pleasures with a hungrie appetite: but onely as a
Gentleman to spend a foolish houre or two, because
yoe can doe nothing else: Thirdly, you mightily
disrelish the Audience, and disgrace the Author:
marry, you take vp (though it be at the worst hand)
a strong opinion of your owne iudgement, and inforce
the Poet to take pity of your weakenesse, and, by
some dedicated sonnet, to bring you into a better
paradice, onely to stop your mouth.
If you can (either for loue or money) prouide
your selfe a lodging by the water-side: for, aboue
the conuenience it brings to / shun Shoulder-clapping,
and to ship away your Cockatrice betimes in the
morning, it addes a kind of state vnto you, to be
carried from thence to the staires of your Playhouse:
hate a Sculler (remember that) worse then to be
acquainted with one o' th' Scullery. No, your Oares
are your onely Sea-crabs, boord them, and take heed
you neuer go twice together with one paire: often
shifting is a great credit to Gentlemen; and that
diuiding of your fare wil make the poore watersnaks
be ready to pul you in peeces to enioy your custome:
No matter whether vpon landing, you haue money or
no: you may swim in twentie of their boates ouer
the riuer upon _Ticket_: mary, when siluer comes in,
remember to pay trebble their fare, and it will make
your Flounder-catchers to send more thankes after
you, when you doe not draw, then when you doe;
for they know, It will be their owne another daie.
Before the Play begins, fall to cardes: you may
win or loose (as _Fencers_ doe in a prize) and beate
one another by confederacie, yet share the money
when you meete at supper: notwithstanding, to gul
the _Ragga-muffins_ that stand aloofe gaping at you,
throw the cards (hauing first torne foure or fiue of
them) round about the Stage, iust vpon the third
sound, as though you had lost: it skils not if the
foure knaues ly on their backs, and outface the
Audience; theres none such fooles as dare take
exceptions at them, because, ere the play go off,
better knaues than they will fall into the company.
Now sir, if the writer be a fellow that hath either
epigrammd you, or hath had a flirt at your mistris, or
hath brought either your feather, or your red beard,
or your little legs, &c. on the stage, you shall disgrace
him worse then by tossing him in a blancket, or
giuing him the bastinado in a Tauerne, if, in the
middle of his play (bee it Pastoral or Comedy,
Morall or Tragedie), you rise with a screwd and discontented
face from your stoole to be gone: no
matter whether the Scenes be good or no; the better
they are the worse do you distast them: and, beeing
on your feet, sneake not away like a coward, but
salute all your gentle acquaintance, that are spred
either on the rushes, or on stooles about you, and
draw what troope you can from the stage after you:
the _Mimicks_ are beholden to you, for allowing them /
elbow roome: their Poet cries, perhaps, a pox go with
you, but care not for that, theres no musick without
frets.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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