Prologue To "king Arthur." Spoken By Mr Betterton Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABCDDEEFFGGHHHIIJJK KIIEHHIILLLIIMMNNOON NIIPPPPNN| Sure there's a dearth of wit in this dull town | A |
| When silly plays so savourily go down | A |
| As when clipt money passes 'tis a sign | B |
| A nation is not over stock'd with coin | C |
| Happy is he who in his own defence | D |
| Can write just level to your humble sense | D |
| Who higher than your pitch can never go | E |
| And doubtless he must creep who writes below | E |
| So have I seen in hall of knight or lord | F |
| A weak arm throw on a long shovel board | F |
| He barely lays his piece bar rubs and knocks | G |
| Secured by weakness not to reach the box | G |
| A feeble poet will his business do | H |
| Who straining all he can comes up to you | H |
| For if you like yourselves you like him too | H |
| An ape his own dear image will embrace | I |
| An ugly beau adores a hatchet face | I |
| So some of you on pure instinct of nature | J |
| Are led by kind to admire your fellow creature | J |
| In fear of which our house has sent this day | K |
| To insure our new built vessel call'd a play | K |
| No sooner named than one cries out These stagers | I |
| Come in good time to make more work for wagers | I |
| The town divides if it will take or no | E |
| The courtiers bet the cits the merchants too | H |
| A sign they have but little else to do | H |
| Bets at the first were fool traps where the wise | I |
| Like spiders lay in ambush for the flies | I |
| But now they're grown a common trade for all | L |
| And actions by the new book rise and fall | L |
| Wits cheats and fops are free of wager hall | L |
| One policy as far as Lyons carries | I |
| Another nearer home sets up for Paris | I |
| Our bets at last would e'en to Rome extend | M |
| But that the pope has proved our trusty friend | M |
| Indeed it were a bargain worth our money | N |
| Could we insure another Ottoboni | N |
| Among the rest there are a sharping set | O |
| That pray for us and yet against us bet | O |
| Sure Heaven itself is at a loss to know | N |
| If these would have their prayers be heard or no | N |
| For in great stakes we piously suppose | I |
| Men pray but very faintly they may lose | I |
| Leave off these wagers for in conscience speaking | P |
| The city needs not your new tricks for breaking | P |
| And if you gallants lose to all appearing | P |
| You'll want an equipage for volunteering | P |
| While thus no spark of honour left within ye | N |
| When you should draw the sword you draw the guinea | N |
John Dryden
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