ds, then in a Street again, and never move out of their place?
Wou'dn't one swear there was Conjuration in the Case; that the
Theatres were a sort of +Fairy Land+ where all is Inchantment,
Juggle and Delusion? Next, our Plays are too often over-power'd with
+Incidents+ and +Under-plots+, and our Stage as much crowded with
such +Actors+, as there's little or no occasion for; especially at
one time. Then the +Matter+, and Discourse of our Plays is very
often incoherent and impertinent as to the main Design; nothing
being more common than to meet with two or three whole Scenes in a
Play, which wou'd have fitted any other part of the Play ev'n as
well as that; and perhaps any Play else. Thus some appear to swear
out a Scene or two, others to talk bawdy a little, without any
manner of dependance upon the rest of the Action. But besides this
(which is another great Error) when the +Matter+ and +Discourse+ do
serve to carry on the main Design, commonly Persons are brought on
to the Stage without any sort of Art, Probability, Reason or
Necessity for their coming there; and when they have no such
Business as one that comes in to give you a Song or a Jigg. They
come there to serve the Poets Design a little, then off they go with
as little Reason as they came on; and that only to make way for
other Actors, who (as they did) come only to tell the Audience
something the Poet has a mind to have 'em know; and that's all their
business: And truly that's little enough. This we see frequently in
the chief Actor of the Play, who comes on and goes off, and the
Spectators all the time stand staring and wondring at what they know
not what. Another great Fault common to many of our Plays is, that
an Actor's +Name+, +Quality+ or +Business+ is scarce ever known till
a good while after his appearance; which must needs make the
Audience at a great Loss, and the Play hard to be understood,
forcing 'em to carry Books with 'em to the +Play-house+ to know who
comes in, and who goes out.

The Ancients were guilty of none of these Absurdities, and more
especially our Author; and indeed the Non-observance of +Rules+ has
occasion'd the great Miscarriages of so many excellent Genius's of
ours, particularly that of the immortal +Shakespear+. Since these
are such apparent Faults and Absurdities, and still our Beauties are
so admirable as to cover, and almost to out-weigh our Errors (else
our Plays were not to be endur'd) undoubtedly our +Dramatick Poets+