_Lieut.-Gen._ What midnight darkness does invade the day, And snatch the victor from his conquer'd prey? Is the sun weary of this bloody fight, And winks upon us with the eye of light! 'Tis an eclipse! this was unkind, O moon, To clap between me and the sun so soon. Foolish eclipse! thou this in vain hast done; My brighter honour had eclips'd the sun: But now behold eclipses two in one. [_Exit._ _Johns._ This is an admirable representation of a battle as ever I saw. _Bayes._ Ay, sir; but how would you fancy now to represent an eclipse? _Smith._ Why, that's to be suppos'd. _Bayes._ Suppos'd! ay, you are ever at your suppose: ha, ha, ha! why, you may as well suppose the whole play. No, it must come in upon the stage, that's certain; but in some odd way, that may delight, amuse, and all that. I have a conceit for't, that I am sure is new, and I believe to the purpose. _Johns._ How's that? _Bayes._ Why, the truth is, I took the first hint of this out of a dialogue between Phoebus and Aurora, in the "Slighted Maid," which, by my troth, was very pretty; but I think you'd confess this is a little better. _Johns._ No doubt on't, Mr. Bayes, a great deal better. [BAYES _hugs_ JOHNSON, _then turns to_ SMITH. _Bayes._ Ah, dear rogue! But--a--sir, you have heard, I suppose, that your eclipse of the moon is nothing else but an interposition of the earth between the sun and moon; as likewise your eclipse of the sun is caus'd by an interlocation of the moon betwixt the earth and the sun. _Smith._ I have heard some such thing indeed. _Bayes._ Well, sir, then what do I but make the earth, sun, and moon come out upon the stage, and dance the hey. Hum! and of necessity, by the very nature of this dance, the earth must be sometimes between the sun and the moon, and the moon between the earth and sun: and there you have both eclipses by demonstration. _Johns._ That must needs be very fine, truly. _Bayes._ Yes, it has fancy in't. And then, sir, that there may be something in't, too, of a joke, I bring 'em in all singing; and make the moon sell the earth a bargain. Come, come out, eclipse, to the tune of "Tom Tyler." _Enter_ LUNA. _Luna._ Orbis, O Orbis! Come to me, thou little rogue, Orbis. _Enter the_ EARTH. _Orb._ Who calls Terra-firma, pray?[59] _Luna._ Luna, that ne'er shines by day. _Orb._ What means Luna in a veil? _Luna._ Luna means to show her tail. _Bayes._ There's the bargain. _Enter_ SOL, _to the tune of_ "Robin Hood." _Sol._ Fie, sister, fie; thou makest me muse, Derry down, derry down, To see thee Orb abuse. _Luna._ I hope his anger 'twill not move; Since I show'd it out of love. Hey down, derry down. _Orb._ Where shall I thy true love know, Thou pretty, pretty moon? _Luna._ To-morrow soon, ere it be noon, On Mount Vesuvio.[60]