EPILOGUETOSHERIDANKNOWLES'COMEDY,"THEWIFE"

epiloguetosheridanknowles'comedy,"thewife"

(1833)

whenfirstourbardhissimplewillexpress'd,

thatishouldinhisheroine'srobesbedress'd,

myfearswerewithmyvanityatstrife,

howicouldactthatuntriedpart—a"wife."

butfancytothegrisonhillsmedrew,

wheremarianalikeawildflowergrew,

nursinghergarden-kindred:sofari

likedhercondition,willingtocomply

withthatsweetsinglelife:when,withacranch,

downcamethatthundering,crashingavalanche,

startlingmymountain-project!"takethisspade,"

saidfancythen;"diglow,adventurousmaid,

forhiddenwealth."idid:and,ladies,lo!}

wase'erromanticfemale'sfortuneso,}

todigalife-warmloverfromthe—snow?}

awifeandprincessseemenext,beset

withsubtletoils,inanitaliannet;

whileknavishcourtiers,stungwithrageorfear,

distill'dlip-poisoninahusband'sear.

iponder'dontheboilingsouthernvein;

racks,cords,stilettos,rush'duponmybrain!

bypoor,good,weakantonio,toodisowned—

idream'deachnight,ishouldbedesdemona'd:

and,beinginmantua,thoughtupontheshop,

whencefairverona'syouthhisbreathdidstop:

andwhatifleonardo,infoulscorn,

someleanapothecaryshouldsuborn

totakemyhatedlife?a"tortoise"hung

beforemyeyes,andinmyearsscaled"alligators"rung.

butmyothello,tohisvowsmorezealous—

twentyiagoscouldnotmakehimjealous!

newraisedtoreputation,andtolife—}

atyourcommandsbeholdme,withoutstrife,}

well-pleased,andreadytorepeat—"thewife."}

johnwoodvil

atragedy

(1798-1802.textof1818)

characters

sirwalterwoodvil.

john.}

simon.}hissons.

lovel.}

gray.}pretendedfriendsofjohn.

sandford.sirwalter'soldsteward.

margaret.orphanwardofsirwalter.

fourgentlemen.john'sriotouscompanions.

servants.

scene—forthemostpartatsirwalter'smansionindevonshire;atothertimesintheforestofsherwood.