 | Mahomet The Imposter |  |
71
EPILOGUE.
By a Friend. Spoken by Mr. GARRICK.
Long
has the shameful Licence of the Age,
With senseless Ribaldry disgrac'd the Stage;
So much Indecencies have been in vogue,
They pleaded Custom in an Epilogue;
As if the Force of Reason was a Yoke
So heavy—they must ease it with a Joke;
Disarm the Moral of its virtuous Sway,
Or else the Audience go displeas'd away.
With senseless Ribaldry disgrac'd the Stage;
So much Indecencies have been in vogue,
They pleaded Custom in an Epilogue;
As if the Force of Reason was a Yoke
So heavy—they must ease it with a Joke;
Disarm the Moral of its virtuous Sway,
Or else the Audience go displeas'd away.
How have I blush'd to see a Tragic Queen,
With ill-tim'd Mirth disgrace the well-wrote Scene;
From all the sad Solemnity of Woe,
Trip nimbly forth—to ridicule a Beau;
Then, as the loosest Airs she had been gleaning,
Coquette the Fan, and leer a Double-meaning.
With ill-tim'd Mirth disgrace the well-wrote Scene;
From all the sad Solemnity of Woe,
Trip nimbly forth—to ridicule a Beau;
Then, as the loosest Airs she had been gleaning,
Coquette the Fan, and leer a Double-meaning.
Shame on those Arts that prostitute the Bays!
Shame on the Bard, who this way hopes for Praise!
Shame on the Bard, who this way hopes for Praise!
The bold, but honest Author of To-night,
Disdains to please you, if he please not right.
If in his well-meant Scene you chance to find,
Aught to enoble or enlarge the Mind;
If he has found the means with honest Art
To fix the noblest Wishes in the heart;
In softer Accents to inform the Fair,
How bright they look, when Virtue drops the Tear;
Enjoy with friendly Welcome the Repast,
And keep the Heart-felt Relish to the last.
Disdains to please you, if he please not right.
If in his well-meant Scene you chance to find,
Aught to enoble or enlarge the Mind;
If he has found the means with honest Art
To fix the noblest Wishes in the heart;
In softer Accents to inform the Fair,
How bright they look, when Virtue drops the Tear;
Enjoy with friendly Welcome the Repast,
And keep the Heart-felt Relish to the last.
| Mahomet The Imposter | |