THE

TWIN RIVALS.

A COMEDY,

As written by Mr. FARQUHAR.

DISTINGUISHING ALSO THE

VARIATIONS OF THE THEATRE,

AS PERFORMED AT THE

Theatre-Royal in Covent-Farden.

Regulated from the Prompt-Book,

By PERMISSION of the MANAGERS,

By Mr. HOPKINS, Prompter.

Sic vos non vobis.

FB

LONDON:

Printed for JoHN BELL, near Exeter-Exchange, in the Strand.

MDCCLXXVII.

HENRY BRETT, Esq.

Ting, and fince, by your place in the fenate, you

HE commons of England have a right of petition

are obliged to hear and redress the subject, I prefume upon the privilege of the people, to give you the following trouble.

As prologues introduce plays on the ftage, fo dedications ufher them into the great theatre of the world; and as we chuse some ftaunch actor to addrefs the audience, fo we pitch upon fome gentleman of undifputed ingenuity to recommend us to the reader. Books, like metals, require to be ftamped with fome valuable effigies before they become popular and current.

To efcape the critics, I refolved to take fanctuary with one of the beft; one who differs from the fraternity in this, that his good-nature is ever predominant; can difcover an author's fmalleft faults, and pardon the greatest.

Your generous approbation, Sir, has done this play fervice, but has injured the author; for it has made him infufferably vain, and he thinks himself authorised to ftand up for the merit of his performance, when fo great a master of wit has declared in his favour.

The mufes are the most coquetish of their fex, fond of being admired, and always putting on their beft airs to the finest gentleman: but, alas, Sir! their addreffes are stale, and their fine things but repetition; for there is nothing new in wit, but what is found in your own

conversation.

Could I write by the help of study, as you talk without it, I would venture to fay fomething in the ufual ftrain of dedication; but as you have too much wit to fuffer it, I too little to undertake it, I hope the world will excufe my deficiency, and you will pardon the prefumption of, SIR,

Your most obliged, and

Moft humble fervant,

Dec. 23, 1702.

G. FARQUHAR.

PRE

A 2

PREFACE.

TH

HE fuccefs and countenance that debauchery has met with in plays, was the most severe and reafonable charge againft their authors in Mr. Collier's Short View; and indeed this gentleman had done the drama confiderable fervice, had he arraigned the flage only to punith its mifdemeanors, and not to take away its life. But there is an advantage to be made fometimes of the advice of an enemy, and the only way to disappoint his defigus, is to improve upon his invectives, and to make the stage flourish, by the virtue of that fatire by which he thought to fupprefs it.

I have therefore in this piece endeavoured to fhew, that an English comedy may anfwer the strictnefs of poetical juftice: but indeed the greater flare of the English audience (I mean that part which is no farther read than in plays of their own language) have imbibed other principles, and fland up as vigoroufly for the old poetic li 'cence, as they do for the liberty of the fubject. They take all innovations for grievances; and let a project be never fo well laid for their advantage, yet the undertaker is very likely to fuffer by it. A play without a beau, cully, cuckold, or coquet, is as poor an entertainment to fome palates, as their Sunday's dinner would be without heef and pudding. And this I take to be one reafon that the galleries were fo thin during the run of this play. I thought indeed to have foothed the fplenetic zeal of the City, by making a gentleman a knave, and punishing their great grievance-a whoremaster: but a certain virtuofo of that fraternity has told me fince, that the Citizens were never more difappointed in any entertainment; for (faid he) however pious we may appear to be at home, yet we never go to that end of the town but with an intention to be lewd.

There

There was an odium caft upon this play, before it appeared, by fome perfons who thought it their intereft to have it fuppreffed. The ladies were frighted from feeing it, by formidable ftories of a midwife, and were told, no doubt, that they must expect no less than a labour upon the stage; but I hope the examining into that afperfion will be enough to wipe it off, fince the character of the midwife is only fo far touched as is neceffary for carrying on the plot, fhe being principally decyphered in her procuring capacity; and I dare not affront the ladies so far, as to imagine they could be offended at the expofing of a bawd.

Some critics complain, that the defign is defective for want of Clelia's appearance in the fcene; but I had rather they should find this fault, than I forfeit my regard to the fair, by fhewing a lady of figure under a misfortune; for which reafon I made her only nominal, and chofe to expofe the person that injured her. And if the ladies don't agree that I have done her juftice in the end, I am very forry for it.

Some people are apt to fay, that the character of Richmore points at a particular perfon; though I must confefs, I fee nothing but what is very general in his character, except his marrying his own miftrefs; which by the way he never did, for he was no fooner off the stage, but he changed his mind, and the poor lady is ftill in Statu quo: but upon the wole matter, 'tis application only makes the afs; and characters in plays, are like Long-Lane clothes, not hung out for the ufe of any particular perfon, but to be bought by only thofe they hap pen to fit.

The moft material objection against this play is the importance of the fubject, which neceffarily leads into fentiments too great for diverfion, and fuppofes vices too great for comedy to punifh. 'Tis faid, I must own, that the bufinefs of comedy is chiefly to ridicule folly, and that the punishment of vice falls rather into the province of tragedy; but if there be a middle fort of wickednefs, too high for the fock, and too low for the buskin, is there any reafon that it fhould go unpunished? What are more obnoxious to humane fociety, than the villains expofed in this play, the frauds, plots and contrivances