Rule a wife, and have a wife a comedy, as it is acted at the new theatre in Little Lincolns Inn-fields, by His Majesty's servants.

PROLOGUE.

PLeasure attend ye, and about ye sit The springs of mirth, fancy, delight and wit, To stir you up, do not your looks let fall, Nor to remembrance our late errors call, Because this day w'are Spaniards all again, The story of our Play: and our Seene Spain: The errors too, do not for this cause hate, Now we present their wit and not their state. Nor Ladies be not angry if you see, A young fresh Beauty, wanton and too fres, Seek to abuse her Husband, still 'tis Spain, No such gross errors in your Kingdom reign, W'are Vestals all, and though we blow the fire, We seldom make it flame up to desire, Take no example neither to begin, For some by precedent delight to sin: Nor blame the Poet if he slip aside Sometimes lasciviously if not too wide. But hold your Fans close, and then smile at ease, A cruel Scene did never Lady please. Nor Gentlemen, pray be not you displeas'd, Though we present some men fool'd, some diseas, d, Some drunk, some mad: we mean not you, you 're free, We tax no farther than our Comedy, You are our friends, sit noble then and see.