up his buttocks, and clapped himself; which done, he laughed, and went un∣der
water again.
As for the Players habits, Black is the colour of Pluto's Kingdom; Jupiters red
is the colour of his Thunder; Venus's green is the colour of the Spring, which re∣presents
Love; Ceres's yellow is the colour of her harvests. Proserpina's blew is
the ordinary colour of maids to be married; and for Cyana and Arethusa, white
represents the silver of their streams. But for Cupids being naked, with his Bow
and Arrow, as the Poets paint him, there is somewhat to be said against it.
When he would shoot at one, what does he with his torch? doth he let it fall to
the ground? or does he put it out till he hath done, and then lights it again at the
eyes of some Beauty? nor do I see why he should go naked in the cold; and there∣fore
I approve Carmelin, who being to represent him, would not for modesty sake.
But it may be said the enjoyments of it are naked: be it so.
Venus speaks by Hyperboles, yet not such, but the Poets make them ordinary;
for to say, that the beauties of a Mistress are able to make the Gods Idolatrous, is
much beyond any thing she saies. The discourses also of Cupid are fit for such a
person, as the Poets make him: for his playing at Cockal, since he is a childe, 'tis
natural; but pins are more proper for him, for 'tis his design to prick. Nor is Gani∣med's
loitering from school absurd, for you must note, Mercury taught the Gods
languages. While the Greeks stood, they spoke all Greek, but when the Empire came
to the Romans, the Gods were fain to submit to the Latine tongue, otherwise
they could not have convers'd with that people, nor answer'd them by their
Oracles.
Pluto hath taken the Pedantick stile, which is the most proper for a solitary God
as he is; and as this God passing his time with the dead, must needs speak some ex∣traordinary
Language; so those here who spend night and day in reading old Au∣thors,
and never converse with other men, furnish us with nothing but their Pedan∣try,
both in their discourse and Books. For his mangling of the Latine words, he
may be easily understood, as being not so ridiculously affected, as that of the schol∣ler
in Rabelais; who says he goes to the Lupanar instead of a Bawdy-house, and
transfrets the Sequane. But Rabelais needed not have abus'd others in this point, for
his own ordinary stile is Pedantick enough.
The Rencontre of Adrian just in this nick of time, must needs be very pleasant;
and his bidding the company adieu, and the Waggoner drive on both in a breath,
sufficiently speak his quality.
But the next Comedy is much more perfect, as being not interrupted. Zethes
and Calais speak the ordinary phrase, as being yong men; but Jason being a Con∣queror,
and better at his hands then at this tongue, can speak no other but Galli∣mathias,
a kinde of speech hath no name neither among the Greeks nor Latines,
as consisting of contradictions, and clinches upon the words, and 'tis only the ex∣ample
declares what it is. 'Tis a Language that much pesters the Courtiers; you
have enough of it in the Loves of Nerueza, and those of Des Escuteaux, and in
Loves Alarms; and though these Books are slighted now, yet were they excellent
in their time, and those that are now in vogue, will come to the same fate.
Our Medea is all in Metaphors; a stile proper for a Sorceress; he that compos'd
the Travels of Aristeus, was excellent at it. Despair saies he, like a resolute War∣riour,
having laid siege to the heart of that Shepherdess with an Army of his suffer∣ings,
took in at length that fort of her soul, having at his entrance knock'd down that
inflexible courage, cut the throat of his patience, massacr'd his furious resolutions,
and precipitated those thoughts, which had escaped the fury of the sword, into a fire
perpetually burning with a desire of death. This Author was the only admiration
of the Court; but how deservedly—
But to return to our Comedy. Jason desirous to obtain the Golden-Fleece, which
was a Book of Chymistry, as some say, though the Fable bears other expositions.
But the Poets know not where the Colchos was, for some will have it to be an Island,
others a Continent; nay, some say, they knew not by what river the Argo got in∣to