rivate, by the
advice of some friends to whom I shewed it; who freely told me, that
it was an excellent subject; but not so artificially wrought, as they
could have wished; and now let my enemies make their best of this
confession.

The scene of the Duke of Guise's return to Paris, against the king's
positive command, was then written. I have the copy of it still by me,
almost the same which it now remains, being taken verbatim out of
Davila; for where the action is remarkable, and the very words
related, the poet is not at liberty to change them much; and if he
will be adding any thing for ornament, it ought to be wholly of a
piece. This do I take for a sufficient justification of that scene,
unless they will make the pretended parallel to be a prophecy, as well
as a parallel of accidents, that were twenty years after to come.[1]
Neither do I find, that they can suggest the least colour for it in
any other part of the tragedy.

But now comes the main objection,--why was it stopt then? To which I
shall render this just account, with all due respects to those who
were the occasion of it.

Upon a wandering rumour (which I will divide betwixt malice and
mistake) that some great persons were represented, or personated in
it, the matter was complained of to my Lord Chamberlain; who,
thereupon, appointed the play to be brought to him, and prohibited the
acting of it until further order; commanding me, after this, to wait
upon his lordship; which I did, and humbly desired him to compare the
play with the history, from whence the subject was taken, referring to
the first scene of the fourth act, whereupon the exception was
grounded, and leaving Davila (the original) with his lordship. This
was before midsummer; and about two months after, I received the play
back again from his lordship, but without any positive order whether
it should be acted or not; neither was Mr Lee, or myself, any way
solicitous about it. But this indeed I ever said, that it was intended
for the king's service; and his majesty was the best judge, whether it
answered that end or no; and that I reckoned it my duty to submit, if
his majesty, for any reason whatsoever, should deem it unfit for the
stage. In the interim, a strict scrutiny was made, and no parallel of
the great person designed, could be made out. But this push failing,
there were immediately started some terrible insinuations, that the
person of his majesty was represented under that of Hen