he virtue
of their Inspiration: Amongst which, the never enough admir'd Mr
_Cowley_, in his noble version of the _Davideidos_, gives the _Royal
David_ this Title, _Rex olim & Vates duo Maxima munera Coeli_; and
numbers of others might be inserted to prove Poetical Authority, and
the respect it bore in past Ages; which, tho I have not capacity to
parallel, I hope I may be allow'd to imitate on another subject; and in
this have leave to acquit my self of several heinous Accusations, which
this Tyrannical Critick has Impos'd upon me.

I am not at all Ignorant of his eminent parts, Learning, and other
qualifications; nor am I insensible, as well as the rest of his Readers,
that his Book has a very fair and engaging Title-page, and is no less
Illustrated with many weighty and just censures upon the _Immorality of
the Stage_, and our licentious Writings for many years past; and tho
this has been proved by the late Ingenious Author of _the Vindication of
the Stage_ to be occasion'd by the vices of the Times, and not those of
the Poets; yet thus for we can endure the Scourge, and kiss his Rod with
patience enough: And for my own part, I declare if I had found his
Severity had been moral, and had ended in the good design of cleansing
the Stage from its Impurities, and had been only a kind Instruction to
my Brethren and my self, to reform our Immoral errors, I had, as the
rest of us, with all humility imaginable, thank'd him for his wit and
good reproof; and had been so far from answering in this manner, that I
should have been proud to have my name before his Book, with a Copy of
Verses in applause of his Admirable Design. But when, instead of this,
I find he strikes at the root of our Dramatick Labours, and the Town's
diversion, for some sly and selfish ends; and instead of reproving us
with a Pastorly Mildness, Charity and Good Nature, gives us the basest
language, and with the most scurillous expression, sometimes raging and
even foaming at mouth, taxing the little liberty has always been us'd,
with horrid horrid Blasphemy, Prophaneness, and Damnable Impiety; when
Reason must inform every one we intend nothing of the matter, besides
the poor priviledge _Poetica Licentia_: and pretending to prove this
with false Quotations, unnatural Mistakes, and Hypocritical Hypotheses,
I resolv'd to controvert him, and endeavour to prove that 'tis meerly
his malice that has abus'd me and the rest, without Reason or
Provocation; and that his