CURVETTO, an old courtier.

FONTINELLE, a French gentleman, taken prisoner by CAMILLO.

LAZARILLO DE TORMES, a Spaniard.

DOYT, page to HIPPOLITO.

DANDYPRAT, page to CAMILLO.

TRUEPENNY, page to VIOLETTA.

PILCHER, page to LAZARILLO.
FRISCO, servant to IMPERIA.

BLURT, master-constable.

SLUBBER, a beadle, his clerk.

WOODCOCK, a watchman.
FRIAR.

Gentlemen, Servingmen, Watchmen, &c.

VIOLETTA, sister to HIPPOLITO.

IMPERIA, a courtesan.

TRIVIARINA,}

Ladies.

her attendants.

SCENE, VENICE.

BLURT, MASTER-CONSTABLE.

ACT I. SCENE I.

A Room in CAMILLO's House; a Banquet set out. Enter CAMILLO, HIPPOLITO, BAPTISTA, BENTIVOGLIO, and VIRGILIO (with gloves in their hats, as having lately returned from war), leading in VIOLETTA and other Ladies: DOYT and DANDYPRAT attending.

HIP. Ay, marry, sir, the only rising up in arms is in the arms of a woman: peace, I your only paradise, when every Adam may have say still, is his Christmas Eve. And you take me lying any more by the cold sides of a brazen-face[d] fieldpiece, unless I have such a down pillow under me, I'll give you leave to knock up both my golls in my father's hall, and hang hats upon these tenpenny

nails.

b

VIOL. And yet, brother, when, with the sharpest hooks of my wit, I laboured to pull you from the wars, you broke loose, like a horse that knew his own strength, and vowed nothing but a man of war should back you

HIP. I have been backed since, and almost unbacked too.

VIOL. And swore that honour was never dyed in grain till it was dipt in the colours of the field.

* And] i, e. If.

b golls] See note, p. 206.

HIP. I am a new man, sister, and now cry a pox a' that honour that must have none but barbersurgeons to wait upon't, and a band of poor straggling rascals, that, every twinkling of an eye, forfeit their legs and arms into the Lord's hands! Wenches, by Mars his sweaty buff-jerkin (for now all my oaths must smell a' the soldado), I have seen more men's heads spurned up and down like foot-balls at a breakfast, after the hungry cannons had picked them, than are maidenheads in Venice, and more legs of men served in at a dinner than ever I shall see legs of capons in one platter whilst I live.

FIRST LADY. Perhaps all those were capons' legs you did see.

VIRG. Nay, mistress, I'll witness against you for some of them.

VIOL. I do not think, for all this, that my brother stood to it so lustily as he makes his brags for.

THIRD LADY. No, no, these great talkers are never great doers.

VIOL. Faith, brother, how many did you kill for your share?

HIP. Not so many as thou hast done with that villanous eye by a thousand.

VIOL. I thought so much; that's just none.

CAM. 'Tis not a soldier's glory to tell how many lives he has ended, but how many he has saved: in both which honours the noble Hippolito had most excellent possession. Believe it, my fair mistress, though many men in a battle have done more, your brother in this equalled him who did most. He went from you a worthy gentleman; he brings with him that title that makes a gentleman most worthy, the name of a soldier; which how well and how soon he hath earned, would in me seem

glorious to rehearse, in you to hear; but, because his own ear dwells so near my voice, I will play the ill neighbour, and cease to speak well of him. VIOL. An argument that either you dare not or love not to flatter.

CAM. No more than I dare or love to do wrong; yet to make a chronicle of my friend's nobly-acted deeds, would stand as far from flattery in me, as cowardice did from him.

HIP. 'S foot, if all the wit in this company have nothing to set itself about but to run division upon me, why then e'en burn off mine ears indeed. But, my little mermaids, Signior Camillo does this that I now might describe the Ninevitical motiond of the whole battle, and so tell what he has done; -and come, shall I begin?

FIRST LADY. O, for beauty's love, a good mo tion!

HIP. But I can tell you one thing, I shall make your hair stand up an end at some things.

VIOL. Prithee, good brother soldier, keep the peace our hair stand an end! pity a' my heart, the next end would be of our wits. We hang out a white flag, most terrible Tamburlain, and beg mercy. Come, come, let us neither have your Ninevitical motions, nor your swaggering battles. Why, my lord Camillo, you invited me hither to a banquet, not to the ballad of a pitched field.

d Ninevitical motion] Motion is a puppet-show; and that of Nineveh, often mentioned by our old writers, appears to have been very popular. "They say, there's a new motion of the city of Nineveh, with Jonas and the whale, to be seen at Fleet-bridge."-B. JONSON's Every Man out of his Humour, act ii. sc. 1.

e Tamburlain] A personage whom Marlowe's tragedy of that name had rendered familiar to the audience.

CAM. And here it stands, bright mistress, sweetly attending what doom your lips will lay upon it.

VIOL. Ay, marry, sir, let our teeth describe this motion.

SECOND LADY. We shall never describe it well for fumbling i' th' mouth.

HIP. Yes, yes, I have a trick to make us understand one another, and we fumble never so.

VIOL. Meddle not with his tricks, sweetheart. Under pardon, my lord, though I am your guest, I'll bestow myself. Sit, dear beauties: for the men, let them take up places themselves. I prithee, brother fighter, sit, and talk of any subject but this jangling law at arms. [They seat themselves. HIP. The law at legs then.

VIOL. Will you be so lusty? no, nor legs neither; we'll have them tied up too. Since you are among ladies, gallants, handle those things only that are fit for ladies.

HIP. Agreed, so that we go not out of the compass of those things that are fit for lords.

VIOL. Be't so: what's the theme then?

FIRST LADY. Beauty; that fits us best.

CAM. And of beauty what tongue would not speak the best, since it is the jewel that hangs upon the brow of heaven, the best colour that can be laid upon the cheek of earth? Beauty makes men gods immortal, by making mortal men to live ever in love.

SECOND LADY. Ever? not so: I have heard that some men have died for love.

VIOL. So have I, but I could never see't. I'd ride forty miles to follow such a fellow to church; and would make more of a sprig of rosemary at his

f and] i. e. if.