ands, who should offend them.

The play has indeed this moral, that such husbands as resemble Sir
John Brute, may expect that neglected beauty, and abused virtue, may
be provoked to yield to the motives of revenge, and that the forcible
sollicitations of an agreeable person, who not only demonstrates
a value, but a passion for what the possessor slights, may be
sufficiently prevalent with an injured wife to forfeit her honour.

Though this event may often fall out, that the brutality of a husband
produces the infidelity of a wife, yet it need not be shewn upon the
stage; women are not generally so tame in their natures, as to bear
neglect with patience, and the natural resentments of the human
heart will without any other monitor point out the method of revenge.
Besides, every husband ought not to be deemed a brute, because a too
delicate, or ceremonious wife, shall, in the abundance of her caprice,
bestow upon him that appellation. Many women who have beheld this
representation, may have been stimulated to imitate lady Brute in her
method of revenge, without having suffered her provocation. This play
verifies the observation of Mr. Pope,

That Van wants grace, who never wanted wit.

The next play which Sir John Vanbrugh introduced upon the stage
was Aesop, a Comedy; in two Parts, acted at the Theatre-Royal in
Drury-Lane 1698. This was originally written in French, by Mr.
Boursart, about six years before; but the scenes of Sir Polidorus
Hogstye, the Players, the Senator, and the Beau, were added by our
author. This performance contains a great deal of general satire,
and useful morality; notwithstanding which, it met with but a cold
reception from the audience, and its run terminated in about 8 or 9
days. This seemed the more surprising to men of taste, as the French
comedy from which it was taken, was played to crowded audiences for
a month together. Sir John has rather improved upon the original by
adding new scenes, than suffered it to be diminished in a translation,
but the French and the English. taste was in that particular very
different. We cannot better account for the ill success of this
excellent piece, than in the words of Mr. Cibber's Apology for his own
Life, when speaking of this play, he has the following observation;
'The character that delivers precepts of wisdom, is, in some sort,
severe upon the auditor, for shewing him one wiser than himself; but
when folly is his object, he applauds himself f