ItwasthesamewithourfathersinthetimeoftheGreatCivilWar。WearebynomeansunmindfulofthegreatdebtwhichmankindowestothePuritansofthattime，thedeliverersofEngland，thefoundersoftheAmericanCommonwealths。Butinthedayoftheirpower，thosemencommittedonegreatfault，whichleftdeepandlastingtracesinthenationalcharacterandmanners。Theymistooktheendandoverratedtheforceofgovernment。Theydetermined，notmerelytoprotectreligionandpublicmoralsfrominsult，anobjectforwhichthecivilsword，indiscreethands，maybebeneficiallyemployed，buttomakethepeoplecommittedtotheirruletrulydevout。Yet，iftheyhadonlyreflectedoneventswhichtheyhadthemselveswitnessedandinwhichtheyhadthemselvesborneagreatpart，theywouldhaveseenwhatwaslikelytobetheresultoftheirenterprise。Theyhadlivedunderagovernmentwhich，duringalongcourseofyears，didallthatcouldbedone，bylavishbountyandbyrigorouspunishment，toenforceconformitytothedoctrineanddisciplineoftheChurchofEngland。NopersonsuspectedofhostilitytothatChurchhadthesmallestchanceofobtainingfavourattheCourtofCharles。
Avoweddissentwaspunishedbyimprisonment，byignominiousexposure，bycruelmutilations，andbyruinousfines。AndtheeventhadbeenthattheChurchhadfallen，andhad，initsfall，draggeddownwithitamonarchywhichhadstoodsixhundredyears。ThePuritanmighthavelearned，iffromnothingelse，yetfromhisownrecentvictory，thatgovernmentswhichattemptthingsbeyondtheirreacharelikelynotmerelytofail，buttoproduceaneffectdirectlytheoppositeofthatwhichtheycontemplateasdesirable。
Allthiswasoverlooked。Thesaintsweretoinherittheearth。
Thetheatreswereclosed。Thefineartswereplacedunderabsurdrestraints。Viceswhichhadneverbeforebeenevenmisdemeanoursweremadecapitalfelonies。ItwassolemnlyresolvedbyParliament"thatnopersonshallbeemployedbutsuchastheHouseshallbesatisfiedofhisrealgodliness。"ThepiousassemblyhadaBiblelyingonthetableforreference。Iftheyhadconsultedittheymighthavelearnedthatthewheatandthetaresgrowtogetherinseparably，andmusteitherbesparedtogetherorrooteduptogether。Toknowwhetheramanwasreallygodlywasimpossible。Butitwaseasytoknowwhetherhehadaplaindress，lankhair，nostarchinhislinen，nogayfurnitureinhishouse;whetherhetalkedthroughhisnose，andshowedthewhitesofhiseyes;whetherhenamedhischildrenAssurance，Tribulation，Mahershalal—hash—baz;whetherheavoidedSpringGardenwhenintown，andabstainedfromhuntingandhawkingwheninthecountry;whetherheexpoundedhardscripturestohistroopofdragoons，andtalkedinacommitteeofwaysandmeansaboutseekingtheLord。Theseweretestswhichcouldeasilybeapplied。
Themisfortunewasthattheyweretestswhichprovednothing。
Suchastheywere，theywereemployedbythedominantparty。Andtheconsequencewasthatacrowdofimpostors，ineverywalkoflife，begantomimicandtocaricaturewhatwerethenregardedastheoutwardsignsofsanctity。Thenationwasnotduped。Therestraintsofthatgloomytimeweresuchaswouldhavebeenimpatientlyborne，ifimposedbymenwhowereuniversallybelievedtobesaints。Thoserestraintsbecamealtogetherinsupportablewhentheywereknowntobekeptupfortheprofitofhypocrites。Itisquitecertainthat，eveniftheroyalfamilyhadneverreturned，evenifRichardCromwellorHenryCromwellhadbeenattheheadoftheadministration，therewouldhavebeenagreatrelaxationofmanners。BeforetheRestorationmanysignsindicatedthataperiodoflicencewasathand。TheRestorationcrushedforatimethePuritanparty，andplacedsupremepowerinthehandsofalibertine。Thepoliticalcounter—revolutionassistedthemoralcounter—revolution，andwasinturnassistedbyit。Aperiodofwildanddesperatedissolutenessfollowed。
Eveninremotemanor—housesandhamletsthechangewasinsomedegreefelt;butinLondontheoutbreakofdebaucherywasappalling;andinLondontheplacesmostdeeplyinfectedwerethePalace，thequartersinhabitedbythearistocracy，andtheInnsofCourt。Itwasonthesupportofthesepartsofthetownthattheplayhousesdepended。Thecharacterofthedramabecameconformedtothecharacterofitspatrons。Thecomicpoetwasthemouthpieceofthemostdeeplycorruptedpartofacorruptedsociety。Andintheplaysbeforeuswefind，distilledandcondensed，theessentialspiritofthefashionableworldduringtheanti—Puritanreaction。
ThePuritanhadaffectedformality;thecomicpoetlaughedatdecorum。ThePuritanhadfrownedatinnocentdiversions;thecomicpoettookunderhispatronagethemostflagitiousexcesses。
ThePuritanhadcanted;thecomicpoetblasphemed。ThePuritanhadmadeanaffairofgallantryfelonywithoutbenefitofclergy;
thecomicpoetrepresenteditasanhonourabledistinction。ThePuritanspokewithdisdainofthelowstandardofpopularmorality;hislifewasregulatedbyafarmorerigidcode;hisvirtuewassustainedbymotivesunknowntomenoftheworld。
Unhappilyithadbeenamplyprovedinmanycases，andmightwellbesuspectedinmanymore，thatthesehighpretensionswereunfounded。Accordingly，thefashionablecircles，andthecomicpoetswhowerethespokesmenofthosecircles，tookupthenotionthatallprofessionsofpietyandintegrityweretobeconstruedbytheruleofcontrary;thatitmightwellbedoubtedwhethertherewassuchathingasvirtueintheworld;butthat，atallevents，apersonwhoaffectedtobebetterthanhisneighbourswassuretobeaknave。
Intheolddramatherehadbeenmuchthatwasreprehensible。ButwhoevercompareseventheleastdecorousplaysofFletcherwiththosecontainedinthevolumebeforeuswillseehowmuchtheprofligacywhichfollowsaperiodofoverstrainedausteritygoesbeyondtheprofligacywhichprecedessuchaperiod。ThenationresembledthedemoniacintheNewTestament。ThePuritansboastedthattheuncleanspiritwascastout。Thehousewasempty，swept，andgarnished;andforatimetheexpelledtenantwanderedthroughdryplacesseekingrestandfindingnone。Buttheforceoftheexorcismwasspent。Thefiendreturnedtohisabode;andreturnednotalone。Hetooktohimsevenotherspiritsmorewickedthanhimself。Theyenteredin，anddwelttogether:andthesecondpossessionwasworsethanthefirst。
Wewillnow，asfarasourlimitswillpermit，passinreviewthewriterstowhomMr。LeighHunthasintroducedus。Ofthefour，Wycherleystands，wethink，lastinliterarymerit，butfirstinorderoftime，andfirst，beyondalldoubt，inimmorality。
WILLIAMWYCHERLEYwasbornin1640。HewasthesonofaShropshiregentlemanofoldfamily，andofwhatwasthenaccountedagoodestate:Theproperlywasestimatedatsixhundredayear，afortunewhich，amongthefortunesatthattime，probablyrankedasafortuneoftwothousandayearwouldrankinourdays。
Williamwasaninfantwhenthecivilwarbrokeout;and，whilehewasstillinhisrudiments，aPresbyterianhierarchyandarepublicangovernmentwereestablishedontheruinsoftheancientChurchandthrone。OldMr。Wycherleywasattachedtotheroyalcause，andwasnotdisposedtointrusttheeducationofhisheirtothesolemnPuritanswhonowruledtheuniversitiesandpublicschools。AccordinglytheyounggentlemanwassentatfifteentoFrance。HeresidedsometimeintheneighbourhoodoftheDukeofMontausier，chiefofoneofthenoblestfamiliesofTouraine。TheDuke’swife，adaughterofthehouseofRambouillet，wasafinishedspecimenofthosetalentsandaccomplishmentsforwhichherracewascelebrated。TheyoungforeignerwasintroducedtothesplendidcirclewhichsurroundedtheDuchess，andthereheappearstohavelearnedsomegoodandsomeevil。InafewyearshereturnedtohiscountryafinegentlemanandaPapist。Hisconversion，itmaysafelybeaffirmed，wastheeffectnotofanystrongimpressiononhisunderstanding，orfeelings，butpartlyofintercoursewithanagreeablesocietyinwhichtheChurchofRomewasthefashion，andpartlyofthataversiontoCalvinisticausteritieswhichwasthenalmostuniversalamongyoungEnglishmenofpartsandspirit，andwhich，atonetime，seemedlikelytomakeonehalfofthemCatholics，andtheotherhalfAtheists。
ButtheRestorationcame。Theuniversitieswereagaininloyalhands;andtherewasreasontohopethattherewouldbeagainanationalChurchfitforagentleman。WycherleybecameamemberofQueen’sCollege，Oxford，andabjuredtheerrorsoftheChurchofRome。Thesomewhatequivocalgloryofturning，forashorttime，agood—for—nothingPapistintoagood—for—nothingProtestantisascribedtoBishopBarlow。
WycherleyleftOxfordwithouttakingadegree，andenteredattheTemple，wherehelivedgailyforsomeyears，observingthehumoursofthetown，enjoyingitspleasures，andpickingupjustasmuchlawaswasnecessarytomakethecharacterofapettifoggingattorneyorofalitigiouscliententertaininginacomedy。
Fromanearlyagehehadbeeninthehabitofamusinghimselfbywriting。SomewretchedlinesofhisontheRestorationarestillextant。Hadhedevotedhimselftothemakingofverses，hewouldhavebeennearlyasfarbelowTateandBlackmoreasTateandBlackmorearebelowDryden。Hisonlychanceforrenownwouldhavebeenthathemighthaveoccupiedanicheinasatire，betweenFlecknoeandSettle。Therewas，however，anotherkindofcompositioninwhichhistalentsandacquirementsqualifiedhimtosucceed;andtothathejudiciousilybetookhimself。
InhisoldageheusedtosaythathewroteLoveinaWoodatnineteen，theGentlemanDancing—Masterattwenty—one，thePlainDealerattwenty—five，andtheCountryWifeatoneortwoandthirty。Weareincredulous，weown，astothetruthofthisstory。NothingthatweknowofWycherleyleadsustothinkhimincapableofsacrificingtruthtovanity。Andhismemoryinthedeclineofhislifeplayedhimsuchstrangetricksthatwemightquestionthecorrectnessofhisassertionwithoutthrowinganyimputationonhisveracity。Itiscertainthatnoneofhisplayswasactedtill1672，whenhegaveLoveinaWoodtothepublic。
Itseemsimprobablethatheshouldresolve，onsoimportantanoccasionasthatofafirstappearancebeforetheworld，torunhischancewithafeeblepiece，writtenbeforehistalentswereripe，beforehisstylewasformed，beforehehadlookedabroadintotheworld;andthiswhenhehadactuallyinhisdesktwohighly—finishedplays，thefruitofhismaturedpowers。Whenwelookminutelyatthepiecesthemselves，wefindineverypartofthemreasontosuspecttheaccuracyofWycherley’sstatement。InthefirstsceneofLoveinaWood，togonofurther，wefindmanypassageswhichhecouldnothavewrittenwhenhewasnineteen。
Thereisanallusiontogentlemen’speriwigs，whichfirstcameintofashionin1663;anallusiontoguineas，whichwerefirststruckin1663;anallusiontothevestswhichCharlesorderedtobewornatCourtin1666;anallusiontothefireof1666;andseveralpoliticalallusionswhichmustbeassignedtotimeslaterthantheyearoftheRestoration，totimeswhentheGovernmentandthecitywereopposedtoeachother，andwhenthePresbyterianministershadbeendrivenfromtheparishchurchestotheconventicles。Butitisneedlesstodwellonparticularexpressions。ThewholeairandspiritofthepiecebelongtoaperiodsubsequenttothatmentionedbyWycherley。AstothePlainDealer，whichissaidtohavebeenwrittenwhenhewastwenty—
five，itcontainsonesceneunquestionablywrittenafter1675，severalwhicharelaterthan1668，andscarcelyalinewhichcanhavebeencomposedbeforetheendof1666。
WhatevermayhavebeentheageatwhichWycherleycomposedhisplays，itiscertainthathedidnotbringthembeforethepublictillhewasupwardsofthirty。In1672，LoveinaWoodwasactedwithmoresuccessthanitdeserved，andthiseventproducedagreatchangeinthefortunesoftheauthor。TheDuchessofClevelandcasthereyesuponhim，andwaspleasedwithhisappearance。Thisabandonedwoman，notcontentwithhercomplaisanthusbandandherroyalkeeper，lavishedherfondnessonacrowdofparamoursofallranks，fromdukestorope—dancers。
Inthetimeofthecommonwealthshecommencedhercareerofgallantry，andterminateditunderAnne，bymarrying，whenagreat—grandmother，thatworthlessfop，BeauFielding。ItisnotstrangethatsheshouldhaveregardedWycherleywithfavour。Hisfigurewascommanding，hiscountenancestrikinglyhandsome，hislookanddeportmentfullofgraceanddignity。Hehad，asPopesaidlongafter，"thetruenoblemanlook，"thelookwhichseemstoindicatesuperiority，andanotunbecomingconsciousnessofsuperiority。Hishairindeed，ashesaysinoneofhispoems，wasprematurelygrey。Butinthatageofperiwigsthismisfortunewasoflittleimportance。TheDuchessadmiredhim，andproceededtomakelovetohim，afterthefashionofthecoarse—mindedandshamelesscircletowhichshebelonged。IntheRing，whenthecrowdofbeautiesandfinegentlemenwasthickest，sheputherheadoutofhercoach—window，andbawledtohim，"Sir，youarearascal;youareavillain";and，ifsheisnotbelied，sheaddedanotherphraseofabusewhichwewillnotquote，butofwhichwemaysaythatitmightmostjustlyhavebeenappliedtoherownchildren。WycherleycalledonherGracethenextday，andwithgreathumilitybeggedtoknowinwhatwayhehadbeensounfortunateastodisobligeher。Thusbegananintimacyfromwhichthepoetprobablyexpectedwealthandhonours。Norweresuchexpectationsunreasonable。AhandsomeyoungfellowabouttheCourt，knownbythenameofJackChurchill，was，aboutthesametime，soluckyastobecometheobjectofashort—livedfancyoftheDuchess。Shehadpresentedhimwithfivethousandpounds，theprice，inallprobability，ofsometitleorpardon。Theprudentyouthhadlentthemoneyonhighinterestandonlandedsecurity;
andthisjudiciousinvestmentwasthebeginningofthemostsplendidprivatefortuneinEurope。Wycherleywasnotsolucky。
Thepartialitywithwhichthegreatladyregardedhimwasindeedthetalkofthewholetown;andsixtyyearslateroldmenwhorememberedthosedaystoldVoltairethatsheoftenstolefromtheCourttoherlover’schambersintheTemple，disguisedlikeacountrygirl，withastrawhatonherhead，pattensonherfeet，andabasketinherhand。Thepoetwasindeedtoohappyandproudtobediscreet。HededicatedtotheDuchesstheplaywhichhadledtotheiracquaintance，andinthededicationexpressedhimselfintermswhichcouldnotbutconfirmthereportswhichhadgoneabroad。ButatWhitehallsuchanaffairwasregardedinnoseriouslight。TheladywasnotafraidtobringWycherleytoCourt，andtointroducehimtoasplendidsociety，withwhich，asfarasappears，hehadneverbeforemixed。TheeasyKing，whoallowedtohismistressesthesamelibertywhichheclaimedforhimself，waspleasedwiththeconversationandmannersofhisnewrival。SohighdidWycherleystandintheroyalfavourthatonce，whenhewasconfinedbyafevertohislodgingsinBowStreet，Charles，who，withallhisfaults，wascertainlyamanofsocialandaffabledisposition，calledonhim，satbyhisbed，advisedhimtotrychangeofair，andgavehimahandsomesumofmoneytodefraytheexpenseofthejourney。Buckingham，thenMasteroftheHorse，andoneofthatinfamousministryknownbythenameoftheCabal，hadbeenoneoftheDuchess’sinnumerableparamours。Heatfirstshowedsomesymptomsofjealousy，buthesoon，afterhisfashion，veeredroundfromangertofondness，andgaveWycherleyacommissioninhisownregimentandaplaceintheroyalhousehold。
ItwouldbeunjusttoWycherley’smemorynottomentionheretheonlygoodaction，asfarasweknow，ofhiswholelife。HeissaidtohavemadegreatexertionstoobtainthepatronageofBuckinghamfortheillustriousauthorofHudibras，whowasnowsinkingintoanobscuregrave，neglectedbyanationproudofhisgenius，andbyaCourtwh...完整阅读请扫描二维码下载丁香书院APP免费看：