* Albumazar is the name of a famous Persian Astrologer, viz. Abu ma shar. Univ Hist. vol. 5. p. 418. Collier's Dict. in voce. S. P.

ALBUMAZAR.*

ACT I. SCENE I.

Enter ALBUMAZAR, HARPAX, RONCA. Albumazar. Come, brave mercurials, sublim'd in cheating;

My dear companions, fellow-soldiers
I' th' watchful exercise of thievery :
Shame not at your so large profession,
No more than I at deep astrology;

For in the days of old, Good morrow thief,
As welcome was receiv'd, as now your worship.

The Spartans held it lawful', and the Arabians 2;

* Albumazar.] This play seems to have been planned on L'Astrologo of Giam Battista della Porta- S. P.

Battista Porta was the famous physiognomist of Naples. His play was printed at Venice, 1606. See Mr. Steevens's note on Timon of Athens, A. 4.S. 3.

The Spartans held it lawful.] The Spartans held stealing lawful, and encouraged it, as a piece of military exercise; but punished it very severely if it was discovered. See Stanyan's Grecian History, vol. 1. p. 80.

Arabians.] Mr. Sale (p. 30. Preliminary Discourse to his translation of THE KORAN, 4to. edit.) says, "The frequent robberies "committed by these people, on merchants and travellers, have "rendered the name of an Arab almost infamous in Europe: this they are sensible of, and endeavour to excuse themselves, by alledging the hard usage of their father Ismael, who, being turned "out of doors by Abraham, had the open plains and desarts given "him by God for his patrimony, with permission to take whatever "he could find there: and, on this account, they think they may, "with a safe conscience, indemnify themselves as well as they can, not only on the posterity of Isaac, but also on every body else; always supposing a sort of kindred between themselves and "those they plunder. And in relating their adventures of this kind, they think it sufficient to change the expression, and, instead of

་

So grew Arabia fœlix, Sparta valiant.

Ronca. Read on this lecture, wise Albumazar. Albumazar. Your patron, Mercury, in his mysterious character,

Holds all the marks of the other wanderers,*

And, with his subtle influence, works in all,
Filling their stories full of robberies.

Most trades and callings much participate

Of yours; though smoothly gilt with th' honest title
Of merchant, lawyer, or such like: the learned
Only excepted, and he's therefore poor.

Harpax. And yet he steals; one author from another. This poet is that poet's plagiary,

And he a third's, till they end all in Homer.

Albumazar. And Homer filch'd all from an Egyptian priestess,t

The world's a theatre of theft.

Great rivers s

We

"I robbed a man of such or such a thing, to say, I gained it. "must not, however, imagine, that they are the less honest for "this among themselves, or towards those whom they receive as friends; on the contrary, the strictest probity is observed in their camp, where every thing is open, and nothing ever known to be "stolen."

* The wanderers are the planets, called by the Greeks Planeta, from their moving or wandering, and by the Latins, from the same notion, Stellæ errantes; as on the contrary the fixed stars are termed by them Stella inerrantes.-The character appropriated by Astronomers and Astrologers to the planet Mercury, is this ☀, which may be imagined to contain in it something of the characters of all the other planets hf. The history of the Heathen deities, whose names were assigned to the several planets, is full of tricks and robberies, to say no worse, as is remarked by the apologetical fathers, who are perpetually inveighing against them on that account; and to this mythological history the poet here alludes. S. P.

+ Phantasia of Memphis, as Ptolemeus Hephestion tells us, in Photius, Cod. 190. See Fabricius Biblioth, gr. 1. p. 152. This comes excellently well out of the mouth of such a consummate villain as Albumazar. S. P.

See also Blackwell's Enquiry into the Life and Writings of Homer, 1736, p. 135.

3 Great rivers, &c.] So Shakspeare, in Timon of Athens, A. 4. S. 3. I'll example you with thievery.

"The sun's a thief, and, with his great attraction,
"Robs the vast sea: the moon's an arrant thief,

Rob smaller brooks, and them the ocean.
And in this world of ours, this microcosm,
Guts from the stomach steal, and what they spare,
The meseraicks filch, and lay't i' the liver:
Where, lest it should be found, turn'd to red nectar,
'Tis by a thousand thievish veins convey'd,

And hid in flesh, nerves, bones, muscles, and sinews,
In tendons, skin, and hair; so that, the property
Thus alter'd, the theft can never be discover'd.
Now all these pilf'ries, couch'd and compos'd in order,
Frame thee and me. Man's a quick mass of thievery.
Ronca. Most philosophical Albumazar!

Harpax. I thought these parts had lent and bor-
rowed mutual.

Albumazar. Say they do so: 'tis done with full in-
tention

Ne'er to restore, and that's flat robbery.
Therefore go on, follow your virtuous laws,
Your cardinal virtue, great necessity;
Wait on her close, with all occasions.
Be watchful, have as many eyes as Heaven,
And ears as harvest: be resolv'd and impudent :
Believe none, trust none; for in this city
(As in a fought field, crows and carcases)
No dwellers are but cheaters and cheatees.

4

Ronca. If all the houses in the town were prisons, The chambers cages, all the settles * stocks, The broad-gates gallowses, and the whole people Justices, juries, constables, keepers, and hangmen, I'd practise, spite of all; and leave behind me

4

"And her pale fire she snatches from the sun;
"The sea's a thief, whose liquid surge resolves
"The moon into salt tears; the earth's a thief,
"That feeds and breeds, by a composture stolen
"From general excrement: each thing's a thief;
"The laws, your curb and whip, in their rough power
"Have uncheck'd theft."

See also the 19th ode of Anacreon.

all the settles stocks.] A settle is a wooden bench with a back to it, and capable of holding several people. These kind of seats are only to be found in ancient halls, or the common drinking-rooms in the country. S.

A fruitful seminary of our profession,
And call them by thy name Albumazarians.*
Harpax. And I no less, were all the city thieves
As cunning as thyself.

Albumazar. Why, bravely spoken,

Fitting such generous spirits: I'll make way
To your great virtue with a deep resemblance
Of high astrology. Harpax and Ronca,
List to our profit: I have new lodg'd a prey
Hard by, that taken is so fat and rich,

"Twill make us leave off trading, and fall to purchase. Harpax. Who is't? speak quickly.

Ronca. Where, good Albumazar ?

Albumazar. 'Tis a rich gentleman, as old as foolish ; The poor remnant of whose brain, that age had left him, The doting love of a young girl hath dried:

And, which concerns us most, he gives firm credit
To necromancy and astrology,

Enter FURBO.

Sending to me, as one that promise both.

Pandolfo is the man.

Harpax. What, old Pandolfo?

Albumazar. The same: but stay, yon's Furbo, whose

smoothest+ brow

Shines with good news, and's visage promises

Triumphs and trophies to's.

[Furbo plays.

Ronca. My life h'as learnt out all, I know't by's music.

Then FURBO sings this song.

Bear up thy learned brow, Albumazar ;
Live long, of all the world admir'd,
For art profound, and skill retir'd,

• The quarto of 1615 reads the line thus :--

"And call them by the name of Albumazarians."

The change may be an improvement, but it ought not to have been made without notice. C.

+ We should certainly read smooth. The versification of this play in general is regular, and without hemistiches, were the measure properly attended to. I would read in the next speech, On my life

He has learnt out all;

I know it by his music. S.