MACHEATH, BEN BUDGE, MATT OF THE MINT

MACHEATH. For my having broke prison, you see, gentlemen, I am ordered immediate execution. The sheriff's officers, I believe, are now at the door. That Jemmy Twitcher should peach me, I own surprised me! 'Tis a plain proof that the world is all alike, and that even our gang can no more trust one another than other people. Therefore, I beg you, gentlemen, look well to yourselves, for in all probability you may live some months longer.

II

PLAYER. Why then, friend, this is a downright deep tragedy. The catastrophe is manifestly wrong, for an opera must end happily.

BEGGAR. Your objection, sir, is very just, and is easily removed; for you must allow that in this kind of drama, 'tis no matter how absurdly things are brought about. So -you rabble there! run and cry a reprieve! -let the prisoner be brought back to his wives in triumph.

19

PLAYER. All this we must do, to comply with the taste of the town.

BEGGAR. Through the whole piece you may observe such a similitude of manners in high and low life, that it is difficult to determine whether (in the fashionable vices) the fine gentlemen imitate the gentlemen of the road, or the gentlemen of the road the fine gentlemen. Had the play remained as I at first intended, it would have carried a most excellent moral. 'Twould have shown that the lower sort of people have their vices in a degree as well as the rich, and that they are punished for them.

33

A DANCE

AIR [XXVIII]-Lumps of pudding, etc.

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ

ΜΕΝ

KING ARTHUR, a passionate sort of king, husband to Queen Dollallolla, of whom he stands a little in fear; father to Huncamunca, whom he is very fond of, and in love with Glumdalca

TOM THUMB THE GREAT, a little hero with a great soul, something violent in his temper, which is a little abated by his love for Huncamunca

GHOST OF GAFFER THUMB, a whimsical sort of ghost

LORD GRIZZLE, extremely zealous for the lib

erty of the subject, very choleric in his temper, and in love with Huncamunca MERLIN, a conjurer, and in some sort father

The town hath seldom been more divided in its opinion than concerning the merit of the following scenes. Whilst some publicly affirmed that no author could produce so fine a piece but Mr. P[ope], others have with as much vehemence insisted that no one could write anything so bad but Mr. F[ielding].

Nor can we wonder at this dissension about its merit, when the learned world have not unanimously decided even the very nature of this tragedy. For tho' most of the universities in Europe have honored it with the name of egregium et maximi pretii opus, tragoediis tam antiquis quam novis longe anteponendum; nay, Dr. B[entley] hath pronounced, Citius Maevii Aeneadem quam Scribleri istius tragoediam hanc crediderim, cujus auctorem Senecam ipsum tradidisse haud dubitarim; and the great Professor Burman hath styled Tom Thumb,