bour Sordido, ftay to-night, and help to make our fociety the fuller. Gentlemen, frolick: Carlo? what dull now?

Car. I was thinking on your project, fir, an' you call it fo? Is this the dog goes with you? Punt. This is the dog, fir.

Car. He do' not go bare-foot, does he?
Punt. Away, you traitor, away.

Car. Nay, afore God, I fpeak fimply, he may prick his foot with a thorn, and be as much as the whole venture is worth. Befides, for a dog that never travell'd before, it's a huge journey to Conftantinople. I'll tell you now (an' he were mine) I'd have fome prefent conference with a phyfician, what antidotes were good to give him, prefervatives against poison; for (affure you) if once your money be out, there'll be divers attempts made against the life of the poor ani

mal.

Punt. Thou art ftill dangerous.

Faft. Is fignior Deliro's wife your kinfwoman? Sog. I, fir, fhe is my niece, my brother's daughter. here, and my nephew's fifter.

Sord. Do you know her, fir?

Faft. O God, fir, fignior Deliro, her husband, is my merchant.

Fung. I, I have seen this gentleman there often. Faft. I cry you mercy, fir; let me crave your name, pray you.

Fung. Fungofo, fir.

Faft. Good fignior Fungofo, I fhall request to know you better, fir.

Fung. I am her brother, fir.

Faft. In fair time, fir.

Punt. Come, gentlemen, I will be your conduct. Faft. Nay, pray you, fir; we shall meet at fignior Deliro's often,

Sog.

Sog. You fhall ha' me at the herald's office, fir, for fome week or fo at my first coming up. Come, Carlo.

GREX.

Mit. Methinks, Cordatus, he dwelt fomewhat too long on this scene; it hung i' the hand.

Cor. I fee not where he could have insisted less, and t'have made the humours perfpicuous enough.

Mit. True, as his fubject lies; but he might have altered the fhape of his argument, and explicated 'em better in fingle fcenes.

Cor. That had been fingle indeed. Why, be they not the fame perfons in this, as they would have been in thofe and is it not an object of more state, to behold the fcene full, and relieved with variety of fpeakers to the end, than to fee a vaft empty stage, and the actors come in (one by one) as if they were dropt down with a feather into the eye of the fpectators ?

Mit. Nay, you are better traded with these things than I, and therefore I'll fubfcribe to your judgment; marry, you fhall give me leave to make objec

tions.

Cor. O, what elfe? It's the special intent of the author you should do fo; for thereby others (that are prefent) may as well be fatisfied, who haply would object the fame you would do.

Mit: So, fir: but when appears Macilente again? Cor. Marry, he stays but till our filence give him leave here he comes, and with him fignior Deliro, a merchant, at whofe house he is come to fojourn : make your own obfervation now, only transfer your thoughts to the city, with the fcene: where, fuppofe they fpeak.

SCENE

Deliro, Macilente, Fido, Fallace.

Deli. I'll tell you by and by, fir.
Welcome (good Macilente) to my house,
To fojourn at my houfe for ever; if my best
In cates, and every fort of good intreaty
May move you stay with me.

[Deliro cenfeth.

Maci. I thank you, fir.

His boy frews flowers.

And yet the muffled fates (had it pleas'd them)
Might have fupply'd me from their own full ftore,
Without this word (I thank you) to a fool.
I fee no reason why that dog (call'd Chance)
Should fawn upon this fellow, more than me:
I am a man, and I have limbs, flesh, blood,
Bones, finews, and a foul, as well as he:
My parts are every way as good as his;
If I faid better, why, I did not lie.
Nath'lefs, his wealth (but nodding on my wants)}
Muft make me bow, and cry, I thank you, fir.
Deli. Difpatch, take heed your mistress see you not.
Fido. I warrant you, fir, I'll fleal by her foftly.
Deli. Nay, gentle friend, be merry, raise your looks
Out of your bofom: I proteft (by heav'n)
You are the man moft welcome in the world.
Maci. (I thank you, fir) I know my cue, I think.
Fide. Where will you have 'em burn, fir?

Deli. Here, good Fido.

[With more perfumes and herbs.

What, fhe did not fee thee?

Fido. No, fir.

Deli. That's well.

Strew, ftrew, good Fido, the freshest flowers; fo. Maci. What means this, fignior Deliro? all this cen

fing?

Deli. Caft in more frankincenfe, yet more; well faid. O, Macilente, I have fuch a wife!

So paffing fair! fo paffing fair-unkind'!
But of fuch worth, and right to be unkind,
(Since no man can be worthy of her kindnefs.)
Maci. What can there not?

Deli. No, that is fure as death,
No man alive! I do not fay, is not,
But cannot poffibly be worth her kindness!
Nay, it is certain, let me do her right.

How, faid I do her right? as though I could,
As though this dull grofs tongue of mine could utter
The rare, the true, the pure, the infinite rights,
That fit (as high as I can look) within her!
Maci. This is fuch dotage, as was never heard.
Deli. Well, this muft needs be granted.
Maci. Granted, quoth you?

Deli. Nay, Macilente, do not fo difcredit.
The goodness of your judgment to deny it,
For I do fpeak the very least of her;

And I would crave, and beg no more of heaven,
For all my fortunes here, but to be able
To utter firft in fit terms, what fhe is,
And then the true joys I conceive in her.

Maci. Is't poffible fhe fhould deserve fo well,
As you pretend?

Deli. I, and fhe knows fo well

Her own deferts, that (when I ftrive t' enjoy them) She weighs the things I do, with what the merits: And (feeing my worth out-weigh'd fo in her graces) She is fo folemn, fo precife, fo froward,

That no obfervance I can do to her

Can make her kind to me: if she find fault,

9 So paffing fair! fo falling fair! unkind!] The edition of 1616, reads the latter part of the line thus, fo paffing far unkind; but it feems to be a mistake of the prefs. I imagine the two laft words should be connected by a hyphen, and read fo paffing fair-unkind!

I mend that fault; and then she says, I faulted, That I did mend it. Now, good friend, advise me, How I may temper this ftrange spleen in her.

Maci. You are too amorous, too obfequious, And make her too affur'd, fhe may command you. When women doubt moft of their husband's loves, They are most loving. Hufbands must take heed They give no gluts of kindness to their wives, But use them like their horfes; whom they feed Not with a manger-full of meat together, But half a peck at once; and keep them fo Still with an appetite to that they give them, He that defires to have a loving wife, Muft bridle all the fhew of that defire :

Be kind, not amorous; nor bewraying kindness,
As if love wrought it, but confiderate duty.
"Offer no love-rites, but let wives still seek them,
"For when they come unfought, they feldom Hke them.
Deli. Believe me, Macilente, this is gofpel.

O, that a man were his own man fo much,
To rule himself thus. I will strive i' faith,
To be more ftrange and careless; yet I hope
I have now taken fuch a perfect course,
To make her kind to me, and live contented,
That I fhall find my kindness well return'd,
And have no need to fight with my affections.
She (late) hath found much fault with every room
Within my houfe; one was too big (she said)
Another was not furnish'd to her mind,

And fo through all; all which, now, I have alter'd.
Then here, the hath a place (on my back-fide)
Wherein fhe loves to walk; and that (fhe faid)
Had fome ill smells about it. Now, this walk
Have I (before she knows it) thus perfum'd
With herbs, and flowers, and laid in divers places,
(As 'twere on altars, confecrate to her)
Perfumed gloves, and delicate chains of amber,

To