Might I have leave to minister unto him. Cas. O be his Esculapius, gentle Ho race: forth. [patient. You shall have leave, and he shall be your Virgil, use your authority, command him [pinus; Vir. Cæsar is careful of your health, CrisAnd hath himself chose a physician To minister unto you: take his pills. Hor. They are somewhat bitter, sir, but very wholesome. [work anon. Take yet another; so: stand by, they'll Tib. Romans, return to your several seats: lictors, bring forward the urn; and set the accused to the bar. Tuc. Quickly, you whoreson egregious varlets; come forward. What! shall we sit all day upon you? You make no more haste now, than a beggar upon pattins; or a physician to a patient that has no money, you pilchers. Tib. Rufus Laberius Crispinus, and "Demetrius Fannius, hold up your hands. "You have, according to the Roman cus"tom, put yourselves upon trial to the urn, "for divers and sundry calumnies, whereof you have, before this time, been indicted, "and are now presently arraigned: prepare 'yourselves to hearken to the verdict of "your tryers. Caius Cilnius Mecenas pro"nounceth you, by this hand-writing, "guilty. Cornelius Gallus, guilty. Pan"tilius Tucca-" "" Tuc. I, you whoreson cantharides! was't Dem. I appeal to your conscience, capTib. Then you confess it now? Dem. I do, and crave the mercy of the Tib. What saith Crispinus? [court. Cris. O, the captain, the captainHor. My physick begins to work with my patient, I see. Vir. Captain, stand forth and answer. Tuc. Hold thy peace, poet prætor: I appeal from thee to Casar, I. Do me right, royal Cæsar. Cas. Marry, and I will, sir. Lictors, gag him: do. And put a case of vizards o'er his head, That he may look bi-fronted as he speaks. Tuc. Gods and fiends! Cæsar! thou wilt not, Cæsar, wilt thou? Away, you whoreson vultures; away. You think I am a dead corpse now, because Cæsar is dispos'd to jest with a man of mark, or so. Hold your hook'd talons out of my flesh, you inhumane harpies. Go to, do't. What! will the royal Augustus cast away a gent'man of worship, a captain and a commander, for a couple of condemn'd caitiff calumnious cargo's? Cas. Dispatch, lictors. Cas. Forward, Tibullus. Vir. Demand what cause they had to malign Horace. Dem. In troth, no great cause, not I; I must confess: but that he kept better company (for the most part) than I and that better men lov'd him than lov'd me: and that his writings thriv'd better than mine, and were better lik'd and grac'd; nothing else. Vir. Thus envious souls repine at others' good. Hor. If this be all, faith, I forgive thee freely. more Envy me still, so long as Virgil loves me, Gallus, Tibullus, and the best-best Cæsar, My dear Mecænas; while these, with many [worthy (Whose names I wisely slip) shall think me Their honour'd and ador'd society, And read and love, prove and applaud my [spite them. I would not wish but such as you should Cris. O poems; Tib. How now, Crispinus? Cris. O, I am sick 13 Hor. A bason, a bason, quickly; our physick works. Faint not, man. Cris. O retrograde incubus. Cas. What's that, Horace? reciprocal 13 0, I am sick.] This part of the scene is copied from Lucian; Lexiphanes has a vomit given him, to bring up his affected and uncommon words. Some of the speeches are literal translations from the Greek, and the directions which are afterwards given to Crispinus, are in imitation of the same author. (But not without a tutor) the best Greeks, 14 A good draught next your heart, AND WALK UPON'T.] The first folio has, that walk upon. "the more to any player, enghle, or guilty 66 gull in your company) to malign, traduce, "or detract the person or writings of Quin"tus Horatius Flaccus, or any other emi"nent man, transcending you in merit, "whom your envy shall find cause to work upon, either for that, or for keeping him"self in better acquaintance, or enjoying better friends; or if (transported by any "sudden and desperate resolution) you do, "that then you shall not under the bastoun, "or in the next presence, being an honour"able assembly of his favourers, be brought "as voluntary gentlemen to undertake the forswearing of it. Neither shall you at "any time (ambitiously affecting the title "of the untrussers or whippers of the age) "suffer the itch of writing to over-run your "performance in libel, upon pain of being taken up for lepers in wit, and (losing both your time and your papers) be irrecoverably forfeited to the hospital of fools. So help you our Roman gods, and the genius "of great Cæsar." 66 66 Vir. So, now dissolve the court. Hor. Tib. Gal. Mec. Vir. And thanks to Cæsar, That thus hath exercis'd his patience Cas. We have, indeed, you worthiest friends of Cæsar. It is the bane and torment of our ears, To hear the discords of those jangling rhimers, That with their bad and scandalous practices Bring all true arts and learning in contempt. But let not your high thoughts descend so low As these despised objects; let them fall, With their flat groveling souls: be you yourselves; [crown'd, And as with our best favours you stand So let your mutual loves be still renown'd. Envy will dwell where there is want of merit, Tho' the deserving man should crack his spirit. Rumpatur, quisquis rumpitur invidia. At the conclusion of this play, the quarto edition gives us the following advertisement, which seems to refer to the dialogue which immediately succeeds it. I have therefore given it a place in the present edition, as it serves to connect the several parts together. "Here, reader, in place of the epilogue, was meant to thee an apology from the author, "with his reasons for the publishing of this book: but, since he is no less restrained, than "thou deprived of it by authority, he prays thee to think charitably of what thou hast read, "till thou mayest hear him speak what he hath written.” TO THE READER. IF, by looking on what is past, thou hast deserved that name, I am willing thou should'st yet know more, by that which follows, an Apologetical Dialogue; which was only once spoken upon the stage, and all the answer I ever gave to sundry impotent libels then cast out (and some yet remaining) against me, and this play. Wherein I take no pleasure to revive the times; but that posterity may make a difference between their manners that provok'd me then, and mine that neglected them ever. For, in these strifes, and on such persons, were as wretched to affect a victory, as it is unhappy to be committed with them. Non annorum canities est laudanda, sed morum. And good men have a zeal to hear sin But when it is all excrement they vent, Or what their own foul thoughts suggested And that in all their heat of taxing others, What should I say more, than turn stone Nas. I never saw this play bred all this What was there in it could so deeply offend, Aut. Shall I tell you? Which I prefer unto all other objects, Students of Bear's-college.] The dogs at the Bear-garden. * These WHIPPERS reprehend.] Decker, who intitled his play, the Untrussing the humoreus poet. A little lower he calls him the Untrusser. 3 -They say you tax'd The law and lawyers, captains and the players. By their particular names.] As to the lawyers, so secure was our poet of his innocence, that he inscribed the play to a gentleman eminent in the profession of the law, and who had the candour and good sense to be his advocate to the publick, as he gratefully acknowledges in the dedication. With regard to the players, it is remarked above, that he certainly alluded to some who were then well known; and the marks he gave of them were probably plain enough to point them out to the audience, who were to make the application. Yet, as he replies, it was the vices only he reproved; and as no names are mentioned, it is not possible at this distance, nor is it worth the inquiry, to say who they were. upon 'em ; And therefore chose Augustus Cæsar's times, To shew that Virgil, Horace, and the rest But nothing I could find more contrary. And though the impudence of flies be great, Yet this hath so provok'd the angry wasps, First, of the law: indeed I brought in Ovid Sæpe pater dixit, studium quid inutile tentas? Mæonides nullas ipse relinquit opes. And in far harsher terms elsewhere, as these: 'Non me verbosas leges ediscere, non me Ingrato voces prostituisse foro. But how this should relate unto our laws, Or the just ministers, with least abuse, I reverence both too much to understand! Then, for the captain, I will only speak An epigram I here have made: it is "Unto true soldiers." That's the lemma." Mark it. [to view Strength of my country, whilst I bring "Such as are miscall'd captains, and wrong [thence, "And your high names; I do desire, that "Be nor put on you, nor you take offence: you, Trist. lib. 4. eleg. 10. prove'; "And did not shame it with my actions then, "No more than I dare now do with my pen. "He that not trusts me having vow'd thus much, "But's angry for the captain, still: is such." Now for the players, it is true, I tax'd 'em,' And yet but some; and those so sparingly, As all the rest might have sat still unquestion'd, Had they but had the wit or conscience To think well of themselves. But, impotent, they Thought each man's vice belong'd to their whole tribe; And much good do't 'em. What th' have done 'gainst me, I am not mov'd with. If it gave 'em meat, Or got 'em clothes, 'tis well; that was their Only amongst them, I am sorry for [end. Some better natures, by the rest so drawn, To run in that vile line. Pol. And is this all? Will you not answer then the libels? Pol. Nor the untrussers? Pol. Y'are undone then. Pol. The world. Pol. It will be taken To be stupidity or tameness in you. Aut. But they that have incens'd me, can in soul Acquit me of that guilt. They know I dare To spurn or baffle 'em, or squirt their eyes With ink or urine; or I could do worse, Arm'd with Archilochus' fury, write lambicks, Should make the desperate lashers hang themselves, Rhime 'em to death, as they do Irish rats In drumming tunes. Or, living, I could stamp Their foreheads with those deep and public brands, Amo. lib. 1. eleg. 15. • That's the LEMMA.] The subject proposed, or title of the epigram. 7 I love Your great profession, which I once did prove.] Jonson once bore arms in Flanders, where he acquitted himself with reputation. Is such.] i. e. such as are miscalled captains. -I am sorry for Some better natures, by the rest so drawn, To run in that vile line.] It has been thought that Shakspeare was here alluded to, under the expression of better natures. But I see no reason to confine the phrase to so par ticular a restriction. It makes good sense to take it in the most obvious meaning: nor does it appear there was any difference subsisting between Shakspeare and our author; for, on the contrary, Shakspeare was not only a performer in our author's Sejanus, the next play which he brought upon the stage; but actually wrote some parts of the drama itself, Bb |