Advertisement.
The Manuscript, from which the Play now brought before
the Public is printed, was bequeathed, in the year 1755, to
the Bodleian Library, by Richard Rawlinson, D. C. L. Fellow
of the Royal and Antiquarian Societies, and, for many years,
a Gentleman Commoner of St. John's College, Oxford.
In 1646 and 1653
, three plays were entered on the books
of the Stationers' Company, as the productions of Arthur
Wilson; their titles were, The Switzer, The Corporal,
and The Inconstant Lady; but it does not appear, that
either of them was printed.
By a list of dramatic pieces formerly in the possession of
John Warburton, Esq. Somerset Herald, we find that The
Inconstant Lady (erroneously ascribed to William Wilson)
was, at one time, in his collection of old plays in manuscript;
but as most of these were destroyed through carelessness,
(
see Notes at the end of the volume,) this play was supposed
to have shared the fate of its companions, and to be
totally lost, till Dr. Rawlinson's copy was accidentally discovered.
From this copy the present edition of The Inconstant
Lady has been printed with the greatest care, retaining line
for line, letter for letter, as in the original MS. This will
account for a very singular orthography in some places, and
an erroneous division of the metre in others; a system which
was deemed necessary, in compliance with the present taste
for bibliographical accuracy.
Of the Author all the particulars that can now be recovered
are, it is hoped, given in the Appendix. As it appeared
very likely, that some entries in the register at Felsted
might afford further information relative to our Author and
his family, application was made to the resident Minister,
Mr. John Simpson, who informs me by letter, that the volume
containing the burials, &c. from 1636 to 1678 has been
lost for many years. He adds moreover, that the Vicar of the
parish has some recollection of an inscription to Wilson's
memory; but this cannot be retrieved, as that part of the
chancel where the stone lays is now covered with pews for
the convenience of the parishioners.
We are obliged for some of the Notes and various hints
and improvements to Sir Egerton Brydges, Mr. Ingram, Mr.
Lodge, Mr. Utterson, Mr. Gilchrist, Mr. Henry Ellis, and
Mr. Haslewood. And we owe to Mr. Cochrane, of Fleet-Street,
an exact copy of the entries from the Stationers' Registers,
relating to our Author's three plays.
