CORDATUS

NAy my deer Asper, Be not too bold, Vnl sse your breath had power To melt the world, and mould it new again, It is in vain to spend it in these moods. For the abuse of Humour. He speaks pure truth: now if and Idiot Have but and Apish or Fantastic strain, It is his Humour. Why this is right Furor Po ticus: Kind gentlemen, we hope your patience Will yet conceive the best, or entertain This supposition, That a madman speaks. Why? will that Make it be sooner swallowed? It's true, but why should we observe them Asper? Nay, but good pardon us: We must not bear this perempt ory sail, But use our best endeavours how to please. How do you Like his spirit, Mitis? Why, do you suspect his merit? Faith sir, I must refrain to judge, only this I can say of it, it's strange, and of a particular kind by it self, somewhat Like Vetus Comoedia: a work that hath bounteously pleased me, how it will answer the general expectation, I know not. What laws mean you? Oh no, these are too nice observations. Troth I can discern no such necessity. No, I assure you signior; if those laws you speak of, had been delivered us, ab Initio; and in their present virtue and perfection, there had been some reason of obeying their powers: but it's extant, that that which we call Comoedia, was at first nothing but a simple and continued Satire, sung by one only person, till Susario invented a second, after him Epicharmus a third, Phormus, and Chionides devised to have four actors, with a Prologue and Chorus; to which Cratinus (long after) added a fifth and sixth; Eupolis more, Aristophanes more than they: every man in the dignity of his spirit and judgement, supplied some thing: and (though that in him this kind of Poem appeared absolute, and fully perfected) yet how is the face of it changed since, in Menander, Philemon, Cecilius, Plautus, and the rest; who have utterly excluded the Chorus, altered the property of the persons, their names, and nature's, and augmented it with all liberty, according to the elegancy and disposition of those times wherein they wrote? I see not then but we should enjoy the same Licentiam or free power, to illustrate and heighten our invention as they did; and not be tied to those strict and re gular forms, which the niceness of a few (who are nothing but Form) would thrust upon us. Oh here comes the Prologue: Now sir, if you had stayed a little longer, I meant to have spoke your Prologue for you, I faith. Nay, nay, stay, stay, hear you? 'Sdeath, what a humorous fellow is this? Gentlemen, good faith I can speak no Prologue, howsoever his weak wit has had the fortune to make this strong use of me here be before you: but I protest; Hang him dull block. Faith, if the time will suffer his description, I'll give it you: he is one, the Author calls him Carlo Buffone, and impudent common jester, a violent railer, and and incomprehensible Epi cure: one, whose company is desired of all men, but beloved of none; he will sooner lose his soul than a jest, and pro phane even the most holy things, to excite laughter: no ho nourable or reverend personage whatsoever, can come with in the reach of his eye, but is turned into all manner of variety, by his adult' rate simile's. He will prefer all countries before his native, and thinks he can never sufficiently, or with admiration enough, deliver his affectionate conceit of foreign Atheistical polli cies: but stay, observe these, he'll appear himself anon. Is not this purely good? Now signior, how approve you this? have the Humo rists expressed themselves truly or no? Yes, but you must understand Signior, he envies him not as he is a villain, a wolf in the commonwealth, but as he is rich and fortunate; for the true condition of envy, is Dolour alien felicitatis, to have our eyes continually fixed upon another men prosperity, that is his chief happiness, and to grieve at that. Where as if we make his monstrous and abhorred actions, our object, the grief (we take then) comes nearer the nature of Hate than Envy, as being bred out of a kind of contempt and loathing in our selves. Right, for what a man truly envies in another, he could always love, and cherish in himself; but no man truly repre hends in another what he loves in himself, therefore Repre hension is out of his Hate. And this distinction hath he himself made in a speech there (if you marked it) where he says, I envy not this Buffon, but I hate him. No sir, there was subject for his envy in Sordido; his wealth: So was there not in the other, he stood possessed of no one eminent gift, but a most odious and fiendlike disposition, that would turn Charity it self into Hate, much more Envy for the present. 'Twere pity they should be parted sir. No sir, this is one Monsieur Fastidius Brisk, otherwise called the fresh Frenchefied courtier. As humorous as quickesiluer, do but observe him, the Scene is the country still, remember. Oh bear with him, and he should lack matter and words too, 'twere pitiful. This is right to that of Horace, Dum vitant stulti vitia in contrariam currunt: so this gallant labouring to avoid Popularity, falls into a habit of Affectatio ̄ ten thou sand times more hateful than the former. He makes congies to is wife in Geometrical pro portions. I see not where he could have insisted less, and to-have made the Humours perspicuous enough. That had been Single indeed: why? be they not the same persons in this, as they would have been in those? and is it not and object of more State, to behold the Scene full, and re lieu'd with variety of Speakers to the end, than to see a vast empty stage, and the Actors come in (one by one) as if they were dropped down with a feather into the eye of the Audience? Oh what else? it's the special intent of the Author you should do so: for thereby others (that are present) may as well be satisfied, who happily would object the same you do. Marry he stays but till our silence give him leave: here he comes, and with him Signior Deliro a merchant, at whose house he is come to sojourn: Make your own obscruation now; only transfer your thoughts to the City with the Scene; where, suppose they speak. Behold, behold, the translated Gallant. How? you fear it'll be racked by some hard Constru ction No in good faith: unless mine eyes could light me beyond Sense, I see no reason why this should be more Liable to the Rack than the rest: you'll say perhaps the City will not take it well, that the Merchant is made here to dote so per fectly upon his wife; and she again, to be so Fastidiously affe cted, as she is? Why (by that proportion) the Court might as well take offence at him we call the Courtier, and with much more Pretext, by how much the place transcends and goes before in dignity and virtue: but can you imagine that any Noble or true spirit in the Court (whose Sinewy, and altogether un affected graces, very worthily express him a Courtier) will make any exception at the opening of such and empty Trunk as this Brisk is? or think his own worth impeached by behol ding his motley inside? No more, assure you, will any graven wise Citizen, or modest Matron, take the object of this Folly in Deliro and his Wife; but rather apply it as the foil to their own virtues: For that were to affirm, that a man writing of Nero, should mean all Emperors: or speaking of Machiavell, comprehend all Statesmen; or in our Sordido, all Farmars; and so of the rest: than which, nothing can be uttered more malicious and absurd. Indeed there are a sort of these narrow-eyed De cipherers, I confess, that will extort strange and abstruse meanings out of any Subject, be it never so Conspicuous and Innocently delivered. But to such (where ever they fit con ceald) let them know, the Author defies them, and their writing-Tables; and Hope's, no found or safe judgement will infect it self with their contagious Comments, who (indeed) come here only to pervert and poison the sense of what they hear, and for nought else. Oh, marry this is one, for whose better Illustration; we must desire you to presuppose the Stage, the middle Isle in Pauls; and that, the West end of it. Faith a whole volume of Humour, and worthy the un clasping He hath shift of names Sir: some call him Apple John, some Signior Whiff, marry his main standing name is Cavalier Shift: the rest are but as clean shirts to his Nature's Troth as you see, for the advancement of a Siquis or two; wherein he has so varied himself, that if any one of them take, he may hull up and down i'the Hu orous world a little longer: Oh, as the wind Sir: here comes More. What's that sir? You say well, but I would feign hear one of these Au tumne- judgements define once, Quid fit Comoedia? if he cannot, let him content himself with Ciceros definition (till he have strength to propose to himself a better) who would have a Counterfeit medie to be mitatio vitae, Speculum Consuetudinis, Imago veritatis, a thing throughout pleasant and ridiculous, and accommodated to the correction of manners: if the maker have failed in any particle of this, they may worthily tax him, but if not, why; be you (that are for them) silent, as I will be for him; and give way to the Actors. How now Mitis? what's that you consider so seriously? What? you supposed he should have hung himself indeed? I? what think you of Plautus in his Come die called Cistellaria there? where he brings in Alcesimarchus with a drawn sword ready to kill himself, and as he is e'ne fixing his breast upon it, to be restrained from his resolved outrage by Silenium and the Bawd: is not his authority of power to give our Scene approbation? That will appear anon, never preoccupy your ima gination withal. Let your mind keep company with the Scene still, which now removes it self from the Country to the Court. Here comes Macilente and Signior Brisk freshly suited, lose not your self, for now the Epitasis or busy partly of our Subject is in Actium. Oh, but it will flow again for all this, till there come a general drought of Humour among all our Actors, and then I fear not but his will fallen as low as any. See who presents him self here: I'faith, which makes it the more pitiful, you under stand where the Scene is? How Like you the Deciphering of his Dotage? I, and his Scrivener with him. Marry long of the evil Angels that she gave him, who have indeed tempted the good simple youth to fol low the tail of the Fashion, and neglect the imposition of his friends. Behold here he comes, very Worshipfully atten dead, and with good variety. He were and iron-hearted fellow in my judgement, that would not credit him upon these monstrous others. Do you observe the plunges that this poor Gallant is put too (Signior) to purchase the Fashion. Stay: Oh here they come from sealed and delivered. Oh he's a fellow of a strange Nature. Now do's he (in this calm of his Humour) plot and store up a world of malicious thoughts in his brain, till he is so full with them, that you shall see the very Torrent of his Envy break forth, and against the course of all their affections oppose it self so violently, that you will almost have wonder to think how it's possible the current of their Dispositions shall receive so quick and strong and alteration. Why therein his Art appears most full oflustre, and approaches nearest the life, especially when in the flame and height of their Humours they are laid flat, it fills the eye better, and with more contentment. How tedious a sighed were it to behold a proud exalted tree lopped and cut down by degrees, when it might be felled in a moment? and to set the Axe to it, be before it came to that pride and fullness, were as not it have it grow. To help your longing, Signior, let your imagination be swifter than a pair of Oars, and by this, suppose Puntarvo lo, Brisk, Fungoso, and the Dog, arrived at the court gate, and go king up to the great chamber. Macilente and Sogliardo, we 'le leave them on the water till Possibility and Natural means may land them. Here come the Gallants, now prepare your Expectation. This is worth the observation, Signior. Lose not your self now Signior. I, you shall see the true picture of Spite anon, here comes the Pawn and his Redeemer. As upon her lips do's she mean? Oh do not let your purpose fallen, good Asper, It cannot but arrive most acceptable, Chiefly to such as have the happiness Daily to see how the poor innocent word Is racked, and tortured. Marry Insulam fortunata, Sir. Why so? He needs not, having a whole Island to run through, I think. Oh, that but shows how well the Authors can travail in their vocation, and outrun the apprehension of their Au ditorie. But leaving this, I would they would begin once: this protraction is able to Sour the best-settled patience in the Theatre. Why but do you speak this seriously? For what? How? did I undertake it for you? Before God but it must serve: and therefore speak your Prologue. The same, sir. This alludes well to that of the Poet, Invidus suspirat, gemit, incutitque dentes, Sudat frigidus, intuens quod odit. Signior, note this gallant I pray you. A tame Rook, yowl take him presently: List. Oh no, that had been extremely improper, beside he had continued ̄ ti nued the Scene too lo ̄ g with him as't was, being in no more actio ̄ . Oh worst of both: why you mistake his Humour utterly the ̄ . Very easily possible, Sir, you see there is. Do you observe that, Signior? there's another Hu mour has new cracked the shell. Oh you forestall the jest. Marry a couple sir, that are mere strangers to the whole scope of our Play; only come to walk a turn or two i'this Scene of Pauls by chance. I, & they are well met, for it's as dry and Orange as ever Grew: nothing but Salutation, and Oh God sir, and It pleases you to say so Sir; one that can laugh at a jest for continued ̄ pany with a most plausible, and extemporal grace; and some hour of ter in private ask you what it was: the other, Monsieur Clove, is a more spiced youth: he will fit you a whole afternoon sometime, in a booksellers shop, reading the Greek, Ita lian, and Spanish; when he understands not a word of ei there: if he had the Tongues to his Suits, he were and excel lent Linguist. Faith I, it seems his Prognostication has not kept touch with him, and that makes him despair. How Like you this first exploit of his? Here they come, will make it appear. I, here he comes: conceive him but to b e entered the Mitre, and it's enough. You shall perceive that sir. Faith I know not sir, observe, observe him. have you herd a better drunken Dialogue? Oh servetur and imum, qualis ab incepto processerit, & sibo con stet. The necessity of his vain compels a tolleratio ̄ : for, bar this, and dash him out of Humour before his time. Nay, we have done censuring, now. Marry because we'll imitate your Actors, and be out of our Humours. Beside, here are those (round about you) of more ability in Censure than we, whose Judgements can give it a more satisfying Allowance: we'll refer you to them. Oh, that sets the stronger seal on his desert, if he had no enemies, I should esteem his Fortune's most wret ched at this instant.