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Nay, if

you

would be free from night-alarms,

You must feem fond, and doating on her charms,
Take her (the last of twenty) to your arms.
Let this, and every other anxious thought,
At th' entrance of my threshold be forgot;
All thy domeftic griefs at home be left,
The wife's adultery, with the fervants' theft;
And (the most racking thought which can intrude)
Forget falfe friends and their ingratitude.
Let us our peaceful mirth at home begin,
While Megalenfian fhows are in the Circus feen:
There (to the bane of horses) in high state
The Prætor fits on a triumphal feat;
Vainly with enfigns and with robes adorn'd,
As if with conqueft from the wars return'd.
This day all Rome, (if I may be allow'd,
Without offence to fuch a numerous crowd,
To fay all Rome) will in the Circus fweat;
Echos already do their fhouts repeat:
Methinks I hear the cry---" Away, away,
"The green have won the honour of the day."
Oh, fhould these sports be but one year forborn,
Rome would in tears her lov'd diverfion mourn;
For that would now a cause of forrow yield,
Great as the lofs of Cannæ fatal field.
Such fhows as these were not for us defign'd,
But vigorous youth to active sports inclin'd.
On beds of rofes laid, let us repose,

While round our heads refreshing ointment flows;

}

Our

Our aged limbs we'll bafk in Phoebus' rays,
And live this day devoted to our cafe.
Early to-day we 'll to the bath repair,
Nor need we now the common cenfure fear :
On festivals it is allow'd no crime

To bathe and eat before the ufual time;
But that continued, would a loathing give,
Nor could you thus a week together live :
For frequent ufe would the delight exclude:
Pleasure's a toil when conftantly purfucd.

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Upon her Majefty's coming to fee the OLD BATCHELOR, after having feen the DOUBLE-DEALER.

Y this repeated act of grace, we fee

BY

Wit is again the care of Majefty;

And while thus honour'd our proud ftage appears,
We feem to rival ancient theatres.

Thus flourish'd wit in our forefathers' age,
And thus the Roman and Athenian flage.

Whose wit is beft, we'll not prefume to tell;
But this we know, our audience will excell:
For never was in Rome, nor Athens, feen
So fair a circle, and fo bright a Queen.

Long

Long has the Mufes' land been overcast,

And many rough and ftormy winters paft;
Hid from the world, and thrown in fhades of night,
Of heat depriv'd, and almost void of light :
While Wit, a hardy plant, of nature bold,
Has ftruggled ftrongly with the killing cold:
So does it still through oppofition grow,
As if its root was warmer kept by fnow :
But when fhot forth, then draws the danger near,
On every fide the gathering winds appear,
And blasts destroy that fruit, which frosts would spare.
But now, new vigour and new life it knows,
And warmth that from this royal prefence flows.

O would she shine with rays more frequent here!
How gay would then this drooping land appear
Then, like the fun, with pleasure she might view
The finiling earth, cloath'd by her beams anew.
O'er all the meads, fhould various flowers be seen
Mix'd with the laurel's never-fading green,
The new creation of a gracious Queen.

EPILOGUE

At the Opening of the

QUEEN'S THEATRE, IN THE HAY-MARKET,

WITH AN ITALIAN PASTORAL.

Whatever future fate our house may find,

At prefent we expect you should be kind;

Inconftancy itself can claim no right,

Before enjoyment and the wedding-night.
You must be fix'd a little ere you range,
You must be true till you have time to change.
A week, at least; one night is fure too foon:
But we pretend not to a honey-moon.

To novelty we know you can be true,
But what, alas! or who, is always new ?
This day, without prefumption, we pretend
With novelty entire you 're entertain'd ;
For not alone our house and scenes are new,
Our fong and dance, but ev'n our actors too.
Our play itself has fomething in't uncommon,
Two faithful lovers, and one conftant woman.
In fweet Italian ftrains our fhepherds fing,
Of harmless loves our painted forests ring,
In notes, perhaps, less foreign than the thing.
To found and show at firft we make pretence,
In time we may regale you with some sense,
But that, at prefent, were too great expence.

We only fear the beaux may think it hard,
To be to-night from smutty jefts debarr'd :
But, in good-breeding, fure they'll once excufe
Ev'n modesty, when in a stranger-muse.

The day 's at hand when we shall slift the scene,
And to yourselves fhew your dear felves again :
Paint the reverse of what you've seen to-day,
And in bold ftrokes the vicious town difplay.

PROLOG

TO

UE

PYRRHUS KING OF EPIRUS.

UR age has much improv'd the warrior's art ;

O UR

For fighting, now, is thought the weakest part;
And a good head, more useful than a heart.
This way of war does our example yield;

That stage will win, which longest keeps the field.
We mean not battle, when we bid defiance;
But starving one another to compliance.
Our troops encamp'd are by each other view'd ;
And those which first are hungry, are subdued.
And there, in truth, depends the great decision :
They conquer, who cut off the foes' provision.
Let fools with knocks and bruises keep a pother,
Our war and trade is to outwit each other;

:

But, hold will not the politicians tell us,
That both our conduct and our forefight fail us ;

Te

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