The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Rivals, by Richard Brinsley Sheridan This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net Title: The Rivals A Comedy Author: Richard Brinsley Sheridan Release Date: March 6, 2008 [EBook #24761] Language: English Character set encoding: ASCII *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RIVALS *** Produced by Kent Cooper The RIVALS A Comedy By Richard Brinsley Sheridan * * * * * * * PREFACE A preface to a play seems generally to be considered as a kind of closet-prologue, in which--if his piece has been successful--the author solicits that indulgence from the reader which he had before experienced from the audience: but as the scope and immediate object of a play is to please a mixed assembly in _representation_ (whose judgment in...