Event Comment: An unidentified letter, 22 March 1693@4.
There is hardly anything now to make it acceptable to you, but an account of our winter diversions, and chiefly of
the new plays which have been
the entertainment of
the town.
The first that was acted was
Mr Congreve's, called
The Double Dealer [see October 1693]. It has fared with that play, as it generally does with beauties officiously cried up:
the mighty expectation which was raised of it made it sink, even beneath its own merit.
The character of
The Double Dealer is artfully writt, but
the action being but single, and confined within
the rules of true comedy, it could not please
the generality of our audience, who relish nothing but variety, and think any thing dull and heavy which does not border upon farce.--
The criticks were severe upon this play, which gave
the author occasion to lash 'em in his Epistle Dedicatory, in so defying or hectoring a style, that it was counted rude even by his best friends; so that 'tis generally thought he has done his business, and lost himself: a thing he owes to Mr Dryden's treacherous friendship, who being jealous of
the applause he had gott by his
Old Batchelour, deluded him into a foolish imitation of his own way of writing angry prefaces.
The 2d play is
Mr Dryden's, called
Love Triumphant, or Nature will prevail [see 15 January 1694]. It is a tragi-comedy, but in my opinion one of
the worst he ever writt, if not
the very worst:
the comical part descends beneath
the style and shew of a
Bartholomew-fair droll. It was damn'd by
the universal cry of
the town,
nemine contradicente, but
the conceited poet. He says in his prologue, that this is
the last
the town must expect from him; he had done himself a kindness had he taken his leave before.
The 3d is
Mr Southern's call'd
The Fatal Marriage, or the Innocent Adultery [see February 1693@4]. It is not only
the best that author ever writt, but is generally admired for one of
the greatest ornaments of
the stage, and
the most entertaining play has appeared upon it
these 7 years.
The plot is taken from
Mrs Behn's novel, called
the Unhappy Vow-Breaker. I never saw
Mrs Barry act with so much passion as she does in it; I could not forbear being moved even to tears to see her act. Never was poet better rewarded or incouraged by
the town; for besides an extraordinary full house, which brought him about 140 #. 50 noblemen, among whom my
Lord Winchelsea, was one, give him guineas apiece, and
the printer 36 #. for his copy. This kind usage will encourage desponding minor poets, and vex huffing Dryden and Congreve to madness. [For
the fourth play, see 21 March 1693@4;
Edmond Malone,
Plays and Poems of William Shakespeare (
London, 1821), III, 162-64.