pon our poet. In the prologue to "Bury Fair," we
find the following lines of exultation, on his having regained
possession of the stage:

Those wretched poetitos, who got praise,
By writing most _confounded loyal plays_,
With viler coarser jests, than at Bear-garden,
And silly Grub-street songs, worse than Tom Farthing;
If any noble patriot did excel,
His own and country's rights defending well,
These yelping curs were straight 'looed on to bark,
On the deserving man to set a mark;
Those abject fawning parasites and knaves.
Since they were such, would have all others slaves.
'Twas precious _loyalty_, that was thought fit
To atone for want of honesty and wit;
No wonder common sense was all cried down,
And noise and nonsense swaggered through the town;
Our author then opprest would have you know it.
Was silenced for a non-conformist poet;
Now, sirs, since common sence has won the day,
Be kind to this as to his last year's play;
His friends stood firmly to him, when distressed,
He hopes the number is not now decreast.
He found esteem from those he valued most;
Proud of his friends, he of his foes could boast.

38. "Know then, to prevent the farther shedding of Christian blood, we
are all content Ventoso shall be viceroy, upon condition I may be
viceroy over him." Tempest, as altered by Dryden, vol. iii. p. 124.

39. The fable alluded to occurs in the _Pia Hilaria_ of Gazaeus, and in
Le Grand's _Fabliaux_; it makes the subject of a humorous tale by
Mr Robert Southey.

40. Alluding to the well-known catastrophe of poor Settle acting in
Bartholomew fair:

"Reduced at last to hiss in his own dragon."

41. The _say_, or _assay_, is the first cut made on the stag when he
is killed. The hunter begins at the brisket, and draws the knife
downwards. The purpose is, to ascertain how fat he is:

"At the assay kitle him, that Lends may se
Anon Fat or lene whether that he be."
_Boke of St Alban's._

The allusion in the text is to the cruel punishment of high treason
by quartering.

42. "And so thou shalt for me," said James, when he came to the
passage; "thou art a biting knave, but a witty one."

* * * * *

ALBION AND ALBANIUS: