BRUTUS
OF
ALBA
:
OR
,
THE
Enchanted
Lovers
.
A
TRAGEDY
.
Acted
at
the
Duke's
Theatre
.
Written
by
N.
TATE
.
—
Neque
ut
te
miretur
Turba
,
Labores
.
Hor.
Licensed
Iuly
15.
1678.
Roger
L'Estrange
.
LONDON
,
Printed
by
E.
F.
for
Iacob
Tonson
,
at
the
Sign
of
the
Iudge's
Head
in
Chancery-Lane
,
near
Fleet-street
.
1678.
To
the
Right
Honourable
CHARLES
Earl
of
DORSET
and
MIDDLESEX
,
AND
One
of
the
GENTLEMEN
OF
HIS
Majestie
's
Bed-Chamber
.
My
Lord
,
THAT
I
am
permitted
to
lay
this
TRAGEDY
at
your
Lordship's
Feet
,
transports
me
more
then
the
greatest
Success
on
the
Stage
could
have
done
.
I
confess
the
Scenes
are
very
imperfect
,
yet
as
First-fruits
I
hope
they
may
prove
a
gratefull
Offering
.
'T
is
by
your
influence
that
Poetry
flourishes
in
our
Age
;
and
therefore
no
wonder
if
Poets
throng
to
make
you
their
Acknowledgements
,
and
Dedicate
their
Labours
at
your
Shrine
.
By
the
Excellencies
of
your
Lordships
Mind
they
form
their
best
Heroes
,
and
oblige
the
World
with
Characters
of
Men
both
Great
and
Courteous
.
Whilst
other
Judges
(
like
Usurpers
in
Fame
)
are
jealous
of
every
new
Pretender
to
the
Bays
,
and
labour
to
Crush
'em
in
their
first
Appearance
;
your
Lordship
as
the
lawfull
Monarch
of
Wit
,
sits
secure
in
your
Native
Right
,
assur'd
that
where-ever
they
gather
their
Lawrels
,
those
on
your
Lordships
Brow
are
Sacred
and
Inviolable
.
Such
is
the
Accuracy
of
your
Judgment
in
Poetry
,
so
Correct
your
Performances
when
you
condescend
to
Write
,
that
the
most
perfect
Authors
must
be
gratefull
for
your
Approbation
:
yet
so
vast
is
your
Candour
,
as
to
afford
Protection
to
the
Essays
of
even
my
weak
Fancy
.
But
though
I
am
the
least
of
those
that
are
blest
with
your
Lordships
Favour
,
yet
I
am
above
'em
all
Happy
in
This
,
that
I
stand
the
greatest
Instance
of
your
Goodnesse
.
Your
Lordships
Devoted
Humble
Servant
,
N.
Tate
.
PREFACE
.
I
Wou'd
not
have
the
Reader
surpriz'd
to
find
this
Tragedy
bear
some
Resemblance
with
the
passages
of
the
Fourth
Book
of
the
AEneids
,
for
I
had
begun
and
finisht
it
under
the
Names
of
Dido
and
AEneas
;
but
was
wrought
by
advice
of
some
Friends
,
to
Transform
it
to
the
Dress
it
now
wears
.
They
told
me
it
wou'd
appear
Arrogant
to
attempt
any
Characters
that
had
been
written
by
the
Incomparable
Virgil
;
and
therefore
(
though
sensible
enough
of
what
I
should
lose
by
the
Change
)
I
chose
to
suffer
any
Inconvenience
rather
then
be
guilty
of
a
breach
of
Modesty
.
The
Man
of
Wit
is
seldome
a
Friend
to
a
young
Writer
;
but
no
such
Mortal
Foe
to
a
New
Authour
as
your
Man
of
Noise
:
who
is
still
the
more
to
be
fear'd
the
less
he
is
able
to
judge
:
as
't
is
observ'd
when
a
Criminal
falls
into
the
Hands
of
the
Rabble
,
those
are
the
most
forward
to
worry
him
that
least
understand
his
Offence
.
Our
loudest
Critiques
are
generally
Pleas'd
or
Displeas'd
with
what
is
least
Material
in
a
Play
,
or
perhaps
not
so
much
as
a
Part
of
it
;
for
sometimes
Five
good
Acts
have
not
been
able
to
make
amends
for
One
ill
Dance
.
If
the
Sense
of
the
Lines
prove
too
close
and
weighty
for
their
Tender
Intellects
,
they
hold
themselves
affronted
,
and
the
Poet
must
answer
it
at
his
Peril
:
but
if
he
commit
the
Capital
crime
of
inserting
Learning
into
his
Play
,
it
were
convenient
that
his
Will
were
made
,
and
some
Brother
of
the
Faculty
immediately
set
to
work
on
his
Epitaph
.
Sir
Formal
got
rid
of
the
Silk-weavers
with
much
Contusion
,
and
Cinna
in
Julius
Caesar
,
scap't
with
some
Rubbs
,
and
being
hoist
on
a
Cowl-staff
;
but
to
be
〈◊〉
witted
is
the
least
that
an
Authour
in
the'foresaid
case
can
expect
.
—
Invenias
disjecti
Membra
Poetae
.
This
one
would
think
sufficient
to
reclaim
'em
,
but
experience
shews
us
that
Poetry
is
such
a
stubborn
sort
of
Fanaticism
,
as
is
never
to
be
rooted
out
by
Persecution
.