lorio and Artall in Crowne's _City
Politics_ (1683), and many another beside. As for the cavilling crew who
carped at her during her life Mrs. Behn has answered them and she was
thoroughly competent so to do. Indeed, as she somewhat tartly remarked
to Otway on the occasion of certain prudish dames pleasing to take
offence at _The Soldier's Fortune_, she wondered at the impudence of any
of her sex that would pretend to understand the thing called bawdy.
A clique were shocked at her; it was not her salaciousness they objected
to but her success.

In December, 1670, Mrs. Behn's first play,[19] _The Forc'd Marriage; or,
the Jealous Bridegroom_, was produced at the Duke's Theatre, Lincoln's
Inn Field's, with a strong cast. It is a good tragi-comedy of the
bastard Fletcherian Davenant type, but she had not hit upon her happiest
vein of comedy, which, however, she approached in a much better piece,
_The Amorous Prince_, played in the autumn of 1671 by the same company.
Both these had excellent runs for their day, and she obtained a firm
footing in the theatrical world. In 1673[20] _The Dutch Lover_[21] was
ready, a comedy which has earned praise for its skilful technique. She
here began to draw on her own experiences for material, and Haunce van
Ezel owes not a little to her intimate knowledge of the Hollanders.

[Footnote 19: Mr. Gosse in the Dictionary of National Biography
basing upon the preface to _The Young King_, says that after
knocking in vain for some time at the doors of the theatres with
this tragi-comedy that could find neither manager nor publisher, she
put it away and wrote _The Forc'd Marriage_, which proved more
successful. Dr. Baker follows this, but I confess I cannot see due
grounds for any such hypothesis.]

[Footnote 20: The Duke's Company opened at their new theatre, Dorset
Garden, 9 November, 1671.]

[Footnote 21: 4to, 1673. Mrs. Behn's accurate knowledge of the
theatre and technicalties theatrical as shown in the preface to this
early play is certainly remarkable. It is perhaps worth noting that
her allusion to the popularity of 1 _Henry IV_ was not included in
_Shakspere Allusion-Book_ (ed. Furnivall and Munro, 1909), where it
should have found a place.]

These three plays brought her money, friends, and reputation. She was
already beginning to be a considerable figure in literary circles, and
the first writers of the day were glad of the acquaintance of a woman
who