Were by a gracious influence transhap'd
Into the olive, pomegranate, mulberry,
Became flowers, precious stones, or eminent stars.
Upon a time Reputation, Love, and Death,
Would travel o'er the world; and it was concluded
That they should part, and take three several ways.
Death told them, they should find him in great
battles,
Or cities plagu'd with plagues: Love gives them
To inquire for him 'mongst unambitious shepherds, Where dowries were not talk'd of, and sometimes 'Mongst quiet kindred that had nothing left By their dead parents: "Stay," quoth Reputation, "Do not forsake me: for it is my nature,
If once I part from any man I meet,
I am never found again."
A salmon, as she swam unto the sea,
Met with a dog-fish, who encounters her
With this rough language: "Why art thou so
To mix thyself with our high state of floods,
Being no eminent courtier, but one
That for the calmest and fresh time o' the
Dost live in shallow rivers, rank'st thyself
With silly smelts and shrimps?—and darest thou
Pass by our dog-ship without reverence?
"Oh," quoth the salmon, "sister, be at peace:
Thank Jupiter we both have pass'd the net!
Our value never can be truly known,
Till in the fisher's basket we be shown:
I' the market then my price may be the higher,
Even when I am nearest to the cook and fire.'
So to great men the moral may be stretch'd; Men oft are valu'd high, when they 're most wretch'd.
THE DEVIL'S LAW CASE; OR, WHEN WOMEN GO TO LAW, THE DEVIL IS FULL OF BUSINESS. A TRAGICOMEDY:
CONTARIO challenges ERCOLE to fight with him for the possession of
JOLENTA, whom they both love.
Con. Sir, my love to you has proclaim'd you one
Whose word was still led by a noble thought,
And that thought follow'd by as fair a deed.
Deceive not that opinion: we were students
At Padua together, and have long
To the world's eye shown like friends was it hearty on your part to me?
Erc. Unfeign'd.
Con. You are false
To the good thought I held of you, and now
Join the worst part of man to you, your malice,
To uphold that falsehood: sacred innocence
Is fled your bosom. Signior, I must tell you,
To draw the picture of unkindness truly,
Is to express two that have dearly lov'd,
And fallen at variance. 'Tis a wonder to me,
Knowing my interest in the fair Jolenta,
That you should love her.
Erc. Compare her beauty and my youth together,
And you will find the fair effects of love
No miracle at all.
Con. Yes, it will prove
Prodigious to you: I must stay your voyage. Erc. Your warrant must be mighty.
From heaven to do it, since you would ravish from
What's there entitled mine and yet I vow,
By the essential front of spotless virtue,
I have compassion of both your youths;
To approve which, I have not ta'en the way
Like an Italian, to cut your throat
By practice, that had given you now for dead,
And never frown'd upon you.
You must fight with me.
Erc. I will, sir.
Con. And instantly.
Erc. I will haste before you: point whither.
Con. Why, you speak nobly; and for this fair dealing, Were the rich jewel which we vary
A thing to be divided, by my life,
I would be well content to give you half:
But since 'tis vain to think we can be friends, "Tis needful one of us be ta'en away
From being the other's enemy.
Erc. Yet, methinks,
This looks not like a quarrel.
Con. Not a quarrel !
Erc. You have not apparelled your fury well;
It goes too plain, like a scholar.
Con. It is an ornament
Makes it more terrible, and you shall find it
A weighty injury, and attended on
By discreet valour: because I do not strike
Or give you the lie, (such foul preparatives
Would show like the stale injury of wine,)
I reserve my rage to sit on my sword's point,
Which a great quantity of your best blood
Cannot satisfy.
Erc. You promise well to yourself.
Shall 's have no seconds?
Con. None, for fear of prevention.
Erc. The length of our weapons?
Con. We'll fit them by the way:
So whether our time calls us to live or die,
Let us do both like noble gentlemen
And true Italians.
Erc. For that let me embrace you.
Con. Methinks, being an Italian, I trust you
To come somewhat too near me :
But your jealousy gave that embrace to try
If I were arm'd-did it not?
Erc. No, believe me,
I take your heart to be sufficient proof,
Without a privy coat; and, for my part,
A taffeta is all the shirt of mail
I am arm'd with.
Con. You deal equally.1
Sitting for a Picture.
Must you have my picture?
You will enjoin me to a strange punishment.
With what a compell'd face a woman sits
While she is drawing! I have noted divers,
Either to feign smiles, or suck in the lips
To have a little mouth; ruffle the cheeks
To have the dimple seen; and so disorder
The face with affectation, at next sitting
It has not been the same: I have known others
Have lost the entire fashion of their face
In half an hour's sitting-in hot weather-
The painting on their face has been so mellow,
They have left the poor man harder work by half,
To mend the copy he wrought by. But, indeed,
1 I have selected this scene as the model of a well-managed and gentlemanlike difference.
If ever I would have mine drawn to the life,
I would have a painter steal it at such a time
I were devoutly kneeling at my prayers:
There is then a heavenly beauty in 't, the soul
Moves in the superficies.
O, my lord, lie not idle :
The chiefest action for a man of great spirit
Is, never to be out of action. We should think
The soul was never put into the body,
Which has so many rare and curious pieces
Of mathematical motion, to stand still.
Virtue is ever sowing of her seeds;
In the trenches for the soldier; in the wakeful study
For the scholar; in the furrows of the sea
For men of our profession; of all which
Arise and spring up honour.
Selling of Land.
I could wish
That noblemen would ever live i' the country,
Rather than make their visits up to the city
About such business. Noble houses
Have no such goodly prospects any way
As into their own land: the decay of that,
Next to their begging church-land, is a ruin
Worth all men's pity.
Dirge in a Funeral Pageant.
All the flowers of the spring
Meet to perfume our burying :
These have but their growing prime;
And man does flourish but his time:
Survey our progress from our birth ;
We are set, we grow, we turn to earth.
Courts adieu, and all delights,
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