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Having
been obliged to discontinue the Duke
of Marlborough's History for a few
months past, till I could receive from a foreign
country some papers of importance; that I might
not be quite idle in the mean while, I read over, in
order to improve, this Masque; the first draught
of which had been written by the late Mr. Thomson,
in conjunction with me, several years ago. But,
to fit it for the stage, I found it would be necessary
to new-plan the whole, as well as write the particular scenes over again; to enlarge the design, and
make Alfred, what he should have been at first,
the principal figure in his own Masque. This
I have done; but, according to the present arrangement
of the Fable, I was obliged to reject a great
deal of what I had written in the other: neither
could I retain, of my friend's part, more than
three or four speeches, and a part of one song.
I mention this expressly; that, whatever faults
are found in the present performance, they may
be charged, as they ought to be, entirely to my
account.
D. Mallet
