Excerpt from The Works of Beaumont and Fletcher, Vol. 1 of 2: With an Introduction Another disposition our earlier poets seem to have cultivated far less than our modern - far less than is convenient to life-compilers - videlicet, egotism. Egotism displays a good deal of the owner's character besides his vanity, and records some important facts along with many things which appear such to himself alone. J onson 113-9, it is true, facilitated not a little his biographer's task by frequent allusions to Ben throughout his minor poems, and a genial indulgence in this overflow of the soul every where. But even he had not that particular view, as it were, tos the ease of as pitiable gropers after personal details, which a modern poet exhibits, whose works, well furnished with what he might call - Contributiom to the M emoir: of M yself, will do much to render our ofice henceforth a sinecure. He spreads his bounty with a sowing hand, it may be said of each generous author like this and we shall reap 3 plentiful, perhaps a superabundant, harvest.' As in Beaumont and Fletcher's age, however, it was not the fashion to make poetry subservient to the poet, rather than the poet to poetry, I am denied those aids their egotism might have afforded. Some hints from their prologues and smaller pieces - some casual remarks thrown out by others some few dates - and some anecdotes, trivial or dubious - must complete these brief memoirs, with which I can have no hope the public will be satisfied, being myself discontent with them altogether. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.