ABSTRACT
Gerard Langbaine the younger (1656–1692) is the first English theatre-historian. In 168o he published An exact catalogue of all the comedies that were ever printed or published; in 1688 he issued Momus Triumphans: or the plagiaries of the English stage expos'd … a list of the sources of a great number of plays. His final work of reference gives a biography for each dramatist and a list of their plays with sources. As the only serious scholar in this field for many years Langbaine's work was frequently absorbed and enlarged by later historians.
