AND

HAVE A WIFE.

A

COMEDY.

BY BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER.

1

ADAPTED FOR

THEATRICAL REPRESENTATION,

AS PERFORMED AT THE

THEATRES-ROYAL

DRURY-LANE AND COVENT-GARDEN.

REGULATED FROM THE PROMPT BOOKS,
By Permission of the Managers.

The Lines distinguished by inverted Commas are omitted in the Representation."

LONDON:

Printed for the Proprietors, under the Direction of
JOHN BELL, British Library, STRAND,
Bookseller to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.

M DCC XCI.

FRANCIS BEAUMONT

AND

JOHN FLETCHER.

BEAUMONT and FLETCHER, those twin stars that run
Their glorious course round SHAKSPERE's golden sun.

Ir has seldom happened, that so perfect a parallel has been seen, as that which these friendly and illustrious Bards exhibited, in their births, minds, and accomplishments. By birth they were alike. illustrious, for the father of BEAUMONT was a Judge of the Common Pleas, and the parent of FLETCHER arrived to the dignity of the Bishopric of London. -Mentally their gifts were so similar, that it were indeed a fruitless labour for curiosity to attempt a discrimination of their blended labours. They both, too, possessed that fashionable ease, and sprightly fancy, which so considerably polish life; and the first and best was the only company they frequented.

THE year of FLETCHER'S birth was 1576that of BEAUMONT'S 1585. The latter died in A ij

1615—the former lived nearly the same time after him as he had lived before him, for his death happened during the plague of 1625.

How that complete co-operation of design and execution, that is visible in their works was ef fected, there are now no means of ascertaining ;but we are given to understand, traditionally, that the fancy of FLETCHER was fertile even to luxuriance, that BEAUMONT possessed most of the restraining severity of judgment—that BEAUMONT regulated the plots, and that FLETCHER rapidly furnished out the dialogue that FLETCHER had most wit, and BEAUMONT most thought.-Equally gifted otherways, holding frequent conferences together, with souls that were perfectly congenial, the difficulty was soon done away, and it is probable, that the collision of these Wits might stimulate an activity which solitude is apt to dull, and invigorate the minds that began to stagnate when they were sundered.They produced the following amazing list of Dramatic Works:

The Two Noble Kinsmen 1634 Rule a Wife and have a

in 1647.