Satiro-Mastix; or, the Vntrussing of the Humorous Poet — John Shaqi
Satiro-Mastix; or, the Vntrussing of the Humorous PoetDekker, Thomas
General
Satiro-Mastix; or, the Vntrussing of the Humorous Poet
Dekker, Thomas
Jonson, Ben, 1573?-1637
_Hor._ Who, the balde Knight Sir Vaughan?
_Sir Vau._ The same M. Horace, he that has but a remnant or parcell of
haire, his crowne is clipt and par’d away; me thinkes tis an excellent
quallitie to bee balde; for and there stucke a |1445| nose and two nyes
in his pate, he might weare two faces vnder one hood.
_Asi._ As God saue me la, if I might ha my will, Ide rather be a balde
Gentleman then a hairy; for I am sure the best and tallest Yeomen in
England haue balde heads: me thinkes haire is a |1450| scuruie lowsie
commodity.
_Hor._ Bubo, heerein you blaze your ignorance.
_Sir Vau._ Pray stop and fill your mouthes, and giue M. Horace all your
eares.
_Hor._ _For, if of all the bodies parts, the head
|1455| Be the most royall: if discourse, wit, Iudgement,
And all our vnderstanding faculties,
Sit there in their high Court of Parliament,
Enacting lawes to sway this humorous world:
This little Ile of Man: needes must that crowne,
|1460| Which stands vpon this supreame head, be faire,
And helde inualuable, and that crowne’s the_ Haire:
_The head that wants this honour stands awry,
Is bare in name and in authority_.
_Sir Vau._ He meanes balde-pates Mistris Miniuers.
|1465| _Hor._ Haire, _tis the roabe which curious nature weaues,
To hang vpon the head: and does adorne,
Our bodies in the first houre we are borne:
God does bestow that garment: when we dye,
That (like a soft and silken Canopie)
|1470| Is still spred ouer vs; In spight of death
Our hayre growes in our graue, and that alone
Lookes fresh, when all our other beauty’s gone.
The excellence of_ Haire, _in this shines cleere,
That the foure Elements take pride to weare
|1475| The fashion of it: when_ Fire _most bright does burne,
The flames to golden lockes doe striue to turne;
When her lasciuious armes the_ Water _hurles,
About the shoares wast, her sleeke head she curles:
And rorid cloudes being suckt into the_ Ayre,
|1480| _When downe they melt, hangs like fine siluer hayre.
You see the_ Earth _(whose head so oft is shorne)
Frighted to feele her lockes so rudely torne,
Stands with her haire an end, and (thus afraide)
Turnes euery haire to a greene naked blade.
|1485| Besides, when (strucke with griefe) we long to dye,
We spoile that most, which most does beautifie,
We rend this_ Head-tyre _off. I thus conclude,
Cullors set cullors out; our eyes iudge right,
Of vice or vertue by their opposite:
|1490| So, if faire haire to beauty ad such grace,
Baldnes must needes be vgly, vile and base._
_Sir Vau._ True M. Horace, for a bald reason, is a reason that has no
haires vpon’t, a scuruy scalded reason.
_Mi._ By my truely I neuer thought you could ha pickt such |1495|
strange things out of haire before.
_Asini._ Nay my Ningle can tickle it, when hee comes too’t.
_Min._ Troth I shall neuer bee enameld of a bare-headed man for this,
what shift so euer I make.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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