No scene, I believe, ever received greater honours than this. It was applauded by several encores, a word very unusual in tragedy. And it was very difficult for the actors to escape without a second slaughter. This I take to be a lively assurance of that fierce spirit of liberty which remains among us, and which Mr. Dryden, in his essay on Dramatic Poetry, hath observed. "Whether custom," says he, "hath so insinuated itself into our countrymen, or nature hath so formed them to fierceness, I know not; but they will scarcely suffer combats and other objects of horror to be taken from them." And indeed I am for having them encouraged in this martial disposition; nor do I believe our victories over the French have been owing to anything more than to those bloody spectacles daily exhibited in our tragedies, of which the French stage is so entirely clear.] CHRONONHOTONTHOLOGOS: THE MOST TRAGICAL TRAGEDY, THAT EVER WAS TRAGEDIZ'D BY ANY COMPANY OF TRAGEDIANS. DRAMATIS PERSONÆ. CHRONONHOTONTHOLOGOS, _King of Queerummania_. BOMBARDINIAN, _his General_. ALDIBORONTIPHOSCOPHORNIO, RIGDUM-FUNNIDOS, [_Courtiers_. _Captain of the Guards._ _Herald._ _Cook._ _Doctor._ _King of the Fiddlers._ _King of the Antipodes._ FADLADINIDA, _Queen of Queerummania_. TATLANTHE, _her favourite_. _Two Ladies of the Court._ _Two Ladies of Pleasure._ VENUS. CUPID. Guards and Attendants, &c. SCENE.--QUEERUMMANIA. PROLOGUE. To night our comic muse the buskin wears, And gives herself no small romantic airs; Struts in heroics, and in pompous verse Does the minutest incidents rehearse; In ridicule's strict retrospect displays The poetasters of these modern days: Who with big bellowing bombast rend our ears, Which, stript of sound, quite void of sense appears; Or else their fiddle-faddle numbers flow, Serenely dull, elaborately low. Either extreme, when vain pretenders take, The actor suffers for the author's sake. The quite-tir'd audience lose whole hours; yet pay To go unpleas'd and unimprov'd away. This being our scheme, we hope you will excuse The wild excursion of the wanton muse Who out of frolic wears a mimic mask, And sets herself so whimsical a task: 'Tis meant to please, but if should offend, It's very short, and soon will have an end. SCENE.--_An Anti-Chamber in the Palace._ _Enter_ RIGDUM-FUNNIDOS _and_ ALDIBORONTIPHOSCOPHORNIO. _Rig-Fun._ Aldiborontiphoscophornio! Where left you Chrononhotonthologos?