in are apt to
trench a little too nearly on the realm of farce.

THEATRICAL HISTORY.

_The Second Part of The Rover_ was produced at the Duke's Theatre,
Dorset Gardens, in 1681. It is noticeable that Will Smith had so
distinguished himself in Willmore, that Betterton, who appeared as
Belvile in the first part, did not essay a character in the second. The
cast was reinforced, however, by Mrs. Barry, who took the role of La
Nuche.

The play was received with great applause; it suffered none the less the
fate of most sequels and, being overshadowed by its predecessor, after a
few decades disappeared from the boards.

To His
ROYAL HIGHNESS
the
DUKE, &c.

Great Sir,

I dread to appear in this Humble Dedication to Your Royal Highness,
as one of those Insolent and Saucy Offenders who take occasion by Your
absence to commit ill-mannered indecencies, unpardonable to a Prince of
your Illustrious Birth and God-like Goodness, but that in spight of
Seditious Scandal You can forgive; and all the World knows You can
suffer with a Divine Patience: the proofs You have early and late given
of this, have been such, as if Heaven design'd 'em only to give the
World an undeniable Testimony of Your Noble Vertues, Your Loyalty and
True Obedience (if I may presume to say so,) both to Your Sacred
Brother, and the never satisfied People, when either one Commanded, or
t'other repin'd, With how chearful and intire a submission You Obey'd?
And tho the Royal Son of a Glorious Father who was render'd unfortunate
by the unexemplary ingratitude of his worst of Subjects; and sacrific'd
to the insatiate and cruel Villany of a seeming sanctifi'd Faction, who
cou'd never hope to expiate for the unparallell'd sin, but by an intire
submission to the Gracious Off-spring of this Royal Martyr: yet You,
Great Sir, denying Yourself the Rights and Priviledges the meanest
Subject Claims, with a Fortitude worthy Your Adorable Vertues, put
Yourself upon a voluntary Exile to appease the causeless murmurs of this
again gathering Faction, who make their needless and self-created fears,
an occasion to Play the old Game o're again; whil'st the Politick
self-interested and malitious few betray the unconsidering Rest, with
the delicious sounds of Liberty and Publick Good; that lucky Cant which
so few years since so miserably reduc'd all the Noble, Brave and Honest,
to the Obedience of the ill-gotten Power, and worse-acted Greatness of
the