Chapter VI: Epilogue

_Nay, cease, and hear me--I am come to scold--_
_Whence this night's plaudits, to a thought so old?_
_To gain a Lover, hid behind a Mask!_
_What's new in that? or where's the mighty task?_
_For instance, now--What Lady Bab, or Grace,_
_E'er won a Lover--in her_ natural _Face_?
_Mistake me not--French red, or blanching creams,_
_I stoop not to--for those are hackney'd themes;_
_The arts I mean, are harder to detect,_
_Easier put on, and worn to more effect;--_
_As thus----_
_Do Pride and Envy, with their horrid lines,_
_Destroy th' effect of Nature's sweet designs?_
_The Mask of Softness is at once applied,_
_And gentlest manners ornament the Bride._
_Do thoughts too free inform the Vestal's eye,_
_Or point the glance, or warm the struggling sigh?_
_Not Dian's brows more rigid looks disclose;_
_And Virtue's blush appears, where Passion glows._

_And you, my gentle Sirs, wear Vizors too;_ }
_But here I'll strip you, and expose to view_ }
_Your hidden features----First I point at you._ }
_That well-stuff'd waistcoat, and that ruddy cheek;_
_That ample forehead, and that skin so sleek,_
_Point out good-nature, and a gen'rous heart----_
_Tyrant! stand forth, and, conscious, own thy part:_
_Thy Wife, thy Children, tremble in thy eye;_
_And Peace is banish'd--when the_ Father's _nigh_.

_Sure 'tis enchantment! See, from ev'ry side_
_The Masks fall off!--In charity I hide_
_The monstrous features rushing to my view----_
_Fear not, there, Grand-Papa--nor you--nor you:_
_For should I shew your features to each other,_
_Not one amongst ye'd know his Friend, or Brother._
_'Tis plain, then, all the world, from Youth to Age,_
_Appear in Masks--Here, only, on the Stage,_
_You see us as we are:_ Here _trust your eyes;_
_Our wish to please, admits of no disguise._

_Of the Publisher may be had_,

_By the same_ AUTHOR,

THE RUNAWAY, a Comedy.
ALBINA, a Tragedy.
WHO'S THE DUPE? a Farce.
THE MAID OF ARRAGON, a Poem, Part I.

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Transcriber's note:

Hyphenation in inconsistent throughout; missing punctuation and occasional missing spaces have been added. The errata have been incorporated. The spelling of character names has been harmonised. Overall, contemporary spellings have been retained; however, a small number of words have been modernised to prevent misunderstanding. One instance of "genus" was left unchanged, since it may well serve a purpose in furthering the characterisation. A section of publisher's advertising at the end was illegible and has been omitted. One instance of double typesetting (same word at end of one line and the beginning of the next) was corrected.

Although there is occasional reference in the stage directions to "(the) Miss Ogles" it is clear from the context that the name is "Ogle" and only one character of that name is present, so the name was changed accordingly.

At the end of the scene at Sir George's in Act 2, Mrs Racket exits twice in short order; this reflects the original. Three substantive changes were made:

In Act 2, "your" was changed to "you" in Harcourt's speech:

_Har._ I foresee this won't do!--Mr. Doricourt, may be you
take my Daughter for a Fool; but *you* are mistaken: she's a
sensible Girl, as any in England.

In Act 4, "On" was replaced by "Oh" at the beginning of Flutter's speech:

_Flut._ Oh, every creature.--A Mask is nothing at all to
me.--I can give you the history of half the people here.

In Act 5, scene 3, Is is was changed to Is it in Lady Frances Touchwood's question:

Is it true that Doricourt is mad?