SCENE IV. GRIDELINE and SIR TRUSTY. GRIDELINE. Have I then liv'd to see this hour, And took thee in the very bow'r? SIR TRUSTY. Widow Trusty, why so fine? Why dost thou thus in colours shine? Thou shou❜dst thy husband's death bewail In sable vesture, peak, and veil. GRIDELINE. Forbear these foolish freaks, and see How our good king and queen agree. Why shou'd not we their steps pursue, And do as our superiors do? SIR TRUSTY. Am I bewitch'd, or do I dream? I know not who, or where I am, Or what I hear, or what I see, But this I'm sure, howe'er it be, It suits a person in my station T'observe the mode and be in fashion. And hence anew my vows I plight To be a faithful courteous knight. GRIDELINE. I'll too my plighted vows renew, Since 'tis so courtly to be true. Since conjugal passion. Is come into fashion, And marriage so blest on the throne is, Like a Venus I'll shine, Be fond and be fine, And Sir Trusty shall be my Adonis. SIR TRUSTY. And Sir Trusty shall be thy Adonis. The KING and QUEEN advancing. KING. Who to forbidden joys wou'd rove,a And pleasure join with innocence ! BOTH. Who to forbidden joys wou'd rove, That knows the sweets of virtuous love? a Who to forbidden joys. So careful was this excellent man, "to set our passions on the side of truth," even in his gayest and slightest compositions, THE DRUMMER, OR THE HAUNTED HAUNTED HOUSE. A Comedy. AS IT IS ACTED AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, IN DRURY LANE, BY HIS MAJESTY'S SERVANTS. -Falsis terroribus implet Ut magus With a PREFACE by Sir RICHARD STEELE, in an EPISTLE DEDICATORY to Mr. CONGREVE, occasioned by Mr. TICKELL'S PREFACE to the four Volumes of Mr. ADDISON'S Works. VOL. I.-12 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. [THIS piece was omitted in the original edition of Addison's works by Tickell, in which, according to Miss Aikin, he displayed "sounder discretion" than Steele did in republishing it. Of this piece Beattie says in a letter to Mr. Cameron:-"The Drummer is in my opinion one of the best dramatic pieces in our language."Forbes' Beattie, let. 611. Macaulay's remarks contain probably the opinion in which most men of taste will agree: "In the same year (1715) his comedy of the Drummer was brought on the stage. The name of the author was not announced: the piece was coldly received: and some critics have expressed a doubt whether it were really Addison's. To us the evidence, both external and internal, seems decisive. It is not in Addison's best manner; but it contains numerous passages which no other writer known to us could have produced. It was again performed after Addison's death, and being known to be his, was loudly applauded." All the positive knowledge that we shall probably ever have about the authorship of the Drummer is contained in Steele's "Epistle Dedicatory" to Congreve.-G.] TO MR. CONGREVE, OCCASIONED BY MR. TICKELL'S PREFACE TO THE FOUR VOLUMES OF MR. ADDISON'S WORKS. SIR,-This is the second time that I have, without your leave, taken the liberty to make a public address to you. However uneasy you may be, for your own sake, in receiving compliments of this nature, I depend upon your known humanity for pardon, when I acknowledge, that you have this present trouble for mine. When I take myself to be ill-treated with regard to my behaviour to the merit of other men, my conduct towards you is an argument of my candour that way, as well as that your name and authority will be my protection in it. You will give me leave, therefore, in a matter that concerns us in the poetical world, to make you my judge, whether I am not injured in the highest manner; for with men of your taste and delicacy, it is a high crime and misdemeanour to be guilty of any thing that is disingenuous but I will go into the matter. Upon my return out of Scotland, I visited Mr. Tonson's shop, and thanked him for his care in sending to my house the volumes of my dear and honoured friend, Mr. ADDISON, which are at last published by his secretary, Mr. Tickell; but took occasion to observe, that I had not seen the work before it came out, which he did ot think fit to excuse any otherwise than by a recrimina |