ry the Third;
which if they could have found out, would have concluded, perchance,
not only in the stopping of the play, but in the hanging up of the
poets. But so it was, that his majesty's wisdom and justice acquitted
both the one, and the other; and when the play itself was almost
forgotten, there were orders given for the acting of it.

This is matter of fact; and I have the honour of so great witnesses to
the truth of what I have delivered, that it will need no other appeal.
As to the exposing of any person living, our innocency is so clear,
that it is almost unnecessary to say, it was not in my thought; and,
as far as any one man can vouch for another, I do believe it was as
little in Mr Lee's. And now since some people have been so busy as to
cast out false and scandalous surmises, how far we two agreed upon the
writing of it, I must do a common right both to Mr Lee and myself, to
declare publicly, that it was at his earnest desire, without any
solicitation of mine, that this play was produced betwixt us. After
the writing of OEdipus, I passed a promise to join with him in
another; and he happened to claim the performance of that promise,
just upon the finishing of a poem,[2] when I would have been glad of a
little respite before the undertaking of a second task. The person,
that passed betwixt us, knows this to be true; and Mr Lee himself, I
am sure, will not disown it; So that I did not "seduce him to join
with me," as the malicious authors of the Reflections are pleased to
call it; but Mr Lee's loyalty is above so ridiculous a slander. I know
very well, that the town did ignorantly call and take this to be my
play; but I shall not arrogate to myself the merits of my friend.
Two-thirds of it belonged to him; and to me only the first scene of
the play; the whole fourth act, and the first half, or somewhat more,
of the fifth.

The pamphleteers, I know, do very boldly insinuate, that, "before the
acting of it, I took the whole play to myself; but finding afterwards
how ill success it had upon the stage, I threw as much of it as
possibly I could upon my fellow." Now here are three damned lies
crowded together into a very little room; first, that I assumed any
part of it to myself, which I had not written; wherein I appeal, not
only to my particular acquaintance, but to the whole company of
actors, who will witness for me, that, in all the rehearsals, I never
pretended to any one scene of Mr Lee's, but did him all