TO My Esteemed Friend Thomas Boteler, Esq;
SIR,
You
have a natural Right to this Piece,
since, by your Advice, I attempted the Revival
of it with Alterations. Nothing but
the Power of your Perswasion, and my Zeal
for all the Remains of Shakespear, cou'd have wrought
me to so bold an Undertaking. I found that the New-modelling
of this Story, wou'd force me sometimes on
the difficult Task of making the chiefest Persons speak
something like their Character, on Matter whereof I
had no Ground in my Author. Lear's real, and Edgar's
pretended Madness have so much of extravagant
Nature (I know not how else to express it) as cou'd
never have started but from our Shakespear's Creating
Fancy. The Images and Language are so odd
and surprizing, and yet so agreeable and proper, that
whilst we grant that none but Shakespear cou'd have
form'd such Conceptions, yet we are satisfied that they
were the only Things in the World that ought to be
said on those Occasions. I found the whole to answer
your Account of it, a Heap of Jewels, unstrung and
unpolisht; yet so dazling in their Disorder, that I
soon perceiv'd I had seiz'd a Treasure. 'Twas my good
Fortune to light on one Expedient to rectifie what was
wanting in the Regularity and Probability of the Tale,
which was to run through the whole A Love betwixt
Edgar and Cordelia, that never chang'd word with
each other in the Original. This renders Cordelia's
Indifference and her Father's Passion in the first Scene
probable. It likewise gives Countenance to Edgar's
Disguise, making that a generous Design that was before
a poor Shift to save his Life. The Distress of the
Story is evidently heightned by it; and it particularly
gave Occasion of a New Scene or Two, of more Success
(perhaps) than Merit. This Method necessarily
threw me on making the Tale conclude in a
Success to the innocent distrest Persons; Otherwise I
must have incumbred the Stage with dead Bodies, which
Conduct makes many Tragedies conclude with unseasonable
Jests. Yet was I Rackt with no small Fears
for so bold a Change, till I found it well receiv'd by
my Audience; and if this will not satisfie the Reader,
I can produce an Authority that questionless
Mr. Dryd. Pref. to the Span. Fryar.
will. Neither is it of so Trivial an
Undertaking to make a Tragedy end happily, for 'tis more difficult to Save than 'tis to Kill:
The Dagger and Cup of Poyson are alwaies in Readiness;
but to bring the Action to the last Extremity,
and then by probable Means to recover All, will require
the Art and Judgment of a Writer, and cost him
many a Pang in the Performance.
I have one thing more to Apologize for, which is,
that I have us'd less Quaintness of Expression even in
the newest Parts of this Play. I confess 'twas Design
in me, partly to comply with my Author's Style to make
the Scenes of a Piece, and partly to give it some Resemblance
of the Time and Persons here Represented.
This, Sir, I submit wholly to you, who are both a
Judge and Master of Style. Nature had exempted you
before you went Abroad from the Morose Saturnine Humour
of our Country, and you brought home the Refinedness
of Travel without the Affectation. Many Faults
I see in the following Pages, and question not but you
will discover more; yet I will presume so far on your
Friendship, as to make the Whole a Present to you, and
Subscribe my self
Your obliged Friend
and humble Servant,
N. Tate.