PROLOGUE,

On the opening of the THEATRE ROYAL, HAY-MARKET, June, 1781.

WITH

Spoken by MR. PALMER.

ITH broken Funds our Monarch meets the
House;

His Board of Works have left him fcarce a fouse!
Poets, and only Poets, durft rehearse

In ancient times the mighty pow'rs of Verfe;
The Bards of old, who built the lofty rhyme,
Could build whole cities, at the felf fame time.
Amphion ftruck his lyre-and at his call,

Stone leap'd on ftone, and form'd of Thebes the wall.
Oh for a Mufe of fire! in flames to fmother
Our crazy Playhouse, and create another!
Our Poet Manager has no fuch skill-

In comes the Carpenter's and Bricklayer's bill!
Ev'n Opera now the power of Song has loft,
And, plung'd in Brick and Mortar, feels their coft.
By Italy betray'd, fhe flies to France;

And what the loft in Song, makes up in Dance.
No more from voice, or ear, her profits flow;
The foul of Opera fixes in Goofe Tac!

Since then St. Vitus' Dance defpotick reigns,
The fureft Succedaneum for the brains,
Genius of Nonfenfe! fill our empty places;
Let us too dance ourselves into your graces;
O'er the whole Hay-market in ftate prefide,
Nor let a Palfy feize our haplefs fide!

To court thy fmiles, Farce fhall learn entrechat,
And Tragedy fhall caper en grand pas.

Crook'd Richard now fhall frifk, his paffions thute,
“To the lascivious pleasings of a Lute.”
And in a cut of eight, to make you ftare,
Macbeth shall catch the Dagger in the air.
Tobine for life in minuet step shall beg,
And Bowkitt fcrape, and-stand upon one leg!

While Dancing shall remain the fav'rite rage, On these, and arts like thefe, muft ftand our Stage; But if fome Whim fhou'd " bid the reign commence, "Of refcu'd Nature, and reviving Senfe,"

Again to Humour shall we bend our cares,
And draw on Wit-to pay for our Repairs.

PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE

To the POSITIVE

MAN,

AFARCE

item by Mr. O'KEEFFE,

Spoken by Mr. EDWIN in the Chara&er of Lingo.

March, 1782.

ON

NCE more before you Lingo, firs, you feel
His leffon nowThe Pofitive Degree.

Comparativo, what's our author's head !
Weigh it! 'twill prove fuperlativo-lead.
Malus, melior, peffimus-in brief,

Nominativo, he is called-O'Thief!

I am not the First Perfon, the Second, nor Third, Who in this School of Nonfenfe his Nonfenfe has

heard:

Noun Adjective Stuff, that alone could not ftand,
Without a Noun Subftantive Fiddle at Hand!
But now without Mufick he thinks to ftand Neuter,
And that Farce, tho' Imperfect, may please you in
Future.

O you! to whom Poets must ever surrender ! Beauties, Wits, of the Mafculine and Feminine

Ye Plurals, a fingular Art who can teach,

And make Actors and Authors learn All Parts of

Speech,

For once lay by the Rod, and your Flogging decline! That what we mean for Gerunds may not prove

Supine !

-Perhaps I'm too wife, and too larned good folks!
So a truce with our science, a truce with our jokes !
And in good fober sadness one word let me fay :
Do but think that the School-boys have broke up
To-day;

Forgive them their frolicks, and laugh at their play!

In th' Imperative Mood, should you view the Bard's

face,

His Prefent Tenfe proves the Accufative Cafe ;
But fhould you be Dative of favour-like Stingo,
Your Active Voice Paffive will cheer Him and Lingo.

PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE

TO LILLO'S TRAGEDY of FATAL CURIOSITY, on its Revival at the THEATRE ROYAL in the HAYMARKET, June 29, 1782.

Spoken by Mr. PALMER.

L

ONG fince, beneath this humble roof, this Play,

Wrought by true English Genius faw the day. Forth from this humble roof it scarce has ftray'd; In prouder Theatres 'twas never play'd.

There you have gap'd, and doz'd o'er many a piece,
Patch'd up from France, or ftol'n from Rome or
Greece,

Or made of fhreds from Shakespeare's Golden Fleece.
There Scholars, fimple nature caft afide,

Have trick'd their heroes out in Claffick pride;
No Scenes, where genuine Paffion runs to wafte,
But all hedg'd in by fhrubs of Modern Taste!
Each Tragedy laid out like garden grounds,
One circling gravel marks its narrow bounds.
Lillo's plantations were of Foreft growth-
Shakespeare's the fame-Great Nature's hand in both!
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