Sir Grave Solymour, about to enter the bed of the chaste Celinda, finds himself in the embraces of a black-a-moor, whilst his friends rush in and jeer the precise old knight, whose ‘night-hag’ eventually proves to be Celinda’s sooty page. The ‘braver _Heroins_’ of Howard, Serina, Crispina, Eugenia, Petilla, wish to assume and usurp all the privileges of the bolder sex. The scene lies in Utopia. Peacock, created by the low comedian Angel, is a silly fribbling fop. When the play was printed commendatory verses were prefixed by Ravenscroft and Mrs. Behn, both of whom adopted Pindarics; by J. T.; and by Sam Clyat. In Mrs. Behn’s _Miscellany_ of 1685 is included ‘_A Pindaric by the Honourable_ Edward Howard _to Mrs._ B. _Occasioned by a Copy she made on his Play, called the New_ Eutopia’. The piece is fluent and not ungraceful, concluding with a pretty compliment. Mrs. Behn’s Pindarick is reprinted in the _Muses Mercury_, October, 1707, with this note: ‘The following Paper of Verses was written by Mrs. _Behn_, to a Poet, who being damn’d, declar’d he wou’d write no more: However out of Affection to his Brother Poets, he left Rules for them to write; which she seems to judge kinder of than they deserve; since both the Rules and the Critick are already entirely forgot. The Reader will perceive that Mrs. _Behn_ had no Notion of a Pindarick Poem, any farther than it consisted of irregular Numbers, and sav’d the Writer the Trouble of even Measure; which indeed is all our common Pindarick Poets know of the Matter.’ _Shee who late made the Amazons so Great_ refers to Howard’s tragicomedy, _The Women’s Conquest_ (4to 1671), the scene of which lies in Scythia, where we meet with several pseudo-classical Amazons. For a detailed account of Edward Howard _vide_ the present editor’s edition of _The Rehearsal_ (pp. 76-9). p. 207 _the Musick-Meeting_. cf. Southerne’s _The Wives Excuse; or, Cuckolds make Themselves_ (1692), Act i, i: ‘the outward Room to the Musick-Meeting,’ which gives a very lively picture of these fashionable assemblies. An Italian and then an English song--(’.hich won’t oblige a Man to tell you he has seen an _Opera_ at _Venice_ to understand’.--are sung.