that I could free you too from those But you are free from force and have full pow'r To goe and kill my hopes and me this hour I see then you will go but yet my toyl May be rewarded with a looking while Almah Almanzor can from every Subject raise New matter for our Wonder and his Praise You bound and freed me but the difference is That show'd your Valour but your Vertue this Almanz. Madam you praise a Fun'ral Victory At whose sad pomp the Conquerour must die Almah Conquest attends Almanzor every where I am too small a Foe for him to fear But Heroes still must be oppos'd by some Or they would want occasion to ore'come Almanz. Madam I cannot on bare praises live Those who abound in praises seldom give Almah While I to all the world your worth make known May Heav'n reward the pity you have shown Almanz. My Love is languishing and sterv'd to death And would you give me charity in breath Pray'rs are the Alms of Church-men to the Poor They send to Heaven's but drive us from their door Almah Cease cease a Sute So vain to you and troublesome to me If you will have me think that I am free If I am yet a Slave my bonds I 'le bear But what I cannot grant I will not hear Almanz. You wonnot hear you must both Hear and grant For Madam there 's an impudence in want Almah Your way is somewhat strange to ask Relief You ask with threatning like a begging Thief Once more Almanzor tell me am I free Almanz. Madam you are from all the World but me But as a Pyrate when he frees the Prize He took from Friends sees the rich Merchandize And after he has freed it justly buys So when I have restor'd your Liberty But then alas I am too poor to buy Almah Nay now you use me just as Pyrats do You free me but expect a ransome too Almanz. You 've all the freedom that a Prince can have But Greatness cannot be without a Slave A Monarch never can in private move But still is haunted with officious Love So small an inconvenience you may bear 'T is all the Fine Fate sets upon the Fair. Almah Yet Princes may retire when e're they please And breath free Air from out their Palaces They goe sometimes unknown to shun their State And then 't is manners not to know or wait Almanz. If not a Subject then a Ghost I 'le be And from a Ghost you know no place is free Asleep Awake I 'le haunt you every where From my white shrowd groan Love into your Ear. When in your Lovers Arms you sleep at night I 'le glide in cold betwixt and seize my Right And is 't not better in your Nuptial Bed To have a living lover than a dead Almah I can no longer bear to be accus'd As if what I could grant you I refus'd My Fathers choice I never will dispute And he has chosen e're you mov'd your Sute You know my Case if equal you can be Plead for your self and answer it for me Almanz. Then Madam in that hope you bid me live I ask no more then you may justly give But in strict justice there may favour be And may I hope that you have that for me Almah Why do you thus my secret thoughts pursue Which known hurt me and cannot profit you Your knowledge but new troubles does prepare Like theirs who curious in their Fortunes are To say I could with more content be yours Tempts you to hope but not that hope assures For since the King has right And favour'd by my Father in his Sute It is a blossom which can bear no Fruit. Yet if you dare attempt so hard a task May you succeed you have my leave to ask Almanz. I can with courage now my hopes pursue Since I no longer have to combate you That did the greatest difficulty bring The rest are small a Father and a King Almah Great Souls discern not when the leap's too wide Because they onely view the farther side What ever you desire you think is neer But with more reason the event I fear Almanz. No there is a necessity in Fate Why still the brave bold man is Fortunate He keeps his object ever full in sight And that assurance holds him firm and right True 't is a narrow path that leads to bliss But right before there is no precipice Fear makes men look aside and then their footing miss Almah I do your merit all the right I can Admiring Vertue in a private man I onely wish the King may grateful be And that my Father with my Eyes may see Might I not make it as my last request Since humble carriage sutes a Suppliant best That you would somewhat of your fierceness hide That inborn fire I do not call it pride Almanz. Born as I am still to command not sue Yet you shall see that I can beg for you And if your Father will require a Crown Let him but name the Kingdom 't is his own I am but while I please a private man I have that Soul which Empires first began From the dull crowd which every King does lead I will pick out whom I will choose to head The best and bravest Souls I can select And on their Conquer'd Necks my Throne erect Exeunt ACT. V. Abdalla alone under the walls of the Albayzin Abd. WHile she is mine I have not yet lost all But in her Arms shall have a gentle fall Blest in my Love although in war o'recome I fly like Anthony from Actium To meet a better Cleopatra here You of the Watch you of the Watch appear Souldier above Who calls below What 's your demand Abdal 'T is I Open the Gate with speed the Foe is nigh Sol. What Orders for admittance do you bring Abdal Slave my own Orders look and know the King Sold. I know you but my charge is so severe That none without exception enter here Abdal Traytor and Rebel thou shalt shortly see Thy Orders are not to extend to me Lyndaraxa above What saucy slave so rudely does exclaim And brands my Subject with a Rebels name Abdal Dear Lyndaraxa haste the Foes pursue Lynd. My Lord the Prince Abdalla is it you I scarcely can believe the words I hear Could you so coursly Treat my Officer Abdal He forc'd me but the danger nearer draws When I am enterd you shall know the cause Lynd. Enterd Why have you any business here Abdal I am pursu'd the Enemy is neer Lynd. Are you pursu'd and do you thus delay To save your self make haste my Lord away Abdal Give me not cause to think you mock my grief What place have I but this for my relief Lynd. This favour does your handmaid much oblige But we are not provided for a siege My Subjects few and their provision thin The foe is strong without we weak within This to my noble Lord may seem unkind But he will weigh it in his Princely
like Relicks which by Saints were worn Almah Presents like this my Vertue durst not make But that 't is giv'n you for my Husbands sake Gives the Scarfe Alman This Scarfe to Honourable Raggs I 'le wear As conqu'ring Soldiers tatter'd Ensigns bear But oh how much my Fortune I despise Which gives me Conquest while she Love denies Exeunt ACT. III. SCENE The Alhambra Almahide Esperanza Espe AFFected Modesty has much of Pride That scarfe he begg'd you could not have deny'd Nor does it shock the Vertue of a Wife When giv'n that man to whom you owe your life Almah Heav'n knows from all intent of ill 't was free Yet it may feed my Husbands jealousie And for that cause I wish it were not done To them Boabdelin and walks apart See where he comes all pensive and alone A gloomy Fury has o're-spread his Face 'T is so and all my Fears are come to pass Boabdelin aside Marriage thou curse of Love and snare of Life That first debas'd a Mistress to a Wife Love like a Scene at distance should appear But Marriage views the gross-daub'd Landschape neer Loves nauseous cure thou cloyst whom thou shoudst pleas And when thou cur'st then thou art the disease When Hearts are loose thy Chain our bodies tyes Love couples Friends but Marriage Enemies If Love like mine continues after thee 'T is soon made sowr and turn'd by Jealousie No sign of Love in jealous Men remains But that which sick men have of life their pains Almahide walking to him Has my dear Lord some new affliction had Have I done any thing that makes him sad Boab. You nothing You but let me walk alone Almah I will not leave you till the cause be known My knowledge of the ill may bring relief Boab. Thank ye You never faile to cure my grief Trouble me not my grief concerns not you Almah While I have life I will your steps pursue Boab. I 'me out of humour now you must not stay Almah I fear it is that Scarfe I gave away Boab. No 't is not that but speak of it no more Go hence I am not what I was before Almah Then I will make you so give me your hand Can you this pressing and these Tears withstand Boab sighing and going off from her O Heav'n were she but mine or mine alone Ah why are not the Hearts of Women known False Women to new joys unseen can move There are no prints left in the paths of Love All Goods besides by publick marks are known But what we most desire to keep has none Almah approaching him Why will you in your Brest your passion croud Like unborn Thunder rowling in a Cloud Torment not your poor Heart but set it free And rather let its fury break on me I am not married to a God I know Men must have Passions and can bear from you I fear th' unlucky Present I have made Boab. O pow'r of Guilt how Conscience can upbraid It forces her not onely to reveal But to repeat what she would most conceal Almah Can such a toy and giv'n in publick too Boab. False Woman you contriv'd it should be so That publick Gift in private was design'd The Embleme of the Love you meant to bind Hence from my sight ungrateful as thou art And when I can I 'le banish thee my heart she weeps To them Almanzor wearing the scarfe he sees her weep Almanz. What precious drops are those Which silently each others track pursue Bright as young Diamonds in their infant dew Your lustre you should free from tears maintain Like Egypt rich without the help of rain Now curst be he who gave this cause of grief And double curst who does not give relief Almah Our common fears and publick miseries Have drawn these tears from my afflicted eies Alman Madam I cannot easily believe It is for any publick cause you grieve On your fair face the marks of sorrow lie But I read fury in your Husbands eye And in that passion I too plainly find That you 'r unhappy and that he 's unkind Almah Not new-made Mothers greater love express Than he when with first looks their babes they bless Not Heav'n is more to dying Martyrs Kind Nor guardian Angels to their charge asign'd Boab. O goodness counterfeited to the life O the well acted vertue of a wife Would you with this my just suspitions blind You 've given me great occasion to be kind The marks too of your spotless love appear Witness the badge of my dishonor there Pointing to Almonzor's scarfe Almanz. Unworthy owner of a gemme so rare Heav'ns why must he possess and I despair Why is this Miser doom'd to all this store He who has all and yet believes he 's poor Almah to Almanz. You 'r much too bold to blame a jealousy So kind in him and so desir'd by me The faith of wives would unrewarded prove Without those just observers of our love The greater care the higher passion shows We hold that dearest we most fear to loose Distrust in Lovers is too warm a Sun But yet 't is Night in Love when that is gone And in those Clymes which most his scorching know He makes the noblest fruits and Metals grow Alman Yes there are mines of Treasure in your brest Seen by that jealous Sun but not possest He like a dev'l among the blest above Can take no pleasure in your Heaven of love Go take her and thy causless fears remove To the K. Love her so well that I with rage may dy Dull husbands have no right to jealousie If that 's allow'd it must in Lovers be Boab. The succor which thou bring'st me makes thee bold But know without thy ayd my Crown I 'le hold Or if I cannot I will fire the place Of a full City make a naked space Hence then and from a Rival set me free I 'le do I 'le suffer any thing but thee Almanz. I wonnot goe I 'le not be forc'd away I came not for thy sake nor do I stay It was the Queen who for my ayd did send And 't is I only can the Queen defend I for her sake thy Scepter will maintain And thou by me in spight of thee shalt raign Boab. Had I but hope I could defend this place Three daies thou shoud'st not live to my disgrace So small a time Might I possess my Almahide alone I would live ages out'ere they were gone I should not be of love or life bereft All should be spent before and nothing left Almahide to Boabdelin As for your sake for Almanzor sent So when you please he goes to banishment You shall at last my Loyalty approve I will refuse no tryal of my love Boab. How can I think you love me while I see That trophee of a Rivals Victory I 'le tear it from his side Almanz. I 'le hold it fast As life and when life 's gone I 'le hold this last And if thou tak'st it after I am slain I 'le send my
Benz. I fear to ask yet would from doubt be freed Is Selin Captive Sir or is he dead Zul I grieve to tell you what you needs must know He is a Pris'ner to his greatest Foe Kept with strong guards in the Almambra Tour Without the reach ev'n of Almanzor's pow'r Ozmyn With grief and shame I am at once opprest Zul You vvill be more vvhen I relate the rest To you I from Abenamar am sent To Ozmyn And you alone can Selin's death prevent Give up your self a Pris'ner in his stead Or e're to morrow's dawn believe him dead Benz. E're that appear I shall expire with grief Zul Your action swift your Council must be brief Lynd. While for Abdalla's freedom we prepare You in each others Brest unload your care Exeunt all but Ozmyn and Benzayda Benz. My wishes contradictions must imply You must not goe and yet he must not dye Your Reason may perhaps th' extremes unite But there 's a mist of Fate before my sight Ozm. The two Extremes too distant are to close And Human Wit can no mid-way propose My duty therefore shows the neerest way To free your Father and my own obey Benz. Your Father whom since yours I grieve to blame Has lost or quite forgot a Parents name And when at once possest of him and you Instead of freeing one will murder two Ozm. Fear not my Life but suffer me to goe What cannot onely Sons with Parents do 'T is not my death my Father does pursue He onely would withdraw my Love from you Benz. Now Ozmyn now your want of Love I see For would you goe and hazard loosing me Ozm. I rather would ten thousand Lives forsake Nor can you e're believe the doubt you make This night I with a chosen Band will goe And by surprize will free him from the Foe Benz. What Foe ah whether would your Vertue fall It is your Father whom the Foe you call Darkness and Rage will no distinction make And yours may perish for my Fathers sake Ozm. Thus when my weaker Vertue goes astray Yours pulls it back and guides me in the way I 'le send him word my being shall depend On Selin's Life and with his Death shall end Benz. 'T is that indeed would glut your Fathers rage Revenge on Ozmyn's Youth and Selin's age Ozm. What e're I plot like Sisyphus in vain I heave a stone that tumbles down again Benz. This Glorious work is then reserv'd for me He is my Father and I le set him free These Chains my Father for my sake does wear I made the fault and I the pains will bear Ozm. Yes you no doubt have merited those pains Those hands those tender Limbs were made for chains Did I not love you yet it were too base To let a Lady suffer in my place Those proofs of Vertue you before did show I did admire but I must envy now Your vast ambition leaves no Fame for me But grasps at universal Monarchy Benz. Yes Ozmyn I shall still this Palm pursue I will not yield my Glory ev'n to you I 'le break those bonds in which my Father 's ty'd Or if I cannot break 'em I 'le divide What though my Limbs a Womans weakness show I have a Soul as Masculine as you And when these Limbs want strength my Chains to wear My Mind shall teach my body how to bear Exit Benzayda Ozm. What I resolve I must not let her know But Honour has decreed she must not goe What she resolves I must prevent with care She shall not in my Fame or Danger share I 'le give strict Order to the Guards which wait That when she comes she shall not pass the Gate Fortune at last has run me out of breath I have no refuge but the arms of death To that dark Sanctuary I will goe She cannot reach me when I lie so low SCENE The Albayzin Enter on the one side Almanzor Abdalla Abdelmelech Zulema Hamet On the other side the Duke of Arcos Boabdelin Lyndaraxa and their party After which the Barrs are opened and at the same time Boabdelin and Abdalla pass by each other each to his party when Abdalla is past on the other side the Duke of Arcos approaches the Barrs and calls to Almanzor Arc. The hatred of the brave with battails ends And Foes who fought for Honour then are Friends I love thee brave Almanzor and am proud To have one hour when Love may be allowd This hand in sign of that esteem I plight We shall have angry hours enough to fight Giving his hand Almanz. The Man who dares like you in fields appear And meet my Sword shall be my Mistriss here If I am proud 't is onely to my Foes Rough but to such who Vertue would oppose If I some fierceness from a Father drew A Mothers Milk gives me some softness too Arcos Since first you took and after set me free Whether a sence of Gratitude it be Or some more secret motion of my mind For which I want a name that 's more then kind I shall be glad by what e're means I can To get the friendship of so brave a man And would your unavailing valour call From aiding those whom Heav'n has doom'd to fall We owe you that respect Which to the Gods of Foes besieg'd was shown To call you out before we take your Town Almanz. Those whom we love we should esteem 'em too And not debauch that Vertue which we wooe Yet though you give my Honour just offence I 'le take your kindness in the better sence And since you for my safety seem to fear I to return your Bribe should wish you here But since I love you more then you do me In all events preserve your Honour free For that 's your own though not your destiny Arcos Were you oblig'd in Honour by a Trust I should not think my own proposals just But since you fight for an unthankful King What loss of Fame can change of parties bring Almanz. It will and may with justice too be thought That some advantage in that change I sought And though I twice have chang'd for wrongs receiv'd That it was done for profit none believ'd The Kings Ingratitude I knew before So that can be no cause of changing more If now I stand when no reward can be 'T will show the fault before was not in me Arcos Yet there is one reward to valour due And such it is as may be sought by you That beaut'ous Qneen whom you can never gain While you secure her Husbands Life and Raign Almanz. Then be it so let me have no return Here Lyndaraxa comes neer and hears them From him but Hatred and from her but Scorn There is this comfort in a noble Fate That I deserve to be more fortunate You have my last resolve and now farewell My boding Heart some Mischief does foretell But what it is Heav'n will not let me know I 'me sad to death that I must be your Foe Arcos
onely and as I may say without any fault of theirs for in this case the refinement can be but accidental that is when the words and phrases which are rejected happen to be improper Neither would I be understood when I speak of impropriety in Language either wholly to accuse the last Age or to excuse the present and least of all my self For all writers have their imperfections and failings but I may safely conclude in the general that our improprieties are less frequent and less gross than theirs One Testimony of this is undeniable that we are the first who have observ'd them and certainly to observe errours is a great step to the correcting of them But malice and partiality set apart let any man who understands English read diligently the works of Shakespear and Fletcher and I dare undertake that he will find in every page either some Solecism of Speech or some notorious flaw in Sence and yet these men are reverenc'd when we are not forgiven That their wit is great and many times their expressions noble envy it self cannot deny Neque ego illis detrahere ausim Haerentem capiti multa cum laude coronam but the times were ignorant in which they liv'd Poetry was then if not in its infancy among us at least not arriv'd its vigor and maturity witness the lameness of their Plots many of which especially those which they writ first for even that Age refin'd it self in some measure were made up of some ridiculous incoherent story which in one Play many times took up the business of an Age. I suppose I need not name Pericles Prince of Tyre nor the Historical Plays of Shakespear Besides many of the rest as the Winters Tale Love's labour lost Measure for Measure which were either grounded on impossibilities or at least so meanly written that the Comedy neither caus'd your mirth nor the serious part your concernment If I would expatiate on this Subject I could easily demonstrate that our admir'd Fletcher who writ after him neither understood correct Plotting nor that which they call the Decorum of the Stage I would not search in his worst Playes for examples he who will consider his Philaster his Humorous Lieutenant his Faithful Shepheardess and many others which I could name will find them much below the applause which is now given them he will see Philaster wounding his Mistriss and afterwards his Boy to save himself Not to mention the Clown who enters immediately and not only has the advantage of the Combat against the Heroe but diverts you from your serious concernment with his ridiculous and absurd Raillery In his Humorous Lieutenant you find his Demetrius and Leoncius staying in the midst of a routed Army to hear the cold mirth of the Lieutenant and Demetrius afterwards appearing with a Pistol in his hand in the next Age to Alexander the Great And for his Shepheard he falls twice into the former indecency of wounding Women but these absurdities which those Poets committed may more properly be call'd the Ages fault than theirs for besides the want of Education and Learning which was their particular unhappiness they wanted the benefit of converse but of that I shall speak hereafter in a place more proper for it Their Audiences knew no better and therefore were satisfy'd with what they brought Those who call theirs the Golden Age of Poetry have only this reason for it that they were then content with Acorns before they knew the use of Bread or that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was become a Proverb They had many who admir'd them and few who blam'd them and certainly a severe Critique is the greatest help to a good Wit he does the Office of a Friend while he designs that of an Enemy and his malice keeps a Poet within those bounds which the Luxuriancy of his Fancy would tempt him to over-leap But it is not their Plots which I meant principally to tax I was speaking of their Sence and Language and I dare almost challenge any man to show me a page together which is correct in both As for Ben. Iohnson I am loath to name him because he is a most Judicsous Writer yet he very often falls into these errors And I once more beg the Readers pardon for accusing him or them Onely let him consider that I live in an age where my least faulrs are severely censur'd and that I have no way left to extenuate my failings but my showing as great in those whom we admire Coedimus inque vicem praebemus cura sagittis I cast my eyes but by chance on Catiline and in the three or four first pages found enough to conclude that Iohnson writ not correctly Let the long hid seeds Of treason in thee now shoot forth in deeds Ranker than horrour In reading some bombast speeches of Macbeth which are not to be understood he us'd to say that it was horrour and I am much afraid that this is so Thy parricide late on thy onely Son After his mother to make empty way For thy last wicked Nuptials worse than they That blaze that act of thy incestuous life Which gain'd thee at once a daughter and a wife The Sence is here extreamly perplex'd and I doubt the word They is false Grammar And be free Not Heaven itself from thy impiety A Synchoesis or ill placing of words of which Tully so much complains in Oratory The Waves and Dens of beasts cou'd not receive The bodies that those Souls were frighted from The Preposition in the end of the sentence a common fault with him and which I have but lately observ'd in my own writings What all the several ills that visit earth Plague famine fire could not reach unto The Sword nor surfeits let thy fury do Here are both the former faults for besides that the Preposition unto is plac'd last in the verse and at the half period and is redundant there is the former Synchoesis in the words The Sword nor Surfeits which in construction ought to have been plac'd before the other Catiline sayes of Cethegus that for his sake he would Go on upon the Gods kiss Lightning wrest The Engine from the Cyclops and give fire At face of a full clowd and stand his ire To go on upon is onely to go on twice to give fire at face of a full cloud was not understood in his own time and stand his ire besides the antiquated word ire there is the Article His which makes false construction and Giving fire at the face of a cloud is a perfect image of shooting however it came to be known in those daies to Catiline others there are Whom Envy to the State draws and pulls on For Contumelies receiv'd and such are sure ones Ones in the plural Number but that is frequent with him for he sayes not long after Caesar and Crassus if they be ill men Are Mighty ones Such Men they do not succour more the cause c. They redundant Though Heav'n should
speak with all his wrath at once We should stand upright and unfear'd His is ill Syntax with Heaven and by Unfear'd he means Unaffraid words of a quite contrary signification The Ports are open He perpetually uses Ports for Gates which is an affected error in him to introduce Latine by the loss of the English Idiom as in the Translation of Tully's Speeches he usually does Well placing of Words for the sweetness of pronunciation was not known till Mr. Waller introduc'd it and therefore 't is not to be wonder'd if Ben. Iohnson has many such lines as these But being bred up in his father's needy fortunes Brought up in 's sister's Prostitution c. But meaness of expression one would think not to be his error in a Tragedy which ought to be more high and sounding than any other kind of Poetry and yet amongst many others in Catiline I find these four lines together So Asia thou art cruelly even With us for all the blows thee given When we whose Vertues conquer'd thee Thus by thy Vices ruin'd be Be there is false English for are though the Rhyme hides it But I am willing to close the Book partly out of veneration to the Author partly out of weariness to pursue an argument which is so fruitful in so small a compass And what correctness after this can be expected from Shakespear or from Fletcher who wanted that Learning and Care which Iohnson had I will therefore spare my own trouble of inquiring into their faults who had they liv'd now had doubtless written more correctly I suppose it will be enough for me to affirm as I think I safely may that these and the like errors which I tax'd in the most correct of the last Age are such into which we doe not ordinarily fall I think few of our present Writers would have left behind them such a line as this Contain your Spirit in more stricter bounds But that gross way of two Comparatives was then ordinary and therefore more pardonable in Iohnson As for the other part of refining which consists in receiving new Words and Phrases I shall not insist much on it 'T is obvious that we have admitted many some of which we wanted and therefore our Language is the richer for them as it would be by importation of Bullion others are rather Ornamental than Necessary yet by their admission the Language is become more courtly and our thoughts are better drest These are to be found scatter'd in the Writers of our Age and it is not my business to collect them They who have lately written with most care have I believe taken the Rule of Horace for their guide that is not to be too hasty in receiving of Words but rather to stay till Custome has made them familiar to us Quem penes arbitrium est jus norma loquendi For I cannot approve of their way of refining who corrupt our English Idiom by mixing it too much with French that is a Sophistication of Language not an improvement of it a turning English into French rather than a refining of English by French We meet daily with those Fopps who value themselves on their Travelling and pretend they cannot express their meaning in English because they would put off to us some French Phrase of the last Edition without considering that for ought they know we have a better of our own but these are not the men who are to refine us their Tallent is to prescribe Fashions not Words at best they are onely serviceable to a Writer so as Ennius was to Virgil. He may Aurum ex stercore colligere for 't is hard if amongst many insignificant Phrases there happen not something worth preserving though they themselves like Indians know not the value of their own Commodity There is yet another way of improving Language which Poets especially have practic'd in all Ages that is by applying receiv'd words to a new Signification and this I believe is meant by Horace in that Precept which is so variously constru'd by Expositors Dixeris Egregié notum si callida verbum Reddiderit junctura novum And in this way he himself had a particular happiness using all the Tropes and particularly Metaphors with that grace which is observable in his Odes where the Beauty of Expression is often greater than that of thought as in that one example amongst an infinite number of others Et vultus nimium lubricus aspici And therefore though he innovated little he may justly be call'd a great Refiner of the Roman Tongue This choice of words and height'ning of their natural signification was observ'd in him by the Writers of the following Ages for Petronius says of him Horatii curiosa faelicitas By this graffing as I may call it on old words has our Tongue been Beautified by the three fore-mention'd Poets Shakespear Fletcher and Iohnson whose Excellencies I can never enough admire and in this they have been follow'd especially by Sir Iohn Suckling and Mr. Waller who refin'd upon them neither have they who now succeed them been wanting in their endeavours to adorn our Mother Tongue but it is not so lawful for me to praise my living Contemporaries as to admire my dead Predecessors I should now speak of the Refinement of Wit but I have been so large on the former Subject that I am forc'd to contract my self in this I will therefore onely observe to you that the wit of the last Age was yet more incorrect than their language Shakespear who many times has written better than any Poet in any Language is yet so far from writing Wit always or expressing that Wit according to the Dignity of the Subject that he writes in many places below the dullest Writer of ours or of any precedent Age. Never did any Author precipitate himself from such heights of thought to so low expressions as he often does He is the very Ianus of Poets he wears almost every where two faces and you have scarce begun to admire the one e're you despise the other Neither is the Luxuriance of Fletcher which his friends have tax'd in him a less fault than the carelessness of Shakespear He does not well always and when he does he is a true Englishman he knows not when to give over If he wakes in one Scene he commonly slumbers in another And if he pleases you in the first three Acts he is frequently so tir'd with his labor that he goes heavily in the fourth and sinks under his burden in the fifth For Ben. Iohnson the most judicious of Poets he always writ properly and as the Character requir'd and I will not contest farther with my Friends who call that Wit It being very certain that even folly it self well represented is Wit in a larger signification and that there is Fancy as well as Judgement in it though not so much or noble because all Poetry being imitation that of Folly is a lower exercise of Fancy though perhaps as