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"Their object Truth, Utility their aim,
"One social spirit reign, in all the fame.

“ Thus aided arts shall with fresh vigour shoot;
"Their cultur'd bloffoms ripen into fruit;
"Thy faded star dispense a brighter ray,
"And each glad Muse renew her noblest lay.”

PROLOGUE

то THE

SIEGE OF DAMAS CU S.

SPOKEN BY LORD SANDWICH.

HEN arts and arms, beneath Eliza's fmile,

WHE

Spread wide their influence o'er this happy isle;

A golden reign, uncurs'd with party-rage,

That foe to tafte, and tyrant of our age;

Ere all our learning in a libel lay,

And all our talk, in politics, or play:

The statesman oft would foothe his toils with wit,
What Spenfer fung, and Nature's Shakespeare writ;
Or to the laurel'd grove, at times, retire,

There, woo the Muse, and wake the moving lyre.
As fair examples, like afcending morn,

The world at once enlighten and adorn;
From them diffus'd, the gentle arts of peace
Shot brightening o'er the land, with swift encreafe:

Rough

Rough nature soften'd into grace and ease;
Senfe grew polite, and science fought to please.
Reliev'd from yon rude fcene of party-din,
Where open Bafenefs vies with fecret Sin,
And fafe embower'd in * Woburn's airy groves,
Let us recall the times our tafte approves ;
Awaken to our aid the mourning Mufe;
Through every bofom tender thought infufe;
Melt angry Faction into moral fenfe,
And to his guests a Bedford's foul difpenfe.

And now,
while Spring extends her finiling reign,
Green on the mountain, flowery in the plain;
While genial Nature breathes, from hill and dale,
Health, fragrance, gladnefs, in the living gale;
The various foftnefs, ftealing through the heart,
Impreffions, fweetly focial, will impart.
When fad Eudocia pours her hopeless woe,
The tear of pity will unbidden flow!

When erring Phocyas, whom wild paffions blind,
Holds up himself, a mirror for mankind;
An equal eye on our own hearts we turn,
Where frailties lurk, where fond affections burn:
And, confcious, Nature is in all the fame,
We mourn the guilty, while the guilt we blame!

EP

*The Siege of Damafcus was acted at Woburn, by the Duke of Bedford, the Earl of Sandwich, and fome other perfons of diftinction, in the month of May, 1743.

EPILOGUE

то

THE

BROTHERS,

A TRAGEDY, BY DR. YOUNG,

T

O woman, fure, the most severe affliction

Is, from these fellows, point-blank contradiction. Our Bard, without-I wish he would appearUd! I would give it him-but you shall hear

Good Sir! quoth I- and curtsey'd as I spokeOur pit, you know, expects and loves a joke'Twere fit to humour them: for, right or wrong, True Britons never like the fame thing long. To-day is fair-they ftrut, huff, fwear, harangue : To-morrow's foul-they fneak afide, and hang. Is there a war-peace! peace! is all their cry: The peace is made-then, blood! they'll fight and die. Gallants, in talking thus, I meant no treafon : I would have brought, you fee, the man to reason. But with fome folks, 'tis labour lost to strive:

A reasoning mule will neither lead nor drive.

He hum'd, and haw'd; then, waking from his dream, Cry'd, I must preach to you his moral scheme.

2

A scheme,

A scheme, forfooth! to benefit the nation!

*

Some queer, odd whim of pious propagation!
Lord! talk fo, here-the man must be a widgeon
Drury may propagate-but not Religion.

Yet, after all, to give the Devil his due,

Our Author's scheme, though strange, is wholly new:
Well, shall the novelty then recommend it?
If not from liking, from caprice befriend it.

For drums and routs, make him a while your passion,
A little while let Virtue be the fashion:

And, spite of real or imagin'd blunders,

Ev'n let him live, nine days, like other wonders.

PROLOGUE.

T 0

MR. THOMSON'S AGAMEMNON,

WHEN this decifive night, at length, appears,

WHE

The night of every author's hopes and fears, What shifts to bribe applaufe, poor poets try! In all the forms of wit they court and lye: These meanly beg it, as an alms; and those, By boastful blufter dazzle and impose.

Nor

*The profits arifing from this play were intended to be given, by the Author, to the Society for propagating Chriftian Knowledge,

2

Nor poorly fearful, nor fecurely vain,

Ours would, by honest

ways, that grace obtain ; Would, as a free-born wit, be fairly try'd :

And then-let candor, fairly too, decide.

He courts no friend, who blindly comes to praife;
He dreads no foe-but whom his faults may raife.
Indulge a generous pride, that bids him own,
He aims to please, by noble means alone;

By what may win the judgment, wake the heart,
Inspiring nature, and directing art;

By scenes, fo wrought, as may applause command
More from the judging head, than thundering han f.
Important is the moral we would teach-
Oh may this island practise what we preach-
Vice in its first approach with care to shun;
The wretch, who once engages, is undone.
Crimes lead to greater crimes, and link so streight,
What first was accident, at laft is fate :
Guilt's hapless fervant finks into a flave;
And Virtue's laft fad ftrugglings cannot fave.
"As fuch our fair attempt, we hope to fee
"Our judges,-here at least-from influence free
"One place,-ubiafs'd yet by party-rage,-
"Where only honour votes-the British stage.
"We ask for justice, for indulgence fue :
"Our last best licence muft proceed from you.”

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