or leap upon the enemy. Cf. Act i.,
sc. 4: Mat. How mean you, sir,
pass upon me? Bob. Why, thus,
sir-make a thrust at me-[Master
MATTHEW pushes at BOBADILL]
come in upon the answer, control
your point, and make a full career at
the body. The best-practised gallants
of the time name it the passado; a
most desperate thrust, believe it.'
'Montanto,' upward thrust.
Shak., Much Ado About Nothing,
i. 1, Beatrice jestingly calls Benedick
'Signior Montanto,' referring to his
fencing or fighting qualities: 'I pray
you, is Signior Montanto returned
from the wars, or no?'

In

That's two hundred. Check the gallant
captain's arithmetic. The calcula-
tion is no doubt intentionally wrong
-on the author's part.
Downright is 'Mr Wellbred's half-
brother' (above); 'a plain squire.'
State. See note to 'estate' (page 42).
We should now probably say, 'stand
in Downright's shoes.'

Pharaoh's foot. In addressing him
thus, Downright makes game of one
of Bobadill's marvellous oaths. Cf.
Act i., sc. 3. So Bobadill's swearing
is the despair of Master Stephen (Act
iii., sc. 2): 'Steph. Oh, he swears
most admirably! By Pharaoh's

foot! Body o' Cæsar !-I shall never do it, sure. Upon mine honour, and by St George!-No, I have not the right grace.'

Tall man.

'Tall' does not necessarily refer to height or bulk; it is often used for 'bold,' 'courageous.' Control the point. To control the point is to bear, or beat it down: Downright retorts his own words upon the poor baffled captain: but the expression is technical; thus, the Bravo in the Antiquary says, "I do it by a slight, and by that I can control any man's point whatever" (Gifford).

Say. Imperative used nearly as conjunction (= though). Cf. the participles, 'granting,' 'admitting,' &c. Struck with a planet. Warton says Jonson 'indirectly intended to ridicule the prevailing fondness for astrology.' Gifford says: 'It seems to have escaped Warton that planetstricken was then the term in vogue for any sudden attack for which the physician could not readily find a proper name;' and he shews that 'planet-struck' was one of the headings of the bills of mortality, along with 'apoplex and meagrim,' 'suddenly,' &c.

A MEETING OF CONSPIRATORS.

(From Catiline his Conspiracy, Act I., Scene i.)

[LUCIUS SERGIUS CATILĪNA never allowed scruples of conscience to stand in the way of his pleasure or his ambition. The conspiracy referred to was his last and most extensive one, in 63 B.C.; its object was a revolution in the State. The plans of the conspirators were thwarted by the vigilance of Cicero; Catiline left Rome (Nov. 8-9), and his chief confederates were put to death (Dec. 5). Early next year, 62 B.C., his party was cut to pieces, and he himself slain.] SCENE. A Room in CATILINE'S House.

To CATILINE enter LENTULUS, in discourse with CETHEGUS. Lent. It is, methinks, a morning full of fate!

It riseth slowly, as her sullen car

Had all the weights of sleep and death hung at it!
She is not rosy-fingered, but swoln black!

Her face is like a water turned to blood,
And her sick head is bound about with clouds,

As if she threatened night ere noon of day!

It does not look as it would have a hail

Or health wished in it, as on other morns.

Cet. Why, all the fitter, Lentulus: our coming

Is not for salutation, we have business.

Cat. Said nobly, brave Cethegus. Where's Autronius ? Cet. Is he not come ?

That so will serve their sloth rather than virtue !
They are no Romans, and at such high need
As now!

Lent. Both they, Longinus, Lecca, Curius,
Fulvius, Gabinius, gave me word last night,
By Lucius Bestia, they would all be here,
And early.

Cet. Yes:
: as you, had I not called you.
Come, we all sleep, and are mere dormice; flies
A little less than dead: more dulness hangs
On us than on the morn. We're spirit-bound
In ribs of ice; our whole bloods are one stone;
And honour cannot thaw us, nor our wants,
Though they burn hot as fevers to our states.
Cat. I muse they would be tardy at an hour
Of so great purpose.

If the gods had called

Cet.
Them to a purpose, they would just have come

205

210

215

220

225

With the same tortoise speed, that are thus slow
To such an action which the gods will envy,

230

As asking no less means than all their powers,

Conjoined, to effect! I would have seen Rome burnt

By this time, and her ashes in an urn;

The kingdom of the senate rent asunder,

235

And the degenerate talking gown run frighted
Out of the air of Italy.

Thou heart of our great enterprise! how much
I love these voices in thee !

Cet.

O, the days

Of Sylla's sway, when the free sword took leave
To act all that it would!

Cat.

And was familiar

Sons killed fathers,

With entrails, as our augurs.
Cet.

Brothers their brothers.

Cat.

And had price and praise.

All hate had license given it, all rage reins.

240

Cet. Slaughter bestrid the streets, and stretcht himself 245 To seem more huge; whilst to his stainèd thighs

The gore he drew flowed up, and carried down

Whole heaps of limbs and bodies through his arch:

No

age was spared, no sex.

Cat.

Nay, no degree.

Cet. Not infants in the porch of life were free.
The sick, the old, that could but hope a day
Longer by nature's bounty, not let stay.
Virgins, and widows, matrons, pregnant wives,
All died.

250

Cat. "Twas crime enough, that they had lives.
To strike but only those that could do hurt,
Was dull and poor: some fell to make the number,
As some the prey.

255

Cet.

The rugged Charon fainted,

And asked a navy, rather than a boat,

To ferry over the sad world that came :

The maws and dens of beasts could not receive

260

The bodies that those souls were frighted from ;

And e'en the graves were filled with men yet living,
Whose flight and fear had mixed them with the dead.
Cat. And this shall be again, and more, and more,
Now Lentulus, the third Cornelius,

265

Is to stand up in Rome.

And therefore not to be reflected on.

Cat. The Sibyl's leaves uncertain? or the comments
Of our grave, deep, divining men not clear?

Lent. All prophecies, you know, suffer the torture.
Cat. But this already hath confessed, without;
And so been weighed, examined, and compared,
As 'twere malicious ignorance in him
Would faint in the belief.

270

Do

you

believe it?

275

Lent.
Cat. Do I love Lentulus, or pray to see it?
Lent. The augurs all are constant I am meant.
Cat. They had lost their science else.

Lent.

280

They count from Cinna. Cat. And Sylla next, and so make you the third : All that can say the sun is risen, must think it. Lent. Men mark me more of late as I come forth. Cat. Why, what can they do less? Cinna and Sylla

Are set and gone; and we must turn our eyes

On him that is, and shines. Noble Cethegus,

But view him with me here! He looks already

285

As if he shook a sceptre o'er the senate,

And the awed purple dropped their rods and axes:

The statues melt again, and household gods

In groans confess the travail of the city:

The very walls sweat blood before the change,

290

And stones start out to ruin ere it comes.

Cet. But he, and we, and all are idle still.

Lent. I am your creature, Sergius; and whate'er

The great Cornelian name shall win to be,
It is not augury, nor the Sibyl's books,
But Catiline, that makes it.

To honoured Lentulus, and Cethegus here,
Who are the heirs of Mars.

295

Cet.

By Mars himself,

Catiline is more my parent; for whose virtue
Earth cannot make a shadow great enough,

Though envy should come too. [Noise within.] O, there they

Now we shall talk more, though we yet do nothing..

NOTES.