Young. Churchill. Lloyd. Falconer. Thomson

A dress well chofen, or a patch misplac’d,
Push'd l his int'rest for the vacant chai:. Conciliate favour, or create distaste.
The buskin'd heroes of the mimic stage

From galleries loud peals of laughter roll,
No longer whine in love, and rant in rage ;

And thunder Shuter's praises--he's so droll.
The monarch quits his throne, and condescends Embox'd, the ladies must have something smart,
Humbly to coubt the favour of his friends :

Palmer! Oh! Palmer tops the janty part.
For pity's fake tells undeserv'd mishaps,

Seated in pit, the dwarf, with aching eyes,
And, their applause to gain, recounts his claps. Looks up, and vows that Barry's out of size ;
Thus the victorious chiefs of ancient Rome, Whilft to fix feet the vig'rous stripling grown,
To win the mob, a suppliant's form assume,

Declares that Garrick is another Coan.
In pompous train fight o'er th' extinguish'd war, When place of judgment is by whim supply'do
And shew where honour bled in ev'ry scar.

And our opinions have their rise in pride ;
But though bare merit might in Rome appear When, in discoursing on each mimic elf,
The strongest plea for favour 'tis not here ;

We praise and censure with an eye to self;
We form our judgment in another way ;

All must meet friends, and Ackman bids as fair
And they will best succeed, who best can pay : In such a court, as Garrick, for the chair.
'Those, who would gain the votes of British tribes, At length agreed, all squabbles to decide,
Must add to force of merit, force of bribes. By some one judge, the cause was to be try'd;
What can an actor give ? in ev'ryage

But this their

squabbles did afresh renew,
Calh hath been rudely banish'd from the stage ; Who should be judge in such a trial : Who?
Monarchs themselves, to grief of ev'ry play'r, For Johnson some, but Johnson, it was fear’d,
Appear as often as their image there :

Would be too grave ; and Sterne too gay appear’d: 'They can't, like candidate for other feat,

Others for Francklin voted ; but 'twas known,
Pour seas of wine, and mountains raise of meat. He ficken'd at all triumphs but his own :
Wine ! they could bribe you with the world as soon, For Colman many, but the peevith tongue
And of roast beef, they only know the tune : Of prudent Age found out that he was young :
But what they have they give, could Clive do more, For Murphy some pilforing wits declar'd,
Though for each million he had brought home four ? Whilft Folly clapp'd her hands, and Wisdom star’d.
Shuter keeps open house at Southwark fair,

To mischief train'd, e'en from his mother's womb
And hopes the friends of humour will be there ; Grown old in fraud, thu' yet in manhood's bloom,
In Smithfield, Yates prepares the rival treat Adopting arts, by which gay villains rise,
For those who laughter love, instead of meat; And reach the heights which honest men despise ;
Foote, at Old House, for even Foote will be, Mute at the bar, and in the fedate loud,
In felf-conceit, an actor, bribes with tea;

Dull ’mongst the dullest, proudest of the proud ;
Which Wilkinfon at second-hand receives,

A pert, prim, prater of the northern race,
And at the New, pours water on the leaves. Guilt in his heart, and famine in his face,
VOL. VIII.

515

ib.

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