To his Friends of Christ-Church upon the mislike of the Marriage of the Arts acted at Woodstock

Henry King 1592 (Worminghall, Buckinghamshire) – 1669 (Chichester)



But is it true, the Court mislik't the Play,
That Christ-Church and the Arts have lost the day;
That Ignoramus should so far excell,
Their Hobby-horse from ours hath born the Bell?
Troth you are justly serv'd, that would present
Ought unto them, but shallow merriment;
Or to your Marriage-table did admit
Guests that are stronger far in smell then wit.
Had some quaint Bawdry larded ev'ry Scene,
Some fawning Sycophant, or courted queane;
Had there appear'd some sharp cross-garter'd man
Whom their loud laugh might nick-name Puritan,
Cas'd up in factious breeches and small ruffe,
That hates the surplis, and defies the cuffe: Then sure they would have given applause to crown
That which their ignorance did now cry down.
Let me advise, when next you do bestow
Your pains on men that do but little know,
You do no Chorus nor a Comment lack,
Which may expound and construe ev'ry Act:
That it be short and slight; for if 't be good
Tis long, and neither lik't nor understood.
Know tis Court fashion still to discommend
All that which they want brain to comprehend.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

58 sec read
45

Quick analysis:

Scheme AAABCCDDEEFGHIIJJKLMMCN
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,071
Words 188
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 23

Henry King

Henry King was an English poet who served as Bishop of Chichester. more…

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