University of Virginia Library

MANY Passages of the first Merit, and some whole Scenes in the Midsummer Night's Dream, are necessarily omitted in this Opera, to reduce the Performance to a proper length; it was feared that even the best Poetry would appear tedious when only supported by Recitative. Where Shakespear has not supplied the Composer with Songs, he has taken them from Milton, Waller, Dryden, Lansdown, Hammond, &c. and it is hoped they will not seem to be unnaturally introduced.