THE LITTLE FRENCH LAWYER.

Gardiner, Lovelace, and Hills, in their Commendatory Verses, ascribe this Comedy to Fletcher; but more credible witnesses, the Prologue and Epilogue, mention it as a joint production. Its first publication was in the folio of 1647. The greatest applause was always bestowed on this play, and it used to be frequently performed, till modern refinement banished it from the Theatres. In 1749, some of the scenes were selected for a farce, and acted under the title of this Comedy.

DINANT, a Gentleman that formerly loved, | SAMPSON, a foolish Advocate, Kinsman to Ver

and still pretends to love Lamira.

CLEREMONT, a merry Gentleman, his Friend.

CHAMPERNEL, a lame old Gentleman, Hus

band to Lamira.

PROVOST.
GENTLEMEN,

CLIENTS.

SERVANTS.

[taign.

LAMIRA, Wife to Champernel, and Daughter

to Vertaign.

NURSE to Lumira.

CHARLOTTE, Waiting-gentlewoman to La

No more on't, burn it, give it to some orator.] Patron, here, has its Latin meaning, i. e. a pleader, or advocate; but the word speech, declamation, harangue, or something to that effect, must be understood, to make the following line sense; and it is highly probable that a whole line is lost, which might have been something like the following:

Are you become a patron too? How long

Have you been conning this speech? 'Tis a new one;
No more on't, &c.

Seward.

Are you become a patron too? 'Tis a new one.] We suspect patron to be a corruption of pattern, a word which would give good sense to the passage, and comes very near that admitted into the text.

2 Words are but words.] After Cleremont has said this, which seems to assert that he would not mind being called a coward, nor make that a cause of fighting, Dinant goes on as if he had said directly the contrary; and perhaps a line may here be lost again to the following import;

Words are but words, but coward is a name

With this addition the whole context seems consonant to itself.

3 Stammel breeches.fi. e. Red breeches. Mr. Sympson has given an explanation of the word from Ben Jonson, more clear than what we have in dictionaries. Octavo edition, page 289.

• Red-hood the first that does appear

In stammel; scarlet is too dear."'

It is highly probable that red breeches were in our Authors' time wore only by smarts, and were esteemed coxcomical. In that age of duelling, therefore, a sneer upon this topic might have produced bloodshed,

[sick, Your slave-like services; your morning muYour walking three hours in the rain at midnight

[at,

To see her at her window, sometimes laugh'd
Sometimes admitted, and vouchsaf'd to kiss
Her glove, her skirt, nay, I have heard, her
slippers;
[sooth.

How then you triumph'd! Here was love for-
Din. These follies I deny not; [me:
Such a contemptible thing my dotage inade
But my reward for this--

Cler. As you deserv'd ;

For he that makes a goddess of a puppet,
Merits no other recompense.

Din. This day, friend,

For thou art so

Cler. I am no flatterer.

[to

Din. This proud ingrateful she is married
Lame Champeruel.

Cler. I know him; he has been
Astall a seaman, and has thriv'd as well by't,
(The loss of a leg and an arm deducted) as any
That ever put from Marseilles. You are tame;
Plague on't, it mads me! If it were my case,
I should kill all the family.

Din. Yet, but now
You did preach patience.

Cler. I then came from confession;
And 'twas enjoin'd me three hours, for a pe-

Enter Vertaign, Champernel, Lamira, Nurse,
Beaupre, and Verdone.

AN EPITHALAMION SONG AT THE WEDDING.

Come away; bring on the bride,
And place her by her lover's side.
You fair troop of maids attend her,
Pure and holy thoughts befriend her.
Blush, and wish, you virgins all,
Many such fair nights may fall.
Chorus. Ilymen, fill the house with joy,
All thy sacred fires employ:
Bless the bed with holy love,
Now, fair orb of beauty, move.
Din. Stand by, for I'll be heard.
Vert. This is strange rudeness!
Din. 'Tis courtship, balanced with injuries!
You all look pale with guilt, but I will dye
Your cheeks with blushes, if in sear'd
your

tune;
You that are rich, and, but in this, held wise
That as a father should have look'd upon
Your daughter in a husband, and aim'd more
At what her youth and heat of blood requir'd
In lawful pleasures, than the parting from
Your crowns to pay her dower; you that al-
ready

Mr. Steevens hath collected the following examples of the use of this word, in a note at the latter end of the second act of The Tempest.

"In Fletcher's Woman-Hater:

"Humble herself in an old stamel petticoat."

So, in Middleton's Masque of The World Toss'd at Tennis:
"They wear stummel cloaks instead of scarlet."

So, in The Return from Parnassus, 1606,

"Some stamel weaver, or some butcher's son."

Again, in The Turk turn'd Christian, 1612,

"That fellow in the stummel hose is one of them."

And Mr. Tollet observes, that stammel colour is a light-red colour. The light-pale stammel is mentioned in Ph. Holland's Translation of Pliny's Nat. Hist. and is also there styled the light-red and fresh lusty gallant, p. 260 and 261. See also Stammel in Ainsworth's • Dictionary.'

R.

Caroch'd.] This word is derived from the French carosse, a coach. In The Custom of the Country, Hypolita says, "Make ready my caroch."

tell you,

That this harsh language was deliver'd to
An old man, but my father.

Din. At your pleasure.

Cler. Proceed in your design; let me alone To answer him, or any man.

Verdone. You presume

Too much upon your name, but may be cozen'd.

Din. But for you, most unmindful of my
service,

(For now I may upbraid you, and with honour,
Since all is lost; and yet I am a gainer,
In being deliver'd from a torment in you,
For such you must have been) you, to whom

nature

Gave with a liberal hand most excellent form;
Your education, language, and discourse,
And judgment to distinguish; when you shall
With feeling sorrow understand how wretched
And miserable you have made yourself,
And but yourself have nothing to accuse,
Can you with hope from any beg compassion?
But you will say, you serv'd your father's plea-

sure,

Forgetting that unjust commands of parents
Are not to be obey'd; or, that you're rich,
And that to wealth all pleasures else are ser-
[chas'd,

vants:

Yet, but consider how this wealth was pur"Twill trouble the possession.

Champ. You, sir, know

I got it, and with honour.

Din. But from whom?

Remember that, and how! You'll come indeed
To houses bravely furnish'd, but demanding
Where it was bought, this soldier will not lie,
But answer truly, "This rich cloth of arras
"I made my prize in such a ship; this plate

Was my share in another; these fair jewels, 'Coming ashore, I got in such a village, "The maid, or matron kill'd, from whom they were ravish'd.'

The wines you drink are guilty too; for this, This Candy wine, three merchants were undone;

These suckets break as many more: In brief,
All you shall wear, or touch, or see, is pur-
chas'd

By lawless force, and you but revel in [ers.
The tears and groans of such as were the own-
Champ. 'Tis false, most basely false!
Vert. Let losers talk.

Din. Lastly, those joys, those best of joys,
which Hymen

Freely bestows on such that come to tie
The sacred knot he blesses, won unto it
By equal love, and mutual affection,
Not blindly led with the desire of riches,
Most miserable you shall never taste of!
This marriage-night you'll meet a widow's bed,
Or, failing of those pleasures all brides look for,
Sin in your wish it were so !

Champ. Thou'rt a villain,

A base, malicious slanderer!
Cler. Strike him.

Din. No, he's not worth a blow.
Champ. Oh, that I had thee

[room

In some close vault, that only would yield
To me to use my sword, to thee no hope
To run away, I'd make thee on thy knees
Bite out the tongue that wrong'd me!

Vert. Pray you have patience.

Lam. This day I am to be your sovereign; Let me command you.

Champ. I am lost with rage,

And know not what I am myself, nor you.
Away! dare such as you, that love the smoke
Of peace, more than the fire of glorious war,
And, like unprofitable drones, feed on
Your grandsires' labours, (that, as I am now,
Were gathering-bees, and fill'd their hive,
this country,
[actions?

With brave triumphant spoils) censure our
You object my prizes to me! Had you seen
The horror of a sea-fight, with what danger
I made them mine; the fire I fearless fought
in,
[straight

And quench'd it in mine enemies' blood, which
Like oil pour'd out on't, made it burn anew;
My deck blown up, with noise enough to mock
The loudest thunder, and the desperate fools
That boarded me, sent, to defy the tempests
That were against me, to the angry sea,
Frighted with men thrown o'er; no victory,
But in despite of the four elements,
The fire, the air, the sea, and sands hid in it,
To be achiev'd; you would confess, poor men,
(Tho' hopeless such an honourable way
Seward.

5 Suckets.] i. e. Banqueting dishes. 6 Like oil pour'd out on't, made it burn anew.] I would choose to read, "like oil pour'd on it;" but I believe the old reading may give the same idea. The metaphor is a little difficult here; the blood both quenches and makes the fire burn anew; but quenches, here, must only signify to abute the fire for a moment, and then the whole is clear, Seward.