Yet being from thee, had but that hollow sound It might have won the credit of mine ear: Jern. If I understand thee, I am a villain : What! dost thou speak in parables to thy friend?1 Fab. (to Jern.) You are the man, sir, must have Millisent. The match is making in the garden now; Her jointure is agreed on, and the old men Your fathers mean to launch their pursy bags. But in mean time to thrust Mounchensey off, Ne'er look upon me, lad; the match is done. Jern. Raymond Mounchensey, now I touch thy grief With the true feeling of a zealous friend. And as for thy fair beauteous Millisent, With my vain breath I will not seek to slubber Before I'd wrong the chase, and leave the love I will abjure both beauty and her sight, And will in love become a counterfeit. Raym. Dear Jerningham, thou hast begot my life, And from the mouth of hell, where now I sat, I feel my spirit rebound against the stars; Thou hast conquer'd me, dear friend, and my free soul 1 [Twenty-one lines omitted.] 2 Cheshunt. say, Fab. Frank Jerningham, thou art a gallant boy; Cla. Raymond Mounchensey, I would have thee know, He does not breathe this air, Whose love I cherish, and whose soul I love, More than Mounchensey's: Nor ever in my life did see the man, Whom for his wit, and many virtuous parts, Fab. Let us alone to bustle for the set; Raym. Pursue the project, scholar; what we can do [Act i., Sc. 3.2] This scene has much of Shakspeare's manner in the sweetness and goodnaturedness of it. It seems written to make the Reader happy. Few of our dramatists or novelists have attended enough to this. They torture and wound us abundantly. They are economists only in delight. Nothing can be finer, more gentlemanlike, [Temple Dramatists, ed. Walker, 1897.] THE COMEDY OF OLD FORTUNATUS [PUBLISHED 1600]. BY THOMAS DECKER [1570?-1641 ?] The Goddess Fortune appears to Fortunatus, and offers him the choice of six things. He chooses Riches. FORTUNE. FORTUNATUS. Fortune. Before thy soul at this deep lottery Fortunat. Daughters of Jove and the unblemish'd Night, Wisdom, Strength, Health, Beauty, Long Life, and Riches. She'll breathe into thy lips divinity, And thou (like Phoebus) shalt speak oracle; And see what's past and learn what is to come. If thou lay claim to Strength, armies shall quake So shall thy feet trample on empery. Make Health thine object, thou shalt be strong proof 'Gainst the deep searching darts of surfeiting, Be ever merry, ever revelling. Wish but for Beauty, and within thine eyes Two naked Cupids amorously shall swim, And on thy cheeks I'll mix such white and red, 1 [Five lines omitted.] Fortunat. O whither am I rapt beyond myself? Than his whose fatal choice Troy's downfall wrought. To himself he lives and to all else seems dead. Than of a threadbare saint in Wisdom's school. And though mine arm should conquer twenty worlds, The greatest Strength expires with loss of breath, Therefore, dread sacred Empress, make me rich: Gold is heaven's physic, life's restorative ; [Act i., Sc. 1.1] Fortune gives to Fortunatus a purse that is inexhaustible. With this he puts on costly attire, and visits all the Asian Courts, where he is caressed and made much of for his infinite wealth. At Babylon he is shown by the Soldan a wondrous hat, which in a wish transports the wearer whithersoever he pleases, over land and sea. Fortunatus puts it on, wishes himself at home in Cyprus; where he arrives in a minute, VOL. IV.-4 1 [Mermaid Series, ed. Rhys.] as his sons Ampedo and Andelocia are talking of him; and tells his Travels. FORTUNATUS. AMPEDO. ANDELOCIA. Fort. Touch me not, boys, I am nothing but air; let none speak to me till you have marked me well.'-Am I as you are, or am I transformed? And. Methinks, father, you look as you did, only your face is more withered. Fort. Boys, be proud; your father hath the whole world in this compass. I am all felicity, up to the brims. In a minute am I come from Babylon; I have been this half hour in Famagosta. And. How! in a minute, father? I see travellers must lie. Fort. I have cut through the air like a falcon. I would have it seem strange to you. But 'tis true. I would not have you believe it neither. But 'tis miraculous and true. Desire to see you brought me to Cyprus. I'll leave you more gold, and go to visit more countries Amp. The frosty hand of age now nips your blood, And strews her snowy flowers upon your head, And gives you warning that within few years Death needs must marry you: those short lines, minutes, In peace, not travel; rest in Cyprus then. Could you survey ten worlds, yet you must die; And. Faith, father, what pleasure have you met by walking your stations? Fort. What pleasure, boy? I have revelled with Kings, danced with Queens, dallied with Ladies; worn strange attires; seen Fantasticoes; conversed with Humourists; been ravished with divine raptures of Doric, Lydian and Phrygian harmonies; I have spent the day in triumphs and the night in banqueting. And. O, rare! this was heavenly.-He that would not be an Arabian Phoenix to burn in these sweet fires, let him live like an owl for the world to wonder at. Amp. Why, brother, are not all these Vanities? Fort. Vanities! Ampedo, thy soul is made of lead, too dull, too ponderous, to mount up to the incomprehensible glory that Travel lifts men to. And. Sweeten mine ears, good father, with some more. Fort. When in the warmth of mine own country's arms We yawn'd like sluggards, when this small horizon Imprison'd up my body, then mine eyes Worship'd these clouds as brightest: but, my boys, [Lamb has omitted the Shadow's part in this conversation.] |