The Prologue at Oxford, 1680. Prologues and Epilogues. John Dryden. 1913. The Poems of John Dryden

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John Dryden (1631–1700). The Poems of John Dryden. 1913.

Prologues and Epilogues

The Prologue at Oxford, 1680


Thespis, 1 the first Professor of our Art,
At Country Wakes, Sung Ballads in 2 a Cart.
To prove this true, if Latin be no Trespass,
Dicitur et Plaustris vexisse Poemata Thespis.
But Eschylus, 3 says Horace in some Page,	5
Was the first Mountebank e’er 4 trod the Stage;
Yet Athens never knew your learned Sport
Of tossing Poets in a Tennis-Court.
But ’tis the Talent of our English Nation
Still to be plotting some new Reformation;	10
And few years hence, if anarchy go 5 on,
Jack Presbyter will 6 here erect his Throne,
Knock out a Tub with Preaching once a Day.
And every Prayer be longer than a Play.
Then all you 7 Heathen Wits shall go to pot	15
For disbelieving of a Popish plot: 8
Nor should we want 9 the Sentence to depart
Ev’n in our first Original, a Cart. 10
Occham, Dun Scotus, must though learn’d go down, 11
As chief Supporters of the Triple Crown.	20
And Aristotle 12 for destruction ripe:
Some say he call’d the Soul an Organ-pipe,
Which, by some little help of Derivation,
Shall thence be call’d 13 a Pipe of Inspiration.
Your wiser Judgments further penetrate 14	25
Who late found out one Tare amongst the Wheat,
This is our Comfort: none e’er cried us down
But who disturb’d both Bishop and a Crown.

Note 1. 1680. The text as given with Nat. Lee’s tragedy of Sophonisba, for which the Prologue was written. The variants below are from the version in the Miscellany Poems. [back]

Note 2. in] from 1684. [back]

Note 3. Eschylus] Escalus 1684. [back]

Note 4. e’er] that 1684. [back]

Note 5. will] shall 1684. [back]

Note 6. go] goes 1684. [back]

Note 7. you] your 1684. [back]

Note 8. After this line in 1684 this couplet:

	Your Poets shall be us’d like Infidels,
	And worst the Author of the Oxford Bells.

[back]

Note 9. want] scape 1684. [back]

Note 10. After this line in 1684 these couplets:

	No Zealous Brother there would want a Stone,
	To maul Us Cardinals, and pelt Pope Joan.
	Religion, Learning, Wit, would be supprest,
	Rags of the Whore, and Trappings of the Beast.

[back]

Note 11. This line in 1684 thus:
Scot, Swarez, Tom of Aquin, must go down.

[back]

Note 12. Aristotle] Aristotle’s 1684. [back]

Note 13. thence be call’d] then be prov’d 1684. [back]

Note 14. 25–28. Omitted 1684. [back]

CONTENTS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

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