The bankes ore which gold-bearing Tagus flowes. OVID Senior, OVID Iunior, Lvscvs, Our name shall liue indeed, fir; you fay true: but Your the eyes and eares of the best and grauest Romanes, that you thinke not on: you neuer so much as dreame of that. Are thefe the fruits of all my trauaile and expenses? is this the scope and aime of thy ftudies? are these the hopefull courses, wherewith I haue fo long flattered my expectation from thee? verfes? poetrie? OVID, whom I thought to see the pleader, become OVID the play-maker? OVID iu. No, fir. OVID. fe. Yes, fir. I heare of a tragedie of yours comming foorth for the common players there, call'd MEDEA. By my houfhold-gods, if I come to the acting of it, Ile adde one tragick part, more then is yet 15 expected, to it: beleeue me when I promise it. What? shall I haue my fonne a stager now? an enghle for players? a gull? a rooke? a fhot-clogge? to make suppers, and bee laught at? PVBLIVS, I will set thee on the funerall pile, first. OVID iu. Sir, I befeech you to haue patience. Lvsc. Nay, this tis to haue your eares damm'd vp to good counfell. I did augure all this to him aforehand, without poring into an oxes panch for the matter, and yet he would not be fcrupulous. [280] Tvcc. How now, good man flaue? what, rowle powle? all riualls, rafcall? why my Master, of worship, do'ft heare? Are these thy beft proiects? is this thy deffeignes and thy difcipline, to fuffer knaues to bee competitors with commanders and gentlemen? are wee paralells, rafcall? are wee paralells? OVID. fe. Sirrah, goe get my horfes ready. You'll ftill be prating. Tvcc. Doe, you perpetuall ftinkard, doe, goe, talke to tapfters and oftlers, you flaue, they are i' your element, goe: here bee the Emperours captaines, you raggamuffin rafcall; and not your cam'rades. LVPV. Indeed, MARCVS OVID, these players are an idle generation, and doe much harme in a state, corrupt yong gentrie very much, I know it: I haue not beene a Tribune thus long, and obferu'd nothing: befides, they will rob vs, vs, that are magiftrates, of our respect, bring vs vpon their stages, and make vs ridiculous to the plebeians; they will play you, or me, the wifest men they can come by ftill; me: only to bring vs in contempt with the vulgar, and make vs cheape. 20 25 30 35 40 45 Tvcc. Th'art in the right, my venerable cropshin, they will indeede: the tongue of the oracle neuer twang'd truer. Your courtier cannot kiffe his mistris flippers, in quiet, for 'hem: nor your white innocent 50 gallant pawne his reuelling fute, to make his punke a 23-4 before-hand 1716+ Knight of worshippe Q G, N 26-7 rowly powly 1692+ 37 [Exit Luscus. G, N 38 Sir Marcus Ouid Q 27 my comrades Q, fupper. An honeft decayed commander, cannot skelder, cheat, nor be feene in a bawdie house, but he shall be straight in one of their wormewood comedies. They are growne licentious, the rogues; libertines, flat libertines. They forget they are i' the ftatute, the rascals, they are blazond there, there they are trickt, they and their pedigrees; they neede no other heralds, Iwiffe. OVID. fe. Mee thinkes, if nothing else, yet this alone, the very reading of the publike edicts should fright thee from commerce with them; and giue thee distaste enough of their actions. But this betrayes what a student you are: this argues your proficiencie in the law. 55 60 OVID. iu. They wrong mee, fir, and doe abuse you 65 more, That blow your eares with these vntrue reports. I am not knowne vnto the open stage, Nor doe I traffique in their theaters. Of fome neere friends, and honorable Romanes, I haue begunne a poeme of that nature. OVID. fe. You haue, fir, a poeme? and where is't? that's the law you studie. OVID. iu. OVID. fe. CORNELIUS GALLVS? There's another gallant, too, hath drunke of the fame poifon and TIBVLLVS, and PROPERTIVS. But these are gentlemen of meanes, and reuenew now. Thou art a yonger brother, and haft nothing, but thy bare exhibition: which I proteft fhall bee bare indeed, if thou forsake not these vnprofitable by-courses, and that timely too. Name me a profest poet, that his poetrie did euer afford [281] him fo much as a competencie. I, your god of poets there (whom all of you admire and reuerence fo CORNELIVS GALLVS borrowed it to reade. 58 I wiss 1692+ 70 75 80 59 Methinks 1692+ (uni70 neere] meere 1640 meer 1692, 1716, W near G, N 54 strait 1692 formly) 78 Reuenewes Q much) HOMER, he whofe worme-eaten statue must not 85 bee fpewd against, but with hallowed lips, and groueling adoration, what was he? what was he? Tvcc. Mary, I'le tell thee, old fwaggrer; He was a poore, blind, riming rafcall, that liu'd obfcurely vp and downe in boothes, and taphouses, and scarce euer made a good meale in his fleepe, the whoorfon hungrie begger. 90 OVID. fe. He faies well: Nay, I know this nettles you now, but answere me; Is't not true? you'le tell me his name shall liue; and that (now being dead) his 95 workes haue eternis'd him, and made him diuine. But could this diuinitie feed him, while he liu'd? Could his name feast him? Tvcc. Or purchase him a Senators reuenue? could it? OVID fe. I, or giue him place in the commonwealth? worship, or attendants? make him be carried in his litter? Tvcc. Thou speakest sentences, old BIAS. LVPV. All this the law will doe, yong fir, if youle follow it. OVID. fe. If he be mine, hee fhall follow and obferue, what I will apt him too, or, I profeffe here openly, and vtterly to disclaime in him. OVID. iu. Sir, let me craue you will, forgoe thefe moodes; 100 105 I will be any thing, or studie any thing: I'le proue the vnfashion'd body of the law Pure elegance, and make her ruggedst straines Runne smoothly, as PROPERTIVS elegies. LVPV. Nay, you take him too quickly, MARCVS. out of poetrie, he is bewitcht with it. LVPV. Come, doe not mif-prize him. 86 with] om. N 104 [Lup. N in om. 1640+ 99-102 om. Q N prints in brackets. 104-143 om. Q 115 108 disclaime in] discaim 1716 OVID. fe. Mif-prize? I, mary, I would haue him víe fome fuch wordes now: They haue fome touch, 120 fome taste of the law. Hee fhould make himselfe a stile out of these, and let his PROPERTIVS elegies goe by. LVPV. Indeed, yong PVBLIVs, he that will now hit the marke, must shoot thorough the law, we haue no other planet raignes, & in that sípheare, you may fit, and 125 fing with angels. Why, the law makes a man happy, without refpecting any other merit: a fimple scholer, or none at all may be a lawyer. Tvcc. He tells thee true, my noble Neophyte; my little Grammaticafter, he do's: It fhall neuer put thee 130 to thy Mathematiques, Metaphyfiques, Philofophie, and I know not what fuppos'd fufficiencies; If thou canst but haue the patience to plod inough, talke, and make noise inough, be impudent inough, and 'tis inough. LVPV. Three bookes will furnish you. Tvcc. And the leffe arte, the better: Besides, when it fhall be in the power of thy cheu'rill conscience, to doe right, or wrong, at thy pleasure, my pretty ALCI BIADES. 135 [282] Lvpv. I, and to haue better men then himselfe, by 140 many thousand degrees, to obferue him, and stand bare. Tvcc. True, and he to carry himselfe proud, and ftately, and haue the law on his fide for't, old boy. OVID. fe. Well, the day growes old, gentlemen, and I must leaue you. PVBLIVS, if thou wilt hold my favour, 145 abandon these idle fruitleffe ftudies that fo bewitch thee. Send IANVS home his back-face againe, and looke only forward to the law: Intend that. I will allow thee, what shall fute thee in the ranke of gentlemen, and maintaine thy focietie with the best: and vnder these 150 conditions, I leaue thee. My bleffings light vpon thee, if thou respect them: if not, mine eyes may drop for thee, but thine owne heart wil ake for it felfe; and fo farewel. What, are my horses come? 133-4 make a noise 1692, 1716, W, G 146 bewitch] traduce Q |