Maid," from The Single Songs, with the Dialogue, Sung in ... Brutus of Alba. Composed by Daniel Purcell (London, 1696). Henry E. Huntington Library Devonshire Plays, vol. 8 (131929-35).

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

The text of this edition of The Female Wits is reproduced from a copy in the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library.

THE

FEMALE WITS:

OR, THE

Triumvirate of Poets

AtREHEARSAL.

A

COMEDY.

As it was Acted several Days successively with great Applause

AT THE

Theatre-Royal

In DRURY-LANE.

By Her MAJESTY'S Servants.

Written by Mr. W. M.

Ita Astutim sibi Arrogat Hominem Ingenia Ut Homines credas. Cic.

LONDON, Printed for William Turner, at the Angel at Lincolns-Inn Back-Gate, William Davis, at the Black Bull in Cornhil, Bernard Lintott, at the Middle-Temple-Gate, and Tho. Brown, at the Blackamoors Head near the Savoy. 1704.

Price 1 s. 6 d.

THE PREFACE.

Though the Success of this Play has been such, as to need no Apology for the Publication of it; it having been Acted six Days running without intermission; and being likely to have continued much longer, had the Company thought fit to oblige the Taste of the Town in General, rather than that of some particular Persons; yet the lateness of its appearance abroad, after its being Acted some Years since with great Applause, seems to require that the Reader should be satisfied why it should fall under his Censure at a time when the Town has almost lost the Remembrance of it. In order to this, I take it for necessary to Premise, that the Author of it, a Man of more Modesty than the Generality of our present Writers, tho' not of less Merit than the best of 'em, was neither fond of his own Performances, nor desirous others should fall in love with them. What he writ was for his own Diversion; and he could hardly be persuaded by the Quality to make it theirs, till his good Temper got the better of his Aversion to write himself among the List of the Poets; and he was prevail'd upon to put it into the Hands of the Gentlemen belonging to the Theatre in Drury-Lane, who did him the same Justice, as was done by him to Dramatick Poetry and the Stage. Among the rest, Mr. Powel and his Wife excell'd in the Characters they represented, as did Mrs. Verbruggen, who play'd the Chief Character, and whose Loss we must ever regret, as the Chief Actress in her Kind, who never had any one that exceeded her, or ever will have one that can come up to her, unless a Miracle intervenes for the support of the English Stage. It is written in imitation of the Rehearsal; and though we must not presume to say it comes up to the Character of the Duke of Buckingham's Works, yet it does not fall short of it, so much as many of our Modern Performances, that please more for the sake of their Patrons than the real Worth of those that Writ 'em. And to let those that shall give it their Perusal, into the Knowledge of the Female Wits, who are here hinted at, they are to understand; the Lady whose Play is rehears'd, personates one Mrs. M—ly, a Gentlewoman sufficiently known for a Correspondence with the Muses some time since, though she has of late discontinu'd it, (I presume for some more profitable Employ) and those that go under the Names of Mrs. Welfed, and Calista, are Mrs. P—x and Mrs. T——r, two Gentlewomen that have made no small struggle in the World to get into Print; and who are now in such a State of Wedlock to Pen and Ink, that it will be very difficult for 'em to get out of it. Whether the Characters are just or no, that is left to the Reader's determination: But the Auditors thought the Pictures were true, or they would have condemn'd the Person that drew 'em, in less than six Days. What remains is, to justifie the Publication of it, and to acquaint the World, that the Author being deceas'd, I got a Copy of it; and out of my desire to divert the Publick, I thought it might not be unacceptable if it saw the Light. In short, if it pleases as much in the Reading, as it did in the Acting, the Reader cannot fail of his Satisfaction; if not, the Taste of the Criticks is different from what it was some Years since: And so, a Fig for their Censures, which can neither affect him that Wrote this Play, nor him that Publishes it.

THE PROLOGUE.

THE EPILOGUE