WVING SOME ACCOUNT OF THE AUTHORS AND THEIR WRITINGS.
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OCTAVO, 1711.) Xrancis Beaumont, Esquire, was descended from the ancient familyof that name, at Gracedieu in Leicestershire, and brotlier to Sir HenryBeaumont, Knight, of the same place ; his grandfather was John Beau«* mont, ' Prrface.'] To this Preface, Mr. Sympson, in the Edition of 1760, prefixes the followingIntroduction. Tis really surprising that all we know of two such illustrious authors as Mr. Beaumontand Mr. Fletcher were is, lliat we know nothing. The composer of the following Preface,and editor of their works in 171 1» calh it ** An Account ©f the Lives, &c. of his Authors."But he greatly miscalls it, for that they were bom in iuch a year, and died in such a one, is allhe has given us of tlieir history and actions j and by what 1 can find, had they never wrote acomedy, we should not have known^ but upon )lr. Shirley's word, that in conversation theyever had talked one. Our authors, 'tis true, take up articles' in two dictionaries, but these contain little morethap remarks on their dramatic performances. Believing therefore tliat the no account, of thefollowing Preface, contains as good an account of our authors as any can be given, 1 submitit to the reader pure and unmix'd, as it came out of the editor's hands, without any alterationor interpolation at all, only striking out a long quotation from a very imperfect answer of Mr.Drydeo s to the objections' made against Shakesjieafe and our authors by Mr. Rhymer. But their dramatic is no better known than their civil history ; I mean what part each sus-tained in their poetical cap<icitie8. Did Beaumont ])lan, and Fletcher raise the superstructure?Then 'tis no wonder the work should be all of a piece. But if each sustained both characters (as I think is so plain as not to be doubted) 'tisstrange there should appear no greater diversity in their writings, when the separate parts cameto be put toeether. FoK, unless 1 be greatly mistaken, we cannot say that here one laid down the pencil, andihert the other took it up, no more than we can say of any two contiguous colours in tliejainbow, here this ends and there that begins, so fine Is tlic transition, that ■ Spectantia lamina Jallit,
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