Cynthia's Revels; Or, The Fountain of Self-LoveJonson, Ben
General
Cynthia's Revels; Or, The Fountain of Self-Love
Jonson, Ben
English drama (Comedy); English drama -- 17th century
PHA. From secret friends, sweet servants, loves, doves, and such
fantastic humours,
CHORUS. Good Mercury defend us.
AMO. From stabbing of arms, flap-dragons, healths, whiffs, and all
such swaggering humours,
CHORUS. Good Mercury defend us.
PHA. From waving fans, coy glances, glicks, cringes, and all such
simpering humours,
CHORUS. Good Mercury defend us.
AMO. From making love by attorney, courting of puppets, and paying
for new acquaintance.
CHORUS. Good Mercury defend us.
PHA. From perfumed dogs, monkies, sparrows, dildoes, and
paraquettoes.
CHORUS. Good Mercury defend us.
AMO. From wearing bracelets of hair, shoe-ties, gloves, garters,
and rings with poesies.
CHORUS. Good Mercury defend us.
PHA. From pargetting, painting, slicking, glazing, and renewing
old rivelled faces.
CHORUS. Good Mercury defend us.
AMO. From 'squiring to tilt yards, play-houses, pageants, and all
such public places.
CHORUS. Good Mercury defend us.
PHA. From entertaining one gallant to gull another, and making
fools of either,
CHORUS. Good Mercury defend us.
AMO. From belying ladies' favours, noblemen's countenance, coining
counterfeit employments, vain-glorious taking to them other men's
services, and all self-loving humours,
CHORUS. Good Mercury defend us.
MERCURY AND CRITES SING.
Now each one dry his weeping eyes,
And to the Well of Knowledge haste;
Where, purged of your maladies,
You may of sweeter waters taste:
And, with refined voice, report
The grace of Cynthia, and her court.
[EXEUNT.
THE EPILOGUE.
Gentles, be't known to you, since I went in
I am turn'd rhymer, and do thus begin.
The author (jealous how your sense doth take
His travails) hath enjoined me to make
Some short and ceremonious epilogue;
But if I yet know what, I am a rogue:
He ties me to such laws as quite distract
My thoughts, and would a year of time exact.
I neither must be faint, remiss, nor sorry,
Sour, serious, confident, nor peremptory:
But betwixt these. Let's see; to lay the blame
Upon the children's action, that were lame.
To crave your favour, with a begging knee,
Were to distrust the writer's faculty.
To promise better at the next we bring,
Prorogues disgrace, commends not any thing.
Stiffly to stand on this, and proudly approve
The play, might tax the maker of Self-love.
I'll only speak what I have heard him say,
"By--'tis good, and if you like't, you may."
"Ecce rubet quidam, pallet, stupet, oscitat, odit
Hoc volo: nunc nobis carmina nostra placent."
GLOSSARY
ABATE, cast down, subdue.
ABHORRING, repugnant (to), at variance.
ABJECT, base, degraded thing, outcast.
ABRASE, smooth, blank.
ABSOLUTE(LY), faultless(ly).
ABSTRACTED, abstract, abstruse.
ABUSE, deceive, insult, dishonour, make ill use of.
ACATER, caterer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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