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"When Lee makes temperate Scipio fret and rave,
And Hannibal a whining amorous slave,
"I laugh, and wish the hot-brain'd fustian fool
"In Bufby's hands, to be well lafh'd at school.

Tenth Sat. of Horace imitated.

The beginning of this prologue is taken from Horace's Art of

Poetry.

"Ignotum tragicæ genus inveniffe camanæ

Dicitur, & plauftris veniffe poemata Thefpis," &c.
Thefpis, the first professor of our art.

Thefpis. He was born in Icaria, a town of Attica. Before his time, tragedy confifted only of a chorus, or company of fingers and dancers, who chaunted hymns to the praise of Bacchus. In order to give them time to rest, Thefpis divided the chorus into two parts, between each of which he introduced an actor, who recited fomething relative to the subject of the tragedy, and his discourse was called an episode. Hence this poet is called the inventer of tragedy, as having reduced it into fome regularity. He carried his company from town to town in a cart, and they colored their faces with lees of wine, or, according to Suidas, with wax and vermillion, that they might refemble more naturally the fatyrs, whose faces were red and glowing. Æfchylus introduced a second perfon to the episode, and Sophocles a third.

Scot, Suarez, Tom of Aquin, &c.

Duns Scotus, Suarez, and Thomas Aquinus, are names well known in the schools of philofophy.

Prologue to the Loyal General. 1680.

This prologue is inferted in the edition or Dryden's works printed in 1743, without any mention made of the piece to which it was first prefixed; which I find to be a play called the Loyal General, written by Mr. Tate, and acted at the Duke's Theatre in 1680. Mr. Tate was born in Ireland. Langbaine fays, though he had wit and parts, he was not above the common rank of poets; for, out of nine plays that he published, only two of them were his own. We owe to him the altering King Lear as it is generally acted; and from the principal character he lopped off fome of the most beautiful speeches, which have been restored by Mr. Garrick and Mr. Barry. He fucceeded Shadwell as poet-laureat, and died foon after the acceffion of the house of Hanover.

the devil and the pope.

We shall speak at large of the ceremony of burning annually the devil and the pope, a few pages farther on.

Epilogue to Tamerlain the Great, a Tragedy. 1681.

This play was acted at Drury-lane in the year 1681; and afterwards before the King at Oxford; the author of it, Mr. Charles Saunders, being then only a King's fcholar at Weftminfter-school. Langbaine tells us, he wishes well to his Mufe; but cannot allow that he is a poet.

Thus Corley bloom'd, &c.

The famous Abraham Cowley, whofe fine odes have intitled him to the character of the English Pindar, published a collection of poems when he was but fixteen years old. He was fon to a grocer in Fleet-ftreet. The first part of his education he received at Westminster-fchool, where he was entered as a King's fcholar, and thence removed to Cambridge; but being with fome others ejected, he retired to St. John's college, Oxford, to complete his ftudies, and here was prefented with an honorary degree of Doctor of Phyfic. Being a zealous loyalift, he followed his royal master into exile, to whom he was very useful in decyphering letters, and in many other cafes. He died at Chertsey in his forty-ninth year, anno 1667, and was interred in the Abbey, near the remains of Chaucer and Spencer.

Epilogue to the Earl of Efex. 168z.

The Earl of Effex, or, Unhappy Favorite, a tragedy, written by Mr. John Banks, a gentleman of New-Inn, who generally hit upon good fubjects, but cloathed them in bad language, was brought upon the stage at Drury-lane in 1682, with vast applaufe. We have had lately another play of the fame name introduced upon Covent-garden theatre by Mr. Henry Jones, in which he has improved both the language and fubject; and if the former is not always the moft correct, it is however fimple and af fecting.

Prologue to the Loyal Brother. 1682.

The Loyal Brother, or the Perfian Prince, Mr. Southern's first play, was acted at Drury-lane in 1682; a time in which the Tory intereft, after long ftruggles, carried all before it. The character of the Loyal Brother was a compliment intended for the Duke of York. This prologue is a continued invective against the Whigs. Dryden alfo wrote the epilogue. He was at this time

famous for prologue and epilogue writing; for which reafon Southern here begged his affiftance at the usual price, which was either five or fix guineas. Dryden refufed it under ten: the young bard answered, it was more than he had ever heard he demanded before. "Ay, (replied the Laureat) but it is not more "than the thing's worth: the players have hitherto had my work "too cheap; and I am refolved hereafter to be paid for it." He kept his word, and Southern was obliged to give him ten guineas. This tranfaction, however, created an intimacy between them, which fubfifted till Dryden's death.

Queen Bess's night.

At the King's-head tavern, the corner of Chancery-lane, and oppofite the Inner-Temple-gate, the principal opponents to the court-measures and the chiefs of the Whig-party assembled, under the name of the King's-head Club, and afterwards the Greenribbon Club, from ribbons of that colour which they wore in their hats. Here they subscribed a guinea a-piece for a bonfire, in which the effigies of the pope was to be burnt on the 17th of November, being the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's birth, with more than ordinary pomp; for it was heretofore an annual ceremony, ufually made without any remarkable parade. The proceffion now confifted of one reprefenting the dead body of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, carried on a horse, with a perfon preceding it ringing a bell, to remind people of his murder: then followed a mob of fellows, dreffed like carmelites, jefuits, bishops, cardinals, &c. and feveral boys with incenfe-pots furrounding an image of the pope, with that of the devil juft behind him,

"Like thief and parfon in a Tyburn cart."

In this manner they marched from Bishopfgate to the corner of Chancery-lane, where they committed the inoffensive effigies to the flames; while the balconies and windows of the King's-head were filled with people of confequence, who countenanced the tumult; which, the Hon. Roger North fays, ftruck a terror upon people's spirits. The year of acting the play, to which we have here a prologue, great additions, alterations, and expenfive improvements, were intended to be made in this proceffion, which was prevented entirely by the loyalty and vigilance of the sheriffs of the city; Sir Dudley North and Sir Peter Rich, who paraded the streets all day and the best part of the night.

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The loyalifts had reafon to fear for the King's perfon from

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fuch

fuch a riotous mob; wherefore the horfe-guard was drawn up without Temple-bar, and Whitehall, where the King refided, was planted with cannon.

Five praying faints are by the act allow'd.

By the Bartholomew Act not more than five diffenters were allowed to commune together at one time.

Prologue to the University of Oxford.

Notwithstanding King James's religion, there were public acts celebrated at Oxford, by way of compliment, on his acceffion. Some of the following five prologues and epilogues were spoken at this time; and for the reft, I cannot anfwer, as I find no dates to them.

Epilogue to the Univerfity.

No poor Dutch peasant, &c.

The complaints of infection here made by our author do not relate to any fickness that had lately reigned in town, but to the vitiated taste of the people, who preferred in thofe days, as in the prefent, fhew to fenfe, and French dancers, Italian fiddlers, and fcaramouches, to true rational entertainments, and the beauties of dramatic poetry.

Epilogue, &c. by Mrs. Marshal.

Bathurst, a name the learn'd with rev'rence know.

This was Dr. Ralph Bathurft, prefident of Trinity-college, Oxford, a very loyal gentleman, of great character and admirable abilities, who was, I think, made dean of Wells. He wrote feveral Latin poems, and an unfinished copy of verfes, printed in Dryden's mifcellanies.

Prologue to the Univerfi y.

This prologue appears to me to have been written after Monmouth's defeat, who was aflifted alfo by the Earl of Argyle in Scotland, with equal fuccefs, being taken prifoner and put to death; and perhaps there were fome divifions in the dramatic ftate at the fame time.

Epilogue to Conftantine the Great. 1684.

This was a tragedy written by Nat. Lee, and reprefented in 1684 at the theatre-royal in Drury-lane.

VOL. II.

d

Count Tekeli.

A famous Hungarian commander.

Kind black-ey'd rogues

Among the pleasures which Mahomet promised to his followers in paradise, one was, that they should enjoy nymphs of amazing beauty, with large black eyes.

Prologue to the Disappointment. 1684.

The Difappointment, or Mother in Fashion, was a play of Mr. Southern's, performed in 1684 at the theatre-royal in Drurylane, and dedicated to the late Duke of Ormond.

Prologue to the King and Queen, on the Union of the two Companies. Written in 1686.

The wanton change of the public tafte, after the introducing operas at the Duke's theatre, began to fall as heavy upon the King's company, as their excellence in acting had before fallen on their competitors. Mr. Betterton, who had a fhare in the management of the former, finding their expensive struggles hurted both theatres, projected an union of the companies; whence he hoped to form one company, fuperior to all that had gone before them, in every refpect. In this project he fucceeded; and it was then his merits fhone with unrivalled luftre. From this union, Cibber fays, fprung the beft company of actors that ever appeared upon an English ftage. He came amongst them in 1690, and found the chiefs of them were Mr. Betterton, Mr. Mountford, Mr. Kynafton, Mr. Sandford, Mr. Nokes, Mr. Underhill, and Mr. Lee; Mrs. Betterton, Mrs. Barry, Mrs. Leigh, Mrs. Butler, Mrs. Mountfort, and Mrs. Bracegirdle.

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was, I fuppofe, the keeper of a bear-garden.

Prologue to the Princess of Cleves. 1689.

The Princefs of Cleves was a tragedy of Nat. Lee's, played at the Queen's theatre in Dorfet-garden, 1689.

Prologue to Arviragus and Philicia, revived 1690.

This tragedy was first acted at Blackfryars in 1639, and revived with fuccefs in 1690. It was written by Lodowic Carlel, Efq; a gentleman, who had been groom of the chamber to King Charles the Martyr, and was reinftated at the restoration.

Prologue to the Prophetess. 1690.

The Prophetess, or the History of Dioclefian, was revived in

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