Bell's British Theatre

kind; but the muses, like most females, are least liberal to their own sex.

All I dare say in favour of this piece, is, that the plot is entirely new, and the incidents wholly owing to my own invention; not borrowed from our own, or translated from the works of any foreign poet; so that they have at least the charm of novelty to recommend them. If they are so lucky, in some leisure hour, to give your Grace the least diversion, they will answer the utmost ambition of,

My Lord,

Your Grace's most obedient, most devoted, and

Most humble servant,

SUSANNA CENTLIVRE.

A BOLD STROKE FOR A WIFE.

THIS is the play of a lady, whose productions we have before had occasion to notice generally. It seems to be such a kind of work, as any woman fertile in expedient might conceive, and any woman, conversant with language in a slight degree, might write.

It has no scenes of wit that demanded vivacity of intelligence to collect, and a mind skilled and exercised in remote resemblances to combine. Humour it has, but it is of the coarsest kind-not over delicate, nor exceedingly chaste.

One peculiarity strikes us in the comedy of female writers: it is, that their heroines are never to be won without stratagem. They invariably display the romantic cast of the sex, in such redundance of disguises and surprises, such conjurations of the lover, and such caprices of the mistress-so much inexorable folly in her guardian, or such blindness in her parents, such readiness of lying in the lady, and so much dexterity of contrivance in her maid.

Mrs. APHRA BEHN appears to have begun this loose comedy among us; which some of our present writers seem about to finish-We assure them they are heartily welcome, for all that either present or future readers will care.

PROLOGUE.

night we come upon a bold design,

To try to please without one borrow'd line;
Our plot is new and regularly clear,
And not one single tittle from Moliere.
O'er buried poets we with caution tread,
And parish sextons leave to rob the dead.
For you, bright British fair, in hopes to charm ye,
We bring to-night a lover from the army;
You know the soldiers have the strangest arts,
Such a proportion of prevailing parts,

You'd think that they rid post to women's hearts.
I wonder whence they draw their bold pretence;
We do not choose them sure for our defence:
That plea is both impolitic and wrong,
And only suit such dames as want a tongue.
Is it their eloquence and fine address?

The softness of their language? -Nothing less.
Is it their courage, that they bravely dare
To storm the sex at once?- -Egad! 'tis there,
They act by us as in the rough campaign,
Unmindful of repulses, charge again:
They mine and countermine, resolv'd to win,
And, if a breach is made,-they will come in.

You'll think, by what we have of soldiers said,
Our female wit was in the service bred:
But she is to the hardy toil a stranger,
She loves the cloth indeed, but hates the danger:
Yet to this circle of the brave and gay,
She bid one, for her good intentions say,
She hopes you'll not reduce her to half-pay.
As for our play, 'tis English humour all:
Then will you let our manufacture fall?
Would you the honour of our nation raise,
Keep English credit up, and English plays.

Dramatis Personae.

DRURY-LANE.

Colonel FAINWELL, in love with Mrs. Lovely
Sir PHILIP MODELOVE, an old beau
PERIWINKLE, a kind of silly virtuose
TRADELOVE, a Change broker
OBADIAH PRIM, a Quaker bosier
FREEMAN, the Colonel's friend, a merchant
SIMON PURE, a Quaking preacher
Mr. SACKBUT, a vintner

Mrs. LovELY, a fortune of thirty thousand pounds

Mrs. PRIM, wife to Prim the hosier

BETTY, servant to Mrs. Lovely.

COVENT GARDEN.