FAST. Good signior Macilente, if this gentleman, signior Deliro, furnish
you, as he says he will, with clothes, I will bring you, to-morrow by this
time, into the presence of the most divine and acute lady in court; you
shall see sweet silent rhetorick, and dumb eloquence speaking in her eye,
but when she speaks herself, such an anatomy of wit, so sinewised and
arterised, that 'tis the goodliest model of pleasure that ever was to
behold. Oh! she strikes the world into admiration of her; O, O, O! I
cannot express them, believe me.
MACI. O, your only admiration is your silence, sir.
PUNT. 'Fore God, Carlo, this is good! let's read them again.
[READS THE BILL.
"If there be any lady or gentlewoman of good carriage that is desirous to
entertain to her private uses, a young, straight, and upright gentleman, of
the age of five or six and twenty at the most; who can serve in the nature
of a gentleman-usher, and hath little legs of purpose, and a black satin
suit of his own, to go before her in; which suit, for the more sweetening,
now lies in lavender; and can hide his face with her fan, if need require;
or sit in the cold at the stair foot for her, as well as another gentleman:
let her subscribe her name and place, and diligent respect shall be given."
PUNT. This is above measure excellent, ha!
CAR. No, this, this! here's a fine slave.
[READS.
"If this city, or the suburbs of the same, do afford any young gentleman of
the first, second, or third head, more or less, whose friends are but
lately deceased, and whose lands are but new come into his hands, that, to
be as exactly qualified as the best of our ordinary gallants are, is
affected to entertain the most gentleman-like use of tobacco; as first, to
give it the most exquisite perfume; then, to know all the delicate sweet
forms for the assumption of it; as also the rare corollary and practice of
the Cuban ebolition, euripus and whiff, which he shall receive or take in
here at London, and evaporate at Uxbridge, or farther, if it please him.
If there be any such generous spirit, that is truly enamoured of these good
faculties; may it please him, but by a note of his hand to specify the
place or ordinary where he uses to eat and lie; and most sweet attendance,
with tobacco and pipes of the best sort, shall be ministered. 'Stet,
quaeso, candide Lector.'"
PUNT. Why, this is without parallel, this.
CAR. Well, I'll mark this fellow for Sogliardo's use presently.
PUNT. Or rather, Sogliardo, for his use.
CAR. Faith, either of them will serve, they are both good properties:
I'll design the other a place too, that we may see him.
PUNT. No better place than the Mitre, that we may be spectators with you,
Carlo. Soft, behold who enters here:
ENTER SOGLIARDO.
Signior Sogliardo! save you.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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