Lapas attēli
PDF
ePub
[graphic][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[graphic]

RAY you away; why, fellows! Gods so, what do you mean?

2 Child. Marry, that you shall not speak the prologue, sir.

3 Child. Why, do you hope to speak it? 2 Child. Ay, and I think I have most right to it: I am sure I studied it first.

3 Child. That's all one, if the author think I can speak it better.

I Child. I plead possession of the cloak: gentles, your suffrages, I pray you.

1 I plead possession of the cloak.] The usual dress of the person who spoke the prologue was a black velvet cloak. WHAL.

So in the prologue to Heywood's Four Prentices of London, "Do you not know that I am the Prologue? Do you not see this long black velvet cloak upon my back?" And in that to the Woman Hater, "A prologue in verse is as stale as a black velvet cloak," &c.

[Within.] Why, Children! are you not ashamed? come in there!

3 Child. Slid, I'll play nothing in the play, unless I speak it.

I Child. Why, will you stand to most voices of the gentlemen? let that decide it.

3 Child. O, no, sir gallant; you presume to have the start of us there, and that makes you offer so prodigally. I Child. No, would I were whipp'd, if I had any such thought; try it by lots either.

2 Child. Faith, I dare tempt my fortune in a greater venture than this.

3 Child. Well said, resolute Jack! I am content too, so we draw first. Make the cuts.

1 Child. But will you not snatch my cloak while I am stooping?

3 Child. No, we scorn treachery.

2 Child. Which cut shall speak it?

3 Child. The shortest.

I Child. Agreed: draw. [they draw cuts.] The shortest is come to the shortest. Fortune was not altogether blind in this. Now, sir, I hope I shall go forward without your envy.

2 Child. A spite of all mischievous luck! I was once plucking at the other.

3 Child. Stay, Jack: 'slid, I'll do somewhat now afore I go in, though it be nothing but to revenge myself on the author: since I speak not his prologue. I'll go tell all the argument of his play afore-hand, and so stale his invention to the auditory, before it come forth. I Child. O, do not so.

2 Child. By no means.

The only remaining vestige of this ancient custom is to be found in Hamlet, where the prologue to the tragedy played before the king, still appears in his black cloak.

2 And so stale his invention,] i. e. disclose it prematurely, make it common, so as to deprive it at once of all interest and novelty. See Vol. i. p. 41.

3 Child. [Advancing to the front of the Stage.] First, the title of his play is Cynthia's Revels, as any man that hath hope to be saved by his book can witness ;3 the scene Gargaphie, which I do vehemently suspect for some fustian country; but let that vanish. Here is the court of Cynthia, whither he brings Cupid travelling on foot, resolved to turn page. By the way Cupid meets with Mercury, (as that's a thing to be noted; take any of our play-books without a Cupid or a Mercury in it, and burn it for an heretic in poetry.-[In these and the subsequent speeches, at every break, the other two interrupt, and endeavour to stop him.] Pray thee let me alone. Mercury, he in the nature of a conjuror, raises up Echo, who weeps over her love, or daffodil, Narcissus, a little; sings; curses the spring wherein the pretty foolish gentleman melted himself away: and there's an end of her.--Now I am to inform you, that Cupid and Mercury do both become pages. Cupid attends on Philautia, or Self-love, a court lady: Mercury follows Hedon, the Voluptuous, and a courtier; one that ranks himself even with Anaides, or the Impudent, a gallant, and that's my part; one that keeps Laughter, Gelaia, the daughter of Folly, a wench in boy's attire, to wait on him.

These, in the court, meet with Amorphus, or the Deformed, a traveller that hath drunk of the fountain, and there tells the wonders of the water. They presently dispatch away their pages with bottles to fetch of it, and themselves go to visit the ladies. But I should have told you-Look, these emmets put me out herethat with this Amorphus, there comes along a citizen's heir, Asotus, or the Prodigal, who, in imitation of the

3 As any man that hath hope to be saved by his book, can witness,] i. e. that can read: alluding, in the first place, to what is vulgarly called the neck-verse, and secondly to the title of the play, which, in those days, when scenery was unknown to the stage, was written ⚫or painted in large letters, and stuck up in some conspicuous place.

traveller, who hath the Whetstone following him, entertains the Beggar, to be his attendant- -Now, the nymphs who are mistresses to these gallants, are Philautia, Self-love; Phantaste, a light Wittiness; Argurion, Money; and their guardian, mother Moria, or mistress Folly.

I Child. Pray thee, no more.

3 Child. There Cupid strikes Money in love with the Prodigal, makes her dote upon him, give him jewels, bracelets, carcanets, &c. All which he most ingeniously departs withal to be made known to the other ladies and gallants; and in the heat of this, increases his train with the Fool to follow him, as well as the Beggar- -By this time, your Beggar begins to wait close, who is return'd with the rest of his fellow bottlemen. There they all drink, save Argurion, who is fallen into a sudden apoplexy

I Child. Stop his mouth.

3 Child. And then, there's a retired scholar there, you would not wish a thing to be better contemn'd of a society of gallants, than it is; and he applies his service, good gentleman, to the lady Arete, or Virtue, a poor nymph of Cynthia's train, that's scarce able to buy herself a gown; you shall see her play in a black robe anon: a creature that, I assure you, is no less scorn'd than himself. Where am I now? at a stand!

2 Child. Come, leave at last, yet.

3 Child. O, the night is come, ('twas somewhat dark, methought,) and Cynthia intends to come forth; that helps it a little yet. All the courtiers must provide for revels; they conclude upon a masque, the device of which, is What, will you ravish me?

-that each

of these Vices, being to appear before Cynthia, would seem other than indeed they are; and therefore assume the most neighbouring Virtues as their masking habit -I'd cry a rape, but that you are children.

4 who hath the Whetstone following him,] i. e. Cos.

[ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

2 Child. Come, we'll have no more of this anticipation;5 to give them the inventory of their cates aforehand, were the discipline of a tavern, and not fitting this presence.

I Child. Tut, this was but to shew us the happiness of his memory. I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with every thing, along as he had gone; I expected some such device.

3 Child. O, you shall see me do that rarely; lend me thy cloak.

3

1 Child. Soft, sir, you'll speak my prologue in it.
Child. No, would I might never stir then.
2 Child. Lend it him, lend it him.

I Child. Well, you have sworn.

[Gives him the cloak. 3 Child. I have. Now, sir, suppose I am one of your genteel auditors, that am come in, having paid my money at the door, with much ado, and here I take my place and sit down: I have my three sorts of tobacco in my pocket, my light by me, and thus I begin. [At the breaks he takes his tobacco.] By this light, I wonder that any man is so mad, to come to see these rascally tits play here--They do act like so many wrens, or pismires- -not the fifth part of a good face amongst them all. -And then their music is abominable able to stretch a man's ears worse than ten pillories, and their ditties——most lamentable things, like

5

2 Child. Come, we'll have no more of this anticipation.] This is well thought on!

"Fore the beginning of this play,

I, hapless Polydore, was found

By fishermen, or others, drown'd," &c.

If Jonson had really meant to satirize the practice, he could not have done it more effectually.

6 3 Child. O, you shall see me do that,] i. e. the part of an ignorant critic; and certainly the boy does it rarely, as he promises. Decker has copied much of this in his Guls Hornbook.

[blocks in formation]
« iepriekšējāTurpināt »