Among the minor dramatists of the later eighteenth century whose work has virtually disappeared, few deserve their fates less than William Whitehead. He rose from poverty to comfort and ease, from utter obscurity to national renown, and from schoolboy versifier to poet laureate, all on the strength of his own ability. He employed his considerable poetic talent extremely well if not often, always gently instructing his readers in morality and virtue, occasionally making enough money to defray family debts. His weaknesses included a hesitance to try new poetic or dramatic forms, too much reliance on the suggestions of David Garrick, and too little ambition. In an age that revised even Shakespeare's plays, he adhered too closely to contemporary standards of correct dramatic practice. Yet his plays were among the most popular of his day, and he considered his lack of ambition not a weakness but a sign that...