with us, think on; 4 Iro. And take in these, the forlorn couple, As being a business waiting on niy bounty: Thus I do take possession of you, inadam, Needle, and's Thread, whose portion I will My true Magnetick mistress, and my lady My true Magnetick mistress, and my lady.) We have observed before, that our author seldom produced a play, but it created him enemies: whether it was really, as his antagonists gave out, that his satire was levelled at the foibles of some particular person, or whether it proceeded from that envy, which the other play-wrights of those days conceived against one so much their superior in genius and critical abilities. Langbain bas preserved part of a satire wrote against this play, by Alexander Gill, with Jonson's answer. 'Gill was usher to his father in St. Paul's school; he was not void of learning, but of no great regularity in his manners, or his way of living. What was the occasion of their difference does not appear, but our poet treats him roughly enough in the following severe reply: “ Shall the prosperity of a pardon still Pillory, nor whip, nor want of ears, CHORUS changed into an EPILOGUE to the King “ WELL, gentlemen, I now must under seal, A TALE OF A TUB. PERSONS REPRESENTED. John Clay, of Kilborn, tile-maker, the ap pointed bridegroom. IN-AND-IN MEDLAY, of Islington, cooper, and head-borough. Rasi' CLENCH of Hanıstead, farrier and petty constable. To-Pan, tinker, or metal-man of Belsise, thurd-borough. D'og. SCRIBEN, of Chalcot, the great writer. Ball Purpy, the high constable's man. FATHER Rosin, the minstrel, and his two boys. JONE, JOYCE, MADGE, PARNEL, GRISEL, KATE, maids of the bridal. Black Jack, the Lady lub's butler. Two Grooms. in ; cere. Be hither come to Totten, on intelligence, To the young lord o' the manor, 'squire Tripoly, On such an errand as a mistress is. What, 'squire ! I say? Tub I should call him too: [man; Sir Peter Tub was his father, a salt-petre Who left his mother, lady Tub of TottenCourt, here, to revel, and keep open house With the young 'squire her son, and's go vernor Baskets Hilts, both by sword and dagger: Domine, Armiger Tub, 'squire Tripoly, Expergis me; Tub. Chanon, is't you? [At the window. wa' hoh! Hugh! (He comes down in his night-gown. Hugh. He knows my lure is from his love : fair Awdrey, Th' high constable's daughter of Kentish town, here, Mr. Tobias Turfe. Tub. What news of him? Hugh. He has wak'd me An hour before I would, sir ; and my duty To the young worship of Totten-Court, squire Tripoly; Who hath my heart, as I have his : your mistress Is to be made away from you this morning, St. Valentine's day: there are a knot of clowns, The council of Finsbury, so they are ystyl'd, Met at her father's; all the wise oth' hundred ; (stable ; Old Rasi’ Clench of Hamstead, petty conIn-and-In Medlay, cooper of Islington, And headborough ; with loud To-Pan the tinker, Or metal-man of Belsise, the thirdborough: And D’ogenes Scriben, the great writer of Chalcot. Hugh. Sir, to conclude in council, Clay of Kilborn, Tub. And what must he do? Hugh. Cover her, they say; And keep her warm, sir: Mrs. Awdrey Turfe Last night did draw him for her Valentine ; Which chance, it hath so taken her father and mother, [eve Because themselves drew so on Valentine's Was thirty year) as they will have her mar ried To-day by any means; they have sent a messenger [knew, To Kilborn, post, for Clay ; which when I I posted with the like to worshipful Tripols The 'squire of Totten: and my advice :: cross it. Tub. What is't, sir Hugh? Hugh. Where is your governor Hilts : Basket must do it. Tub. Basket shall be callid: Hilts, can you see to rise ? Hil. Cham not blind, sir, Tub. Open your t'other eye, stone At's little a hole as another, through a ml Tub. He will ha' the last word, though be talk bilke for't. Hugh. Bilke, what's that? Tub. Why, nothing, a word signifying Nothing; and borrowed here to expres: 1 thing. Hugh. A fine derice! Tub. Yes, till we hear a finer. What's your device now, chanon Hugh? Hugh. In private, Lend it your ear; I will not trust the with it; [know it Or scarce my shirt; my cassock sha' If I thought it did, I'ld burn it. Tub. That's the way, You ha' thought to get a new one, Huge: is't worth it? Let's hear it first. Hugh. Then hearken, and receive it. This ’tis, sir, do you relish it? [They whispy Tub. If Hilts Be close enough to carry it; there's all. [Hilts enters, and wulks by, making ks self ready. Hilts. It i' no sand ? nor butter-milk? | be, Ich'am no zive, or watring-pot, to draw knots i' your 'casions. If you trust me, zo If not, praform it yourzelves. Cham man's wife, [buttry But resolute Hilts: you'll vind me i't Tub. A testy clown: but a tender clown as wool : And melting as the weather in a thaw: He'll weep you, like all April: but he's roar you, (mellos Like middle March afore: he will be a And tipsie too, as October: and as grave And bound up like a frost (with the set year) In January; as rigid as he is rustic. Hugh. You know his nature, and describe it well; I'll leave him to your fashioning. Tub. Stay, sir Hugh; Take a good angel with you, for your guide: And let this guide you homeward, as th: blessing To our device. I am old rivet still, and bear a brain, Hugh. I thank you, 'squire's worship, The Clench, the Varrier, and true Leach of Most huinbly for the next (for this lam sure Hamstead? of.) [The 'squire goes off. Pan. You are a shrewd antiquity, neighO for a quire of these voices, now, bour Clench! To chime in a man's pocket, and cry chink! And a great guide to all the parishes ! One doth not chirp: it makes no harmony. The very bell-weather of the hundred, here, Grave justice Bramble next must contribute; As I may zay; Mr. Tobias Turfe, His charity must offer at this wedding: High constable, would not miss you, for a I'll bid more to the bason, and the bride-ale; score on us, [us. Although but one can bear away the bride. When he doe 'scourse of the great charty to I smile to think how like a lottery Pup. What's that, a horse can’scourse These weddings are. Clay bath her in pos nought but a horse? sess on ; [kill: I ne'er read ohun, and that in Smith-veld The 'squire he hopes to circumvent the Tile charty : And now if justice Bramble do come off, [ the old Fabians chronicles : nor I think 'Tis two to one but Tub may lose his bot In any new. He may be a giant there, tom. For aught I know. Scri. You should do well to study Records, fellow Ball, both law and poetry. Pup. Why, all's but writing, and reading, is it Scriben ? Cle. Why, 'tis thirty year, e'en as this day An't be any more, it's mere cheating zure, now, [look you; Vlat cheating: all your law and poets too. Pup. I'll zay't avore’hun. SCENE III. Turfe, Clench, Medlay, Scriben, Puppy, Pan. ried. [Valentine? Tur. What's that makes you all so merry I think you are right. But what was that zin and loud, sirs, ba? Did you ever know 'um, goodman Clench? I could ha' heard you to my privy walk. Cle. Zin Valentine, Cle. A contrevarsie'twixt your two learnHe was a deadly zin, and dwelt at Highgate, ed men here : As I have heard; but 'twas avore my time : Annibal Puppy says, that law and poetry He was a cooper too, as you are, Medlay, Are both flat cheating: all's but writing and An In-and-In: A woundy brag young, vel reading, low: [days. He says, be't verse or prose. As the port went o' bun then, and i those Tur. I think in conzience, Scri. Did he not write his name, Sim Va He do zay true : who is't do thwart’un, ha? lentine ? Med. Why, my friend Scriben, an't please Vor I have met no Sin in Finsbury-books; your worship And yet I have writ 'em six or seven times Tur. Who, D'oge? my D’ogenes? a great writer, marry ! Pan. O) you mun look for the nine deadly “ He'll vace me down, me my self some Sims, times, [1 do: ľthe church-books, D’oge; not the high “ That verse goes upon veet, as you and constable's; [lentine, " But I can gi’un the hearing; zit me Nor i’ the counties : zure, that same zin Va down, (clude, He was a stately zin: an' he were a zin, “ And laugh at 'un; and to myself conAnd kept brave house. “ The greatest clerks are not ihe wisest Cle. At the Cock-and-Hen in Highgate. men, [disputing, You ha' 'fresh'd my rememory well in't! “ Ever.” Here they are both! what, sirs, neighbour Pan: And holding arguments of verse and prose? He had a place in last king Harry's time, And no green thing afore the door, that Of sorting all the young couples; joining shews, 'em, Or speaks a wedding And putting 'em together; which is yet Scri. Those were verses now, Praform’d, as on his day-zin Valentine; Your worship spake, and run upon vive veet. As being the zin o' the shire, or the whole Tur. Feet, vrom my mouth, D'oge? county : leave your 'zurd uppinions; Of all days KURSIN'D] i. e. christen'd. ? And true leach of Hamstead.] Leach is an old word, signifying a physician; and it is now applied to those who andertake the cure of cows and horses. So that in some parts of the kingdom, those doctors and farriers are still called cow-leaches, horse-leaches, &c. over. 1 |