Page:The Lives and Characters of the English Dramatick Poets.djvu/68

48, as yet too uncertain of his own Success, to fall upon the other Writers of the Age.

E was before he became a Poet, a Milliner in the New Exchange, he has writ four Plays; two of them in a Burlesque Stile, their Names follow.

The Mock Tempest, or, The Enchanted Castle, a Farce, 4to. 1675. Acted at the Theatre Royal by his Majesty's Servants. Writ on purpose to draw Campany from the other Theatre, where was great resort about that time, to see that reviv'd Comedy, call'd, The Tempest, then much in vogue.

Psyche Debauch'd, a Comedy, 4to. 1678. Acted at the Theatre Royal by his Majesty's Servants. This Mock Opera is a Burlesque on Shadwell's Psyche, and writ for the same purpose as that above.

Spanish Rogue, a Comedy, 4to. 1674. Acted at the Theatre Royal by his Majesty's Servants, and Dedicated to Madam Ellinor Guin. This Play had no great Success.

There is likewise a Masque under his Name omitted by Mr. Langbain, 'tis call'd,

Beauties Triumph, presented by the Scholars of Mr. Jeoffery Banister, and Mr. James Hart, at the new Boarding School at Chelsey, Printed, London 4to. 1676.

This Author has also writ a small Volume of Poems, Songs, Prologues and Epilogues which were first disposed of to one Bookseller, and laying long in the Licenser's Hands, were again disposed of to another, without Consent of the first Purchaser, and Printed, 8vo. 1676.

His Gentleman (if I am not misinformed) was Born in Devonshire, and design'd for some part of the Law; whatever provok'd him to Poetry I cann't tell; but whatever it was, he has with various Success given us above Twenty Plays, and if the prosperous Success of the Major part will give him the Credit of a Poet, he has a just pretence to it, and may justly Challenge it from all the Vindicators of Dr. Blackmores's Poem from that Topic. For my part, I can only say, that I have laught heartily at his Plays, which is one end of Comedy, or Farce at least; and if the Criticks will deny him to be a good Writer of Comedy, they must allow him a Master of Farce. His Plays follow in Alphabetical Order. The