Be hot and cold with him; change every mood, ring, Look well or ill with him; ready to praise Nothing can 'scape their catch. Sab. Alas! these things Deserve no note, conterr'd with other vile, Start up in public senate, and there strive So much, as oft Tiberius hath been heard, Who least the public liberty could like, Sil. Well, all is worthy of us, were it more, Or think, but 'twill be treason. [power: "Are to give flatterers grace; accusers, Now, good Cremutius Cordus. Nat. Who's that salutes your cousin? And Caius Cæsar's; and so down to these. Is he or Drusian? or Germanican ? Lat. I know him not so far. Nat. Those times are somewhat queasie to be toucht. [work? Have you or seen, or heard part of his Lat. Not I; he means they shall be public shortly. Nat. O, Cordus do you call him? Sub. But these our times 1 The men are not the same: 'tis we are base, Against all charm of benefits) did strike Lie rak'd up with their ashes in their urns, And true, as TURKISE in the dear lord's ring, Look well or ill with him.] Alluding to the fable of the turkoise stone, which is said to change its colour, as the wearer is in good or bad health. The lines that follow, are a translation from these of Juvenal: -Laudare paratus, Si bene ructavit, si rectum minxit amicus, Sat. 3. 106. Senators, that else not use their voices.] The poet has here added in the margin the word Pedurii. It is the classical expression for those who never spoke in the senate, but only went over to the side they voted for: hence they were said pedibus ire in sententiam. O race of men, Prepar'd for servitude! &c.] Tacitus explains this; Memoria proditur Tiberium, quotiens curia egrederetur, Græcis verbis in hunc modum eloqui solitum, "O homines ad servitutem paratos!" scilicet etiam illum, qui libertatem publicam nollet, tam projectæ servientium patientiæ tædebat. Annal. 1. 3. c. 65. • Equal lords of the triumphed world.] i. e. The Roman empire. The expression is fine, and gives us an admirable idea of what every private citizen of Rome esteemed himself, in the times of the republick. ' UNKINDLY to captive his country.] i. e. unnaturally: for the word kind, signifying nature, with its compounds and derivatives, was thus used by the writers of that age. Flashes, and smoke, wherewith we labour so, Sab. Stand by, lord Drusus. Sab. That fault his age Will, as it grows, correct Methinks he bears love him; Believe me, I 8 And chiefly for opposing to Sejanus. * name. Arr. His name was, while he liv'd, above And being dead, without it. O, that man! Sil. He had the fruits, Arruntius, We were his followers, (he would call us (Who know no tears, but from their cap. tives) use 10 To shew in so great losses. Sab. I know not, for his death, how you But, for his life, it did as much disdain (His valour, and his fortune) he made his ; And all our praises of him are like streams The part remaining greatest. Arr. I am sure He was too great for us, and that they knew Sab. When men grow fast [he: For opposing to Sejanus.] This construction is a glaring Latinism. Spenser has many instances of the same nature: and the Arcadia supplies us with one exactly parallel; "Resist to its oppressor." Book 5. p. 455. edit. fol. 1674. Mr. SYMPSON. Our translation of the Bible furnisheth us with another instance of the same nature; a construction by no means inelegant, even in prose: "His servants ye are, to whom ye obey," i. e. are obedient, Rom. vi. 16. 9 • He was a man most like to virtue; in all And every action, nearer to the gods, Than men, in nature.] Jonson has borrowed the noble character which Paterculus hath given Cato, and applies it with great propriety to Germanicus: Homo virtuti simillimus, et per omnia ingenio diis quàm hominibus propior. Paterculus, 1. 2. c. 35. The margin of the edition in 1605, is crouded with references to the Roman historians; but they are chiefly brought as vouchers for the facts alluded to, or the descriptions which he gives of the persons concerned. When he borrows the sentiment or thought, he is frequently silent; and particularly, he takes no notice of being here indebted to Paterculus. 10 I thought once T' have parallel'd him with great Alexander.] This observation comes with great decorum of character from the mouth of Cordus the historian: but Tacitus, from whom it is taken, assigns no particular person as the author of the parallel. Erant qui formam, ætatem, genus mortis, ob propinquitatem etiam locorum in quibus interiit, magni Alexandri, fatis adequarent. Annal. 1. 2. c. 73. To his commands; and work to put him out Sejanus, Satrius, Terentius, &c. There is a gentleman of Rome would Sej. How do you call him you talk'd with? It is Eudemus, the physician Sej. On with your suit. Would buy, you said Sat. A tribune's place, my lord. Sat. Fifty sestertia". Sej. Livia's physician, say you, is that fellow? learn'd? Fifty sestertia.] That is of our money, as Jonson himself hath noted, 375l. for which he refers us to Budæus de asse, 1. 2, p. 64. 12 And for the empty circumstance of life, Betray their cause of living.] Et propter vitam, vivendi perdere causam. · Juvenal. sat. 8. v. 84. Dr. GREY. 13 I knew him at Caius trencher.] He means Caius Cæsar, the grandson of Augustus. Primâ juventá C. Cæsarem Divi Augusti nepotem sectatus, non sine rumore Apicio diviti et prodigo stuprum venum dedisse. Tacit. Annal. I. 4. c. 1. 14 To that great GORMOND fat APICIUS.] Apicius was a thorough-paced epicure. Apicius homo luxuriosissimus; 128 libros de condimentis jusculorum et ferculorum scripsit. To him Juvenal alludes, sat. xi. 2, 3. est. -Quid enim majore cachinno Excipitur vulgi, quàm pauper Apicius? Not. Lubini. Pauper Apicius, prorsus proverbii speciem habet in illum qui gulosus et inops Tres fuisse Apicios, eosdemque gulosos, diversis fuisse temporibus, animadvertit Lipsius. Comment. ad l. 4. Annal. Tacit. Vide plura Fabricii bibliothec. Latin. He calls him gormond from Gormond, called likewise Guthrum, the Danish king, who was overcome by king Alfred. "In regard the Danes consumed their time in profuseness and "belly-cheer, in idleness, and sloth-in so much, that from the laziness of the Danes in "general, we even to this day call a slothful, idle person a Lurdane. So from the licen"tiousness of this Gurmond and his army, we brand all luxurious people with the name of "gurmondizers." Webb's Vindication of Stone-henge restored, 2d ed. 1725. p. 227. "Gurmond lived about the middle of the ninth century." Dr. GREY. Cc Rome's general suffrage gave, is now his sale. The gain, or rather spoil, of all the earth, One, and his house, receives. Sil. He hath of late [ducing Made him a strength too, strangely, by reAll the prætorian bands into one camp, Which he commands: pretending that the soldiers, By living loose and scatter'd, fell to riot; More strict, if from the city more remov’'d. Sab. Where, now, he builds, what kind of forts he please, Is heard to court the soldier, by his name, Wooes, feasts the chiefest men of action, Whose wants, not loves, compel them to be his. Arr. By the gods, If I could guess he had but such a thought, My sword should cleave him down from head to heart, But I would find it out: and with my hand Sub. You are observ'd, Arruntius. Satrius, Endemus, Sejanus. Sat. Here he will in tant be: let's walk a You're in a muse, Eudemus? Eud. Not I, sir. [turn; I wonder he should mark me cut so! well, Jove and Apollo form it for the best. Sat. Your fortune's made unto you now, Eudemus, If you can but lay hold upon the means; Do but observe his humour, and--believe it He is the noblest Roman, where he takesHere comes his lordship. Sej. Now, good Satrius. Sat. This is the gentleman, my lord. [quainted. Give me your hand, we must be more acReport, sir, hath spoke out your art and learning: And I am glad I have so needful cause, me, What more of ladies, besides Livia, Eud. Many, my good lord. Sej. And, all these tell you the particulars Of every several grief? how first it grew, And then increas'd, what action caused that; What passion that: and answer to each point That you will put 'em. Eud. Else, my lord, we know not You are a subtle nation, you physicians! Sej. Why, sir, I do not ask you of their urines, [is best? Whose smell's most violet? or whose siege Or who makes hardest faces on her stool? Which lady sleeps with her own face anights? Which puts her teeth off, with her clothes, in court? "He ne'er were liberal BY KIND.] By nature. See note 7. 16 Your lordship is conceited.] Merry, disposed to joke. So in Every Man in his Humour, "You are conceited, sir." Harmless inter'gatories, but conceits ". Methinks Augusta should be most perverse, And froward in her fit? Eud. She's so, my lord. Sj. I knew it. And Mutilia the most jocund. Eud. 'Tis very true, my lord. [Livia? Sej. And why would you Conceal this from me, now? Come, what is I know she's quick and quaintly spirited, And will have strange thoughts, when she is at leisure? She tells 'em all to you. Eud. My noblest lord, He breathes not in the empire, or on earth, Sej. Sir, you can lose no honour, [vain: Keep honour poor, and are as scorn'd as "Those deeds breathe honour that do suck [betray "in gain." Eud. But, good my lord, if I should thus The counsels of my patient, and a lady's Of her high place and worth; what might your lordship (Who presently are to trust me with your Judge of my faith? [own,) Sej. Only the best I swear. Say now that I should utter you my grief? And with it the true cause; that it were love, And love to Livia; you should tell her this? Should she suspect your faith? I would you could Tell me as much from her; see if my brain Could be turn'd jealous. Eud. Happily, my lord, I could in time tell you as much and more; Sej. As safely, my Eudemus, (I now dare call thee so) as I have put The secret into thee. Eud. Yes. Sej. The place? [your lordship. Eud. My gardens, whither I shall fetch Sej. Let me adore my Esculapius. Why, this indeed is physick! and outspeaks The knowledge of cheap drugs, or any use Can be made out of it! more comforting Than all your opiates, juleps, apozems, Magistral syrups, or---Be gone, my friend, Not barely styled, but created so; Expect things greater than thy largest hopes, To overtake thee: fortune shall be taught To know how ill she hath deserv'd thus long, To come behind thy wishes. Go, and speed. "Ambition makes more trusty slaves than need." These fellows, by the favour of their art, Have still the means to tempt; oft-times the power. If Livia will be now corrupted, then not, Tiberius, Sejanus, Drusus. [One kneels to him. Tib. We not endure these flatteries, let him stand; Our empire, ensigns, axes, rods and state Cor. He did not hear it, sir. Arr. He did not? Tut, he must not, 'Tis your most courtly known confederacy, Hat. Right mighty lord——— Tib. We must make up our ears 'gainst these assaults [inore Of charming tongues; we pray you use no These contumelics to us; style not us Or lord, or mighty, who profess ourself The servant of the senate, and are proud T'enjoy them our good, just, and favouring Cor. Farely dissembled. [lords. Arr. Prince-like to the life. Sab. "When power that may command, so much descends, [tends." "Their bondage, whom it stoops to, it inFib. Whence are these letters? "Harmless inter'gatories, BUT conceits.] i. e. nothing, but conceits. Though Mr. Sympson conjectures that pure is the true reading. |