That our Bear-garden friends are all away, Who bounce with hands and feet, and cry, Play, play! Who, to save coach-hire, trudge along the street, Of such new planters, to repair the breed ; But have a care of some French privateer; having objected to its being licensed. Cleomenes, king of Sparta, defeated by the Achæans, took refuge in Egypt; and the resemblance of his story to the exile of James II. in France made Queen Mary fear the effect of the representation of this play. The Queen, however, was persuaded, chiefly by Rochester (to whom, in consequence, Dryden dedicated the play when it was published), to withdraw her objections. Dryden was suffering so severely from gout, when anxious to finish the play, that he was obliged to call in the aid of Southern. It is stated by Southern in the dedication of his own play of "The Wife's Excuse," that Dryden "bequeathed to his care the half of the last act." The Wife's Excuse" had been unsuccessful; and Southern pleaded against the public Dryden's good opinion of him. "If modesty be sometimes a weakness, what I say can hardly be a crime: in a fair English trial, both parties are allowed to be heard; and without this vanity of mentioning Mr. Dryden, I had lost the best evidence of my cause 44 Á fescue is a wire with which a person teaching reading points to the letters. EPILOGUE.* This day, the Poet, bloodily inclined, Has made me die, full sore against my mind! Some of you naughty men, I fear, will cry, "Poor rogue! would I might teach thee how to die!" I never mean to die your wicked way. Well, since it is decreed all flesh must go, (And I am flesh,-at least, for aught you know,) In perfect charity with all mankind. Next, for my will!--I have in my dispose For to suspect old fops were much to wrong ye. 5 10 15 20 To Mr. Fuller, when he next shall swear.† I give my judgment, craving all your mercies, To those that leave good plays, for damned dull farces. My small devotion let the gallants share, 25 That come to ogle us at evening prayer. I give my person--let me well consider, Faith even to him that is the fairest bidder; To say those dreadful words, To have and hold. 30 35 * Mrs. Bracegirdle delivered this Epilogue. + William Fuller, an informer, who pretended a discovery in 1691 of a plot by the Jacobites against the Government. The House of Commons declared him "a notorious impostor, a cheat, and a false accuser, having scandalized their Majesties and their government, abused this House, and falsely accused several persons of quality;" and he was prosecuted by the Attorney-General, and put into the pillory. He was again sentenced to the pillory in 1702 for publishing a forgery concerning the birth of the Prince of Wales, son of James II. 1 Compare this rhyme with that of certain and parting (Epilogue to "Don Sebastian," line 25', and garment and preferment (Epilogue to The Husband his own Cuckold," line 22). EPILOGUE TO "HENRY II., KING OF ENGLAND, WITH THE DEATH OF ROSAMOND."* 1692. THUS you the sad catastrophe have seen, I guess your minds; the mistress would be taking,+ The devil's in you all; mankind's a rogue; 5 10 15 You love the bride, but you detest the clog. After a year, poor spouse is left in the lurch, And you, like Haines, + return to mother-church. Or, if the name of church comes cross your mind, And fear the poison that would make me swell. 20 25 30 * The tragedy of "Henry the Second" was written by John Bancroft, a surgeon, for Mountfert the comedian; and it was published as Mountfort's. It was produced in 1692, and published in 1693, Mountfort having died in the interval. The Epilogue was spoken by Mrs. Bracegirdle. Taking is changed into taken by editors, including Scott and R. Bell. Joe Haines, who had become a Roman Catholic in James II.'s reign, recanted after the Revolution, and returned to the Church of England. Being an actor, he made a public recantation of the Roman Catholic faith on the stage, in a white sheet, with a torch in his hand, thus making public penance for a sin. PROLOGUE AND EPILOGUE TO "LOVE TRIUMPHANT, OR NATURE WILL PREVAIL."* 1694. PROLOGUE. As, when some Treasurer lays down the stick, Which never had been, had his lordship stayed: One warrant shall be signed for every man; For there's no one wit, will allow a brother; Damn all the plays that e'er shall come before ye. Let that one pay for all, and damn it more. For if a good one scape among the crew, You might damn this, if it were worth your pains; And he would bribe you too to like his play. And what he has he leaves this noble age. He leaves you, first, all plays of his inditing, 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 "Love Triumphant," a tragi-comedy, Dryden's last play, was brought out in the beginning of 1694. It was a great failure. A letter, preserved by Malone, written by one who was evidently a bitter enemy of Dryden's-"huffing Dryden" he calls him--says that the play was damned by the universal cry of the town." Dryden returned on this occasion to rhyme, which he had long discarded for tragedy, in some of the tragic parts. In the Prologue Dryden formally announces his intention of giving up writing for the stage; and the Epilogue opens with the conceit that "the poet's dead." He leaves to the dire critics of his wit The beaux may think this nothing but vain praise; 40 Who come in drunk and fill the house with noise. His silence and contempt of all they writ. 45 บา EPILOGUE. Now, in good manners, nothing shall be said Would I could find it! but the devil knows where. If in my part it lies, I fear he means To warn us of the sparks behind our scenes. 'Tis a hard chapter to refuse a lord. The poet might pretend this moral too, A kid brought home upon the wedding-day? ΙΟ 15 20 25 |