supper. An honest 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 rafcals, they are blazond there, there they are trickt, they and their pedigrees; they neede no other heralds, Iwisse.

OVID. fe. Mee thinkes, if nothing else, yet this alone, the very reading of the publike edicts fhould 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.

OVID. iu. They wrong mee, fir, and doe abuse you

more,

That blow your eares with these vntrue reports.

I am not knowne vnto the open stage,

Nor doe I traffique in their theaters.
Indeed, I doe acknowledge, at request

Of some 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.

55

Martial?

60

65

70

80

CORNELIVS GALLVS borrowed it to reade. OVID. fe. CORNELIUS GALLVS? There's another 75 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 forfake 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 58 I wiss 1692+ 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 ftatue must not bee spewd 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.

OVID. fe. He faies well: Nay, I know this nettles you now, but anfwere me; Is't not true? you'le tell me his name fhall liue; and that (now being dead) his 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 these

moodes;

I will be any thing, or studie any thing:

I'le proue the vnfashion'd body of the law

Pure elegance, and make her ruggedft ftraines
Runne smoothly, as PROPERTIVS elegies.

OVID. fe. PROPERTIVS elegies? good!

LVPV. Nay, you take him too quickly, MARCVS.
OVID. fe. Why, he cannot speake, he cannot thinke

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

85

90

95

100

105

110

115

108 disclaime in] discaim 1716

OVID. fe. Mif-prize? I, mary, I would haue him vse some such wordes now: They haue fome touch, 120 some 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, muft fhoot thorough the law, we haue no other planet raignes, & in that spheare, 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 shall 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 stately, 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

Lvsc. Yes, fir, they are at the gate without.

OVID. fe. That's well. ASINIVS LVPVs, a word. Captaine, I fhall take my leaue of you?

Tvcc. No, my little old boy, dispatch with CоTHVRNVS there: I'le attend thee, I

155

Lvsc. To borrow fome ten drachmes, I know his 160 proiect.

OVID. fe. Sir, you fhall make me beholding to you. Now Captaine TVCCA, what say you?

Tvcc. Why, what fhould I fay? or what can I fay, my flowre o' the order? Should I fay, thou art rich? 165 or that thou art honorable? or wife? or valiant? or learned? or liberall? Why, thou art all these, and thou knoweft it (my noble LVCVLLVS) thou knowest it: come, bee not afhamed of thy vertues, old stumpe. Honour's a good brooch to weare in a mans hat, at all 170 times. Thou art the man of warres MECœNAS, old boy. Why fhouldft not thou bee grac't then by them, as well as hee is by his poets? How now, my carrier, what newes?

Lvsc. The boy has ftaied within for his cue, this 175 halfe houre.

Tvcc. Come, doe not whisper to me, but speake it out: what? it is no treafon against the state, I hope, is't?

Lvsc. Yes, against the state of my mafters purse. PYRG. Sir, AGRIPPA defires you to forbeare him till the next weeke: his moyles are not yet come vp.

Tvcc. His moyles? now the bots, the fpauin, and the glanders, and fome dozen diseases more, light on

155 Lus. (Re-entering.) N 158 my little knight Errant Q 160-1 [Aside. G, N

157 [Walks aside with LUPUS.] N

159 Caualier Cothurnus Q 162 Ovid sen. [To LUPUS.] N

order] my most Magnanimous Mirror of Knighthood Q

165 my.

180

171-2 old

173 poets?] Enter Pyrgus and whispers Tucca. G

boy] knight Q

Enter Pyrgus. N

175 Lus. [Aside.] N

176 [Aside. G

him, and his moyles. What ha' they the yellowes, his 185 moyles, that they come no fafter? or are they foundred? ha? his moyles ha' the staggers belike: ha' they? PYRG. O no, fir: then your tongue might be fufpected for one of his moyles.

Tvcc. Hee owes mee almost a talent, and hee thinks 190 to beare it away with his moyles, does hee? Sirrah, you, nut-cracker, goe your waies to him againe, and tell him I must ha' money, I: I cannot eate stones and turfes, fay. What, will he clem me, and my followers? Aske him, an' he will clem me: doe, goe. He would haue mee frie my ierkin, would hee? [283] Away, fetter, away. Yet, stay, my little tumbler: this old boy fhall fupply now. I will not trouble him, I cannot bee importunate, I: I cannot bee impudent.

195

PYRG. Alas, fir, no: you are the most maidenly 200 blushing creature vpon the earth.

Tvcc. Do'st thou heare, my little fixe and fiftie, or thereabouts? Thou art not to learne the humours and tricks of that old bald cheater, Time: thou hadft not this chaine for nothing. Men of worth haue their 205 chymara's, as well as other creatures: and they doe fee monsters, fometimes: they doe, they doe, braue boy.

PYRG. Better cheape then he shall fee you, I warrant him.

210

Tvcc. Thou must let me haue fixe, fixe, drachmes, I meane, old boy; thou fhalt doe it: I tell thee, old boy, thou fhalt, and in priuate too, do'ft thou fee? Goe, walke off there, there. Sixe is the fumme. Thy fonn's a gallant sparke, and must not be put out of a 215 fudden: come hither, CALLIMACHVS, thy father tells

me thou art too poeticall, boy, thou must not be so, thou

189 [Aside. G 200 Pyr. [Aside.] N

188 sir: [Aside.] N the Knight Q 207-8 braue boy] om. Q 214 off: [to the Boy] G, N

197-8 this old boy] 201 [Aside. G 209 Pyr. [Aside.] N 217 boy] slaue Q

210 [Aside. G