And since neither Janus, nor Chronos, nor I, Can hinder the crimes, Or mend the bad times, "Tis better to laugh than to cry. Cho of all three. 'Tis better to laugh than to cry. Enter DIANA. Dia. With horns and with hounds, I waken the day, With shouting and hooting we pierce And Echo turns hunter, and doubles the cry. Cho. of all. With shouting and hooting we pierce through the sky, And Echo turns hunter, and doubles the cry. Janus. Then our age was in its prime: Chronos. Free from rage, Diana. -And free from crime. Momus. A very merry, dancing, drinking, Laughing, quaffing, and unthinking time. Cho. of all. Then our age was in its prime, Enter MARS. Mars. Inspire the vocal brass, inspire; Arms and honour, Set the martial mind on fire, And kindle manly rage. Mars has looked the sky to red; And Peace, the lazy God,* is fled. In woodland-walks, no more is seen; Cho. of all. Plenty, peace, &c. Mars. Sound the trumpet, beat the drum; Sound a reveillé, sound, sound, Cho. of all. Sound the trumpet, &c. But neither side a winner, For things are as they were. Cho. of all. The fools are only, &c. Enter VENUS. Venus. Calms appear, when storms are past; *The first edition, and some others, have Good; but I prefer God, as the more poetical reading Nature is my kindly care; Cho. of all. Take her, take her, &c. Joy ruled the day, and Love the night. I faint, I lag, And feebly drag The ponderous orb around. Momus. All, all of a piece throughout; Thy wars brought nothing about; [Pointing to DIANA. [TO MARS. [TO VENUS. Thy lovers were all untrue. Cho. of all. All, all of a piece throughout; 'Tis well an old age is out, And time to begin a new. [Dance of Huntsmen, Nymphs, Warriors, and Lovers. * There seems here to be a secret allusion to the exile of the beautiful queen of James II., so much admired by the Tory poets of the time. EPILOGUE то THE PILGRIM. THIS epilogue bears chiefly reference to the violent controversy, which, about this time, arose between the favourers of the drama and Jeremy Collier, who, in 1698, published " A short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage ;”—“ I believe," says Johnson, "with no other view, than religious zeal, and honest indignation.* He was formed for a controvertist; with sufficient learning, with diction vehement and pointed, though often vulgar and incorrect, with unconquerable pertinacity, with wit in the highest degree keen and sarcastic, and with all those powers exalted and invigorated by just confidence in his cause. "Thus qualified, and thus incited, he walked forth to battle, and assailed, at once, most of the living writers, from Dryden to Durfey. His onset was violent. Those passages which, while they had stood single, had passed with little notice, when they were accumulated and exposed together, excited horror. The wise and the pious caught the alarm; and the nation wondered why it had so long suffered irreligion and licentiousness to be openly taught at the public charge."-Life of Congreve. Dryden had his personal share of rough treatment in this indiscriminate attack upon dramaticprofligacy. But it is creditable to him, that, whatever his feelings of resentment might be, he was too much conscience-struck to attempt a defence of what was really indefensible. "I shall say the less of Mr Collier, because in The facetious Joe Haines, who is mentioned at the end of the epilogue, assigned another motive for this assault: "The clergy and the actors are both moral menders by profession," said the wag ;" and you know two of a trade can never agree."-Cibber's Apology. many things he has taxed me justly; and I have pleaded guilty to all thoughts and expressions of mine, which can be truly argued of obscenity, profaneness, or immorality, and retract them. If he be my enemy, let him triumph; if he be my friend, as I have given him no personal occasion to be otherwise, he will be glad of my repentance. It becomes me not to draw my pen in the defence of a bad cause, when I have so often drawn it for a good one." Preface to the Fables. This candid avowal, and the coincidence of their political sentiments, (for Collier was a rigid Non-juror,) did not save Dryden from some oblique thrusts in an Answer published by Collier to the Vindications of Congreve and Vanburgh, who, less patient or prudent than our poet, had stepped forward to assert the correctness of their dramatic writings. These passages in the "Defence of the Short View," which was published in 1699, scem to have incited our poet to put himself upon his defence, or at least to offer the best apology he could, by throwing upon the gay court of Charles the scandal of importing the open profligacy, which the poet insists had corrupted the stage, instead of being derived from thence. Lord Lansdowne, in a prologue to the “ Jew of Venice," when revived, took the freedom to dissent from Dryden and Collier; and, by exculpating both the theatre and court, to throw the whole blame upon the public at large: Each in his turn, the poet and the priest, Have viewed the stage, but like false prophets guessed. On kings the scandal, and bespatters courts. The scribbler, pinched with hunger, writes to dine, Not lewd by choice, but merely to submit: Would you encourage sense, sense would be writ. There is, in every case of this kind, much partial accusation. The court, stage, and public at large, have a mutual action and re-action on the manners of each other. If the habits of a court be licentious, the poet will hardly venture to paint them noble and innocent; but it will depend upon the extent which that licence has attained amongst his audience at large, whether he represents the courtly vices in gay, or in disgusting and odious |