Excerpt from An Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber, Comedian, and Late Patentee of the Theatre-Royal, Vol. 2: With an Historical View of the Stage During His Own Time, With an Account of the Rise and Progress of the English Stage, A Dialogue on Old Plays, and Old Players, And a List of Dramatic Authors and Their Works

B 2 gulation, gulation, was capable of being what the wifeft Ages thought it might be, The molt rational Scheme, that Human Wit could form, to di¿i pate, with Innocence, the Cares of Life, to allure even the Turbulent, or Ill-difpofed from worfe Meditations, and to give the leifure Hours Of Eu finefs, and Virtue, an inftruétive Recreation.

If this grave Affertion is lefs recommended, by falling from the Pen of a Comedian, I muf'c ap peal, for the Truth Of it, to the Tragedy Of Cato, which was full acted in 1712. I fubmit to the Judgment Of thofe, who were then the fenfible Speétators of it, if the Succefs, and Merit of that Play, was not an Evidence of every Article of that Value, which I have given to a decent Thea tre? But (as I was Obferving) it could not be ex peéted the Summer Days, I am fpeaking of, could be the conflant Weather Of the Year we had our clouded Hours, as well as our Sun-ibine, and were not always in the fame good-humour with one another: Fire, Air, and Water, could not be more vexatioufly oppofite, than the different Tempers Of the Three Managers, though they might equally have their ufeful, as well as their deftruétive Qialities. How variou¿y thefe Ele ments, in our feveral Difpofxtions, operated, may be judged from the following tingle Inftance, as well as a thoufand others, which, if they were al to be told, might pofiibly make my Reader wifl I had forgot them.

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