Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Two Noble Kinsmen (1634 Edition)
Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library
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[Prologue]
1: PROLOGVE.
2: [ Florish.]
3: New Playes, and Maydenheads, are neare a kin,
4: Much follow'd both, for both much mony g'yn,
5: If they stand sound, and well: And a good Play
6: (Whose modest Sceanes blush on his marriage day,
7: And shake to loose his honour) is like hir
8: That after holy Tye, and first nights stir
9: Yet still is Modestie, and still retaines
10: More of the maid to sight, than Husbands paines;
11: We pray our Play may be so; For I am sure
12: It has a noble Breeder, and a pure,
13: A learned, and a Poet never went
14: More famous yet twixt Po and silver Trent.
15: Chaucer (of all admir'd) the Story gives,
16: There constant to Eternity it lives;
17: If we let fall the Noblenesse of this,
18: And the first sound this child heare, be a hisse,
19: How will it shake the bones of that good man,
20: And make him cry from under ground, O fan
21:
22:
23:
24: For to say Truth, it were an endlesse thing,
25: And too ambitious to aspire to him;
26: Weake as we are, and almost breath lesse swim
27: In this deepe water. Do but you hold out
28: Your helping hands, and we shall take about,
29: And something doe to save us: You shall heare
30: Sceanes though below his Art, may yet appeare
31:
32:
33: A little dull time from us, we perceave
34: Our losses fall so thicke, we must needs leave.
35: [ Florish.]