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Show The Conqueft of Granada. 468 K. Ferd. Mean timeT^ul^ «? Yf°r^jfUe 5 The Moors in Woods and Mountains to fubdue. J ^ & 7 & of War (hall M P * : ™ * D*>'• And Dreams of Love fhall drive my Nights away. O u r Banners to th' Alhambra'sTurrets bear; Then, wave our Conqu'ringCroflesin the Air; A n d Cry, with Shouts of Triumph, Live and Reign Great Ferdinand and Ifabel of Spain. EPILOGUE THey who have beft ficcecded on the Stage, Have ftill conform d their Genius to their Age. Thus Jonnfon did Mechanique humour flow, When Men were dull, and Converfation low. Then, Comedy was Faultlefs, but 'twas courfe : Cobb's Tankard was a Jeft, and Otters Horfe. And as their Comedy, their Love was mean 5 Except, by chance, in fome one Labour d Scene, Which muft attoncfor an ill-written Play. Thy rofe ; but at thir height could ftldom ftay. Fame then was cheap, and th firft comer fpedx, And they have kept it fince, by being dead. But were thy now to write, when Critiques weigh Each Line, and cv'ry Word, throughout a Play, None of 'em, no not Johnfon in his height, Could pafs, without allowing grains for weight. Think, it not Envy that thefe Truths are told-j Our Poet's not Malicious, though he's Bold. Tis not to brand 'em that their faults are fhown, But, by thir Errors, to excufe his own. If Love and Honour now are higher raifd, 'Tis not the Poet, but the Age is praised. Wit's new arrivd to a more high degree ; Our Native Language more refind and free. Our Ladies and our Men now fpea\ more wit In Converfation, than thofe Poets writ. Then, one of thefe is, confequently, true$ That what this Poet writes comes ftjort of you, And imitates you ill, (which moft be fears) Or elfe fds Writing is not worfe than theirs. Tet, though you judge, (as fure the Criticks will) That fome before him writ with greater skill: In this one Praife he has their Fame furpaft, To pleafe an Age more Gallant than th (aft. F I N I S. To To the Right Honourable the EARL of ROCHESTER 1s/Iy Lord, Humbly Dedicate an early Pi permiflion, fit to be pr .lie Author, and Indulgence to the Play, you commended it to rifcvie'wof HkllSIlt^ then at Winif* and by his Approbation of it in Writing, made way for its kind reception on the Theatre In this Dedicauon thereto; e, I may feem to imitate a Cuftom ofthe Ancients w h o offer dtp their Gods the Firfilings of the Flock, which I think they call'd Ver Sacrum* herein to ac-your Lordihip's Converfation. And noc only I, w h o pretend not to this way, but the beft Comick Writers of our A ^ e will join with m e to acknowledge, that they have copy'd the Gallantries of Courts, the" Deiicacy of Expreffion, and the Decencies of Behaviour, f o m your Lordfhip, ore Succefs than ifthey had taken their Models from the Court of France. But this, m y Lord, will b e n o W on der to the World, which knows theExcellency of your natural Parts, and thofe )ou have acquired in a noble Education. That which with more Reafon I admire, is, that being fb abfo-lute a Courtier, you have not forgot, either the Tics of Friendfhip, or the Practice of Generofity. In m y little Experience of a Court (which I confefs I defire not to improve) I have found in it much of Intereft, and more of Detraction : Few M e n there have that Affurance of a Friend, as not to be made ridiculous by him, when they are abfent. There are a mid-ling fort of Courtiers, w h o become happy by their want of Wit; but they fuppiy that Want by an excels of Malice to thofe who have it. And there is no fuch Perfection as that of Fools: They can never be confiderable enough to be talk'd of themfelves; fb that they are fdfc only in their Obfcurity, and grow mifchievous to witty M e n , by the great Djiigence of their Envy, and by being always prefent to reprefent and aggravate their Emits. In the msan time they arefore'd, when they endeavour to be pleafant, to live on the OlTals of their Wit, w h o m they decry; and either to quote it, ( whick they do unwillingly J or to pafs ic upon others for their own. Thefe are the M e n w h o make it their Bufinefs to chafe Wit from the Knowledge of Princes, left it fhould difgrace their Ignorance. And c is kind of Malice your Lordfhip has not fb much avoided, as fur mounted, but if by thc excellent Temper of a Royal Mafter always more ready to hear Good than 111, if by his Inclination to love you, if by your o w n M e rit and Addrefs, if by the Charms of your Converfation, the Grace of your Behaviour, your Knowledge of Greatnefs, and Habitude in Courts, you have been able to preferve your feif with Honour in the midft of fo dangerous a Courfe; yet at leaft the Remembrance of thole Hazards has infpir'd you with Pity for other Men, who being ofan inferiour Wit and Quality to you, are yet perfecuted, for being that in Little, which your Lordihip is in Great. For the Quarrel of thofe l\:op!c extends it felf to any thing of Senfe i and if I may be fo vain to own it amongft the reft ofthe Poets, has fometimes reachM-tbche very borders of it, even to me. So that, if our,general good Fortune had not rais'd up your Lordfhip to defend us, I know net whether any thing had been more ridiculous inCcu'st, than Writers. 'Tis to your Lordfhip's Favour we generally owe-ow Protection and Patronage: And to the Noblenefi of your Nature, which will notiuifer the leait fliadow of your Wit to ba eontemn'd in other Men. You have been often pleas'd not onjy to excuie m y fmpe , but to vindicate what was tolerable in m y W Y •od what f can never forget, you have not only been careYul ol but of m y Fortune. You have been folk. to fuppiy m y neglect of m y felf; and to overcome the faraf Modefty oj which fubmits them to perpetual Wants, rather rhim to become imj with thofe People, who hare* the Liberality of Kings™ their difpofmg; and who, d< bg the Bounty of their Mafter, r fuch tobein Neceflity, who endeavour at leaft to fim j and lor whole Entertain. ment H e has generouily provided, if the Fruits of His Royal Favour were not often ftopp'd in other Hands. But yoin Lordihip hasten m e Occafion, not t ain of Courts, v. you are there. I liave iound the Eftecis of your .Mediation in all m y Concernments.- they were lb mui ry. I bei your Lordfhip's (iff tu«% on thc Similitud ing him who nude it; and brought only a pa'ft/e Obedience to be , Noblenefi of yours 1 think m y felfthe rather oblig'd to own, t been loft to all Remembrance. For yon are endued Nature, to forget the Good which yon have done. |
