The resourceful hero of The Country Wife is Horner, the scourge of stupid husbands and the hope of unhappy wives. Through a single simple ruse Horner helps one woman after another settle accounts with a foolish spouse. Margery, the country wife, upsets his plans when she learns the manners of the city and begins to apply them herself.

The Regents Restoration Drama text is based on the first edition of 1675, the last edition to enjoy Wycherley s attention. By the time the second edition appeared he was in prison for debt, having enjoyed too much of his success at the royal...