An account of the English dramatick poets, or, Some observations and remarks on the lives and writings of all those that have publish'd either comedies, tragedies, tragi-comedies, pastorals, masques, interludes, farces or opera's in the English tongue by Gerard Langbaine.

Thomas MERITON.

A Gentleman that liv'd in the Reign of King Charles the Second, and is certainly the meanest Dramatick Writer that ever England produc'd. I may with Justice apply to his Stupidity what Menedemus the Eretriack Philosopher, said of Perseus's wickedness: He is indeed a Poet; but of all Men that are, were, or ever shall be, the dullest. Never any Man's Stile was more Bombast, so that undoubtedly he deserv'd to have been under Ben. Johnson's Hands; and had he liv'd in that Age, had without question underwent the trouble of a Vomit, as well as Crispinus in Poetaster, till he had (to borrow

One of his losty Expressions) disgorg'd the ob∣dure Faculty of his Sence. I pretend not to that Quickness of Apprehension, as to under∣stand either of his Plays, and therefore the Reader will not expect that I should give any further Account of them, than that they are two in number, viz.

Love and War, a Tragedy, printed 4^o. Lond. 1658. and dedicated to the Truly Noble, Judi∣cious Gentleman, and his most Esteemed Bro∣ther, Mr. George Meriton. I am apt to believe these two Brothers acted the Counterpart of those German Brethren that dwelt at Rome, the Orator and the Rhetorician mentioned by Horacez 1.1, whose business it was,

— ut alter Alterius sermone meros audiret honores: Gracchus ut hic illi foret, hic ut Mutius illi.

Wandring Lover, a Tragi-comedy acted se∣veral times privately at sundry places by the Author and his Friends with great Applause; printed 4^o. Lond. 1658. and dedicated to the Ingenious, Judicious, and much Honoured Gentleman, Francis Wright Esquire. This Au∣thor's Works being very scarce, and most of the Impression bought up by Chandlers and Grocers, I may possibly oblige my Reader, by giving him a Taste of his Stile, and justify my self from the Imputation of Scandal. I shall therefore transcribe part of his Epistle, which runs thus:

To the Ingenious, Judicious, and much Ho∣noured Gentleman, Francis Wright Esq

Sir: My Intentions wandring upon the limits of vain Cogitations, was at the last arrived at the propicious brinks of an Anglicis of Performance; where seeing Diana and Venus in a Martial com∣bat, and such rare Atchievements performed by two such Ininimate Goddesses, did lend to the Aspect of their Angelical Eyes, my self to be the sole Spectator of their foregoing Valour: where then their purpose was to choose me their Arbi∣trator; the which I perceiving, did with a mild Complection (knowing my self impotent) relent backwards, thinking thereby to lose less Credit, and gain more Honour, to set Pen to Paper, and to relate some certain and harmless Dialogues, that while I was present, betwixt them past, which is This Poem; &c.

By this time I suppose my Reader is suffici∣ently tired, and will take my Word that the Play is of the same piece, without giving him∣self the trouble to disprove me: and I assure him that His Love and War is yet more swelling and unintelligible, than this Play.

He tells his Patron above-mentioned, That certain it is he writ two Books of the same Nature, viz. The several Affairs, a Comedy, and The Chast Virgin, a Romance; but they were his Pocket-Companions, and but shewn to some private Friends. Happy certainly were those Men, who were not reckoned in the number of his Friends; since they were obliged to hear such an Author's ampullous Fustian, which like

an empty Cask, makes a great Sound, but yields at best nothing but a few Lees. Tho' to all Men generally such Authors are troublesome, if not odious, and to be shunn'd by them, as Horace saysa 1.2:

Indoctum, doctum{que} sugat recitator acerbus. Quem vero arripuit, tenet, occidit{que} legendo, Non missura cutem nisi plena cruoris hirudo.

Notes

• z 1.1

  Epist. lib. 2. Ep. 2.
• a 1.2

  De Arte Poetica.