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So poor, fo wretched, when no living thing

Would keep thee company, but a spider, or worse?
Rais'd thee from brooms, and duft, and watring pots ?
Sublim'd thee, and exalted thee, and fix'd thee
I' the third region, call'd our state of grace?
Wrought thee to fpirit, to quinteffence, with pains
Would twice have won me the philofopher's work?
Put thee in words and fashion, made thee fit
For more than ordinary fellowships?

Giv'n thee thy oaths, thy quarrelling dimenfions?
Thy rules to cheat at horfe-race, cock-pit, cards,
Dice, or whatever gallant tincture elfe?
Made thee a fecond in mine own great art?
And have I this for thanks? do you rebel?
Do you fly out i' the projection?
Would you be gone now?

Dol. Gentlemen, what mean you?

Will you mar all?

Sub. Slave, thou hadst had no name

Dol. Will you undo your felves with civil war?
Sub. Never been known, paft equi clibanum,

The heat of horse-dung, under ground, in cellars,
Or an ale-house darker than deaf John's; been loft
To all mankind, but laundreffes and tapfters,

Had not I been.

Dol. Do you know who hears you, fovereign?
Fac. Sirrah

Dol. Nay, general, I thought you were civil
Fac. I fhall turn defperate, if you grow thus loud.
Sub. And hang thy felf, I care not.

Fac. Hang thee, collier,

And all thy pots and pans, in picture, I will,

Since thou haft mov'd me

Dol. (O, this 'll o'erthrow all.)

Fac. Write thee up bawd in Paul's, have all thy

[tricks

Of

3

Of coz'ning with a hollow cole, duft, fcrapings,
Searching for things loft, with a fieve and fheers,
Erecting figures in your rows of houses,

And taking in of fhadows with a glass,
Told in red letters; and a face cut for thee,
Worfe than Gamaliel Ratfey's.

Dol. Are you found?

Ha' you your fenfes, mafters?

Fac. I will have

A book, but barely reckoning thy impostures,
Shall prove a true philofophers ftone, to printers.
Sub. Away, you trencher-rafcal.

Fac. Out, you dog-leach,

The vomit of all prifons

Dol. Will you be

Your own deftructions, gentlemen?
Fac. Still fpew'd out

For lying too heavy o' the basket":

3

Have all thy tricks

Sub.

Of cox'ning with a hollow cole.] This alludes to a story in the Chanon's Yeman's tale, as told by Chaucer, v. 1180. This tale is a fatire on the pretenders to alchemy, and the tricks they practised to cheat the ignorant and foolish.

4 And taking in of SHADOWS with a GLASS,

Told in RED LETTERS.] i. c. fays Mr. Upton, letters written in blood; and he thinks it an allufion to a particular manner of divination with a glafs, mentioned by the fcholiaft of Ariftophanes in Nub. v. 750. I rather apprehend it, an allufion to a practice familiar to the fortune-tellers of our author's days: and that these Shadows were vifions taken by a beril, which is a kind of crystal, they had used to look into Certain formulas of prayer were used before they made the infpection; thefe forms they termed a Call; and the perfon making the infpection, was ftyled the Speculator, Seryer, or Seer. As to the expreffion told in red letters, the meaning is, that he would have all thofe tricks juft mentioned printed in red letters, which would be apter to catch the eye of a paffenger than the common print. And it was cuftomary at that time, to print the titles of their ballads, and vulgar tales, in red letters.

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Still Spew'd out

For lying too heavy o' the basket.] i. c. for eating more than his share

of

Sub. Cheater.

Fac. Bawd.

Sub. Cow-herd.
Fac. Conjurer.
Sub. Cut-purse.
Fac. Witch.
Dol. O me!

We are ruin'd! loft! ha' you no more regard
To your reputations? where's your judgment? 'flight,
Have yet fome care of me, o' your republick

Fac. Away, this brach. I'll bring thee, rogue, within The ftatute of forcery, tricefimo tertio

Of Harry the eighth: I, and (perhaps) thy neck Within a noose, for laundring gold, and barbing it.

Dol. You'll bring your head within a cockscomb,

[will you? [She catches out Face's fword, and breaks Subtle's glass. And you, fir, with your menftrue, gather it up. 'Sdeath, you abominable pair of ftinkards, Leave off your barking, and grow one again, Or, by the light that fhines, I'll cut your throats. I'll not be made a prey unto the marshal,

For ne'er a fnarling dog-bolt o'

you both.

Ha' you together cozen'd all this while,

And all the world? and fhall it now be faid,

Yo'have made most courteous fhift to cozen yourselves?
You will accufe him? you will bring him in
Within the ftatute? who fhall take your word?
A whorefon, upftart, apocryphal captain,
Whom not a puritan in Black-friers will truft
So much as for a feather! and

you too

Will give the caufe, forfooth? you will infult,
And claim a primacy in the divifions?

You must be chief? as if you only had

of the provifions collected, or fent in for the prifoners. In the laft edition, these words are a continuation of Dol's fpeech, whereas they evidently belong to Face, to whom I have here restored them.

The

The powder to project with, and the work
Were not begun out of equality?

The venter tripartite? all things in common?
Without priority? 'Sdeath, you perpetual curs,
Fall to your couples again, and cozen kindly,
And heartily, and lovingly, as you should,
And lofe not the beginning of a term,
Or, by this hand, I fhall grow factious too,
And take my part, and quit you.

Fac. 'Tis his fault,

He ever murmurs, and objects his pains,
And fays, the weight of all lies

Sub. Why, fo it does.

Dol. How does it? do not we

Suftain our parts?

upon him.

Sub. Yes, but they are not equal.

Dol. Why, if your part exceed to-day, I hope Ours may to-morrow match it.

Sub. I, they may.

Dol. May, murmuring maftiff! I, and do. Death

Help me to throttle him.

Sub. Dorothee, miftris Dorothee;

[on me!

'Ods precious, I'll do any thing. What do you mean? Dol. Because o' your fermentation and cibation?

Sub. Not I, by heaven

Dol. Your Sol and Luna

help me?.

Or, by this hand, I shall grow FACTIOUS too.] Dr. Grey questions the prefent reading, and thinks fractious, that is, quarrelfome, might have been the original word. I wou'd not deprive the reader of his ingenious conjecture, tho' I have not taken upon me to alter And it feems confirmed by what Dol afterwards fays to

the text.

Subtle;

To leave your faction, fir,

"And labour kindly in the common work."

Dol. Your Sol and Luna

help me.] To rail and abuse him, as Mr. Upton fays the phrafe muft here be understood. Or perhaps, to throttle him; as he now holds him faft by the collar,

1 juft before said fo, and called for affiftance.

Sub.

f

Sub. Would I were hang'd then. I'll conform my self.
Dol. Will you, fir? do fo then, and quickly: fwear.
Sub. What fhall I swear?

Dol. To leave your faction, fir,

And labour kindly in the common work.

Sub. Let me not breathe, if I meant ought befide. I only us'd those speeches as a spur

To him.

Dol. I hope we need no fpurs, fir. Do we?
Fac. 'Slid, prove to-day, who shall shark best.
Sub. Agreed.

Dol. Yes, and work close and friendly.
Sub. 'Slight, the knot

Shall grow the ftronger for this breach, with me.

Dol. Why, fo, my good baboons! Shall we go make A fort of fober, fcurvy, precife neighbours,

(That scarce have fmil'd twice fin' the king came in)
A feaft of laughter at our follies? Rafcals,

Would run themselves from breath, to fee me ride,
Or you t'have but a hole to thrust your heads in,
For which you should pay ear-rent? No, agree.
And may Don Provoft ride a feafting long,
In his old velvet jerkin and ftain'd scarfs,
(My noble fovereign, and worthy general)
Ere we contribute a new crewel garter
To his mcft worsted worship,

Sub. Royal Dol!

Spoken like Claridiana, and thy felf.

Fac. For which at fupper, thou fhalt fit in triumph,

8

Rafcals,

Would run themselves from breath, to fee me RIDE,

Or you t have but a hole to thrust your heads in,

For which you should pay EAR-RENT?] To fee me ride. i. e. to fee me carted as a bawd; and you, as a couple of rogues, to lofe your ears in the pillory.

Mr. UPTON.

And

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