Two Gentlemen entring upon the Stage.
MR. Probee and Mr. Damplay.
A Boy of the House meets them.
Boy. What do you lack, Gentlemen? what
is't you lack? any fine Phantsies, Figures, Humors, Characters, Ideas, Definitions of Lords
and Ladies? Waiting-women, Parasites, Knights,
Captains, Courtiers, Lawyers? what do you lack?
Pro. A pretty prompt Boy for the Poetick Shop.
Dam. And a bold! wjere's one o' your Masters;
Sirrah, The Poet?
Boy. Which of'em? Sir we have divers that
drive that Trade, now: Poets, Poet'accios, Poetasters, Poetito's --
Dam. And all Haberdashers of small Wit, I presume;
we would speak with the Poet o'the day, Boy.
Boy. Sir, he is not here. But I have the Dominion
of the Shop, for this time, under him, and can shew you all the variety the Stage will
afford for the present.
Pro. Therein you will express your own good parts,
Boy.
Dam. And tye us two for you the gentle Office.
Pro. We are a Pair of publick Persons (this Gentleman and my self) that are sent, thus coupled unto you upon State-business.
Boy. It concerns but the State of the Stage I hope!
Dam. O, you shall know that by degrees, Boy.
No man leaps into a business of State, without fourding first the State of the business.
Pro. We are sent unto you, indeed from the People.
Boy. The People! which side of the People?
Dam. The Venison side, if you know it, Boy.
Boy. That's the left side. I had rather they had been the right.
Pro. So they are. Not the Faces, or Grounds of your People, that sit in the oblick Caves and
Wedges of your House, your sinful Six-Penny Mechanicks--
Dam. But the better, and breaver sort of your
People! Plush and Velver-outsiders! that stick your
House round like so many Eminences --
Boy. Of Clothes, not Understandings? They
are at pawn. Well, I take these as a part of
your People though; what bring you to me from
these People?
Dam. You have heard, Boy, the ancient Poets
had it in their purpose, still to please this People.
Pro. I, their chief aim was --
Dam. Populo ut placerent: (if he understands so much)
Boy. Quas fecissent fabulas. I understand that, since I learn'd terrence, i'the third Form at Wesminster: go on, Sir.
Pro. Now, these People have imployed us to you, in all their Names, to intreat an excellent
Play from you.
Dam. For they have had very mean ones, from
this Shop of Late, the stage as you call it.
Boy. Troth, Gentlemen, I have no Wares, which
I dare thrust upon the People with praise. But this,
such as it is, I will venture with your People, your
guy gallant People: so as you, again, will
undertake for them, that they shall know a good
Play when they hear it; and will have the
Conscience and Ingenuity beside to confess it.
Prob. We'll pass our words for that; you shall have a Brace of us to ingage our selves.
Boy. You'll tender your Names, Gentlemen,
to our book then?
Dam. Yes, here's Mr. Probee; a man of most
powerful Speech, and Parts to perswade.
Pro. And Mr. Damplay will make good all he
undertakes.
Boy. Good Mr. Probee, and Mr. Damplay! I like
your Securities: whence do you write your selves?
Pro. Of London, Gentlemen: but Knights
Brothers, and Knights Friends, I assure you.
Dam. And Knights Fellow's too. Every Poet
writes Squire now.
Boy. You are good Names! very good Men,
both of you! I accept you.
Dam. And what is the Title of your Play, here?
The Magnetick Lady?
Boy. Yes, Sir, an attractive Title the Author
has given it.
Pro. A Magnete, I warrant you.
Dam. O, no, from Magnus, Magna, Magnum.
Boy. This Gentleman hath found the true Magnitude --
Dam. Of his Portal or Entry to the Work,
according to Vitruvius.
Boy. Sir, all our work is done without a
Portal -- or Vitruvius. In Foro, as a true Comedy
should be. And what is conceal'd within, is
brought out, and made present by report.
Dam. We see not always observ'd by your
Authors of these Times; or any other.
Boy. Where it is not at all known, how should
it be observ'd? The most of those your people
call Authors, never dreamt of any Decorum, or
what was proper in the Scene; but grope at it i'
the dark, and feel or fumble for it; I speak it, both
with their leave and the leave o' your People.
Dam. But, why Humors reconcil'd;I would
fain know?
Boy. I can satisfie you there too: if you will.
But, perhaps you desire not to be satisfied.
Dam. No? Why should you conceive so, Boy?
Boy. My Conceit is not ripe yet: I'll tell you
that anon. The Author beggining his Studies of
this kind, with every Man in his Humour; and
after every Man out of his Humour; and since,
continuing in all his >i>Plays, especially those of the
Comick thread, whereof the New-Inn was the last,
some recent Humours still, or Manners of Men,
that went along with the Times; finding himself
now near the close, or shutting up of his Circle,
hath phant'sied to himself, in Idaea, this Magnetick
Mistris. A Lady, a brave bountiful Housekeeper,
and a vertuous Widow: who having a
young Neice, ripe for a Man and marriageable,
he makes that his Center attractive, to draw thither
a diversity of Guests, all Persons of different
Humours to make up his Perimiter. And this he
hath call'd Humours reconcil'd.
Pro. A bold undertaking! and far greater then
the Reconciliation of both churches, the Quarrel
between Humours having been much the ancienter;
and in my poor Opinion, the Root of
all Schism and faction both in Church and
Common-wealth.
Boy. Such is the Opinion of many wise Men,
that meet at his Shop still, but how he will speed
in it, we cannot tell, and he himself (it seems)
less cares. For he will not be intreated by us,
to give it a Prologue.way already, he says. He will not wooe the
Gentile ignorance so much. But careless of all
vulgar Censure, as not depending on common
Approbation, he is confident it shall super-please
judicious Spectators, and to them he leaves it to
work with the rest, by Example or otherwise.
Dam. He may be deceived in that, Boy: Few
follow Examples now, especially if they be good.
Boy. The Play is ready to begin, Gentlemen, I
tell yon, lest you might defraud the expectation of
the People, for whom you are Delegates! Please
you take a couple of Seats and plant your selves,
here, as near my standing as you can: Fly every
thing (you see) to the Mark, and censure it,
freely. So you interrupt not the Series or Thred
of the Argument, to break or pucker it, with
unnecessary Questions. For, I must tell you,
(not out of mine own Dictamen, but the Authors)
A good Play is like Skean of Silk: which, if you
take by the right end, you may wind off at pleasure,
On the Bottom or Card of your Discourse,
in a Tale, or so; how you will: But if you
light on the wrong end, you will pull all into a
knot, or Elfe-lock; which nothing but the Sheers,
or a Candle will undo, or separate.
Dam. Stay! who be these, I pray you?
Boy. Because it is your first Question, and
(these be the prime persons) it would in civility
require an answer: but I have heard the Poet affirm,
that to be the most unlucky Scene in a Play,
which needs an Interpreter; especially, when
the Auditory are awake: and such are you, he presumes. Ergo.