Address

address

spokenbymissfontenelleonherbenefitnight,december4th,1793,atthetheatre,dumfries.

stillanxioustosecureyourpartialfavour,

andnotlessanxious,sure,thisnight,thanever,

aprologue,epilogue,orsomesuchmatter,

'twouldvampmybill,saidi,ifnothingbetter;

sosoughtapoet,roostedneartheskies,

toldhimicametofeastmycuriouseyes;

said,nothinglikehisworkswaseverprinted;

andlast,myprologue-businessslilyhinted.

“ma'am,letmetellyou,”"hmymanofrhymes,

“iknowyourbent—thesearenolaughingtimes:

canyou—but,miss,iownihavemyfears—

dissolveinpause,andsentimentaltears;

withladensighs,andsolemn-roundedsentence,

rousefromhisishslumbers,fellrepentance;

paintvengeanceashetakeshishorridstand,

wavingonhighthedesolatingbrand,

callingthestormstobearhimo'eraguiltyland?”

icouldnomore—askancethecreatureeyeing,

“d'yethink,”saidi,“thisfacewasmadeforcrying?

i'lllaugh,that'spoz-naymore,theworldshallknowit;

andso,yourservant!gloomymasterpoet!”

firmasmycreed,sirs,'tismyfix'dbelief,

thatmisery'sanotherwordforgrief:

ialsothink—somayibeabride!

thatsomuchlaughter,somuchlifeenjoy'd.

thoumanofcrazycareandceaselesssigh,

stillunderbleakmisfortune'sblastingeye;

doom'dtothatsoresttaskofmanalive—

tomakethreeguineasdotheworkoffive:

laughinmisfortune'sface—thebeldamwitch!

say,you'llbemerry,tho'youcan'tberich.

thouothermanofcare,thewretchinlove,

wholongwithjiltishairsandartshaststrove;

who,astheboughsalltemptinglyproject,

measur'stindesperatethought—arope—thyneck—

or,wherethebeetlingcliffo'erhangsthedeep,

peeresttomeditatethehealingleap:

would'stthoubecur'd,thousilly,mopingelf?

laughatherfollies—laughe'enatthyself:

learntodespisethosefrownsnowsoterrific,

andloveakinder—that'syourgrandspecific.

tosumupall,bemerry,iadvise;

andaswe'remerry,maywestillbewise.