What praise or blame shall be thy share;
And critics, whether great or small,
Are not the fairest of the fair.
And when at last thy Muse shall try
Ophelia, Juliet, Queen Macbeth,
Say, canst thou make thy audience cry,
Or, scared and spellbound, hold their breath?
And wilt thou from thy handsome pay,
Of poorer players take due care?
If so, then still the world will say