ate of English
thought in the middle of the eighteenth century, in which a declining
theology becomes suffused with the ideas and sentiments of the moralists
of the age.

Despite the popularity of their plays, neither Lillo nor Moore inspired
any significant followers in England. On the Continent, however, their
influence was considerable. In his introduction to his edition of _The
London Merchant_, A.W. Ward traces Lillo's influence on the Continent,
and Caskey gives a detailed account of Moore's (119-134). _The Gamester_
was translated into German, French, Dutch, Spanish, and Italian. It was
first acted at Breslau in 1754 and retained its stage popularity for
more than two decades. A German translation appeared in 1754, and for
more than twenty years numerous editions and translations continued to
appear. In France, Diderot admired the play and translated it in 1760
(not published until 1819); Saurin's translation and adaptation (1767)
proved popular on the French stage (he later provided an alternate happy
ending which was frequently played).

_The Gamester_ is reproduced, with permission, from a copy owned by the
University of Michigan.

Charles H. Peake

University of Michigan

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

The first edition of Moore's _The Gamester_ appeared in 1753 shortly
after the opening of Garrick's performance of the play on February 7.
This edition is in many respects a good text; it has seemed desirable
for several reasons, however, to reprint this work from the 1756 edition
of _Poems, Fables, and Plays_ (often referred to as the "Collected
Works"). The 1756 text often corrects that of 1753 and is generally
superior to later printings; it contains passages and improved readings
not present in other editions; it aims at formal correctness, employing
classical scene division; as a "Works" edition it exhibits excellent
editorial and typographical treatment; it enjoys a superior general
readability advantageous to classroom use; and, finally, it contains
Moore's vindicatory preface, which, as far as an examination of
available copies shows, does not appear in other editions. Inasmuch
as the 1756 printing is somewhat late, standing between the fourth and
fifth editions of the play, a brief bibliographical account of _The
Gamester_ is offered.

The play was printed separately many times in the eighteenth century.
The first edition, in the University of Michigan copy, bears the title:
THE / GAMEST