CONTENTS

PAGE
[Richard Steele.]vii
[The Funeral.]1
[The Lying Lover.]97
[The Tender Husband.]189
[The Conscious Lovers.]265
[The School of Action (A Fragment).] 361
[The Gentleman (A Fragment).]399
[Appendix.]407
[Notes.]453

[RICHARD STEELE.]

I.

It is as an essayist rather than a dramatist that men now think of Steele; and this is rightly so, for his best work is to be found in the periodical papers which he edited. There is, however, in his plays the same wit and humour that is to be found in the Tatler and Spectator, and his four comedies occupy an important position in the history of the English drama.

In this Introduction it will be sufficient to give a brief sketch of Steele's life, with especial reference to his relations with the theatre, which were intimate and varied.[1]