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A PROLOGUE SPOKEN BY Mrs. Bracegirdle, AT THE Entertainment of LOVE for LOVE.
CUstom, which every where bears mighty Sway, Brings me to Act the Orator to Day: But Woman, you will say, are ill at Speeches, 'Tis true, and therefore I appear in Breeches: Not for Example to you City-Wives, That by Prescription's settled for your Lives. Was it for Gain the Husband first consented? * 1.1 O yes, their Gains are mightily augmented:
And yet, methinks, it must have cost some Strife:
A Passive Husband, and an Active Wife!
'Tis aukward, very aukward, by my Life.
But to my Speech. Assemblies of all Nations
Still are suppos'd to open with Orations:
Mine shall begin, to shew our Obligations.
To you, our Benefactors, lowly Bowing,
Whose Favours have prevented our Undoing;
A long Egyptian Bondage we endur'd,
'Till Freedom, by your Justice, we procur'd:
Our Taskmasters were grown such very Jews,
We must at length have Play'd in Wooden Shoos,
Had not your Bounty taught us to refuse.
Freedom's of English Growth, I think, alone;
What for lost English Freedom can attone?
A Free-born Player loaths to be compell'd;
Our Rulers Tyranniz'd, and We Rebell'd.
Freedom! the Wise Man's Wish, the Poor Mans Wealth?
Which you, and I, and most of us enjoy by Stealth;
The Soul of Pleasure, and the Sweet of Life,
The Woman's Charter, Widow, Maid or Wife,
This they'd have concell'd, and thence grew the Strife.
But you, perhaps, wou'd have me here confess
How we obtain'd the Favour;—Can't you guess?
Why then I'll tell you, (for I hate a Lie)
By Brib'ry, errant Brib'ry, let me die:
I was their Agent, but by Jove I swear,
No honourable Member had a share,
Tho' young and able Members bid me Fair:
I chose a wiser way to make you willing,
Which has not cost the House a single Shilling;
Now you suspect at least I went a Billing.
You see I'm Young, and to that Air of Youth,
Some will add Beauty, and a little Truth;
These pow'rful Charms, improv'd by pow'rful Arts,
Prevail'd to captivate your op'ning Hearts.
Thus furnish'd, I preferr'd my poor Petition,
And brib'd ye to commiserate our Condition:
I laugh'd, and sigh'd, and sung, and leer'd upon ye,
With roguish loving Looks, and that way won you:
The Young Men kiss'd me, and the Old I kiss'd,
And luringly I led them as I list.
The Ladies in meer Pity took our Parts,
Pity's the Darling Passion of their Hearts.
Thus Bribing, or thus Brib'd, fear no Disgraces;
For thus you may take Bribes, and keep your Places.
FINIS.