Colley Cibber, Vol. 1

Excerpt from Colley Cibber

Colley cibber's famous Autobiography has al ways been recognised as one oi the most delight ful books of its class but to students of theatrical history, the charm of its author's ingenuous frank ness has been unable altogether to overweigh the inaccuracy and vagueness of his treatment of mat ters of fact.' To remove this cause of complaint is the principal object of the present edition. But correcting errors is only one of an editor's duties, and by no means the most difficult. More exact ing, and almost equally important, are the illustra tion of the circumstances surrounding the author, the elucidation of his references to current events, and the comparison of his statements and theories with those of judicious contemporaries. In all these particulars I have interpreted my duty in the widest sense, and have aimed at giving, as far as in me lies, an exhaustive commentary on the Apology.