He burns; now all true hearts your triumphs ring:

And next, for fashion, cry, God fave the king.
A needful cry in midft of fuch alarms,

When forty thousand men are up in arms.
But after he's once fav'd, to make amends,
In each fucceeding health they damn his
friends:

41

So God begins, but ftill the devil ends. 45 What if fome one, infpir'd with zeal, fhould call,

Come, let's

go cry, God fave him, at Whitehall?

His best friends would not like this over-care,
Or think him ere the fafer for this prayer.
Five praying faints are by an act allow'd ; 50
But not the whole church-militant in croud.
Yet, fhould Heaven all the true petitions drain
Of Prefbyterians, who would kings maintain,
Of forty thoufand, five would fcarce remain.

PROLOGUE

TO THE

KING AND QUEEN,

UPON THE

UNION OF THE TWO COMPANIES IN 1682.

SINCE faction ebbs, and rogues grow out of

fashion,

Their penny fcribes take care to inform the na

tion,

How well men thrive in this or that plantation:

How Penfylvania's air agrees with Quakers,
And Carolina's with Affociators:
Both e'en too good for madmen and for traitors.

5

Truth is, our land with faints is fo run o'er,
And every age produces fuch a store,
That now there's need of two New-Englands

more.

9

What's this, you'll fay, to us and our vocation? Only thus much, that we have left our station, And made this theatre our new plantation.

The factious natives never could agree;
But aiming, as they call'd it, to be free,
Those play-house Whigs fet up for property. 15

Some fay, they no obedience paid of late;
But would new fears and jealoufies create;
Till topfy-turvy they had turn'd the state.

Plain fenfe, without the talent of foretelling, Might guefs 'twould end in downright knocks and quelling:

For feldom comes there better of rebelling.

20

When men will, needlefly, their freedom bar

ter

For lawless power, fometimes they catch a Tar

tar;

There's a damn'd word that rhimes to this, call'd Charter.

But, fince the victory with us remains,
You shall be call'd to twelve in all our gains;
If you'll not think us faucy for our pains.

25

Old men shall have good old plays to delight

And

'em :

you, fair ladies and gallants, that flight 'em,

We'll treat with good new plays; if our new

wits can write 'em.

30

We'll take no blundering verfe, no fuftian tu

mour,

No dribling love, from this or that presumer ; No dull fat fool shamm'd on the stage for hu

mour.

For, faith, fome of 'em fuch vile ftuff have made,
As none but fools or fairies ever play'd;
But 'twas, as shopmen fay, to force a trade.

We've given you Tragedies, all fenfe defying,
And finging men, in woful metre dying;
This 'tis when heavy lubbers will be flying.

35

All these disasters we well hope to weather; 40 We bring you none of our old lumber hither: Whig poets and Whig fheriffs may hang toge

ther.

PROLOGUE

TO THE

UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD.

SPOKEN BY MR. HART, AT THE ACTING OF THE SILENT WOMAN.

WHAT Greece*, when learning flourish'd,

only knew,

Athenian judges, you this day renew.
Here too are annual rites to Pallas done,
And here poetic prizes loft or won.

Methinks I fee you, crown'd with olives, fit, 5
And strike a facred horror from the pit.
A day of doom is this of your decree,
Where even the best are but by mercy free:
A day, which none but Jonfon durft have
wifh'd to fee.

Here they, who long have known the useful

10

stage, Come to be taught themfelves to teach the age.

Plato fent a copy of the Plutus of Ariftophanes to Dionyfius the king of Sicily, telling him that from this play and the other comedies of Ariftophanes, he might learn the nature of the Athenian republic. Dr. J. WARTON.