I must likewise own, that I have somewhat deviated from the known
history, in the death of Muley Moluch, who, by all relations, died of
a fever in the battle, before his army had wholly won the field; but
if I have allowed him another day of life, it was because I stood in
need of so shining a character of brutality as I have given him; which
is indeed the same with that of the present emperor Muley-Ishmael, as
some of our English officers, who have been in his court, have
credibly informed me.
I have been listening--what objections had been made against the
conduct of the play; but found them all so trivial, that if I should
name them, a true critic would imagine that I played booty, and only
raised up phantoms for myself to conquer. Some are pleased to say--the
writing is dull; but, _aetatem habet, de se loquatur._ Others, that the
double poison is unnatural: let the common received opinion, and
Ausonius his famous epigram, answer that[3]. Lastly, a more ignorant
sort of creatures than either of the former maintain, that the
character of Dorax is not only unnatural, but inconsistent with
itself: let them read the play, and think again; and if yet they are
not satisfied, cast their eyes on that chapter of the wise Montaigne,
which is intitled, _De l'Inconstance des Actions humaines_. A longer
reply is what those cavillers deserve not; but I will give them and
their fellows to understand, that the earl of Dorset was pleased to
read the tragedy twice over before it was acted, and did me the favour
to send me word, that I had written beyond any of my former plays, and
that he was displeased any thing should be cut away.
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