OLIVIA'S POTTAGE

 "Mr. Wycherley was naturally modest until King Charles' court, that late disgrace to our times, corrupted¹ him. He then gave himself up to all sorts of extravagances and to the wildest frolics that a wanton wit could devise.… Never was so much ill-nature in a pen as in his, joined with so much good nature as was in himself, even to excess; for he was bountiful, even to run himself into difficulties, and charitable even to a fault. It was not that he was free from the failings of humanity, but he had the tenderness of it, too, which made everybody excuse whom everybody loved; and even the asperity² of his verses seems to have been forgiven."

 

 

 

I the Plain Dealer³ am to act to-day.

 

*****

 

Now, you shrewd judges, who the boxes sway,

Leading the ladies' hearts and sense astray,

And for their sakes, see all and hear no play;

Correct your cravats⁴, foretops, lock behind:

The dress and breeding of the play ne'er mind;

For the coarse dauber of the coming scenes

To follow life and nature only means,

Displays you as you are, makes his fine woman

A mercenary jilt and true to no man,

Shows men of wit and pleasure of the age

Are as dull rogues⁵ as ever cumber'd stage.

 

WILLIAM WYCHERLEY.—Prologue to The Plain Dealer.

 

1 corrupted   

（使）败坏( corrupt的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）腐化； 引起（计算机文件等的）错误； 破坏

参考例句：

• The body corrupted quite quickly. 尸体很快腐烂了。
• The text was corrupted by careless copyists. 原文因抄写员粗心而有讹误。

2 asperity   

n.粗鲁，艰苦

参考例句：

• He spoke to the boy with asperity.他严厉地对那男孩讲话。
• The asperity of the winter had everybody yearning for spring.严冬之苦让每个人都渴望春天。

3 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

4 cravats   

n.（系在衬衫衣领里面的）男式围巾( cravat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

5 rogues   

n.流氓( rogue的名词复数 )；无赖；调皮捣蛋的人；离群的野兽

参考例句：

• 'I'll show these rogues that I'm an honest woman,'said my mother. “我要让那些恶棍知道，我是个诚实的女人。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• The rogues looked at each other, but swallowed the home-thrust in silence. 那些恶棍面面相觑，但只好默默咽下这正中要害的话。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛