This however I will venture to fay farther, that all who know You by Your Works admire You, and those who are acquainted with You only in them, know the leaft of my Lord LANSDOWN.

Permit me, my Lord, among the rest of Your Admirers, whom Fortune has thrown at a Distance from Your Quality, to wish You the Continuance of the Efteem and Goodwill of Man

kind,

kind, that Natural Tribute which honest Minds pay to Virtue, and which alone is worthy the Acceptance of the Virtuous. I am,

My LORD,

Your Lordship's

Most Obedient, and

Moft Devoted

Humble Servant,

Giler Facob

PREFACE

AM now to acquaint the

Reader what Affiftances I

have receiv'd towards the

Compleating and Finishing this Account of our English Dramatick

The Foundation of the Work is owing to Mr. Langbain, who was the first that brought these Memoirs into any tolerable Form; and as he was Master of a great deal of Learning and much Curiofity, his Work was receiv'd with a general Applause.

How

However he had his Faults, and from particular Prejudices has bore a little too severely upon fome of our best POETS; he is a little too fanciful in his Conjectures, from whence Authors drew their PLOTS, and having read much himself, imagin'd that every one elfe had done fo too. What occafional Ufe I have made of him, I always freely acknowledge.

Befide thefe, I receiv'd great Helps from private Hands, and have had the Opportunity of perufing a great many old Catalogues of PLAY S, which they never faw; one of these was continu'd with great Care and Diligence, and communicated to me by a Friend.

As