Momus Triumphans: or, the Plagiaries of the English Stage (1688[1687])Langbaine, Gerard
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Momus Triumphans: or, the Plagiaries of the English Stage (1688[1687])
Langbaine, Gerard
English drama -- Bibliography
This may seem superfluous at first sight, but may possibly be no longer
thought so, when I shall have acquainted my Reader, that when I was
making my Collection, I found several Plays and Masks, bound up with
other Poems, which by the name were scarce known to the generality
of Booksellers: as for instance, Sir =Robert Howard='s =Blind Lady=;
=Daniel's Philotas=; =Carew='s =Coelum Britanicum=; =Shirley='s
=Triumph of Beauty;= with infinite others. But two Plays I might
particularly mention, both taken notice of in former Catalogues, to
wit, =Gripus and Hegio=, a Pastoral; and =Deorum Dona=, a Masque; both
which were written by =Baron=, and were wholly unknown to all the
Booksellers of whom I happened to enquire, and which I could never
have found but by chance; they being printed in a Romance called, =The
Cyprian Academy=, in 8o. The same I might add of =The Clouds=, (a
Play which was never in any Catalogue before, and was translated from
=Aristophanes='s =Nubes= by =Stanley=, and printed with his =History
of Philosophy=, Fol. =Lond. 1655=, and now newly reprinted; and of
several others) but that I must hasten back to give an Account of the
two other Divisions of my Catalogue. The =one= of which contains those
Plays whose Authors discover themselves but by halves, and =that= to
their intimate Friends, by two Letters only in the =Title-Page=, or
the bottom of their =Epistle=; and in the last Degree are plac'd all
=Anonemous= Plays; and thus compleats the =Fifth= Part.
The =Second= Part contains the Catalogue =Reprinted= in an exact
=Alphabetical= manner, according to the forms of =Dictionaries=, the
Authors Names being here left out as superfluous; and against each Play
is a Figure to direct you to the Page where you may find it in the
First Part.
Thus much as to the Method and Alterations of this Catalogue: Now as to
the Remarks, which are of =three= sorts; the =first= of use, and the
other =two= conducing to Pleasure at least, if not to Profit likewise.
The =First= is to prevent my Readers being impos'd on by crafty
Booksellers, whose custom it is as frequently to vent =old= Plays with
=new= Titles, as it has been the use of the Theatres to dupe the Town,
by acting old Plays under new Names, as if newly writ, and never acted
before; as, =The Counterfeit Bridegroom=, an old Play of =Middleton='s;
=The Debauchee=, another of =Brome='s; =The Match in Newgate=, another
of =Marston='s; with many more, too tedious to repeat. By these Remarks
the Reader will find =The Fond Lady=, to be only the =Amorous Old
Woman=, with a new Title, =The Eunuch=, to be =The Fatal Contract=, a
Play printed above thirty years ago; with many the like.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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