[Henry Fielding] . BOOK XVI. CONTAINING THE SPACE OF FIVE DAYS. Cl&apter i. Of prologues. I HAVE heard of a dramatic writer who used tosay, he would rather write a play than a prologue ;in like manner, I think, I can with less pains writeone of the books of this history than the prefatorychapter to each of them. To say the truth, I believe many a hearty curse hathbeen devoted on the head of that author who first in-stituted the method of prefixing to his play that portionof matter which is called the prologue; and which atfirst was part of the piece itself, but of latter years hathhad usually
[Henry Fielding] . BOOK XVI. CONTAINING THE SPACE OF FIVE DAYS. Cl&apter i. Of prologues. I HAVE heard of a dramatic writer who used tosay, he would rather write a play than a prologue ;in like manner, I think, I can with less pains writeone of the books of this history than the prefatorychapter to each of them. To say the truth, I believe many a hearty curse hathbeen devoted on the head of that author who first in-stituted the method of prefixing to his play that portionof matter which is called the prologue; and which atfirst was part of the piece itself, but of latter years hathhad usually so little connexion with the drama beforewhich it stands, that the prologue to one play might aswell serve for any other. Those indeed of more moderndate, seem all to be written on the same three topics,viz., an abuse of the taste of the town, a condemnationof all contemporary authors, and an eulogium on theperformance just about to be represented. The senti-ments in all these are very little varied, nor is it
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