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Notes and Observations 83 Notes and Observations on The Empress of Morocco PREFACE HEN I first saw the Empress of Morocco, though I found it then to be a Rapsody of non-sense, I was very well contented to have let it pass, that the Reputation of a new Authour might not be wholly damn'd; but that he might be encourag'd to make his Audience some part of amends another time. In order to this, I strain'd a point of Conscience to cry up some passages of the Play, which I hop'd would recommend it to the liking of the more favourable Judges. But the ill report it had from those that had seen it 10 at Whitehall, had already done its Buisness with Judicious Men. It was generally dislik'd by them; and but for the help of Scenes and Habits, and a Dancing Tree, even the Ludgate Audience had forsaken it. After this ill success, one would have thought the Poet should have been sufficiently mortified, and though he were not naturally modest, should at least have deferr'd the showing of his Impudence till a fitter season. But instead of this, he has written before his Play, the most arrogant , calumniating, ill-manner'd, and senseless Preface I ever saw. This upstart illiterate Scribler, who lies more open to 20 censure then any writer of the Age, comes amongst the Poets, like one of the Earth-born Brethren, and his first buisness in the World is, to Attack and Murder all his Fellows. This I confess rais'd a little Indignation in me, as much as I was capable of, for so contemptible a Wretch, and made me think it somewhat necessary that he should be made an Example, to the discouragement of all such petulant III Writers, and that he should be dragg'd out of that Obscurity to which his own i of Morocco]oj Morocco Q. 9 Judges] Judges Q. W 84 Prose 1668-1691 Poetry would for ever have condemn'd him. I knew indeed that to Write against him, was to do him too great an Honour: But I consider'd Ben. Johnson had done it before to Decker, our Authors Predecessor, whom he chastis'd in his Poetaster under the Character of Crispinus; and brought him in Vomiting up his Fustian and Non-sense. Should our Poet have been introduc'd in the same manner, he must have disgorg'd his whole Play ere he had been cleans'd. Never did I see such a confus'd heap of false Grammar, improper English, strain'd 10 Hyperboles, and downright Bulls. His Plot is incoherent and full of absurdities; and the Characters of his Persons so ill chosen, that they are all either Knaves or Fools; only his Knaves are Fools into the Bargain: and so must be of necessity while they are in his Management. They all speake alike, and without distinction of Character: That is, every one Rants and Swaggers, and talks Non-sense abundantly. He steals notoriously from his Contemporaries; but he so alters the property , by disguising his Theft in ill English, and bad Applications , that he makes the Child his oion by deforming it. Male 20 dum recitas incipit esse tuus. A Poet when he sees his thoughts in so ill a dress, is asham'd to confess they ever belonged to him. For the Latine and Greek Authors, he had certainly done them the same injurie he has done the English, but that he has the excuse of Aretine for not railing against God: he Steals not from them, because he never knew them. In short, he's an Animal of a most deplor'd understanding, without Reading j seems, . . . Couple] ~A . . . /w ,Q. ig Death,] S; ~A Q. 18 Fools] S; Souls Q. 30 are Tortures?] ~ I Q. 31 screw] know Q (corrected in Errata). 128 Prose 1668-1691 Infant Pain; he allows a Hell, and yet says it is no Hell; it is but a Cramp. He calls a place a Disease: To write the non-sense he stuffs in every Line would put the Cramp in my ringers. The Powers above are Titular below. After in the same Speech she says, But fear no danger, to our aid I'le call, My Arts and Friends in Hell, to stop our fall. Heaven is Titular it seems, but Hell is not. No matter for Heaven, you are secure as long...

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