Lingva : Or The Combat of the Tongue, And the fiue Senses For Superiority A pleasant Comoedie |
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 | Lingva : Or The Combat of the Tongue, And the fiue Senses For Superiority |  |
SCEN. 2.
Mendacio. With Cushions vnder his armes, tripps vp Anamnestes heeles.Mendacio. Anamnestes.
Ana.
How now?
No-thing but lay you vpon the Cushion Sir, how so?
Ana.
Nothing but lay the Cushion vpon you Sir?
Mend.
What my little Nam? by this foote I am sory I mistooke
thee.
An.
What my little Men? by this hand it grieues me I tooke
thee so right. But Sirra whither with these Cushions?
Men.
To lay them here that the Iudges may sit softly least
my Ladie Lingua's cause go hard with her.
An.
They should haue beene wrought with gold; these will
do nothing; But what makes thy Ladie with the Iudges?
Men.
Pish, know'st not? shee sueth for the title of a Sense, as
well as the rest that beare the name of the Pentarchy.
An.
Will Common sense and my Maister, leaue their affaires
to determine that Controuersie?
Men.
Then thou hearst nothing,
An.
What should I heare!
Men.
All the senses fell out about a Crowne falne frō heauen
and pitcht a feild for it, but Vicegerent Common sense hearing
of it tooke vpon him, to vmpire the contention, in which regard
he hath appointed them (their armes dismissed) to appeare
before him, charging euery on to bring as it were in a shew, their
proper obiects, that by them he may determine of their seuerall excellencies.
An.
When is all this?
Men.
As soone as they can possibly prouide.
An.
But can he tell which diserues best by their obiects?
Men.
No not only; for euery sense must discribe his Instrumēt,
that is his house, where he performes his daylie duty, so that by
the Obiect and the Instrument, my Lord can with great ease discerne
their place and dignities.
An.
His Lord-ships very wise.
Men.
Thou shalt heare all anon, fine maister Phantastes, and
thy master wil be here shortly. But how ist my little Rogue? me
thinkes thou look'st leane vpon't?
An.
Alas how should I do otherwise that lie all night with
such a Rawbond Skelton as Memory and runne all day on his
Errands. The Churle's growne so old and forgetfull, that euery
houre he's calling Anamnestes, remembrance, where art Anamnestes?
Then presently some thing's lost, poore I must run for it,
as familiar with him as the Cough, neuer out ons mouth.
Men.
Alack, alack poore Rogue, I see my fortunes are better.
My Ladie loues me exceedingly; she's alwaies kissing mee, so
that (I tell thee Nam) Mendacios neuer from betwixt her lippes.
An.
Nor out of Memories mouth; but in a worse sort, alwaies
excercising my stumps and which is more, when hee fauoures
best then I am in the worst taking.
Men.
How so.
An.
Thus when wee are friends, then must I come and bee
dandled vpon his palsie-quaking knees, and he'le tell me a long
story of his acquaintance with King Priamus and his familiarity
with Nestor and how he plaid at blowe-point with Iupiter when
he was in his side-coates and how he went to looke Birds-nests
with Athous, and where hee was at Deucalions floud & 20. such
old wiues tales.
Men.
I wonder he being so old can talke so much.
An.
Nature thou know'st, (knowing what an vnruly Engine the
tongue is) hath set teeth round about for watchmen, Now Sir,
my Maister's old age hath cought out all his teeth & that's the
cause it runs so much at liberty
Men.
Philosopicall;
An.
O but ther's one-thing stings me to the very heart, to see
an vglie foule idle, fat, dusty clog-head, called Obliuio preferred
before, me dost know him?
Men.
Who I, I; But care not for his acquaintāce, hang him block-head
I could neuer abide him? Thou Remembrance art the only
friend that the armes of my friendship shall embrace. Thou hast
heard Oportet mendacem esse memorem. But what of Obliuio.
An.
The very naming of him hath made me forget my selfe.
O, O, O, O, that Rascall is so made-of euery where.
Men.
Who Obliuio?
An.
I, for our Courtiers hug him cōtinually in their vngrate-ful
bosomes, & your smoth-belly fat backt, barrel-pauncht, tū-gutted
drones are euer without him, as for Memory he's a false hearted
fellow, he alwaies deceiues thē, they respect not him, except
it be to play a game at Chests, Primero, Saunt, Maw, or such like.
Men.
I cannot thinke such fellowes haue to do with Obliuio
since they neuer got any thing to forget.
An.
Againe, these prodigall swagerers that are so much boūd to
spend it in Wine vpon Obliuio.
Men.
To what purpose I prethee?
An.
Onely in hope heele wash them in the Lethe of their cares.
Men.
Why then no man cares for thee.
Ana.
Yes a company of studious Paper-wormes and leane
Schollers, and niggardly scraping Vsurers, & a troupe of heart-eating
enuious persons, and those cancker-stomackt spitefull
creatures, that furnish vp common place-bookes with other
mens faults. The time hath beene in those golden dayes, when
Saturne reigned, that if a man receiu'd a benefit of another, I
was presently sent for to put him in minde of it, but now in
these Iron after-noones, saue your friends life, and Obliuio will
be more familiar with him then you.
| Lingva : Or The Combat of the Tongue, And the fiue Senses For Superiority | |