The "glowewormes uneffectuall fire" is of course pilfered from Hamlet, but it is happily introduced. There is some humour in the scene (I., 2) where the old buck, Sir Geoffrey, who is studying a compliment to his mistress while his hair is being trimmed by his servant before the glass, puts by the importunity of his scatter-brain'd nephew and the blustering captain, who vainly endeavour to bring him to the point and make him disburse. On the whole I am confident that _The Lady Mother_ will be found less tedious than any other of Glapthorne's pieces. THE LADY MOTHER: A COMEDY. BY HENRY GLAPTHORNE. _Written in 1635, and now printed for the first time_. The Play of The Lady Mother. _Actus Primus_. (SCENE 1.) _Enter Thorowgood, Bonvill & Grimes_. _Bon_. What? will it be a match man? Shall I kneele to thee and aske thee blessing, ha? _Tho_. Pish! I begin to feare her, she does Dally with her affection: I admire itt. _Bon_. Shee and her daughters Created were for admiration only, And did my Mistress and her sister not Obscure their mothers luster fancy could not Admitt a fuller bewty. _Tho_. Tis easier to expresse Where nimble winds lodge, ore investigate An eagles passage through the agill ayre Then to invent a paraphrase to expresse How much true virtue is indebted to their Unparaleld perfections. _Bon_. Nay[56], but shall I not be acquainted with your designe? when we must marry, faith to save charges of two wedding dinners, lets cast so that one day may yeild us bridegroome,--I to the daughter and thou to the mother. _Tho_. She falls off With such a soddaine ambiguitie, From the strong heate of her profesd[57] love That I conceive she intends a regular proofe Of my untainted Faith. _Grimes_. Soe I thinke, too: when I was young the plaine downe-right way serv'd to woe and win a wench; but now woing is gotten, as all things else are, into the fashion; gallantts now court their Mistress with mumps & mows as apes and monke[y]s doe. _Bon_. But cannot all your fluent witt interpret Why she procastinatts your promisd match? By this light, her daughter would be married tomorrow If her mother and I had concluded on the Joynture. _Tho_. The most evident reason she will give me of this unwellcome protraccon is she has some new employment to put on me, which performd she has ingaged her selfe to certainty of her designing me an answerare [_sic_]. _Enter Lovell_. _Grimes_. Here comes your Rivall, Mr. _Thorowgood_,--_Alexander_ the _Great_, her Ladishipps loving Steward. _Bon_. But does he affect the lady; what's his character? _Grimes_. He was by trade a taylor, sir, and is the tenth part of the bumbast that goes to the setting forth of a man: his dealing consists not much in weight but in the weight of his pressing Iron, under whose tyranny you shall perceave no small shrinking. _Tho_. Well said, _Grimes_. On!