Breath'd by Etefian winds: The briskeft nectar Shall be his drink; and all th' ambrofian cates Art can devise for wanton appetite, Furnish his banquet: As his fenfes tire, Vary the object: Let delight be link'd So in a circled chain, no end may fee; Pleasure is only my eternity.
Thy life hath hitherto been, my dear husband But a difeafe to thee; thou haft indeed
Mov'd on the earth, like other creeping worms Who take delight in worldly furfeits, heat Their blood with lufts, their limbs with proud attires; Fed on their change of fins; that do not use Their pleasure, but enjoy them; enjoy them fully, In ftreams that are moft fenfual, and perfevere To live fo till they die, and to die never.
Henry Shirley's Martyr'd Soldier. There, in her den, lay pompous luxury,
Stretch'd out at length; no vice could boast such high And gen'ral victories as fhe had won :
Of which, proud trophies there at large were fhewn. Befides small states and kingdoms ruined,
Thofe mighty monarchys, that had o'erfpread The fpacious earth, and stretch'd their conq'ring arms From pole to pole, by her enfnaring charms Were quite confum'd: There lay imperial Rome, That vanquish'd all the world, by her o'ercome: Fetter'd was th' old Affyrian lion there; The Gracian leopard, and the Perfian bear; With others numberlefs, lamenting by : Examples of the power of luxury.
It is a fhame, that man, that has the feeds Of virtue in him, fpringing unto glory, Should make his foul degenerous with fin, And flave to luxury; to drown his fpirits In lees of floth; to yield up the weak day
To wine, to luft, and banquets.
I would have you proceed, and feek for fame In brave exploits; like thofe, that fnatch their honour Out of the talons of the Roman eagle,
And pull her golden feathers in the field:
Thofe are brave men; not you, that stay at home, And dress yourself up, like a pageant, With thousand antick and exotick shapes; That make an idol of a looking-glafs, Sprucing yourselves two hours by it, with fuch Geftures, and postures, that a waiting wench Would be afham'd of you; and then come forth T' adorn your miftrefs fan, or tell your dream ; Ravish a kiss from her white glove, and then Compare it with her hand; to praise her gown, Her tire, and discourse of the fashion;
Make discov'ry, which lady paints, which not; Which lord plays beft at gleek, which beft at Racket: 'These are fine elements!
Marmyon's Holland's Leaguer. Tilting the day, mafquing the night chas'd thence; Perfumes did raise fweet mifts in ev'ry room, To keep the air in awe of the nice sense:
Attalick garments cloath'd each fwagg'ring groom; Rich Tyrian arras ev'ry wall hung round, With medals in old Gaul or Carthage found.
Scorning there ord'nary Corinthian plate, Men quaft in ftone, at dearer prices fold, At Iv'ry tables, or wood of high'r rate;
They eat on quilted beds of filk and gold : Their wanton taftes had only in requeft, Newest and rareft things, though not the best. The feather'd river Phafis, could not yield
Them fowl enough; nor Oysters Lucrine lake They fpring each thicket, fowl each bufh and field, All feas they draw, all ponds in nets they take : Circe's too nature's larder do they feek,
To please the witty glutton of a week.
Lachryma chrifti flow'd down, and the blood Of Tufcan grapes fwell'd high each jovial mind: Had nature lost her fpecies; air her brood;
Water her fpawn; here might they feek, and find. Apicus, a Carthufian was to thefe,
And fop's platter a poor fcholar's mess.
War destroys men, but luxury mankind At once corrupts; the body and the mind.
I could not mifs my way. Will poor folks lie, That have afflictions on them, knowing 'tis
A punishment, or trial? yes, no wonder,
When rich ones fcarce tell true. To lapfe in fullness Is forer, than to lie for need; and falfhood
Is worfe in kings, than beggars:
Shakespear's Cymbeline. He will lie like a lapwing; when the flies Far from her fought neft; ftill, here 'tis, the cries. Chapman's Revenge of Buffey D'ambois.
Lies hide our fins like nets; like perspectives, They draw offences nearer, ftill and greater.
Beaumont and Fletcher's Lover's Progrefs. Take heed of lies: truth, though it trouble fome minds, Some wicked minds, that are both dark and dangerous, Yet it preferves itself; comes off pure, and innocent: And like the fun, though never fo eclips'd,
Beaumont and Fletcher's Sea Voyage.
That ord'nary commotioner the lie
Is father of moft quarrels in this climate.
Middleton and Rowley's Fair Quarrel.
Dare to be true; nothing can need a lie : A fault which needs it moft, grows two thereby.
When Mendacio hath invention on the One hand, and remembrance on the other, As he'll be fure never to be found with Truth in his mouth; fo he scorns to be Taken in a lie.
1. In the city I'm honour'd like a god; None fo well acquainted with your tradesmen: Your lawyers, all the term time hire me of My lady your gallants, if they hear my
Name abus'd, they ftab for my fake: your trav'❜llers So dote upon me as they pass- -O! they have good Reafon; for I have carry'd them to many
A good meal under the countenance of My familiarity nay, your statesmen have Oftentimes clofely convey'd me under
Their tongues, to make their policies more current : As for old men, they challenge my company By authority. When I am difpos'd, I can Philosophy it in the university,
With the fubtileft of them all.
2. I cannot be perfuaded that thou art Acquainted with scholars, ever fince thou wert Prefs'd to death in a printing-house.
1. No, I was the first founder of the three Sects of philofophy, except one of the Peripateticks, who acknowledge Aristotle I confess their great grandfather.
2. Thou boy! how is this poffible? thou art But a child, and there were sects of Philosophy before thou wert born.
1. Appetitus, thou mistak'ft me; I tell thee Three thousand years ago was Mendacio Born in Greece, nurft in Creet, and ever fince Honour'd ev'ry where: I'll be fworn I held Old Homer's pen, when he writ his Iliads, And his Odyfes.
2. Thou hadst need, for I hear fay he was blind.
1. I help'd Herodotus to pen fome part of His Mufes; lent Pliny ink to write his Hift'ry; rounded Rabalais in the ear When he hiftorify'd Pantagruel : As for Lucian, I was his genius; O thofe Those two books De verâ hiftoriâ, Howfoever they go under his name, I'll be fworn I writ them ev'ry tittle! 2. Sure as I am hungry, thou'lt have it for Lying. But haft thou rufted this latter Time for want of exercise ?
1. Nothing lefs; I muft confefs, I would fain have Jogg'd Stow and great Hollingshed on their Elbows, when they were about their Chronicles; And as I remember, Sir John Mandevil's Travels, and a great many of the decads Were of my doing: But for the mirrour Of knighthood, Bevis of Southampton, Palmerin of England, Amadis of Gaul, Huen De Burdeaux, Sir Guy of Warwick, Martin Marprellate, Robinhood, Garragantua, Gerillion, and a thousand fuch exquifite Monuments as thefe, no doubt but they breath On my breath up and down.
2. Downwards Ifwear, for there's ftinking lies in them. 1. But why fhould I light a candle to the Bright funfhine of my glorious renown; The whole world is full of Mendacio's fame!
Man is a foolish pamphlet, full of lies; Lies are his hopes, and lies are all his joys: Some promife him to come, and some to stay ; Those never come, and thefe fly faft away. Crown's Second Part of the Deftruction of Jerufalem.
« AnteriorContinuar » |