LINGUA

NAy good Auditus do but hear me speak. It's plain indeed, for Truth no descant needs, Una's her name, she cannot be divided. If then your confidence esteem my cause, To be so frivolous and weakly wrought. Why do you daily subtle plots devise, To stop me from the ears of common Sense, Whom since our great Queen hath ordained, For his souod wisdom, our Vice-governor, To him, and to his two so wise assistants, Nimble Phantastes, and firm Memor e: My self and cause, I humbly do commit, Let them but hear and judge, I wish no more. And idle p ating dame: know found Auditus, Records affirm my title full as good, As his amongst the sive is counted best. I say so too, therefore I do not lie, But now spite of you all I speak the truth. You five among us subjects tyrannise, Making the sacred name of common sense, A cloak to cover your enormities: He bears the rule, he's judge but judgeth still, As he's informed by your false evidence: So that a plaintiff cannot have access, But through your gates he hears but what, nought else But that thy crafty ears to him conveys, And all he sees is by proud Visus showed him: And what he touches is by Tactus hand, And smells I know but through Olfactus nose, Gustus begins to him what ere he tastes: By these quaint tricks free passage hath been barred That I could never equally be herd, But well 'tis well. Oh horrible ingratitude? that thou, That thou of all the rest shouldst threaten me: Who by my means conceiust as many tongues, As Neptune closeth lands betwixt his arms; The ancient Hebrew clad with mysteries, The learned Greek rich in fit Epithets. Blessed in the lovely marriage of pure words, The Caldy wise, the Arabian Physical, The Roman Eloquent, and Tuscan graven, The Braving Spanish and the smooth-tongd French, These precious Jewels that adorn thine ears. All from my mouths rich Cabinet are stolen, How ost hast thou been chained unto my tongue. Hanged at my lips and ravished with my words, So that a speech fair fetherd could not fly: But thy eam es pitfall caught it instantly, But now Oh Heavens. Perfidious Liar how can I endum e thee, Callest my unspotted chastity in Question: Oh could I use to e B eath mine anger spends, I de make thee know. Nay the loud cannoning of thunderbolts, Screeking of Wolves, houling of tortured Ghos S Pursue thee still and fill thy amazed eam es With cold astonishment and horrid fears: Oh how these senses mufftle common sense: And , and more with pleasing objects strive, To dull his judgement and prevert his will To their behests, who were he not so wrapped In the dus kie clouds of their dark policies, Would never suffer right to suffer wrong, Fie Linguam wilt thou now degenerate: Art not a woman, dost not love revenge, Delightful speeches, sweet persuasions I have this long time used to get my right, My right that is to make the Senses six; And have both name and power with the rest. Oft have I seasoned savoury periods, With sugared words, to delude Gustus taste, And oft embelisht my entreative phrase With smelling flowers of vernant Rhetoric, Limming and flashing it with various Dies, To draw proud Visus to me by the eyes: And oft perfumed my petitory style, With Civet-speech, t'entrap Olfactus Nose, And clad my sell e in Silken Eloquence, To allure the nicer touch of Tactus hand, But all's become lost labour, and my cause Is still procrastinated; therefore now, Hence ye base offspring of a broken mind, Supple entreaties and smooth flatteries: Go kiss the love- ick lips of puling Gulls, That still their Brain to quench their loves disdain, Go guild the tongues of Bawds and Parasites, Come not within my thoughts. But thou Deceit, Break up the pleasure of my Brimful breast, Enrich my mind with subtle policies. Well then I'll go, whither? nay what know I? And do, in faith I will, the devil knows what, What if I set them, all at variance, And so obtain to speak, it must be so, It must be so, but how? there lies the point: How? thus: cut the devise will never prove, Augment it so, it'll be too soon descried, Or so, nor so, it's too too dangerous, Pish, none of these, what if I take this course? would? Why there it goes, good, good most excellent, He that will catch Eels must disturb the flood, The Chickin's hatched i'faith, for they are proud, And soon will take a cause of disagreement. I see the heavens nurse my newborn devise, For lo my page Mendacio comes already, To file and But is that I hammerd out, Never in better time Mendacio, What hast thou done? Witness this lie, Mendacio's with me now, But sirrah out of jesting will they come? I'll slatter no such proud Companions, It'll do no good, therefore I am determined To leave such baseness. No, for their coming hither to this grove, Shall be a means to further my devise, Therefore I pray thee Mendacio go presently, Run you vile Ape. What dost thou stand? S'pretious it's true, So might thou finely overrun thine errand. Hast to my Chest. But here you sirrah? Lock up your fellow Servant, Veritas, There is but one. By uno how forgetful is sudden speed. Here take it, run. Whilom this Crown and gorgeous ornament, Were the great prize, for which five Orators, With the sharp weapons of their tongues contended: But all their speeches were so equal wrought, And alike gracious, that if his were witty His was as wise; the thirds fair eloquence Did pararell the fourths fi me g auitie, The lasts good gesture kept the Balance even With all the rest so that the sharpest eye, And most judicious censor could not judge To whom the hanging victory should fallen, Therefore with one consent they all agreed, To offer up both Crown and Robe to me, As the chief patroness of their profession, Which heretofore I holily have kept, Like to amisers gold, to look on only. But now I'll put them to a better use, And venture both, in hope to— They say a golden Ball, Bred enmity betwixt three Goddesses, So shall this Crown be author of debate, Betwixt five Senses. There, there, there, it's well, so, so, so, Come lets us away, and leave it to the chance. Do so, and if they doubt How it came there, feign them some pretty fable, How that some God— Is't he for certain? It's he indeed. Fain thy self in great hast. Run after them, for unless he know it— Oh is't your Lordship: I beseech you pardon me hast, and fear, I protest put out mine eyes: I looked so long for you, that I knew not when I had found you. Oh my heart beats so, fie, fie, fie, fie, Let me begin fi st I beseech you, but if you will needs have the end first, thus it's. The commonwealth of M crosme at this instant, suffers the pangs of death, it's gasping for breath. Will you have all? it's poisne . A golden Crown. I prithee do, do. Challenge each other, and are now in arms, and like your Lordship. Their battles are not far hence ready ranged. I go my Lord. With all my heart. My Lord, though the Imb ill tas of my fe ble sex, might! worser awe me back, rome to is TO bunall, with the habenis to wit Timorss and the Catenis Pudori , notwithstand king being so fairly led on with the gracious in non-Latin alphabet of your iustissimae. in non-Latin alphabet Especially so aspremente spurd' con gli sproni di necess a mia pungente, I will without the help of Orators, commit the tot m sal tem of my Actium to the Volutabilitati in non-Latin alphabet , which (aucc vos r bonn playscur) I will fi nish with more then Laconic bre itate. Oh how I am ravished to think how infinitely she hath grace me with her most acceptable service. But above all (which you Master Register may well remember) when her highness taking my m such for her instrument, with the Bow of my tongue st ooke so heavenly a touch upon my teeth, that she cham med he very Tigers a sleep, the lystning Bears and Lions, to couch at her fee , while the Hills leapt, and the woods worser nced, to the sweet harmony of her most Ange licall accents. How oft hath her Excellency employed me as Im bassador in her most urgent aff ire to foreign Kings and Emperors I may say to the Gods themselves. How many bloodless Battles have my persuasions attained, when the senses forces have been . How many Rebels have I reclaimed when her S cred authority, was little regar dead (her Laws without exprobration be it spoken) had been all together vnpubli head, her will unperformed, her illustrio S deeds unrenowned had not the silver found of my trumpet illed the whole circuit of the Universe with her deserved fame. Her Cities would dissolve, tram ique would decay friend ships be broken, were not my speech the knot Mercury, and M tique, to bind, defend, and glue them together. What should I say more; I can never speak enough of the unspeak able praise of speech, wherein I can find no other imp fection at all, but that the most exquisite power & excellency of speech cannot sufficiently express the exquisite power, and excellency of speaking. By your L. ships favour I can soon prove that a sense is a faculty, by which our Queen sitting in her privy Cham ber hath intelligence of exterior occurrents. That I am of this nature, I prove thus. The object which I challenge is— Why this is good by common Senses means, Linguam thou hast framed a perfect comedy They are all good friends, whom thou madest enemies, And I am half a Sense: a sweet piece of service, I promise you a fair step to preferment. Was this the care and labour thou hast taken, To bring thy foes together to a banquet, To lose thy Crown, and be deluded thus, Well now I see my cause is desperate, The judgements passed, sentence irrevocable, Therefore I'll be content and clap my hands, And give a Plaudite to their proceedings: What shall I leave my hate begun imperfect? So foully vanquished by the spiteful Senses? Shall I the Embassadresse of Gods and Men That pulled proud Phoebe from her brightsome sphere And darked Apollo's countenance with a word Raising at pleasure storms, and winds, and earthquakes Be overcrowed? and breath without revenge? Yet they forsooth base slaves must be preferred, And deck themselves with my ight ornaments: Does the allknowing see this shame Without redress? will not Hea ens help me? Then shall Hell do it, my enchanting tongue Can mount the skies, and in a moment fallen, From the Pole Arctic to dark Acheton. I'll make them know mine anger is not spent, L ngua hath power to hurt, and will to do it. Mend io, come hither quickly sirrah. Hark hither in thine are. I dare not trust these secrets to the Earth, re since she brought forth Redes, whose babbling noise told all the world of Midas Asses eam es, ( She whispers him in the ear ) Dost understand me? Well, I'll to supper, and so closely cover, The rusty cancer of mine Y on spite, With golden foil of goodly semblances, But if I do not to ounce them— All, all, and all are well nigh mad already: O how they stare, and swear, and fume, and brawl, W ath gives them weapons; Pots and Candlesticks, Joined stools and Trenchers fly about the room, Like to the bloody banquet of the C utaure , But all the sport is to see what several thoughts The potions works in their Imaginations. For Visus thinks himself; a would, would, would, would, would. What a spight's this? are my nails pared so near? Can I not scratch his eyes out? What have I done? what? do you mean to kill me? murder, murder, murder, Would, would, would; M and cio, Mendicio? See how Visus hath broke his forehead against the oak yonder, would, would, would, would. I must abroad presently, reach me my best Neck lace presently. Mum, mum, mum, mum. This it's, to venture upon such uncertainties, to lose so rich a Crown to no end, well, well. Mendatio never talk farther, I doubt'tis passed re couery, and my Robe likewise, I shall never have them again, well, well. I marry were they, and that some body hath felt, and shall feel more, if I live. I'll tell thee Mendac . I say Phantastes is a foolish transparent gull; a mere fanatic nupson in my imagination not worthy to it as a Jud ges assistant. Oh are you come Acrasia? welcome, welcome, boy reach a Cushion fit down good ? I am so beholding to you, your potion wrought exceedingly, the senses were so mad, did not you see how they raged about the woods? Is't possible thous shouldst dispatch so soon? There shalt-thou find, A gorgeous Robe, and golden Coronet, Convey them hither nimbly, let none see them. Your Lordship's must be obeyed, but as for them most ungrateful, and perfidious wretches. What art thou there M ndacio? pretty rascal, Come let me kiss thee for thy good deserts. Why, I laid upon purpose in their way, that they might fallen together by the ears. My Lord if I should bring before your honour all my friends ready to importune you in my behalf, I should have so many Retoricians, Logicians, Lawyers and which is more, so many Women to attend me, that this Groa e would hard lie contain the Company, when e oh e to avoid the tedious ness I willay the whole cause upon the tip of mine own tongue. I beseech your honour let me speak, I will neither tro ble the company nor offend your patience. Tell her if she do not. Would, would, would: o how my spleen is tickled with this sport. The madding Senses make about the woods, It cheers my soul and makes my body fat: To laugh at their mischances, would, would would, would, Heigh ho, the stitch hath caught me, o my heart! Would I had one to hold my sides a while, That I might laugh a fresh: o how they run, And chafe, and swear, and threaten one another, Ay me, out alas, ay me help, help, who's this that bind's me? Help Mendatio, Mendatio help, heres one will ravish me. Gave it to the Senses, and made them as mad as—well, If I cannot recover it—let it go, I'll not leave them thus. Heigh ho, out alas, aye me, where am I? how came I here? where am I? ah. Aye me, most miserable wretch, I beseech your Lordship forgive me. Let me have mine own, howsoever you determine, I beseech you. My Lord, this one thing is sufficient to confirm my worth to be equ ll oh better then the seizes, whose best operam tions are nothing till I polish them with perfection; for their knowledge is only of things present, quickly subluned with the deft file of time; whereas the tongue is able to recount things passed, and often pronounce things to come by this means re-e difying such Excellencies, as Time and Age do easily depopu late.