The Comedies of Mr G. F

Front matter

£. Tantiun de medio £uinpti£ aCCedit horLOrifi . THE COMEDIES o F Mr. George Farquhar; VIZ. Love and a Bottle, Constant Couple: Or a Trip to the Jubilee, Sir Harry Wildair, Inconstant : Or ,The Way to win Him, Twin-Rivals, Recruiting Officer , Beaux Stratagem, LONDON: Printed sot Bernard Lintott between the two Temple-Gates in Fleet street. T O JOHN EYRE, Esq; Sir y OST of the following Plays are infcrib'd to Persons of greatest Worth and Honour : And one. not less successful than the rest., to the Gen- The Epistle Dedicatory. Gentlemen of Shropshire, than which there are few Counties in England that can make a Figure more distin guishable. Yet still there is one Play, and the whole Collection as now made, which want a Patron. As Ben Johnson fhew'd the seve ral Humours of his Time, with a Stroak so masterly, that they still do and may please hereafter : And as Mr. Shadwel was allow'd to have excell'd in that Strain of Writing, so it is my Hopes, that Mr. Far qnbars Comedies will not have less Approbation in future Ages, than they have had in the present.

My Reason is, because we still desire to know what our Fore-fathers did: And he that in late Posterity would The Epistle Dedicatory. would look for the Humours of this Age, must search Mr. Farquhar for them as much as he would Vandike^ Vario, Lilly, or Mr. How ard, for their Personages or their Habits. There is a Liveliness and Vigour runs through the whole, and there fore these following Pages may sometimes divert your more serious Thoughts, when (as your Custom is) you have been employing them for the Benefit of your Friends, and to their best Advantage. And as it is my Interest to wish they may remain to Posterity, so the utmost Desire I have of being grateful at present, and not forgot hereafter, is, That you wou'd Pa tronize this Collection, and receive this The Epistle Dedicatory. this small Acknowledgment of my Duty to you, as from one that would take all Opportunities of te stifying to the World -how much he is SIR y Tour most Obedient, Humble Servant y Bernard Lintott I^OVE LOVE and a BOTTLE, A COMEDY Vadesed incultut, qualem decet exults effe.

Ovid. Trist. EL i. J5 To the Right Honourable PEREGRINE, Lord Marquifs of Carmarthen^ &c. My Lord, BEing equally a Stranger to your Lordship, and the whole Nobility of this Kingdom, something of a natural Impulse and aspiring Motion in my Inclina tions, has prompted me, tho' I hazard a Presumption, to declare my Respect. And be the Success how it Will, I am vain of nothing in this Piece, but the Choice of my Patron ; I shall be so far thought a judicious Author, whose principal Business is to design his Works an Offering to the greatest Honour and Merit. I cannot here, my Lord, stand accused of any sort of Adulation, but to my self, because Compliments due to Merit return upon the Giver, and the only Flat tery is to my self, whilst I attempt your Lordship's Praise. I dare make no Eslay on your Lordship's youthful Bravery and Courage, because such is always guarded with Modesty, but shall venture to present yon some Lines on this Subject, which the World will undoubtedly apply to your Lordship.