The Works of the Late Aaron Hill ... In Four Volumes. Consisting of Letters on Various Subjects, And of Original Poems, Moral and Facetious. With An Essay on the Art of Acting |
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Epilogue.
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 | The Works of the Late Aaron Hill |  |
Epilogue.
[One word before you go—Grave critics, say]
One word before you go—Grave critics, say,The moral is the meaning of the Play:
I'm sure, that hope, in ours, we did not couzen,
For—let me see—I'll point out half a dozen:
First—folly makes a quiet state, a mad one;
Next, a good king is better than a bad one.
Third, when a virtuous prude expects foul play,
She'll ne'er be ravish'd—if she runs away.
Fourth, by the old and young, at once, addrest,
She, who prefers the young one, chuses best.
Fifth, where our wits too weak, for our ambition,
Our grief, and shame, keep pace, with our condition.
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And keep the best instruction, for conclusion,
A jealous fair, who would a rival hate,
Should love, like me, a minister of state:
Safe, in her choice, she might, in peace, caress him,
And, with un-envy'd property, possess him.
By claim of custom, politicians bait him,
And, right, or wrong, the fair find cause to hate him.
| The Works of the Late Aaron Hill | |