The general Use of Catalogues, and the esteem they are in at present, is so well known, that it were to waste Paper to expatiate on it: I shall therefore onely acquaint my Reader, that I designed this Catalogue for their use, who may have the same relish of the Dramma with my self; and may possibly be desirous, either to make a Collection, or at least have the curiosity to know in general, what has been Publish't in our Language, as likewise to receive some Remarks on the Writings of particular Men.
The Reasons that induc'd me to the publishing this Catalogue, were these: First, That the former Catalogues were out of Print. Secondly, That they were all of them full of groß Errours. Thirdly, That they were not, as I thought, so Methodical as this which I have now made; wherein the Reader will find the Imperfections I observed in the former Catalogues, amended; all the Plays which have been Printed since 1680, to this present time, added; with several Remarks, which whether or no observed, I cannot tell, but never published by any Author till now.
To begin then first with the Errours of former Catalogues, they are chiefly Five:
First, There were Plays inserted in all of them, which were never in Print; as for Brevity's sake, to give one instance for many, The Amorous Widow, and Wanton Wife, a Comedy. This is a Stock-Play, and was written (if not Translated from Mollieres George Dandin) by Mr. Batterton.
Secondly, Some Plays were omitted, which had been Printed very long ago; as, Cola's Fury, and Lirenda's Misery. Written by Henry Burkhead. The Religious Rebel; and several others.
Thirdly, Two Titles which belong'd to one and the same Play, were frequently printed, as if they had been two distinct Plays; as The Constant Maid, or Love will find out the Way. Written by Shirley. Ferex and Porex, or the Tragedy of Gorboduc. Written by Sackvile and Norton; with many others.
Fourthly, The same Title was often times printed twice, and that seperately, as if writ by two several persons; and sometimes ascrib'd to different Authors likewise; when it was onely a new Edition of the same Play; as for Example, Patient Grissel was again repeated under the Title of Patient Grißel Old. And Appius and Virginia, written by Webster, is afterwards ascrib'd to T. B. though as the deceased Comedian Mr. Carthwright, a Bookseller by Profession, told me, 'twas onely the old Play Reprinted, and Corrected by the above-mentioned Mr. Batterton; with several others.
Fifthly, Some plays are ascribed to one Author which were writ by another; as Celum Britanicum, a Masque, is to Sir William Davenant, though it was written by Carew and Jones. Which fault is rather to be imputed to the Publishers of Sir William Davenant's Workes, 1673, in Folio, than to the Compilers of the former Catalogue; who are more excusable than, Mr. Phillips in his Catalogue of Poets, called, Theatrum Poetarum; and his Transcriber Winstanley, who has follow'd him at a venture in his Characters of the Drammatick Writers, even to a word, in his Lives of the English Poets. Both these Authors through a mistake of the Method of former Catalogues, and their Ignorance in what Pieces each Drammatick Author had published, have fallen into very great Errours, as I am going to shew.
The first Catalogue that was printed of any worth, was that Collected by Kirkman, a London Bookseller, whose chief dealing was in Plays; which was published 1671, at the end of Nicomede, a Tragi-comedy, Translated from the French of Monsieur Corneille. This Catalogue was printed Alphabetically, as to the Names of the Plays, but promiscuously as to those of the Authors, (Shakspeare, Fletcher, Johnson, and some others of the most voluminous Authors excepted) each Authors Name being placed over against each Play that he writ, and still repeated with every several Play, till a new Author came on. About Nine Years after, the Publisher of this Catalogue, reprinted Kirkman's with emendations, but in the same Form. Notwithstanding the Anonimous Plays, one would think easily distinguishable by the want of an Authors Name before them; yet have both these charitable kind Gentlemen found Fathers for them, by ranking each under the Authors Name that preceded them in the former Catalogues. Thus Charles the First is placed by them both to Nabbs; because in both the former Catalogues it followed his Covent-Garden: and for the same reason Cupid's Whirligig is ascribed by both of them to Goff; because it follow'd his Careless Shepherdess; and so of many others, too tedious to repeat.
To prevent the like mistake for the future, and to make the Catalogue more useful, I wholly altered the form: And yet that I might please those who delight in old Paths, I have Transcribed the same as a Second Part, after the former way of Alphabet, though more Methodically than formerly, as I shall shew presently.