(New Speaker.) To the second cause. Perigot's.

Laf.

Nov. Nay, take me along too;

And, since that our complaints differ not much,
Dispatch us both together. I accuse
This devilish doctor.

Peri. I, this wicked lord.

Nov. 'Tis known I was an able, lusty man,
Fit to get soldiers to serve my king
And country in the wars; and howsoever
"Tis said I am not valiant of myself,

I was a striker, one that could strike home too;
And never did beget a girl, though drunk.

To make this good, I could produce brave boys,
That others father, twigs of mine own grafting,
That loved a drum at four, and ere full ten,
Fought battles for the parish they were born in ;
Aud such by-blows, old stories say, still proved
Fortunate captains: now, whereas, in justice,
I should have had a pension from the state
For my good service, this ingrateful doctor,
Having no child, and never like to have one,
Because, in pity of his barrenness,

I plotted how to help him to an heir,
Has, with a drench, so far disabled me,

That the great Turk may trust me with his virgins,
And never use a surgeon. Now consider,
If this be not hard measure, and a wrong to
Little Dan Cupid, if he be the god
Of coupling, as 'tis said; and will undo,
If you give way to this, all younger brothers
That carry their revenue in their breeches.-
Have I not nick'd it, tutor?

Peri. To a hair, boy:

[Aside to PERI.

Our bills shall pass, ne'er fear it. [Aside.]-For It is the same, sir; my intent as noble [my case, As was my pupil's.

Cham. Plead it not again, then :

It takes much from the dignity of the court
But to give audience to such things as these,
That do, in their defence, condemn themselves,
And need not an accuser. To be short, sir,
And in a language as far from obsceneness,
As the foul cause will give me leave, be pleased
To know thus much: This hungry pair of flesh-flies,
And most inseparable pair of coxcombs,
Though born of divers mothers, twins in baseness,
Were frequent at my table, had free welcome
And entertainment fit for better men;

In the return of which, this thankful monsieur
Tempted my wife, seduced her, at the least
To him it did appear so; which discover'd,
And with what treacheries he did abuse
My bounties, treading underneath his feet
All due respect of hospitable rights,

Or the honour of my family; though the intent
Deserved a stab, and at the holy altar,

I borrow'd so much of your power to right me,
As to make him caper.

Din. For this gallant, sir,

I do confess I cool'd him, spoil'd his rambling; Would all such as delight in it, were served so! And since you are acquainted with the motives That did induce me to it, I forbear

A needless repetition.

Cham. 'Tis not worth it.

The criminal judge is fitter to take

Of pleas of this base nature. Be An injured lady, for whose wrong I see the statue of the god of love

Drop down tears of compassion, his sad mother,
And fair-cheek'd Graces, that attend on her,
Weeping for company, as if that all

The ornaments upon the Paphian shrine
Were, with one gripe, by sacrilegious hands,
Torn from the holy altar: 'tis a cause, sir,
That justly may exact your best attention;
Which if you truly understand and censure,
You not alone shall right the present times,
But bind posterity to be your debtor.
Stand forth, dear madam :-

[BELLISANT comes forward.
Look upon this face,

Examine every feature and proportion,

And you with me must grant, this rare piece finish'd,
Nature, despairing e'er to make the like,

Brake suddenly the mould in which 'twas fashion'd.
Yet, to increase your pity, and call on
Your justice with severity, this fair outside
Was but the cover of a fairer mind.

Think, then, what punishment he must deserve,
And justly suffer, that could arm his heart
With such impenetrable flinty hardness,
To injure so much sweetness.

Clarin. I must stand

The fury of this tempest, which already
Sings in my ears.

Bell. Great sir, the too much praise
This lord, my guardian once, has shower'd upon me,
Could not but spring up blushes in my cheeks,
If grief had left me blood enough to speak
My humble modesty and so far I am
From being litigious, that though I were robb'd
Of my whole estate, provided my fair name
Had been unwounded, I had now been silent,
But since the wrongs I undergo, if smother'd,
Would injure our whole sex, I must lay by
My native bashfulness, and put on boldness,
Fit to encounter with the impudence

Of this bad man, that from his birth hath been
So far from nourishing an honest thought,
That the abuse of virgins was his study,
And daily practice. His forsaking of
His wife, distressed Beaupré; his lewd wager
With these, companions like himself, to abuse me;
His desperate resolution, in my presence,
To be his own assassin; to prevent which,
Foolish compassion forced me to surrender
The life of life, my honour, I pass over:
I'll only touch his foul ingratitude,

To scourge which monster, if your laws provide not
A punishment with rigour, they are useless.
Or if the sword, the gallows, or the wheel,
Be due to such as spoil us of our goods;
Perillus' brazen bull, the English rack,
The German pincers, or the Scotch oil'd-boots,
Though join'd together, yet come short of torture,
To their full merit, those accursed wretches,
That steal our reputations, and good names,
As this base villain has done mine :-Forgive me,
If rage provoke me to uncivil language;
The cause requires it. Was it not enough
That, to preserve thy life, I lost my honour,
in recompense of such a gift

publish it, to my disgrace?

whose means, unfortunate I, Whom, but of late, the city, nay, all France,

Durst bring in opposition for chaste life, With any woman in the Christian world, Am now become a by-word, and a scorn,

In mine own country.

Char. As I live, she moves me.

Is this true, Clarindore?

Nov. Oh! 'tis very true, sir ;

He bragg'd of it to me.

Peri. And me.

Nay, since we must be censured, we'll give evi

dence ;

'Tis comfort to have fellows in affliction :

You shall not 'scape, fine monsieur.

Clarin. Peace, you dog-bolts !—
Sir, I address myself to you, and hope
You have preserved one ear for my defence,
The other freely given to my accuser:
This lady, that complains of injury,
If she have any, was herself the cause

That brought it to her; for being young, and rich,
And fair too, as you see, and from that proud,
She boasted of her strength, as if it were not
In the power of love to undermine the fort
On which her chastity was strongly raised:
I, that was bred a courtier, and served
Almost my whole life under Cupid's ensigns,
Could not, in justice, but interpret this
As an affront to the great god of love,
And all his followers, if she were not brought
To due obedience: these strong reasons, sir,
Made me to undertake her. How I woo'd,
Or what I swore, it skills not; (since 'tis said,
And truly, Jupiter and Venus smile

At lovers' perjuries ;) to be brief, she yielded,
And I enjoy'd her: if this be a crime,
And all such as offend this pleasant way

Are to be punish'd, I am sure you would have
Few followers in the court: you are young your-
self, sir,

And what would you in such a cause?

Laf. Forbear.

Phil. You are rude and insolent.
Clarin. Good words, gentle judges.

I have no oil'd tongue; and I hope my bluntness

Will not offend.

Char. But did you boast your conquest Got on this lady?

Clarin. After victory;

A little glory in a soldier's mouth

Is not uncomely; love being a kind of war too :
And what I did achieve, was full of labour

As his that wins strong towns, and merits triumphs.
I thought it could not but take from my honour,
(Besides the wager of three thousand crowns
Made sure by her confession of my service,)
If it had been conceal'd.

Char. Who would have thought

That such an impudence could e'er have harbour
In the heart of any gentleman? In this,
Thou dost degrade thyself of all the honours
Thy ancestors left thee, and, in thy base nature,
'Tis too apparent that thou art a peasant.
Boast of a lady's favours! this confirms
Thou art the captain of that

That glory in their sins, and

With name of courtship; such as dare bely

Great women's bounties, and repuls'd and scorn'd,
Commit adultery with their good names,
And never touch their persons. I am sorry,
For your sake, madam, that I cannot make

Such reparation for you in your honour
As I desire; for, if I should compel him
To marry you, it were to him a blessing,
To you a punishment; he being so unworthy:
I therefore do resign my place to you;

Be your own judge; whate'er you shall determine,
By my crown, I'll see perform'd.
Clarin. I am in a fine case,

To stand at a woman's mercy.

Bell. Then thus, sir:

I am not bloody, nor bent to revenge ;

And study his amendment, not his ruin:

[Ande

Yet, since you have given up your power to me,
For punishment, I do enjoin him to
Marry this Moor.

Clarin. A devil! hang me rather.
Char. It is not to be alter'd.

Clarin. This is cruelty

Beyond expression,

I have a wife.

Cham. Ay, too good for thee. View her well, And then, this varnish from her face wash'd off, Thou shalt find Beaupré.

Clarin. Beaupré !

Bell. Yes, his wife, sir,

But long by him with violence cast off:
And in this shape she served me; all my studies
Aiming to make a fair atonement for her,
To which your majesty may now constrain him.
Clarin. It needs not: I receive her, and ask
Of her and you.
[pardon

Bell. On both our parts 'tis granted.
This was your bedfellow, and fill'd your arms,
When you thought you embraced me: I am yet
A virgin; nor had ever given consent,

In my chaste house, to such a wanton passage, But that I knew that her desires were lawful.But now no more of personated passion :

This is the man I loved, [pointing to the bier.] that
I loved truly,

However I dissembled; and, with him,
Dies all affection in me.

Resume your seat.

So, great sir,

Char. An unexpected issue.

Which I rejoice in. Would 'twere in our power

To give a period to the rest, like this,

And spare our heavy censure! but the death

Of good Montrose forbids it. Cleremond,

Thou instantly shall marry Leonora ;

Which done, as suddenly thy head cut off,
And corpse interr'd, upon thy grave I'll build
A room of eight feet square, in which this lady,
For punishment of her cruelty, shall die
An anchoress.

Leon. I do repent, and rather

Will marry him, and forgive him.

Clarin. Bind her to

Nov. Mercy to us, great sir.

Peri. We will become

Chaste and reform'd men.

To stand three hours, where Clarindore shall make His recantation for the injury

Done to the lady Bellisant; and read

Cham. and Din. We both are suitors,

On this submission, for your pardon, sir.

A sharp invective, ending with a curse Against all such as boast of ladie's favours:

Others, by their example, from pursuing
Unlawful lusts, that think adultery

A sport to be oft practised; fix on them
Two satyrs' heads; and so, in capital letters

Their foul intents writ on their breasts, we'll have them

Led thrice through Paris; then, at the court gate,

Shall use his best art to restore your strength,
And render Perigot a perfect man.-

So break we up LovE's PARLIAMENT, which, we hope,

Being for mirth intended, shall not meet with
An ill construction; and if then, fair ladies,
You please to approve it, we hope you'll invite
Your friends to see it often, with delight. [Exeunt.

That with delight join profit, and endeavour
To build their minds up fair, and on the stage
Decipher to the life what honours wait

On good and glorious actions, and the shame
That treads upon the heels of vice, the salary
Of six sestertii.

Esop. For the profit, Paris,

And mercenary gain, they are things beneath us;
Since, while you hold your grace and power with
Cæsar,

We, from your bounty, find a large supply,
Nor can one thought of want ever approach us.
Par. Our aim is glory, and to leave our names
To aftertime.

Lat. And, would they give us leave,
There ends all our ambition.

Esop. We have enemies, And great ones too, I fear.

Lam. What times are these!

To what 's Rome fallen! may we, being alone, Speak our thoughts freely of the prince and state, And not fear the informer?

Rust. Noble Lamia,

So dangerous the age is, and such bad acts
Are practised everywhere, we hardly sleep,
Nay, cannot dream with safety. All our actions
Are call'd in question; to be nobly born

Is now a crime; and to deserve too well,
Held capital treason. Sons accuse their fathers,
Fathers their sons; and, but to win a smile
From one in grace at court, our chastest matrons
Make shipwreck of their honours. To be virtuous
Is to be guilty. They are only safe
That know to sooth the prince's appetite,
And serve his lusts.

Sura. 'Tis true; and 'tis my wonder,
That two sons of so different a nature

Should spring from good Vespasian. We had a

Titus,

The consul Aretinus, Caesar's spy, Said at his table, ere a month expired, For being gall'd in our last comedy, He'd silence us for ever.

Par. 1 expect

No favour from him; my strong Aventine is,
That great Domitian, whom we oft have cheer'd
In his most sullen moods, will once return,
Who can repair, with ease, the consul's ruins.
Lat. 'Tis frequent in the city, he hath subdued
The Catti and the Daci, and, ere long,
The second time will enter Rome in triumph.
Enter two Lietors.

Par. Jove hasten it! With us?—I now believe The consul's threats, Æsopus.

1 Lict. You are summon'd

To appear to day in senate.

2 Lict. And there to answer

What shall be urged against you.

Par. We obey you.

Nay, droop not, fellows; innocence should be bold. We, that have personated in the scene

The ancient heroes, and the falls of princes,

With loud applause; being to act ourselves,

Must do it with undaunted confidence.

Whate'er our sentence be, think 'tis in sport:

And, though condemn'd, let's hear it without sorAs if we were to live again to-morrow.

1 Lict. 'Tis spoken like yourself.

[row,

Enter ÆLIUS LAMIA, JUNIUS RUSTICUS, and PALPHURIUS

SURA.

Lam. Whither goes Paris?

1 Lict. He's cited to the senate. Lat. I am glad the state is

So free from matters of more weight and trouble, That it has vacant time to look on us.

Par. That reverend place, in which the affairs of And provinces were determined, to descend [kings To the censure of a bitter word, or jest, Dropp'd from a poet's pen! Peace to your lordWe are glad that you are safe. [ships!

[Exeunt LACTORS, PARIS, LATINUS, and ESOPUS.

From pride, that he disdain'd not the converse Even of the poorest Roman.

Sura. I have letters

He's on his way to Rome, and purposes

To enter with all glory. The flattering senate Decrees him divine honours; and to cross it, Were death with studied torments :-for my part,

I will obey the time; it is in vain

To strive against the torrent.

Rust. Let's to the curia,

And, though unwillingly, give our suffrages,
Before we are compell'd.

Lam. And since we cannot

With safety use the active, let's make use of
The passive fortitude, with this assurance,
That the state, sick in him, the gods to friend,
Though at the worst, will now begin to mend.
[Exeunt.

SCENE II.-A Room in LAMIA's House.
Enter DOMITIA and PARTHENIUS.
Dom. To me this reverence!
Parth. I pay it, lady,

L