Part 34

Dyce points out that this passage is imitated in Fitzgeoffrey's Notes from Black-Fryers, Sig. E. 7, ed. 1620.

IN DECIUM. XXV.

Audacious painters have Nine Worthies made; But poet Decius, more audacious far, Making his mistress march with men of war, With title of "Tenth Worthy" doth her lade. Methinks that gull did use his terms as fit, Which term'd his love "a giant for her wit."

FOOTNOTES:

In this epigram, as Dyce showed, Davies is glancing at a sonnet of Drayton's "To the Celestiall Numbers" in Idea. Jonson told Drummond that "S. J. Davies played in ane Epigrame on Draton's, who in a sonnet concluded his mistress might been the Ninth Worthy; and said he used a phrase like Dametas in Arcadia, who said, For wit his Mistresse might be a Gyant."--Notes of Ben Jonson's Conversations with Drummond, p. 15. (ed. Shakesp. Soc.)

IN GELLAM. XXVI.

If Gella's beauty be examinËd, She hath a dull dead eye, a saddle nose, An ill-shap'd face, with morphew overspread, And rotten teeth, which she in laughing shows; Briefly, she is the filthiest wench in town, Of all that do the art of whoring use: But when she hath put on her satin gown, Her cut lawn apron, and her velvet shoes, Her green silk stockings, and her petticoat Of taffeta, with golden fringe around, 10 And is withal perfum'd with civet hot, Which doth her valiant stinking breath confound,-- Yet she with these additions is no more Than a sweet, filthy, fine, ill-favour'd whore.

FOOTNOTES:

So MS.--Old eds. "out."

IN SYLLAM. XXVII.

Sylla is often challeng'd to the field, To answer, like a gentleman, his foes: But then doth he this only answer yield, That he hath livings and fair lands to lose. Sylla, if none but beggars valiant were, The king of Spain would put us all in fear.

FOOTNOTES:

So Isham copy.--Ed. A "when doth he his."

IN SYLLAM. XXVIII.

Who dares affirm that Sylla dare not fight? When I dare swear he dares adventure more Than the most brave and most all-daring wight That ever arms with resolution bore; He that dare touch the most unwholesome whore That ever was retir'd into the spittle, And dares court wenches standing at a door (The portion of his wit being passing little); He that dares give his dearest friends offences, Which other valiant fools do fear to do, 10 And, when a fever doth confound his senses, Dare eat raw beef, and drink strong wine thereto: He that dares take tobacco on the stage, Dares man a whore at noon-day through the street, Dares dance in Paul's, and in this formal age Dares say and do whatever is unmeet; Whom fear of shame could never yet affright, Who dares affirm that Sylla dares not fight?

FOOTNOTES:

So Isham copy.--Ed. A "most brave, most all daring."--Eds. B, C "most brave and all daring."--MS. "most valiant and all-daring."

There are frequent allusions to this practice. Cf. Induction to Cynthia's Revels:--"I have my three sorts of tobacco in my pocket; my light by me."

IN HEYWODUM. XXIX.

Heywood, that did in epigrams excel, Is now put down since my light Muse arose; As buckets are put down into a well, Or as a schoolboy putteth down his hose.

FOOTNOTES:

John Heywood, the well-known epigrammatist and interlude-writer. His Proverbs were edited in 1874, with a pleasantly-written Introduction and useful notes, by Mr. Julian Sharman.

Dyce refers to a passage of Sir John Harington's Metamorphosis of Ajax, 1596:--"This Haywood for his proverbs and epigrams is not yet put down by any of our country, though one [marginal note, M. Davies] doth indeed come near him, that graces him the more in saying he puts him down." He quotes also from Bastard's Chrestoleros, 1598 (Lib. ii. Ep. 15); Lib. iii. Ep. 3, and Freeman's Rubbe and a Great Cast ( Pt. ii., Ep. 100), allusions to the present epigram.

IN DACUM. XXX.

Amongst the poets Dacus number'd is, Yet could he never make an English rhyme: But some prose speeches I have heard of his, Which have been spoken many a hundred time; The man that keeps the elephant hath one, Wherein he tells the wonders of the beast; Another Banks pronouncËd long agone, When he his curtal's qualities express'd: He first taught him that keeps the monuments At Westminster, his formal tale to say, 10 And also him which puppets represents, And also him which with the ape doth play. Though all his poetry be like to this, Amongst the poets Dacus number'd is.

FOOTNOTES:

Samuel Daniel. See Ep. xlv.

All the information about Banks' wonderful horse Moroccus ("the little horse that ambled on the top of Paul's") is collected in Mr. Halliwell-Phillips' Memoranda on Love's Labour Lost.