PREFACE
.
THOUGH
it
be
dangerous
to
raise
too
great
an
expectation
,
especially
in
works
of
this
Nature
,
where
we
are
to
please
an
unsatiable
Audience
,
yet
't
is
reasonable
to
prepossess
them
in
favour
of
an
Author
,
and
therefore
both
the
Prologue
and
Epilogue
inform'd
you
,
that
Oedipus
was
the
most
celebrated
piece
of
all
Antiquity
.
That
Sophocles
,
not
only
the
greatest
Wit
,
but
one
of
the
greatest
Men
in
Athens
,
made
it
for
the
Stage
at
the
Publick
Cost
,
and
that
it
had
the
reputation
of
being
his
Master-piece
,
not
only
amongst
the
Seven
of
his
which
are
still
remaining
,
but
of
the
greater
Number
which
are
perish'd
.
Aristole
has
more
than
once
admir'd
it
in
his
Book
of
Poetry
,
Horace
has
mention'd
it
:
Lucullus
,
Julius
Caesar
,
and
other
noble
Romans
,
have
written
on
the
same
Subject
,
though
their
Poems
are
wholly
lost
;
but
Seneca's
is
still
preserv'd
.
In
our
own
Age
,
Corneille
has
attempted
it
,
and
it
appears
by
his
Preface
,
with
great
success
:
But
a
judicious
Reader
will
easily
observe
,
how
much
the
Copy
is
inferiour
to
the
Original
.
He
tells
you
himself
,
that
he
owes
a
great
part
of
his
success
to
the
happy
Episode
of
Theseus
and
Dirce
;
which
is
the
same
thing
,
as
if
we
should
acknowledge
,
that
we
were
indebted
for
our
good
fortune
,
to
the
under-plot
of
Adrastus
,
Eurydice
,
and
Creon
.
The
truth
is
,
he
miserably
fail'd
in
the
Character
of
his
Hero
:
if
he
desir'd
that
Oedipus
should
be
pitied
,
he
shou'd
have
made
him
a
better
man.
He
forgot
that
Sophocles
had
taken
care
to
shew
him
in
his
first
entrance
,
a
just
,
a
merciful
,
a
successful
,
a
Religious
Prince
,
and
in
short
,
a
Father
of
his
Country
:
instead
of
these
,
he
has
drawn
him
suspicious
,
designing
,
more
anxious
of
keeping
the
Theban
Crown
,
than
solicitous
for
the
safety
of
his
People
:
Hector'd
by
Theseus
,
contemn'd
by
Dirce
,
and
scarce
maintaining
a
second
part
in
his
own
Tragedie
.
This
was
an
errour
in
the
first
concoction
;
and
therefore
never
to
be
mended
in
the
second
or
the
third
:
He
introduc'd
a
greater
Heroe
than
Oedipus
himself
:
for
when
Theseus
was
once
there
,
that
Companion
of
Hercules
must
yield
to
none
:
The
Poet
was
oblig'd
to
furnish
him
with
business
,
to
make
him
an
Equipage
suitable
to
his
dignity
,
and
by
following
him
too
close
,
to
lose
his
other
King
of
Branford
in
the
Crowd
.
Seneca
on
the
other
side
,
as
if
there
were
no
such
thing
as
Nature
to
be
minded
in
a
Play
,
is
always
running
after
pompous
expression
,
pointed
sentences
,
and
Philosophical
notions
,
more
proper
for
the
Study
than
the
Stage
:
The
French-man
follow'd
a
wrong
scent
;
and
the
Roman
was
absolutely
at
cold
Hunting
.
All
we
cou'd
gather
out
of
Corneille
,
was
,
that
an
Episode
must
be
,
but
not
his
way
:
and
Seneca
supply'd
us
with
no
new
hint
,
but
only
a
Relation
which
he
makes
of
his
Tiresias
raising
the
Ghost
of
Lajus
:
which
is
here
perform'd
in
view
of
the
Audience
,
the
Rites
and
Ceremonies
so
far
his
,
as
he
agreed
with
Antiquity
,
and
the
Religion
of
the
Greeks
:
but
he
himself
was
beholding
to
Heliodore's
,
AEthiopiques
,
and
Lucan's
Erictho
.
Sophocles
indeed
is
admirable
every
where
:
And
therefore
we
have
follow'd
him
as
close
as
possibly
we
cou'd
:
But
the
Athenian
Theater
,
(
whether
more
perfect
than
ours
is
not
now
disputed
)
had
a
perfection
differing
from
ours
.
You
see
there
in
every
Act
a
single
Scene
,
(
or
two
at
most
)
which
manage
the
business
of
the
Play
,
and
after
that
succeeds
the
Chorus
,
which
commonly
takes
up
more
time
in
Singing
,
than
there
has
been
employ'd
in
speaking
.
The
Principal
person
appears
almost
constantly
through
the
Play
;
but
the
inferiour
parts
seldome
above
once
in
the
whole
Tragedie
.
The
conduct
of
our
Stage
is
much
more
difficult
,
where
we
are
oblig'd
never
to
lose
any
considerable
character
which
we
have
once
presented
.
Custom
likewise
has
obtain'd
,
that
we
must
form
an
under-plot
of
second
Persons
,
which
must
be
depending
on
the
first
,
and
their
by-walks
must
be
like
those
in
a
Labyrinth
,
which
all
of
'
em-lead
into
the
great
Parterre
:
or
like
so
many
several
lodging
Chambers
,
which
have
their
out-lets
into
the
same
Gallery
.
Perhaps
after
all
,
if
we
could
think
so
,
the
ancient
method
,
as
't
is
the
easiest
,
is
also
the
most
Natural
,
and
the
best
.
For
variety
,
as
't
is
manag'd
,
is
too
often
subject
to
breed
distraction
:
and
while
we
would
please
too
many
ways
,
for
want
of
art
in
the
conduct
,
we
please
in
none
.
But
we
have
given
you
more
already
than
was
necessary
for
a
Preface
,
and
for
ought
we
know
,
may
gain
no
more
by
our
instructions
,
than
that
Politick
Naton
is
like
to
do
,
who
have
taught
their
Enemies
to
fight
so
long
,
that
at
last
they
are
in
a
condition
to
invade
them
.