Friends to Virtue

INTO the theatre they came—"Motley's the only wear!"Children of poverty, of shame,Of folly, of despair.

Elbowing rudely, Jill and Jack,A nearer view to win,Youths, men, and women, white and black,Pell-mell, they jostled in.

A wretched place of poor resort,Far from the world polite,Few pennies bought the meagre sportSo fruitful of delight,

And gazing there, each brutish face,The godlike stamp resigned,A tablet seemed whereon disgraceHad written thoughts unkind.

"And what," I mused, "will now be fedTo cater to their moodWho, as their looks bespeak, have said,—'Evil, be thou my good'?

"Order will surely be reversed,Judgement will disappear,The tricks of knaves will be rehearsedTo catch the plaudits here!"

Yet as I watched the varied throng,My theories took flight,For, lo, they still condemned the wrong,They still approved the right!

The "villain" by his better artSurprised from them no praise;They frankly took the hero's part,Awarding him the bays;

For they, unlike the wise of earth,Slight tribute paid to skill,—Anhungered for a higher worth,Lovers of virtue still!