Stay till my beard shal sweepe mine aged brest,
Then shall I seeme an awfull Satyrist":
While now my rimes rellish of the ferule still,
Some nose-wise Pedant saith; whose deep-seen skill
Hath three times construed eyther Flaccus ore,
And thrise rehears'd them in his Triviall floareas.
So let them taxe mee for my hote bloode's rage,
Rather than say I doted in my age.
Arcades ambo.
OLD driveling Lolio drudges all he can
To make his eldest sonne a gentleman.
Who can despayre that sees another thrive 26,
By lone of twelve-pence to an oyster-wive 7?
When a craz'd scaffold, and a rotten stage 28,
Was all rich Nævius his heritage.
Nought spendeth he for feare, nor spares for cost;
And all he spendes and spaires beside is lost.
Himselfe goes patch'd like some bare Cottyer,
Least he might ought the future stocke appeyre 30.
24 But my sixe cords beene of too loose a twine :
Stay till my beard shul sweepe mine aged brest,
Then shall I seeme an awfull Satyrist.
Ah, si fas dicere ! sed fas
Tunc, cùm ad canitiem, et nostrum istud vivere triste,
Aspexi, et nucibus facimus quæcunque relictis.
Pers. Sat. 1. £.
25 And thrise rehears'd them in his TRIVIALL FLOARE.
Triviall floare, from Trivium, a common resort, may mean his School-Room.
26 Who can despayre that sees another thrive. The Oxford edition reads to see. I have restored the genuine reading from the editions of 1598, and 1599.
Let giddy Cosmius change his choyce aray,
Like as the Turke his tents, thrise in a day;
And all to sun and ayre his sutes untold
From spightfull mothes, and frets, and hoary mold;
Bearing his paune-layd lands upon his backe,
As snayles their shels, or pedlers doe their packe.
Who cannot shine in tissues and pure gold,
That hath his lands and patrimonie sold ?
Lolioe's side-cote is rough Pampilian,
Guilded with drops that downe the bosome ran; in
White carsy hose, patched on eyther knee,
The very embleme of good husbandrie;
And a knit night-cap made of coursest twine,
With two long labels button'd to his chin :
So rides he mounted on the market-day,
Upon a straw-stu'ft pannell all the way,
With a maund s' charg'd with houshold merchandise,
With egs, or white-meat, from both dayries;
And with that byes he rost for Sunday-noone,
Proud how he made that week's provision.
Else is he stall-fed on the workey-day,
With browne-bread crusts soften'd in sodden whay;
Or water-grewell; or those paups of meale,
That Maro makes his Simule and Cybeale 33 :
Or once a weeke, perhaps, for novelty,
Reez'd bacon soords 33 shall feast his family;
And weens this more than one egge cleft in twaine,
To feast some patrone and his chappelaine;
Or more than is some hungry gallant's dole,
That in a dearth runs sneaking to a hole,
And leaves his man and dog to keepe his hall
Least the wild roome should run forth of the wall.
Good man! him list not spend 34 his idle meales
In quinsing plovers, or in winning quailes 3s;
Nor toot in Cheap-side baskets earne and late 36
To set the first tooth in some novell-cate, 31 maund—a hand-basket.
or those paups of meale, That Maro makes his Simule and Cybeale. Simula is used in ancient Latin Deeds for a manchet, or white-loaf. I can explain the passage no farther,
19 Reex'd bacon soordsi.e. reechy remnants of bacon. Soord is still used in Warwickshire at least, and probably elsewhere, to denote the rind or thick skin of bacon.
30 — list not spend—. e. list not to spend,
35 In quinsing plovers, or in winning quailes.. Quinsing-descriptive of the noise made by the plover, similar to the effect of the quinsy on the organs of speech :-winning means whining. 36 Nor tvot in Cheap-side baskets earne and late,
To set the first tooth in some novell-cate. Tooting means searching. See Todd's Spenser, vol. 1, p. 53. Earne, is early. Novell-cate means New-cake.
Let sweet-mouth'd Mercia bid what crowns she please
For halfe-red cherries, or greene garden-pease,
Or the first artichoks of all the yeare,
To make so lavish cost for little chéare :
When Lolio feasteth in his reveling fit,
Some starved pullen 7 scoures the rusted spitt.
For else how should his some maitained bee
At Ins of Court or of the Chancery :
There to learne law, and courtly carriage,
To make amendes for his meane parentage;
Where he, unknowne, and ruffling as he can 38,
Goes currant ech-where for a gentleman ?
While yet he rousteth 39 at some uncouth signe,
Nor never red his tenure's second line.
What broker's lousy wardrop cannot reach
With tissued panes to prancke each peasant's breech?
Couldst thou but give the wall, the cap, the knee,
To proud Sartorio that goes stradling by :
Wer't not the needle, pricked on his sleeve,
Doth by good hap the secret watch-word give ?
But bear'st thou Lolioe's sonne ? gio not thy gate“
Untill the evening oule or bloody-batt:
Never untill the lamps of Paule's beene light,
And niggard lanternes shade the moon-shine night
Then, when the guiltie bankrupt, in bold dread,
From his close cabin thrusts his shrinking head,
That hath bene long in shady shelter pent
Imprisoned for feare of prisonment;
May be some russet-cote Parochian 4-
Shall call thee cosen, friend, or countryman,
And, for thy hoped fist crossing the streete,
Shall in his father's name his god-son greete.
37 — pullen—pullet.
ruffling as he can. Shakespeare has
- The tailor stays thy leisure,
To deck thy body with his RUFFLING treasure. Mr. Malone says “A ruffler in our author's time signified a noisy and turbulent swaggerer ; and the word ruffling may here be applied in a kindred sense to dress," See his Note on the passage in the Taming of the Shrew, Act xiv. Sc. 3.
rousteth-roosts, or fodges. 40 With tissued panes to prancke each peasant's breech. Probably with squares of tissue (a rich stuff made of silk, and silver or gold thread, woven together to dress out, or ornament, &c. The Oxford Editor, not understanding the word panes in this sense, spells it pains, having føund it paines in the edition of 1599. " — gate-gait or walk...)
rus set-cote Parochian. Probably, some homely clad inhabitant of the Parish where he was born.
Could never man worke thee a worser shame, sipas
Than once to minge 43 thy father's odious name: .
Whose mention were alike to thee as leve
As a catch-pol's fist unto a bankrupt's sleeve; .
Or a Hos ego from old Petrarch's spright
Unto a plagiarie sonnet-wright.
There, soone as he can kisse his hand in gree*,
And with good grace bow it below the knee,
Or make a Spanish face with fauning cheere,
With th’iland-conge like a cavalier,
And shake his head, and cringe his necke and side,
Home hies he in his father's farme to bide.
The tenants wonder at their land-lord's sonne,
And blesse them at so sudden comming on,
More than who vies his pence to viewe some trick.
Of strange Moroccce's dombe arithmetike 46,. ,
Or the young elephant, or two-tayld steere 47,' ,
Or the rig'd camell, or the fidling frere.
Nay then his Hodge shall leave the plough and waine,
And buy a booke, and go to Schole againe.
Why mought not he, as well as others done,
Rise from his fescue to his Littleton 48?
Fooles ! they may feede with words and live by ayre, ..
That climbe to honor by the polpit's stayre :
Sit seven years pining in an Anchore's cheyre,
To win some patched shreds of Minivere“;
43 minge-Qu. should not this be minde, to remind? * Or a Hos ego front old Petrarch's spright
Unto a plagiarie sonnet-wright. Qu. what is the allusion here?
as There, soone as he can kisse his hand in GREE. j. e. in expression of liking or satisfaction: from the Italian" prendi in grado." Frequently used by Spenser, See Todd's Spenser, vol. ii. p. 158.
46 Of strange Moroccoe's dumbe arithmetike, &c. &c. Alluding to a Horse exhibited by one Bankes, and taught to perform a variety of tricks. Shakespeare and many other writers of his day allude to his feats. Both Bankes and his Horse were, at length, to the disgrace of the age, burnt at Rome, as magicians, by order of the pope. See a curious Note, with a coarse representa. tion of the horse exhibiting his tricks, in Reed's Shakespeare, vol. vii. p. 26.-The ocher lines refer to popular exhibitions of the author's time.
47 steerema young bullock.
48 Why mought not he, as well as others done,
Rise froni his fescue to his Littleton Fescue was restored by the Oxford Editor : the early editions reading Festue. It means “ a small wire, by which those who teach to read point out the letters.” Johnson. By Littleton is probably intended the great lawyer. The sense is, ¢¢ Why might not he, as others have done, rise from the first rudiments of learning to great attainments and high reputation”
" To win some patched shreds of Minivere. The hood of a Master of Arts in the Universities. W. Minivere is “ a skin with specks of white." AINSWORTH.
And seven more plod at a patron's tayle,
To get a gelded chappel's cheaper sayleso.
Olde Lolio sees, and laugheth in his sleeve:
At the great liope they and his state do give.
But that, which glads and makes him proud'st of all,
Is when the brabling neighbours on him call
For counsell in some crabbed case of lawe,
Or some indentments, or some bond to draw:
His neighbour's goose hath grazed on his lea,
What action mought be entred in the plea?
So new-falne lands have made him in request,
That now he lookes as lofty as the best.
And well done Lolio, like a thrifty syre,
"Twere pitty but thy sonne should prove a squire.
How I fore-see in many ages past,
When Lolioe's caytive name is quite defa'st,
Thine heyre, thine heyre's heyre, and his heire againe
From out the loynes of carefull Lolian,
Shall climbe up to the chancell pewes on hie,
And rule and raigne in their rich tenancie:
When, perch't aloft to perfect their estate,
They racke their rents unto a treble rate;
And hedge in all the neighbour common landssa,
And clogge their slavish tenant with commaunds;
Whiles they, poore soules, with feeling sigh complain,
And wish old Lolio were alive againe,
And praise his gentle soule and wish it well,
And of his friendly facts full often tell.
His father dead ! tush, no it was not hee, .
He finds records of his great pedigree;
And tels how first his famous ancestor
Did come in long since with the Conquerour.
Nor hath some bribed herald first assign'd
His quarter'd armes and crest of gentle kinde;
The Scottish Barnacle, if I might choose,
That, of a worme, doth wax a winged goose.
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