D% JOHN LYLY. John Lyly was born in Kent about 1554: the exact date of his death is uncertain. He was educated at Oxford, and for a time held a place at Court. Euphues (the first part) was published in 1579; the plays by which the author is also known, later. REMEDIA AMORIS. O you not know the nature of women which is grounded only upon extremities? Do they think any man to delight in them, unless he dote on them? Any to be zealous except they be jealous? Any to be fervent in case he be not furious? If he be cleanly, then term they him proud, if mean in apparel a sloven, if tall a lungis, if short a dwarf, if bold, blunt: if shamefaced, a coward: insomuch as they have neither mean in their frumps, nor measure in their folly. But at the first the ox wieldeth not the yoke, nor the colt the snaffle, nor the lover good counsel, yet time causeth the one to bend his neck, the other to open his mouth, and should enforce the third to yield his right to reason. Lay before thine eyes the slights and deceits of thy lady, her snatching in jest and keeping in earnest, her perjury, her impiety, the countenance she showeth to thee of course, the love she beareth to others of zeal, her open malice, her dissembled mischief. OI would in repeating their vices thou couldst be as eloquent as in remembering them thou oughtest to be penitent: be she never so comely call her counterfeit, be she never so straight think her crooked. And wrest all parts of her body to the worst, be she never so worthy. If she be well set, then call her a boss ; if slender, a hazel twig; if nutbrown, as black as a coal; if well coloured, a painted wall; if she be pleasant, then is she a wanton ; if sullen, a clown; if honest, then is she coy; if impudent, a harlot. Search every vein and sinew of their disposition; if she have no sight in descant, desire her to chant it; if no cunning to dance, request her to trip it; if no skill in music, proffer her the lute; if an ill gait, then walk with her; if rude in speech, talk with her; if she be gag-toothed, tell her some merry jest to make her laugh; if pink-eyed, some doleful history to cause her weep; in the one her grinning will show her deformed, in the other her whining like a pig half roasted. It is a world to see how commonly we are blinded with the collusions of women, and more enticed by their ornaments being artificial, than their proportion being natural. I loathe almost to think on their ointments and apothecary drugs, the sleeking of their faces, and all their slibber sauces, which bring queesiness to the stomach, and disquiet to the mind. Take from them their periwigs, their paintings, their jewels, their rolls, their bolsterings, and thou shalt soon perceive that a woman is the least part of herself. When they be once robbed of their robes, then will they appear so odious, so ugly, so monstrous, that thou wilt rather think them serpents than saints, and so like hags that thou wilt fear rather to be enchanted than enamoured. Look in their closets, and there shalt thou find an apothecary's shop of sweet confections, a surgeon's box of sundry salves, a pedlar's pack of new fangles. Besides all this their shadows, their spots, their lawns, their leefikyes, their ruffs, their rings, shew them rather cardinal's courtesans, than modest matrons, and more carnally affected, than moved in conscience. If every one of these things severally be not of force to move thee, yet all of them jointly should mortify thee. Moreover, to make thee the more stronger to strive against these sirens, and more subtle to deceive these tame serpents, my counsel is that thou have more strings to thy bow than one, it is safe riding at two anchors, a fire divided in twain burneth slower, a fountain running into many rivers is of less force, the mind enamoured on two women is less affected with desire, and less infected with despair, one love expelleth another, and the remembrance of the latter quencheth the concupiscence of the first. Euphues. P. 23, l. 1. Most of this passage is taken directly, and many of its phrases are literally translated from Ovid's Remedia Amoris, especially from lines 315-355. This is characteristic of Lyly and his school. P. 23, 1. 6. P. 23, 1. 7. P. 23, 1. 8. Wieldeth, in the sense of "abide," brook;" so not common. P. 23, ll. 14, 15. "Of course," ," "of zeal," contrasted as we should now contrast as a matter of course" and " by predilection." P. 24, 1. 2. P. 24, 1. 7. P. 24, l. 10. P. 24, 1. 18. P. 24, 1. 29. Boss, a hump, a lump. Sight in. Compare the phrase "to be well seen in." Slibber, slippery. Leefikyes, apparently from “lief," "playthings," "toys." Chosen, no doubt, for its alliteration with “lawns." FRANCIS BACON, VISCOUNT ST. ALBANS. THE Francis Bacon was born in London in 1561. Leaving Cambridge young, he went to Paris in the suite of Sir Amyas Paulet, there studied law, became M.P. for Middlesex in 1595, Attorney-General in 1613, Lord Keeper in 1617, in 1619 Lord Chancellor and Baron Verulam, in 1620 Viscount St. Albans. He died in 1626. His fall is notorious, his character disputed, his genius incontestable. OF MASQUES AND TRIUMPHS. HESE things are but toys, to come amongst such serious observations. But yet, since princes will have such things, it is better they should be graced with elegancy, than daubed with cost. Dancing to song, is a thing of great state and pleasure. I understand it, that the song be in quire, placed aloft, and accompanied with some broken music; and the ditty fitted to the device. Acting in song, especially in dialogues, hath an extreme good grace; I say acting, not dancing, for that is a mean and vulgar thing; and the voices of the dialogue would be strong and manly, a bass and a tenor; no treble; and the ditty high and tragical; not nice or dainty. Several quires, placed one over against another, and taking the voice by catches, anthem-wise, give great pleasure. Turning dances into figure is a childish curiosity. And generally let it be noted, that those things which I here set down are such, as do naturally take the sense, and not respect petty wonderments. It is true, the alterations of scenes, so it be quietly and without noise, are things of great beauty and pleasure; for they feed and relieve the eye, before it be full of the same object. Let the scenes abound with light, specially that coloured and varied; and let the masquers, or any other, are to come down from the scene, have some motions upon the scene itself before their coming down; for it draws the eye strangely, and makes it with great pleasure to desire to see that it cannot perfectly discern. Let the songs be loud and cheerful, and not chirpings or pulings. Let the music likewise be sharp and loud, and well placed. The colours that shew best by candlelight, are white, carnation, and a kind of sea-water-green; and oes or spangs, as they are of no great cost, so they are of most glory. As for rich embroidery, it is lost and not discerned. Let the suits of the masquers be graceful, and such as become the person when the vizards are off; not after examples of known attires; Turks, soldiers, mariners, and the like. Let anti-masques not be long; they have been commonly of fools, satyrs, baboons, wildmen, antics, beasts, sprites, witches, Ethiops, pigmies, turquets, nymphs, rustics, cupids, statuas moving, and the like. As for angels, it is not comical enough to put them in anti-masques; and anything that is hideous, as devils, giants, is on the other side as unfit. But chiefly, let the music of them be recreative, and with some strange changes. Some sweet odours suddenly coming forth, without any drops falling, are, in such a company as there is steam and heat, things of great pleasure and refreshment. Double masques, one of men, another of ladies, addeth state and variety. But all is nothing except the room be kept clear and neat. For jousts, and tourneys, and barriers, the glories of them are chiefly in the chariots, wherein the challengers make their entry; especially if they be drawn with strange beasts, as lions, bears, camels, and the like; or in the devices of their entrance; or in the bravery of their liveries; or in the goodly furniture of their horses and armour. But enough of these toys. Essays. OF STUDIES. STUDIES serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief use for delight, is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgment |