To
the
Right
Honourable
John
Lord
Cutts
,
Baron
of
Gowran
.
My
LORD
,
HEroick
Virtue
is
of
that
Universal
Attraction
,
that
in
the
crowd
of
her
Admirers
,
the
Muses
in
dutious
Homage
must
make
a
part
of
her
Train
.
For
under
the
Umbrage
of
the
Valiant
and
the
Brave
,
they
cannot
seek
a
Nobler
Patronage
then
where
they
find
their
Noblest
Theme
:
Noblest
indeed
,
when
the
Memorials
of
true
hardy
Worth
tune
their
Loftiest
Ayres
,
and
fill
their
largest
Volumes
:
And
in
that
Class
,
possibly
,
no
Merit
stands
higher
than
Your
Lordships
.
For
War
has
been
your
Early
Study
;
nor
has
the
Age
known
a
more
Forward
Proficient
in
the
School
of
Arms
than
Your
Lordship
.
From
your
First
Honourable
Wounds
before
the
Walls
of
Buda
,
to
your
Last
before
those
of
Limerick
;
the
no
less
Favourite
of
the
Great
Lorrain
,
than
of
the
Greater
Nassau
,
You
have
been
wholly
Train'd
up
under
that
Sacred
Gamaliel
,
HONOUR
.
Nor
has
Your
Cause
been
less
Glorious
than
Your
Courage
;
The
Common
Foes
of
Christendom
have
been
the
mark
of
your
Sword
;
You
brought
it
flusht
from
against
the
more
declining
Turkish
,
to
Engage
it
against
the
more
prevailing
Gallick
Tyrant
;
From
combating
the
Less
,
to
draw
it
against
the
Greater
Infidel
.
The
Fervor
of
this
Last
warm
Zeal
brought
You
from
the
Imperial
Leopold's
to
the
Royal
William's
Standart
.
And
to
sum
up
Your
just
due
in
that
truest
Glory
of
an
Englishman
:
Not
Hannibal
was
a
more
Sworn
Foe
against
the
Old
,
than
Your
Lordship
against
the
New
Rome
.
But
all
these
Excellent
Qualifications
,
these
united
Martial
Virtues
,
are
not
the
only
influencing
Powers
that
have
set
you
so
fair
a
Mark
to
the
Ambition
of
the
Addressing
Muses
.
They
have
seen
you
wear
the
Impress
of
the
Great
Pallas
on
your
Shield
,
under
her
double
Character
,
not
only
as
the
Goddess
of
Arms
,
but
of
Wit
too
:
And
therefore
they
plead
some
kind
of
Justification
in
presuming
to
take
Shelter
,
where
they
have
formerly
received
Honour
.
't
is
with
these
Considerations
that
This
Play
,
much
his
Best
,
and
(
as
Written
by
so
Unfriended
an
Author
)
not
unfortunate
,
begs
your
Protection
.
I
confess
from
a
more
Favourite
Pen
it
might
have
made
a
fairer
Figure
,
and
consequently
have
been
a
more
acceptable
Present
:
For
Poetry
in
this
Age
holds
its
value
not
from
the
Sterling
but
the
Stamp
.
A
Celebrated
Minion
Writer
shall
be
able
to
pass
even
Irish
Coyne
Currant
,
when
a
Hated
Scribler
,
under
Pique
and
Prejudice
,
shall
hardly
bring
Bullion
and
Plate
into
Play
.
And
in
my
hard
Circumstances
,
even
beyond
Expectation
,
I
am
bound
to
thank
my
kindest
Stars
that
I
cou'd
come
within
Fifty
per Cent
success
of
my
happier
Brothers
of
the
Quill
.
However
I
must
still
own
my self
indebted
on
all
Hands
,
not
only
to
the
kind
Audience
,
but
likewise
to
the
kind
Company
,
who
amongst
other
Favours
,
were
pleased
to
be
at
the
Charge
of
dressing
my
Play
to
so
much
Advantage
.
But
above
all
I
must
make
my
publick
Acknowledgments
to
Mr.
Betterton
for
his
several
extraordinary
Hints
to
the
heightning
of
my
best
Characters
,
nor
am
I
a
little
indebted
to
Mr.
Montfort
,
for
the
Last
Scene
of
my
Play
which
he
was
so
kind
to
write
for
me
.
And
now
if
it
meet
so
favourable
a
Reception
in
Print
,
as
to
move
some
part
of
that
Compassion
in
the
Reading
,
as
it
did
in
the
Acting
I
have
gain'd
my
point
:
and
for
some
Recommendation
to
the
Reader
,
whatever
Fiction
I
have
elsewhere
interwoven
,
the
Distresses
of
Hormidas
and
Cleomira
are
true
History
.
But
after
all
this
Encouragement
,
with
what
shame
must
I
look
back
on
my
long
Ten
Years
silence
.
Alas
,
I
was
grown
weary
of
my
little
Talent
in
Innocent
Dramaticks
,
and
forsooth
must
be
rambling
into
Politicks
:
And
much
I
have
got
by
't
,
for
,
I
thank
'em
,
they
have
undone
me
.
And
truly
when
impertinent
Busy
Fools
in
my
little
post
,
in
the
name
of
Frenzy
must
aspire
to
State-Champions
,
though
their
Pens
are
drawn
even
on
the
Right
side
,
they
deserve
no
better
Fate
.
We
read
of
the
Unfortunate
Zeal
of
the
Officious
Uzzah
.
Let
Government
like
the
Ark
of
Old
,
be
upheld
by
its
proper
Supporters
in
God's
Name
;
and
all
intermeddling
uncommission'd
Hands
,
as
a
just
Judgment
upon
'em
,
meet
my
Reward
.
—
—
Ne
sutor
ultra
Crepidam
▪
And
now
,
after
all
my
repented
Follies
,
if
an
Unhappy
Stray
into
Forbidden
Grounds
,
(
like
Trinculo
from
his
Dukedom
where
he
was
almost
starv'd
in
't
)
may
be
permitted
to
return
to
his
Native
Province
,
I
am
resolved
to
quit
all
pretensions
to
State-craft
,
and
honestly
sculk
into
a
Corner
of
the
Stage
,
and
there
die
contented
.
Nor
is
it
with
any
little
Pride
that
I
return
to
that
Post
,
when
it
gives
me
the
Occasion
of
writing
my self
,
My
Lord
,
Your
Lordships
most
Humble
and
most
Devoted
Servant
,
E.
SETTLE
.