Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from The Dramatick Works of John Dryden, Esq., Vol. 6: Containing, Don Sebastian, King of Portugal; Amphitryon, or the Two Sosia's; Cleomenes, the Spartan Heroe; King Arthur, or the British Worthy; Love Triumphant, or Nature Will Prevail
Self-murther. This pre that he was ligious, the Horror of his oceli, tho innocently oom witted, was the bei't Reafon which t e Stage cou'd give for hindering his Return. 't is truoi have no Ri ht to blaft his Memory with fuch a Crime But declaring it to be Fi&ion, I defire my Audience to think it no Ion true, than while they are feeing it reprefented: For $2 once ended, he may be a Saint for ought Iknow; and' we have Reafon to prel'ume he is. On this Suppolition, it was unreafonable to have kili'd him: For the Learned Mr. Rymer has well obferv'd, that in all Puniihments we are to regulate our {elves by Poetical Juilice, and accot ding to thol'c Meafures an involuntary Sin deferves not Death; from whence it follows, that to divorce hlmf'elf from the beloved Objeet, to retire into a Defart, and de prive himfelf of a Throne, was the utmoit Punifhment which a Poet could in?ie}, as it was alfo the utmoft Ree paration which Seba?ian cou'd make. For what relates to Almeyda, her Part is wholly fifiitious: I know it s the Sirname of a noble Family in Portugal, which was very infirumental in the Refioration of D013 Talmde Brag?nw as, Father to the molt lllulh'ious and molt Pious Princeis' our Queen Dowager. The Franek Author of a Novel call'd Don Seba?imz, has given that. Name to an African Lady of his own Invention, and makes her_sifler to malay-ma burner. But I have wholly chan d the Accidents, -and borrow'd nothing but the Sn portion, that {he was be lov'd by the Kin of'portuge Tho if I had taken the whole Story, ang wrought it up into a Play, I might have done it exaetly according to the Practice of almo?r all the Ancients; who were never accus'd of being P14 giarier, fior building their Tragedies on known ables; Thus Jugufim Gefar wrote an Ajax, which was nor the lefis his own, becaufe Euripides had written a Play before him on that Subjeet. Thus of late Years Camille writ an Oedipus after Sophocles; and I have deli n'd one after him, which-i wrote with mr.lee, yet neit r' the French Poet hole from the Greek, nor we from the Random. I is the Contrivance, the new Turn, and new Charaelers.
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