Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A48039
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The old troop, or, Monsieur Raggou as it was acted at the Theatre-Royal / by John Lacy ...
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Lacy, John, d. 1681.
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1672
(1672)
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Wing L144; ESTC R1185
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42,112
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73
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THE OLD TROOP OR Monsieur Raggou As it was Acted at the THEATRE-ROYAL By Iohn Lacy Gent. LONDON Printed for William Crook and Thomas Dring at the Green Dragon without Temple-Bar and at the White-Lyon next Chancery-Lane end in Fleetstreet 1672. TO The young PRINCE GEORGE Third Son to her GRACE THE Dutchess of CLEVELAND SIR I Acknowledge that I am no less unworthy to appear before you than I was before your Elder Brother having in me the same duty and reverence for your high Bloud and the same equal regard for your Person Yet I come with confidence to you for having found so affable and sweet a Reception from your dear Brother I ought not at all to doubt of yours since his Great Bloud runs in your veins you must also retain his Vertues and in you they are justly called so yet they are not so in all men for if slaves and servants and meaner men prove affable and humble it is not Vertue in them because it is their duty but in you being adorned with all your Greatness it shews so rich a Goodness in you that all men are oblig'd to return you honour for it which I do with my heart and all my faculties I also present you Sir with a poor French-man Monsieur Raggou being party perpale Trooper and Cook I tender him to you in his own Equipage just as he landed with not so much as a shirt to his back But that is no new thing to the English Nation therefore Sir receive him as an object to exercise your Charity upon being naked cloath him let him but wear your Livery and he will not only be received but be made welcome to all men Lay your protecting hand upon him and he is safe from the malice of his Enemies And Sir as I am bound so I pray that you may want no one Vertue that may make you up a Miracle May your Great Bloud appoint you to cut your own fortune out and may you do it with such success and valour that all men of courage may honour you and the rest of the World fear you And this Sir shall always be the prayer of your obliged and most obedient Servant Iohn Lacy. THE EPISTLE To the READER EPistles 't is true are customary but I think as unnecessary as Funeral Sermons for they must either insinuate and flatter grosly or else say nothing to the purpose For my part I cannot imagine Reader what to say to thee unless like a raw Preacher I swerve from my Text and instead of a modest Apology for my bold printings tell thee a Tale of Maestricht being taken or the Dutch bang'd at Sea and to do that were to rob the Gazette and so be call'd in question for Intrenchments What then shall I say shall I praise my Play to thee No that were to be a vain glorious Ass and in thy power Reader to prove me so What then shall I decry it No that were to break the Stationer that perhaps has paid too dear for it What then shall I discover the Plot and Intrigue of the Play to thee No to speak of the Plot in the Epistle were to fore-stall the reading of the Play and so dam the sail of it Instead then of an ingenious Epistle to divert I beg a crafty Boon Reader that some one eminent leading Voice amongst you will be for once so kind as to give an excellent Character to the World of this my Play and by that decoy people may be drawn in to buy it off so that as I have cozen'd the Stationer by this means the Stationer may over-reach you and in so doing Reader you will Most highly oblige Your humble servant Iohn Lacy. PROLOGUE TO you that Iudges are i' th' publick street Of Ballad without sence or even feet To you that laugh aloud with wide mouth'd grace To see Jack Puddings Custard thrown in 's face To you I do address for you I write From you I hope protection here to night Defend me O friends of th' upper Region From the hard censure of this lower Legion I was in hope that I should only see My worthy Crew of th' upper Gallerie What made you Wits so spightfully to come To tell you true I 'd rather had your room Order there was and that most strictly gi'n To keep out all that look'd like Gentlemen You have e'en brib'd the Door-keepers I doubt Or else I 'm sure they would ha' kept you out You must nor censure Poet nor his Play For that 's the work o' th' upper house to day Deal you Sirs with your Match your Dryden wit Your Poet Laureat both to Box and Pit It is some conquest for to censure him That 's fill'd with Wit and Iudgement to the brim He is for your censure and I 'm for theirs Pray therefore meddle with your own affairs Let Wits and Poets keep their own stations He writes to th' Tearms and I to th' long Vacations The Persons Names CAptain of the Troop Lieutenant of the Troop Cornet of the Troop Tom Tell-troth Raggou Flay-flint Plunder-master General Captain Ferret-farm Quarter-master Burn-dorp Biddy the Cornets Boy Dol Troop Troopers Constables Painter Carpenter Servants Women and Children in abundance Round-heads GOvernour of a Garrison Captain Hold-forth Captain Tub-text and his two Holy Sisters AN OLD TROOP OR Monsieur Raggou ACTUS I. SCENA I. Tell-troth and Dol Troop Dol. I Have heard your story and much pitie you but in truth I am a wicked very wicked woman for I never did one good deed in all my life and I doubt you 're unluckie that your fate directs you to me Tell. I find you have opportunity to do good and will to serve me and for reward if that Dol. Nay y' are liberal enough you understand the world for money creates good and evil and I that never thought of doing good will now heartily endeavour it Go to my quarters for I have a great deal of roguery to act for my self besides the good I am to do for you Tell. Inquire all you can into the last thing you spoke of for I confess that troubles me if she proves but honest I 'l forgive her wildness Dol. I 'l do it with all the craft I can Exeunt Enter Lieutenant Flea-flint Ferret and Burndorp Flea Good morrow good morrow Lieutenant Lieut. Precious Rogues what brave Honours and Titles you have arriv'd at in the Wars Rascals Plunder-master General Flea-flint what Prince can give thee so great a Title a great credit for my Colonel Rogue Then here 's Captain Ferret-farm an honourable Gentleman for always when we are fighting you are ferreting the Farms and searching the women for Letters of intelligence you damn'd Rogue Then here 's the Quarter-master Burndorp a Rogue that when we have brave large quarters assign'd you sell half of 'em and then truss us up nine or ten in one house together A pox on you Rascal Burn. But why are you thus cruel Lieutenant Lieut. Hang