ΤΟ THE SPECIAL FOUNTAIN OF MANNERS, THE COURT. HOU art a bountiful and brave spring, and waterest all ef, Webste the noble plants of this Island. In thee the whole kingdom dresseth itself, and is ambitious to use thee as her glass. Beware then thou render men's figures truly, and teach them no less to hate their deformities, than to love their forms: for, to grace, there should come reverence; and no man can call that lovely, which is not also venerable. It is not powdering, perfuming, and every day smelling of the tailor, that converteth to a beautiful object: but a mind shining through any suit, which needs no false light, either of riches or honours, to help it. Such shalt thou find some here, even in the reign of Cynthia,1-a Crites and an Arete. Now, under thy Phœbus, it will be thy province to make more;2 except thou desirest to have thy source mix with the spring of self-love, and so wilt draw upon thee as welcome a discovery of thy days, as was then made of her nights. Thy Servant, but not Slave, BEN. JONSON. 1 Such shalt thou find here, even in the reign of Cynthia.] Cynthia was now dead, and this little reflection upon her memory, which might have been spared, was thrown in to cajole her successor. The quarto has no dedication. It is unnecessary to call the reader's attention to the extreme elegance of this little composition. 2 Now under thy Phoebus, it will be thy province to make more.] This was intended as a compliment to James. Our poet growing into reputation by the representation of his last comedy, in the presence of the queen and court, endeavours to ingratiate himself by the following performance; which he designed, with an honest freedom, for the correction of the fantastic humour, and extravagance of courtiers. WHAL. 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 Fack! 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. 1 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 here— that 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. |