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The Preface.
a People muſt have a very good ſhare of Virtue as well as Underſtanding before they can receive it among them, that it is ſo very agreeable to good Government, that moſt of the great Men who have writ of the Art of Governing, from Plato down to Harrington, have writ either Plays or Directions, or Rules for the Stage. That ſome of the greateſt Monarchs and greateſt Miniſters of State have not only encourag’d Plays, but have writ them themſelves; that ſome of the greateſt Philoſophers have done the ſame, that here in England indeed Two or Three formal affected Bigots have endeavour’d to contradict all theſe and the common Senſe of Men, and upon a pretence of making all Men good Chriſtians, which Chriſt and his Apoſtles have ſo often told us never will be, have actually made Thouſands ten times worſe than they would have been without them. That the conſequence of their Writings has been, that Plays have been for ſome Yeans diſcourag’d, and Diverſions eſtabliſh’d in the room of them, that have really been and are like to be ten times more prejudicial to the Publick than ever Plays were pretended to be. That one of thoſe Diverſions has been gaming, which has done unſpeakable harm to both Sexes in every part of the Town: That gaming, ſince the publiſhing the Books againſt the Stage has increas’d Ten-fold, and that the number of Bankrupts during that time has been as much augmented; that the number of Cuckolds in all likely-hood has advanc’d proportionably: That gaming, by
giving
