Le plus grand roi du monde is always ringing, They show themselves good fubjects by their finging: On that condition, fet up every throat; 40 You whigs may fing, for you have chang'd your note. Cits and citeffes, raise a joyful strain, "Tis a good omen to begin a reign; Voices may help your charter to restoring, 45 And get by finging, what you loft by roaring. AFTER our Æfop's fable shown to-day, Feign'd Zeal, you faw, fet out the speedier pace; But the last heat, Plain Dealing won the race: Plain Dealing for a jewel has been known; But ne'er till now the jewel of a crown. 5 When heaven made man, to fhow the work di vine, Truth was his image, ftamped upon the coin: And when a king is to a god refined, On all he fays and does he ftamps his mind: 10 To dare in fields is valour; but how few 15 His fubjects know him now, and trust him more Than all their kings, and all their laws before. What fafety could their public acts afford? Thofe he can break; but cannot break his word. 20 So great a truft to him alone was due ; Let us our native character maintain ; He plights his faith, and we believe him just ; As by a word the world itself was made. 30 PROLOGUE TO * ARVIRAGUS AND PHILICIA REVIVED: [BY LODOWICK CARLELL, ESQ;] SPOKEN BY MR. HART. WITH fickly actors and an old house too, We're match'd with glorious theatres and new, And with our alehoufe fcenes, and cloaths bare worn, Can neither raise old plays, nor new adorn. 5 A brifk French troop is grown your dear delight † ; Who with broad bloody bills call you each day, To laugh and break your buttons at their play; * This tragedy was first acted at Black fryars in 1639, and reDERRICK. vived with fuccefs in 1690. + The story of Moliere reading his plays to his old fervant (Le Furet) to fee what effect they would have on her, is well known. But it is not fo much known, that when he read over a new piece to the comedians, he used to defire them to bring their children with them, that he might fee how they looked, and what notice they took of any paffages. The famous naturalift Rohault, was the perfon from whom Moliere drew the character of the philofopher he has introduced 10 Or fee fome serious piece, which we presume Therefore fome go with courtesy exceeding, 15 ing: Each lady ftriving to out-laugh the rest ; Bears all the charge, for them to understand: nature. 26 in his Bourgeois Gentilhomme. Moliere was intimately acquainted with him. Moliere even borrowed the hat that Rohault commonly wore, and which was of an uncommon fize, and intended to produce it upon the ftage, but his friend difcovered his defign, and took it out of his hands. Ben Jonfon is faid to have known perfonally a man who could not bear any noise, from whom he exactly copied his character of Morofe. Dr. J. WARTON. |