Title page
KING JOHN, A TRAGEDY, by SHAKESPEARE. AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE-ROYAL, DRURY-LANE.
Regulated from the PROMPT-BOOK, With PERMISSION of the MANAGERS, By Mr. HOPKINS, Prompter.
An INTRODUCTION, and NOTES CRITICAL AND ILLUSTRATIVE, ARE ADDED BY THE AUTHORS of the DRAMATIC CENSOR.LONDON:
Printed for JOHN BELL, near Exeter-Exchange, in the Strand; and C. Etherington, at York.MDCCLXXIII.
-- 3 --
INTRODUCTION.
King John most certainly deserves to live on the stage,
but they must be a very good set of performers who can
sustain it; several scenes are highly interesting, others extremely
prolix and flat: where the Author appears himself,
he is thoroughly so; where he slumbers it is near sound sleep
—the main incidents are well chosen, and the leading characters
well written; but prolixity seems to have been
Shakespeare's study, in many scenes and speeches of this play.
Our concluding note explains our idea of this Historical
Drama further. To admirers of the Author we may seem
severe, but we flatter ourselves deliberate perusal will prove
us right; in which case, we allow it is much easier to find
faults, than avoid, or mend them!
