Muft I go like a traitor thither?

Gard. Receive him,

And fee him fafe i' the Tower.

Cran. Stay, good my lords,

I have a little yet to say. Look there, my lords;
By virtue of that ring, I take my caufe

Out of the gripes of cruel men, and give it

To a moft noble judge, the king my mafter.

Cham. This is the king's ring.

Stor. 'T's no counterfeit.

The Palace Yard.
Noise and tumult within : Enter Porter, and his Man.
Port. You'll leave your noise anon, ye rafcals:
Do you take the court for 2 Paris-garden? ye rude
flaves, leave your gaping..

Within. Good matter porter, I belong to the, larder.

Port. Belong to the gallows, and be hang'd, you rogue. Is this a place to roar in-Fetch me a dozen crab-tree staves, and strong ones; there are but switches to 'em. I'll fcratch your heads: You must be feeing chriftenings? Do you look for Jale and cakes here, you rude rafcals?

Man. Pray, fir, be patient; 'tis as much impoisible

Mr. Steevens fays, "It was the custom, long before the time of Shakspeare, for the sponsors at chriftenings to offer gilt spoons as a prefent to the child. These spoons were called aprjile spoons, becaufe the figures of the apostles were carved on the tops of the handles. Such as were at once opulet and generous, gave the whole twcive; those who were either more moderately rich or liberal, fraped a the expence of the four evangelias; or even fometimes contented themselves with prefening one iboon only, which exhibited the figure of any faint in honour of whom the child re, ceived its Larms."

2 The bear-garden of that time, and in a line with Bridewell.

(Unless wefweep them from the door with cannons)
To fcatter'em; as 'tis to make 'em fleep
On May-day morning; which will never ba:
We may as well push againft Paul's, as ftir 'em.
Port. How got they in, and be hang'd?
Man. Alas, I know not; How gets the tide in ?
As much as one found cudgel of four foot
(You fee the poor remainder) could diftribute,
I made no fpare, fir.

Port. You did nothing, fir.

Man. I am not Sampfon, nor Sir Guy, nor Colbrand 2, to mow 'em down before me but, if I fpar'd any, that had a head to hit, either young or old, he or the, cuckold or cuckold-maker, let me never hope to fee a chine again; and that I would not for a cow, God fave her.

Within. Do you hear, mafter Porter?

701

There's a trim rabble let in: Are all these have
Your faithful friends of the fuburbs? We shall
Great ftore of room, no doubt, left for the ladies,
When they pass back from the chriftening.

Port. Pleafe your honour,

We are but men; and what fo many may do,
Not being torn a-pieces, we have done:

Port. I shall be with you presently, good mafter An army cannot rule 'em.

puppy. Keep the door clote, firrah.

Man. What would you have me do?

Cham. As I live,

If the king blame me for 't, I'll lay ye all
By the heels, and fuddenly; and on your heads
Clap round fines, for neglect: You are lazy knaves;
And here ye lie baiting of bumbards 9, when

Port. What should you do, but knock 'em down by the dozens? Is this Morefields to muster | in? or have we some strange Indian with the great tool come to court, the women fo befiege Ye thould do fervice. Hark, the trumpets found; us? Bless me, what a fry of fornication is at door! They are come already from the chriftening: O' my chriftian confcience, this one chriftening Go, break among the prefs, and find a way out will beget a thousand here will be father, god- To let the troop pats fairly; or P'il find father, and all together.

Man. The ipoons will be the bigger, fir. There is a fellow fomewhat near the door, he should be a brafier 3 by his face, for, o' my confcience, twenty of the dog-days now reign in's note; all that stand about him are under the line, they need no other penance: that fire-drake + did I hit three times on the head, and three times was his nofe discharg'd against me; he stands there like a mortar-piece, to blow us. There was a haberdather's wife of small wit near him, that rail'd upon me 'till her pink'd porringer fell off her head, for kindling fuch a combuftion in the state. I mits'd the meteor 5 once, and hit that woman, who cry'd out, clubs! when I might fee from far fome forty truncheoneers draw to her fuccour, which were the hope of the strand, where the was quarter'd. They fell on; I made good my place; at length they came to the broomstaff with me, I defy'd'em ftill; when fuddenly a file of boys behind 'em, loofe shot, deliver'd fuch a shower of pebbles, that I was fain to draw mine honour in, and let 'em win the work: The devil was amongst 'em, I think, furely.

A Marfhalfea, thall hold you play these two months.
Port. Make way there for the princess.

Man. You great fellow, stand close up, or I'll make your head ake.

Port. You i' the camblet, get up o' the rail; I'll peck you o'er the pales elfe. [Exeunt.

SCENE

The Palace.

IV.

Enter Trumpets, founding; then two Aldermen, Lord Mayor, Gartea, Cranmer, Duke of Norfolk with bis Marshal's ftaff, Duke of Suffolk, two Noblemen bearing two great flanding bowls for the chriftening gifts; then four Noblemen bearing a canopy, under which the Dutchess of Norfolk, godmother, bearing the child richly babited in a ma tie, Sc. Train borne by a Lady: then follows the Marchioness of Dorfet, the other godmother, and Ladies. The troop pafs once about the fiage, and Garter Speaks.

Gart. Heaven, from thy endless goodness, send profperous life, long, and ever happy, to the high and mighty princets of England, Elizabeth! Flourish. Enter King, and Train. Cran. [Kneeling.] And to your royal grace, and the good queen,

Port. These are the youths that thunder at a playhoufe, and fight for bitten apples; that no audi- My noble partners, and myself, thus pray; ence, but the tribulation of Tower-hill7, or the All comfort, joy, in this moft gracious lady, limbs of Limehouse, their dear brothers, are able Heaven ever laid up to make parents happy,

1 It was s anciently the custom for all ranks of people to go out a Maying on the first of May. Guy of Warwick every one has heard. Colbrand was the Danish giant. whom Guy fubdued at Winchelter. 3 A brafier fignifies a man that manufactures brass, and a refervoir for charcoal occafionally heated to convey warmth. Both these senses are here understood. 4 A fire-drake is both a ferpent, anciently called a brenning-drake, or dipfas, and a name formerly given to a Will o' th Wifp, or ignis fatuus, A fire-drake was likewife an artificial firework. si. c. the brafier. 6 The prices of feats for the vulgar in our ancient theatres were fo very low (viz. a penny, twopence, and fixpence, each, for the ground, gallery, and rooms:-the boxes were fomewhat higher, being a shilling and half-a-crown), that we cannot wonder if they were filled with the tumultuous company defcribed by Shaksprare in this feene; especially when it is added, that tobacco was smoaked, and ale drank in them. 7 Dr. Johnion fufpects the Tribulation to have been a puritanical meeting-house. 8 A publick whipping. Tob.it. bumbards is to tipple, to lie at the shigot. Bumbards were large veffels in which the beer was carried to foldiers upon duty. They resembled black jacks of leather.

These lines, to the interruption by the king, feem to have been inferted at fome revifal of the play, after the accession of king James. 2 Theobaid remarks, that the tranfition here from the complimentary address to king James the first is to abrupt, that it feems to him, that compliment was inferted after the acceffion of that prince. If this play was wrote, as in his opinion it was, in the reign of queen Elizabeth, we may easily determine where Cranmer's eulogium of that princess concluded. He makes no queftion but the port refled here :

And claim by those their greatness, rot by blood.

All that the bishop says after this, was an occafional homage paid to her fucceffor, and evidently inferted after her demife. 3 Dr. Johnfon is of opinion, with other Critics, that both the Prodigue and Epilogue to Henry VIII. were written by Zen Jonson. 4 In the character of Katharine.

The SCENE is partly in Rome; and partly in the Territories of the Volfcians and Antiates.

2 Cit. One word, good 2 citizens.

we become rakes 3: for the gods know, I speak this in hunger for bread, not in thirft for revenge. 2 Cit. Would you proceed especially againft Caius Marcius ?

All. Againft him first; he's a very dog to the commonalty.

2 Cit. Confider you what fervices he has done for his country?

1 Cit. Very well; and could be content to give him good report for't, but that he pays himself with being proud.

All. Nay, but speak not malicioufly.

1 Cit. I fay unto you, what he hath done famoufly, he did it to that end though foft-conscienc'd men can be content to fay, it was for his country, he did it to please his mother, and to be partly proud; which he is even to the altitude

of his virtue.

2 Cit. What he cannot help in his nature, you account a vice in him: You must in no way fay,

1. Cit. We are accounted poor citizens; the patricians, good: What authority furfeits on, would he is covetous. relieve us: If they would yield us but the superfluity, while it were wholesome, we might guess, they relieved us humanely: but they think, we are too dear: the leanness that afflicts us, the object of our misery, is as an inventory to particuLarize their abundance; our fufferance is a gain to them.-Let us revenge this with our pikes, erel

1 Cit. If I must not, I need not be barren of accufations; he hath faults, with furplus, to tire in repetition. [Shauts within.] What shouts are thefe? The other fide the city is rifen: Why stay we prating here to the Capitol ?

All. Come, come.

1 Cit. Soft; who comes here?

The whale history is exactly followed, and many of the principal speeches exactly copied from the Life of Coriolanus in Plutarch. 2 Good is here used in the mercantile fenfe. 3 Alluding to the proverb, as lean as a rake; which perhaps owes its origin to the thin taper form of the mitrument made ufe of by hay-makers. Dr. Johnson observes, that Rekel, in Islandick. is faid to mean a cur-dog, and this was probably the first ule among us of the word rake, is lean as a rahe is, therefore, lean as a dog too worthlefs to be fed.

704

Enter Menenius Agrippa.

2 Cit. Worthy Menenius Agrippa; one that hath always lov'd the people.

1 Cit. He's one honeft enough; 'Would, all the
reft were fo!

Men. What work's, my countrymen, in hand?
Where go you

With bats and clubs? The matter? Speak, I
pray you.

2 Cit. Our business is not unknown to the fonate; they have had inkling, this fortnight, what we intend to do, which now we'll thew 'em in deeds. They fay, poor fuitors have strong breaths; they fhall know, we have strong arms too.

Men. Why, masters, my good friends, mine honeft neighbours,

Will you undo yourselves ?

2 Cit. We cannot, fir, we are undone already.
Men. I tell you, friends, most charitable care
Have the patricians of you. For your wants,
Your fuffering in this dearth, you may as well
Strike at the heaven with your ftaves, as lift them
Against the Roman state; whose course will on
The way it takes, cracking ten thoufand curbs
Of more itrong link afunder, than can ever
Appear in your impediment: For the dearth,
The gods, not the patricians, make it; and
Your knees to them, not arms, muft help. Alack,
You are transported by calamity

Thither where more attends you; and you flander
The helms o'the state, who care for you like fathers,
When you curse them as enemies.

2 Cit. Care for us!-True, indeed! They

And mutually participate, did minifter
Unto the appetite and affection common
Of the whole body. The belly answer'd,-

2 Cit. Well, fir, what anfwer made the belly?
Mon. Sir, I fhall tell you. With a kind of
fmile,

Which ne'er came from the lungs 4, but even thus,
(For, look you, I may make the belly smile,
As well as fpeak) it tauntingly reply'd
To the discontented members, the mutinous parts
That envy'd his receipt; even fo most fitly s
As you malign our fenators, for that
They are not fuch as you.

2 Cit. Your belly's anfwer: What!
The kingly-crowned head, the vigilant eye,
The counfellor heart 6, the arm our foldier,
Our steed the leg, the tongue our trumpeter,
With other muniments and petty helps
In this our fabrick, if that they-

Men. What then?

'Fore me, this fellow speaks!-what then? what

then?

2 Cit. Should by the cormorant belly berestrain'd, Who is the fink o' the body,

Men. Well, what then?

2 Cit. The former agents, if they did complain, What could the belly answer?

Men. I will tell you;

If you'll bestow a small (of what you have little)
Patience, a while, you'll hear the belly's anfwer.
2 Cit. You are long about it.
Men. Note me this, good friend;
Your moft grave belly was deliberate,

ne'er car'd for us yet. Suffer us to famish, and Not rash like his accufers, and thus anfwer'd: their store-houses cramm'd with grain; make " True is it, my incorporate friends," quoth he, edicts for ufury, to fupport ufurers; repeal daily " That I receive the general food at first,

any wholsome act established against the rich; and
provide more piercing statutes daily, to chain up
and reftrain the poor. If the wars eat us not up,
they will; and there's all the love they bear us.
Men. Either you must

Confefs yourselves wondrous malicious,
Or be accus'd of folly. I shall tell you
A pretty tale; it may be, you have heard it;
But, fince it ferves my purpose, I will venture
To fcale't a little more.

2 Cit. Well, I'll hear it, fir; yet you must not think to fob off our difgrace 2 with a tale: but, an't please you, deliver.

Men. There was a time, when all the body's

" Which you do live upon. and fit it is;
"Because I am the store-houfe, and the shop
"Of the whole body: But, if you do remember,
"I fend it through the rivers of your blood,
"Even to the court, the heart, to the feat 7 o' the

brain;

"And, through the cranks and offices of man,
"The strongeft nerves, and small inferior veins,
"From me receive that natural competency
"Whereby they live: And though that all at once,
"You, my good friends," (this fays the belly) mark
2 Cit. Ay, fir; well, well.
Men. "

[me,

members

Rebell'd against the belly; thus accus'd it:-
That only like a gulf it did remain
I' the midft o' the body, idle and unactive,
Still cupboarding the viand, never bearing

Though all at once cannot "See what I do deliver out to each; "Yet I can make my audit up, that all "From me do back receive the flour of all, "And leave me but the bran." What fay you to't? 2 Cit. It was an answer: How apply you this? Men. The fenators of Rome are this good beily,

Like labour with the reft; where 3 the other in- And you the mutinous members: For examine

struments

Did fee, and hear, devise, instruct, walk, feel,

Their counfels, and their cares; digest things

rightly,

1 To fcale is to difperfe. The word is still used in the North. The meaning is, Though fome of you have heard the story, I will spread it yet wider, and diffuse it among the reft * Difgrazes are hardships, injuries. 4 i. e. with a fmile not indicating pleafure, but contempt. 5 i, e. exactly. The heart was anciently esteemed the feat of prudence. 7 Seat for throne.

3 Where for whereas.

Touching