SHIFT, addreffing himself to Sir George.

And what becomes of your poor fervant Shift?
Your father talks of lending me a lift——
A great man's promife, when his turn is ferv'd!
Capons on promises wou'd foon be starv'd:
No, on myself alone, I'll now rely:

'Gad I've a thriving traffic in my eye――
Near the mad manfions of Moorfields I'll bawl;
Friends, fathers, mothers, fifters, fons, and all,
Shut up your fhops, and liften to my call.
With labour, toil, all fecond means difpenfe,
And live a rent-charge upon Providence.
Prick up your ears; a ftory now I'll tell,
Which once a widow, and her child befel,
I knew the mother, and her daughter well;
Poor, it is true, they were; but never wanted,
For whatfoe'er they afk'd, was always granted:
One fatal day, the matron's truth was try'd,
She wanted meat and drink, and fairly cry'd.
[Child.] Mother, you cry! [Moth.] Oh, child,
I've got no bread.

[Child.] What matters that? Why Providence an't dead!

With reafon good, this truth the child might fay,
For there came in at noon, that very day,
Bread, greens, potatoes, and a leg of mutton,
A better fure a table ne'er was put on:

Ay, that might be, ye cry, with those poor fouls;
But we ne'er had a rafher for the coals.

And d'ye deferve it? How d'ye fpend your days? In paftimes, prodigality, and plays!

Let's go fee Foote! ah, Foote's a precious limb! Old-nick will soon a football make of him!

For

For foremost rows in fide-boxes you shove,
Think you to meet with fide-boxes above?
Where gigling girls and powder'd fops may fit,
No, you will all be cramm'd into the pit,
And croud the houfe for Satan's benefit.
Oh! what you fnivel? well, do so no more,
Drop, to atone, your money at the door,
And, if I please,-I'll give it to the poor.

FINIS.

OR, THE

TWO SOSIAS.

A

со м MEDY,

Alter'd from DRYDEN.

As it is Perform'd at the

Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane.

WITH

A New Interlude of MUSIC, an Occafional PROLOGUE, and fome Account of the Alterations.

LONDON,

Printed And fold by J. PAYNE at Pope's Head, in Pater-nofter Row.

MDCC LVI.

[ Price One Shilling ]

T

HE Abilities of DRYDEN as a Writer, are fo generally and fo juftly acknowledged to be of the firft Clafs, that it would be fomething worfe than Impropriety, to alter any of his Productions without affigning the Reafon. For the Alteration of his AMPHITRYON, indeed, the Reafon is evident; for it is fo tainted with the Profanenefs and Immodefty of the Time in which he wrote, that the prefent Time, however felfish and corrupt, has too much Regard to external Decorum, to permit the Representation of it upon the Stage, without drawing a Veil, at least, over fome Part of its Deformity: The principal Part of the Alterations, therefore, are made with a moral View; though fome Inaccuracies, which were remarked on the Examination which thefe Alterations made necessary, are also`removed, of which the following are the chief.

IN the Scene between Sofia and Mercury in the Second Act, Amphitryon is supposed to have fent a Buckle of Diamonds by Sofia, as a Present to Alcmena; for Sofia firft afks Mercury "if Amphitryon "did fend a certain Servant with a Prefent to his Wife;" and foon after afks him, " what that "Present was," which, by Mercury's Anfwer, appears to be the Diamond Buckle: Yet in the Scene between Amphitryon and Alcmena, in the Third Act, when Alcmena asks him, as a Proof of his having been with her before, from whofe Hands the had the Jewel, he cries out, "This is amazing! have I already given you those Dia"monds? the Prefent I referved And inftead of fuppofing that Sofia had delivered them as

A 2

Part