A troop of frisking monsieurs to succeed: } You know the French sure cards at time of need. } FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 337: This seems to be an allusion to the recent death of Mr Scroop; a man of fortune, who, about this time, was stabbed in the theatre at Dorset-Gardens by Sir Thomas Armstrong, afterwards the confidential friend of the Duke of Monmouth. Langbaine says, he witnessed this real tragedy, which happened during the representation of "Macbeth," as altered and revised by D'Avenant in 1674. Mr Scroop died immediately after his removal into a neighbouring house.] [Footnote 338: Alluding to the recent establishment in Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, then separated from the city by a large vacant space.] [Footnote 339: "The three boys in buff," were, I believe, the three Bold Beauchamps in an old ranting play: "The three bold Beauchamps shall revive again, And, with the London Prentice, conquer Spain." ] [Footnote 340: Some part of the ornaments of D'Avenant's scenes probably presented the portraits of dramatic writers.] PROLOGUE TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, 1674. SPOKEN BY MR HART. _Hart, who had been a captain in the civil wars, belonged to the King's company. He was an excellent actor, and particularly celebrated in the character of Othello. He left the stage, according to Cibber, on the union of the companies in_ 1686. _But it appears from a paper published in a note on the article_ "_Betterton_" _in the_ Biographia, _that he retired in_ 1681, _upon receiving a pension from Dr D'Avenant_, _then manager of the Duke's company_, _who in this manner bought off both Hart and Kynaston_, _and greatly weakened the opposite set_.