THE BRITISH THEATRE.WRITTEN IN 1775.

When first was rear’d the British Stage,Rude was the scene and weak the lay;The Bard explored the sacred Page,And holy Mystery form’d his Play.Th’ affections of the mortal breastIn simple Moral next he sung,Each Vice[17]in human shape he drest,And to each Virtue[17]gave a tongue.Then ’gan the Comic Muse unfoldIn coarser jests her homely art:Of Gammer Gurton’s[18]loss she told,And laugh’d at Hodge’s awkward smart.Come from thy wildly-winding stream,First-born of Genius,Shakspeare, come!The listening World attends thy theme,And bids each elder Bard[19]be dumb:For thou, within the human MindFix’d, as on thy peculiar throne,Sitt’st like a Deity inshrined;And either Muse is all thine own!Yet shall not Time’s rough hand destroyThe scenes by learned Jonson writ;Nor shall Oblivion e’er enjoyThe charms of Fletcher’s courtly wit:And still in matchless beauty liveThe numbers of that Lyric StrainSung gayly to the Star of EveBy Comus and his jovial Train.Here sunk the Stage:—and dire alarmsThe Muse’s voice did overwhelm;For wounded Freedom call’d to arms,And Discord shook the embattled Realm.But Peace return’d; and with her came(Alas! how changed!) the tuneful Pair:Thalia’s eye should blench with shame,And her sad Sister weep to hearHow the mask’d[20]Fair, in Charles’s reign,Her lewd and riotous Fancy fedAt Killigrew’s debauchful scene,While hapless Otway pined for Bread.Thus the sweet Lark shall sing unheard,And Philomel sit silent by;While every vile and chattering birdTorments the grove with ribald cry.And see what witless Bards presumeWith buskin’d fools to rhyme and rage;While Mason’s idle Muse is dumb,And weary Garrick quits the Stage.

When first was rear’d the British Stage,Rude was the scene and weak the lay;The Bard explored the sacred Page,And holy Mystery form’d his Play.

When first was rear’d the British Stage,

Rude was the scene and weak the lay;

The Bard explored the sacred Page,

And holy Mystery form’d his Play.

Th’ affections of the mortal breastIn simple Moral next he sung,Each Vice[17]in human shape he drest,And to each Virtue[17]gave a tongue.

Th’ affections of the mortal breast

In simple Moral next he sung,

Each Vice[17]in human shape he drest,

And to each Virtue[17]gave a tongue.

Then ’gan the Comic Muse unfoldIn coarser jests her homely art:Of Gammer Gurton’s[18]loss she told,And laugh’d at Hodge’s awkward smart.

Then ’gan the Comic Muse unfold

In coarser jests her homely art:

Of Gammer Gurton’s[18]loss she told,

And laugh’d at Hodge’s awkward smart.

Come from thy wildly-winding stream,First-born of Genius,Shakspeare, come!The listening World attends thy theme,And bids each elder Bard[19]be dumb:

Come from thy wildly-winding stream,

First-born of Genius,Shakspeare, come!

The listening World attends thy theme,

And bids each elder Bard[19]be dumb:

For thou, within the human MindFix’d, as on thy peculiar throne,Sitt’st like a Deity inshrined;And either Muse is all thine own!

For thou, within the human Mind

Fix’d, as on thy peculiar throne,

Sitt’st like a Deity inshrined;

And either Muse is all thine own!

Yet shall not Time’s rough hand destroyThe scenes by learned Jonson writ;Nor shall Oblivion e’er enjoyThe charms of Fletcher’s courtly wit:

Yet shall not Time’s rough hand destroy

The scenes by learned Jonson writ;

Nor shall Oblivion e’er enjoy

The charms of Fletcher’s courtly wit:

And still in matchless beauty liveThe numbers of that Lyric StrainSung gayly to the Star of EveBy Comus and his jovial Train.

And still in matchless beauty live

The numbers of that Lyric Strain

Sung gayly to the Star of Eve

By Comus and his jovial Train.

Here sunk the Stage:—and dire alarmsThe Muse’s voice did overwhelm;For wounded Freedom call’d to arms,And Discord shook the embattled Realm.

Here sunk the Stage:—and dire alarms

The Muse’s voice did overwhelm;

For wounded Freedom call’d to arms,

And Discord shook the embattled Realm.

But Peace return’d; and with her came(Alas! how changed!) the tuneful Pair:Thalia’s eye should blench with shame,And her sad Sister weep to hear

But Peace return’d; and with her came

(Alas! how changed!) the tuneful Pair:

Thalia’s eye should blench with shame,

And her sad Sister weep to hear

How the mask’d[20]Fair, in Charles’s reign,Her lewd and riotous Fancy fedAt Killigrew’s debauchful scene,While hapless Otway pined for Bread.

How the mask’d[20]Fair, in Charles’s reign,

Her lewd and riotous Fancy fed

At Killigrew’s debauchful scene,

While hapless Otway pined for Bread.

Thus the sweet Lark shall sing unheard,And Philomel sit silent by;While every vile and chattering birdTorments the grove with ribald cry.

Thus the sweet Lark shall sing unheard,

And Philomel sit silent by;

While every vile and chattering bird

Torments the grove with ribald cry.

And see what witless Bards presumeWith buskin’d fools to rhyme and rage;While Mason’s idle Muse is dumb,And weary Garrick quits the Stage.

And see what witless Bards presume

With buskin’d fools to rhyme and rage;

While Mason’s idle Muse is dumb,

And weary Garrick quits the Stage.

[17]Personification of the passions in the moralities.[18]Gammer Gurton’s Needle is the oldest English comedy; the distress of it arises from the loss of the needle, which at last is discovered in her man Hodge’s breeches.[19]There were no plays of any note before Shakspeare.[20]The custom of that time, for fear of hearing indecencies, otherwise too gross to be supported.

[17]Personification of the passions in the moralities.

[18]Gammer Gurton’s Needle is the oldest English comedy; the distress of it arises from the loss of the needle, which at last is discovered in her man Hodge’s breeches.

[19]There were no plays of any note before Shakspeare.

[20]The custom of that time, for fear of hearing indecencies, otherwise too gross to be supported.

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