PROLOGUE.

BY THE HONOURABLE RICHARD FITZPATRICK.

THE sister muses, whom these realms obey,
Who o'er the drama hold divided sway,
Sometimes, by evil counsellors, 'tis said,
Like earth-born potentates have been misled.
In those gay days of wickedness and wit,
When Villiers criticised what Dryden writ,
The tragic queen, to please a tasteless crowd,
Had learn'd to bellow, rant, and roar so loud,
That frighten'd Nature, her best friend before,
The blust'ring beldam's company forswore.
Her comic sister, who had wit, 'tis true,
With all her merits, had her failings too;
And would sometimes in mirthful moments use
A style too flippant for a well-bred muse:
Then female modesty abash'd began

To seek the friendly refuge of the fan,

Awhile behind that slight intrenchment stood,

Till driv'n from thence, she left the stage for good.
In our more pious, and far chaster times,
These sure no longer are the muse's crimes!
But some complain that, former faults to shun,
The reformation to extremes has run.
The frantic hero's wild delirium past,
Now insipidity succeeds bombast;

VOL. 11.

P

So slow Melpomene's cold numbers creep,
Here dulness seems her drowsy court to keep,

And we are scarce awake, whilst you are fast asleep.
Thalia, once so ill-behaved and rude,

Reform'd, is now become an arrant prude;

Retailing nightly to the yawning pit
The purest morals, undefiled by wit!
Our author offers, in these motley scenes,
A slight remonstrance to the drama's queens:
Nor let the goddesses be over nice;

Free spoken subjects give the best advice.
Although not quite a novice in his trade,
His cause to-night requires no common aid.
To this, a friendly, just, and pow'rful court,
I come ambassador to beg support.
Can he undaunted brave the critic's rage?
In civil broils with brother bards engage?
Hold forth their errors to the public eye,
Nay more, e'en newspapers themselves defy?
Say, must his single arm encounter all?
By numbers vanquish'd, e'en the brave may fall;
And though no leader should success distrust,
Whose troops are willing, and whose cause is just;
To bid such hosts of angry foes defiance,
His chief dependence must be, your alliance.

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ,

AS ORIGINALLY ACTED AT DRURY-LANE THEATRE, OCTOBER 30,

Guards, Constables, Servants, Chorus, Rivers, At

THE

CRITIC.

ACT I. SCENE I.

Mr. and Mrs. DANGLE at breakfast, and reading newspapers.

Dangle. [Reading.] Brutus to Lord North."' -Letter the second on the State of the Army' -Pshaw! To the first L- dash D. of the A- dash Y.'-' Genuine Extract of a Letter from St. Kitt's.'-' Coxheath Intelligence.' 'It is now confidently asserted that Sir Charles Hardy.'- Pshaw!-Nothing but about the fleet and the nation!-and I hate all politics but theatrical politics.-Where's the Morning Chronicle?

Mrs. Dangle. Yes, that's your gazette.

Dangle. So, here we have it.- Theatrical intelligence extraordinary.-We hear there is a new tragedy in rehearsal at Drury-lane Theatre, called the Spanish Armada, said to be written by