Dictionary.net

An English dramatist; born in London, Nov. 6, 1671; died there, Dec. 12, 1757. He was one of the most successful stagers of plays in the history of the theatre, and he saw every effect with the eyes of the audience. Hence his dramatic works- particularly "Love's Last Shift", a farce; "Love Makes a Man"; "She Would and She Would Not"; and "The Careless Husband", comedies- are masterpieces of construction, although their literary qualities are not up to the high level one might expect. He portrayed the fop, however, with an infinite felicity; and not a few of his scenes are unexampled as specimens of effective action unmarred by meaningless detail.