Page:The Lives and Characters of the English Dramatick Poets.djvu/77

Rh  with a fresh Title ten years after; the other going before, is almost the same, only Corrected, and a very little alter'd.

Marriage of Oceanus and Britania, a Masque.

This Author has written divers Epigrams and Enigmatical Characters; also a short Discourse of the English Stage, Published at the end of his Love's Dominion, 8vo. Diarium, or The Journal, another piece of his in Burlesque Verse, 12ves. 1656. &c.

Fletcher was the Son of Dr. Fletcher, created Bishop of Bristol by Queen Elizabeth, and afterwards translated to the See of London, 1593. He dy'd the first year of Charles I. of the Plague in London, 1625. in his Forty ninth Year, and was Buried in St. Mary Overy's Church, Southwark. His Colleague in writing most of his Plays, Mr. Beaumont, I can say little of, but what the Reader may gather from the Verses of the Poets in that Age, before their Works; that he was a Man of Learning none can question; but to imagine, as Mr. Langbain does, that he was perfectly vers'd in the Dramatick Laws, is more than can be drawn from their Plays, of which there is scarce one regular. Their Comedies are much the best; yet of them take away five or six, and they will not bear Acting, scarce reading by a nice Judge. I say not this to derogate from Men of undoubted Merit, but only prompted by my impartiality, a Character which Mr. Langbain professes but has nowhere preserved. Their Plays are Fifty two in Number, all which are Printed and Published in one large Volume Folio, 1679. They follow in Alphabetical Order.

The Beggars Bush; a Comedy, fol. often Acted formerly with good Applause.

Bonduca, a Tragedy, fol. This Play has been twice reviv'd. Plot from Tacitus's Annals, Book 14. See also Milton's History of England, Book 2.

The Bloody Brother; or, Rollo Duke of Normandy, a Tragedy, fol. This Play hath been sometimes Acted of late Days in Dorset Garden, with good Success. Plot from ''Herodian. Hist. Lib''. 4. and part of the Language from Seneca's Thebais.

The Captain, a Comedy, fol. This Play has not been Acted of late years.

The Chances; a Comedy, fol. Reviv'd by the late Duke of Buckingham, and Printed with Alterations 4to. 1682. oftentimes Acted with great Applause of late days at the Theatre in Dorset Garden, &c. Plot from the Lady Cornelia in Exemplary Novels, fol. or the Novels of Cornelia in Miguel des Cervantes Novels, translated by Dr. Pope. The