Literature & Theatre > Epilogue

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                EPILOGUE :

Spoken by Mrs. Mountfort at the
    Theatre Royal in Drury Lane.

As a Young Lawyer many Years will drudge,
In hopes at laſt to be a Lazy Judge ;
And as a Stateſman-ſhows a buſie Face,
To SNEAK, or Rail himſelf into a Place ;
So a Young Actreſs ſtrives your Hearts t'ingage,
That ſome kind Man may take her off the Stage,
Were it my Lot, I'm thinking. where to chooſe,
And who wou'd beſt become the Marriage Nooſe :
Criticks abhor it, Beaus the leaſt are fit,
Who more want Manhood, tho' they much Want Wit.
A Country Squire wou'd do, Some Loving Hound,
That's Bailiff to his Wife, and tills her Ground I
But then an Active Laſs finds ſmall Delight
In One who drinks all Day, and ſnores all Night.
A Collonel I cou'd like, that loves the War,
One that is abſent from me half the Year ;
Returns with Plunder laden, and full Pay,
But in two Months he'll game it all away.
In ſhort, I think, tho' that's a ſtanding Jeſt,
A fooliſh, plodding, Cheapſide Husband's beſt ;
For City Wives are grown most COURTLY HIGH,
And Mourning wear when Foreign Princes die,
Tho' lately they have found it to their Coſt,
Many have Mourn'd their Husbands Credit loſt.
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