A Select Collection of Old English Plays Volume Vii Part 117

COMEDY. Nefarious hag, begin; And let us tug, till one the mast'ry win.

ENVY. Comedy, thou art a shallow goose; I'll overthrow thee in thine own intent, And make thy fall my comic merriment.

COMEDY. Thy policy wants gravity; thou art too weak.

Speak, fiend. As how?

ENVY. Why thus; From my foul study will I hoist a wretch, A lean and hungry negro [Old copy, _neagre_.] cannibal: Whose jaws swell to his eyes with chawing malice, And him I'll make a poet.

COMEDY. What's that to th'purpose?

ENVY. This scrambling raven, with his needy beard, Will I whet on to write a comedy, Wherein shall be compos'd dark sentences, Pleasing to factious brains: And every other where place me a jest.

Whose high abuse shall more torment than blows.

Then I myself (quicker than lightning), Will fly me to a puissant magistrate, And waiting with a trencher at his back, In midst of jollity rehea.r.s.e those galls [Old copy, _gaules_.]

(With some additions) so lately vented in your theatre: He upon this cannot but make complaint, To your great danger, or at least restraint.

COMEDY. Ha, ha, ha! I laugh to hear thy folly; This is a trap for boys, not men, nor such, Especially desertful in their doings, Whose staid discretion rules their purposes.

I and my faction do eschew those vices.

But see, O see, the weary sun for rest Hath lain his golden compa.s.s to the west, Where he perpetual bide and ever shine, As David's offspring in his happy clime.

Stoop, Envy, stoop, bow to the earth with me, Let's beg our pardons on our bended knee. [_They kneel_.

ENVY. My power has lost her might; Envy's date's expired, Yon splendant majesty hath fell'd my sting, And I amazed am. [_Fall down and quake_.

COMEDY. Glorious and wise Arch-Caesar on this earth, At whose appearance Envy's stroken dumb, And all bad things cease operation, Vouchsafe to pardon our unwilling error, So late presented to your gracious view, And we'll endeavour with excess of pain To please your senses in a choicer strain, Thus we commit you to the arms of night, Whose spangled carcase would (for your delight) Strive to excel the day. Be blessed then: Who other wishes, let him never speak.

ENVY. Amen!

To Fame and Honour we commend your rest; Live still more happy, every hour more blest.

FINIS.]

[199] To the edition printed in the Percy Society's Series.

[200] The old spelling has now been abandoned.

[201] For these I am indebted to the kindness of Mr J.P. Collier, who is now editing "Henslowe's Diary" for the Shakespeare Society. The portions of it which were published by Malone are very incorrectly given.

[202] _Book_ in these entries means play.

[203] This entry is struck through, the money having been repaid.

[204] This entry is in Porter's own handwriting.

[205] "Spec. of Engl. Dram. Poets," ii. 185, edit. 1835.

[206] See Hazlitt's "Popular Poetry," iv, 38-40.

[207] Second edit., _Welcome then_.

[208] From the second edit. Not in first edit.

[209] Prospects, views, scenes in sight; a meaning of the word which is found in much later writers.

[210] So second edit. First edit. _he_.

[211] Absolute, perfect, [or rather, perhaps, pure.]

[212] Read, for the metre, _He will_.

[213] So second edit. First edit., _to_.

[214] The audience were to suppose that the stage now represented an orchard; for be it remembered that there was no movable painted scenery in the theatres at the time when this play was produced.

[215] Second edit., _rubber_, but the other form is common in our old writers.

[216] [So second edit.] Equivalent to be hanged.

[217] Second edit., _woman_, which is probably right; see two pa.s.sages farther on, in one of which both editions have _woman_.

[218] Gold coins. The words give occasion to innumerable puns in our early dramas.

[219] Read, for the metre, _here is_

[220] Second edit., _woman_: see note [217].

[221] A term of the game.

[222] Edits., _better_,--the eye of the original compositor having caught the word above.

[223] A term of the game.

[224] i.e. _Hit_.

[225] Here, probably, Mistress Goursey should make her exit.

[226] i.e., We cannot help it.

[227] So second edit. First edit., _Afford_.

[228] The author probably wrote, "_I_ do _impart_:" compare the next line.

[229] [Old copies, _tick_.]

[230] i.e., Taught her to tread the ring,--to perform various movements in different directions within a ring marked out on a piece of ground: see Markham's "Cheap and Good Husbandry," &c. p. 18, sqq. edit. 1631.

[231] [_Campagne_.] A form of _campaign_ common in our early writers.

[232] i.e., Wilt thou wear, &c.: _point_ means one of the tagged laces which were used in dress to attach the hose or breeches to the doublet, &c.

[233] So second edit. First edit., _th'art_.