THE INCONSTANT; Ó R, THE WAY TO WIN HIM. A COMEDY, As written by Mr. G. FARQUHAR. DISTINGUISHING ALSO THE VARIATIONS OF THE THEATRE, AS PERFORMED AT THE Theatre-Royal in Dury-Lane. Regulated from the Prompt-Book, By PERMISSION of the MANAGERS, In nova fert animus mutatas dicere formas -Ovid. Met, AB LONDON: Printed for JoHN BELL, near Exeter-Exchange, in the Strand. MDCCLXXVII. то RICHARD TIGHE, SIR, DE Efq. EDICATIONS are the only fashions in the world that are more difliked for being univerfal; and the reafon is, that they very seldom fit the perfons they were made for: but I hope to avoid the common obloquy in this addrefs, by laying afide the poet in every thing but the dramatic decorum of fuiting my character to the perfon. From the part of Mirabel in this play, and another character in one of my former, people are willing to compliment my performance in drawing a gay, fplendid, generous, eafy, fine young gentleman. My genius, I must confefs, has a bent to that kind of defcription; and my veneration for you, Sir, may pafs for unquestionable, fince in all thefe happy accomplishments you come fo near to my darling character, abating his inconftancy. What an unfpeakable bleffing is youth and fortune, when a happy understanding comes in, to moderate the defires of the firft, and to refine upon the advantages of the latter; when a gentleman is mafter of all pleafures, but a flave to none; who has travelled, not for the curi ofity of the fight, but for the improvement of the mind's eye; and who returns full of every thing but himself? An author might fay a great deal more, but a friend, Sir, nay, an enemy must allow you this. I fhall here, Sir, meet with two obstacles, your modefty and your fenfe; the first, as a cenfor upon the fubject, the fecond, as a critic upon the ftile: but I am obftinate in my purpose, and will maintain what I fay to the lait drop of my pen; which I may the more boldly undertake, having all the world on my fide; nay, I have your very felf against you; for by declining to hear your own merit, your friends are authorized the more to proclaim it. A z Your [4] Your generofity and eafinefs of temper is not only obvious in your common affairs and converfation, but more plainly evident in your darling amufement, that opener and dilater of the mind, mufic:- -from your affection for this delightful study, we may deduce the pleafing harmony that is apparent in all your actions; and be affured, Sir, that a perfon must be poffeffed of a very divine foul, who is fo much in love with the entertainment of angels. From your encouragement of mufic, if there be any poetry here, it has a claim, by the right of kindred, to your favour and affection. You were pleased to honour the reprefentation of this play with your appearance at feveral times, which flatter'd my hopes that there might be fomething in it which your good-nature might excufe. With the honour I here intend for myfelf, I likewife confult the intereft of my nation, by fhewing a perfon that is fo much a reputation and credit to my country. Befides all this, I was willing to make a handfome compliment to the place of my pupilage; by informing the world that fo fine a gentleman had the feeds of his education in the faine univerfity, and at the same time with, SIR, Your most faithful, and Moft humble Servant, G. FARQUHAR. PRE PREFACE. O give you the hiftory of this play, would but cause the reader and the writer a trouble to no purpofe; I fhall only fay, that I took the hint from Fletcher's Wild Goose Chase; and to those who say that I have spoiled the original, I wifh no other injury but that they would fay it again. As to the fuccefs of it, I think it but a kind of Cremona bufifiefs, I have neither loft nor won. I pushed fairly, but the French were prepoffeffed, and the charms of Gallic heels were too hard for an English brain; but I am proud to own, that I have laid my head at the ladies feet. The favour was unavoidable, for we are a nation fo very fond of improving our understanding, that the inftruction of a play does no good, when it comes in competition with the moral of a minuet. Pliny tells us, in his Natural History, of elephants that were taught to dance on the ropes; if this could be made practicable now, what a number of subscriptions might be had to bring the Great Mogul out of Fleet-ftreet, and make him dance between the acts! I remember, that about two years ago, I had a gentleman from France* that brought the play-house fome fifty audiences in five months; then why fhould I be furprised to find a French lady do as much? It is the prettiest way in the world of defpifing the French king, to let him fee that we can afford money to bribe away his dancers, when he, poor man, has exhaufted all his stock, in buying fome pitiful towns and principalities: cum multis aliis. What can be a greater compliment to our generous nation, than to have the lady upon her re-tour to Pa A 3 * Conftant Couple. sis, |