English tragedy Hath often been accufed. The hero's wounding his mi ftrefs hurt the delicacy of moft; and his maiming Bellario fleeping, in order to fave himself from his purfuers, offended the generofity of all. This part of the fable, therefore, fo injurious to the character of Philafter, it A-3. wass was judged abfolutely requifite to alter; and a new turn has been given to all thofe circumftances: but the change has been effected by fuch fimple means, and with fo much reverence to the original, that there are hardly ten lines added on account of the alteration. The rest of the additions or alterations may be feen at once, by comparing the prefent play with the original; if the reader does not, on fuch occafions, of himself too eafily discover the patch-work of a modern hand. There is extant in the works of the Duke of Bucking. ham, who wrote The Rehearsal, and altered The Chances, an alteration of this play, under the title of The Reftoration, or Right will take Place. The duke feems to have been very ftudious to disguise the piece, the names of the Dramatis Perfonæ, as well as the title, being entirely changed; and the whole piece, together with the prologue and epilogue, feeming intended to carry the airof an oblique political fatire on his own times. However that may be, the Duke's play is as little (if not lefs) calculated for the prefent ftage, as the original of our authors. The character of Thrafomond (for fo the Duke calls the Spanish prince) is much more ludicrous. than the Pharamond of Beaumont and Fletcher. Few of the indecencies or obfcenities in the original are removed; and with what delicacy the adventure of Megra is ma naged, may be determined from the following fpecimen of his Grace's alteration of that circumftance, not a word of the following extract being to be found in Beau mont and Fletcher. Enter the Guard, bringing in Thrafomond, in Drawers, muffled up in a Cloak. Guard. Sir, in obedience to your commands, We stopt this fellow ftealing out of doors... [They pull off his cloak.. Agremont. Who's this, the prince? King. Sir, I must chide you for this loofenefs! Thra Thrafomond. Sir, I came hither but to take the air.. If to move the paffions of pity and terror are the twochief ends of tragedy, there needs no apology for giving that title to the play of Philafter. If Lear, Hamlet, Othello, &c. &c. notwithstanding the cafual introduc-tion of comic circumstances in the natural course of the action, are tragedies; Philafter is fo too. The Duke of Buckingham entitles his alteration a tragi-comedy; but that word, according to its prefent acceptation, conveys. the idea of a very different fpecies of compofition; a play, like The Spanish Friar, or Oroonoko, in which two distinct actions, one ferious and the other comic, are unnaturally woven together; as abfurd a medley (in the opinion of Addifon) as if an epic writer was to undertake to throw into one poem the adventures of Æneas and Hudibras. As to the form in which the piece is now fubmitted to the public, fome, perhaps, will think that the editor has taken too many liberties with the original, and many may cenfure him for not having made a more thorough alteration. There are, it must be confeffed, many thingsftill left in the play, which may be thought to lower the dignity of tragedy, and which would not be admitted in a fable of modern conftruction: but where fuch thingswere in nature, and inoffenfive, and ferved at the fame time as fo many links in the chain of circumftances that compofe the action, it was thought better to fubdue in fome measure the intemperance of the fcenes of low humour, than wholly to reject or omit them. It would not have been in the power, nor indeed was it ever in the intention or defire, of the editor, to give Philafter the air of a modern performance; no more than an architect: of this age would endeavour to embellish the magnificence of a Gothick building with the ornaments of the Greek. or Roman orders.. It is impoffible for the fevereft reader to have a meaner opinion of the editor's fhare in the work than he entertains of it himself. Something, however, was was neceffary to be done; and the reafons for what he has done have already been affigned; nor can he repent of the trouble he has taken, at the inftance of a friend, whom he is happy to oblige, when he fees himself the instrument of restoring Philafter to the theatre, of dif playing new graces in Mrs. Yates, and of calling forth the extraordinary powers of fo promifing a genius for the ftage as Mr. Powell.. C PRO Written by GEORGE COLMAN, Efq. on Mr. PowELL'S first Appearance at Drury-Lane. WHILE modern tragedy, by rule exact, Spins out a thin-wrought fable, act by act, Brings him at length on this fide Temple-Bar; |