{"product_id":"2940150735101","title":"Thomas Otway","description":"When first our author took this play in hand, He doubted much, and long was at a stand. He knew the fame and memory of kings Were to be treated of as sacred things, Not as they're represented in this age, Where they appear the lumber of the stage; Used only just for reconciling tools, Or what is worse, made villains all, or fools. Besides, the characters he shows to-night, He found were very difficult to write: He found the fame of France and Spain at stake, Therefore long paused, and feared which part to take; Till this his judgment safest understood, To make them both heroic as he could. But now the greatest stop was yet unpassed; He found himself, alas! confined too fast. He is a man of pleasure, sirs, like you, And therefore hardly could to business bow; Till at the last he did this conquest get, To make his pleasure whetstone to his wit; So sometimes for variety he writ. But as those blockheads, who discourse by rote, Sometimes speak sense, although they rarely know't; So he scarce knew to what his work would grow, But 'twas a play, because it would be so: Yet well he knows this is a weak pretense, For idleness is the worst want of sense. Let him not now of carelessness be taxed, He'll write in earnest, when he writes the next: Meanwhile,— Prune his superfluous branches, never spare; Yet do it kindly, be not too severe: He may bear better fruit another year.","brand":"Bronson Tweed Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47149532250352,"sku":"2940150735101","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940150735101_p0.jpg?v=1764006376","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940150735101","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}