COme, now my head's in, Ile eu'n venter

the whole. I ha seen the Lions ere now;

and he that hath seen them, may see the King.

I thinke he may: but haue a care you goe not

too high (neighbour NOTCH) least you chance to

haue a Tally made of your pate, and be clawed with a
cudgell. There is as much danger in going too neere

the King, as the Lions.

Whether? whether now Gamsters? what

is the businesse? the affaire? stop I beseech you.

This must be an Officer, or nothing, he is

so peart, and briefe in his demands! a prettie man! and a

prettie man is a little o' this side nothing. Howsoever,

we must not be daunted now. I am sure I am, a greater

man then he out of the Court, and I haue lost nothing

of my size since I came into it.

Hey-da! whats this! A hogshead of beere

broke out of the Kings Buttry, or some Dutch hulke!

whether are you bound? The wind is against you: you

must backe: doe you know where you are?

Yes Sir, if we be not mistaken, wee are at

the Court, and would be very glad to speak with some-

thing of lesse authoritie, and more wit, that knowes a

little, in the place.

Sir, I know as little as any man in the

place: speake, what is your businesse? I am an Of-

ficer, GROOME of the REVELS; I may and must

aske you.

Be not too mustie Sir; our desire is onely

to know, whether the Kings Maiestie and the Court

expect any Disguise here to night.

Disguise! what meane you by that? do

you thinke his Maiestie sits here to expect drunkards?

No, if he did, I beleeue you would sup-

ply that place better, then you doe this. Disguise was

the olde English word for a Masque Sir, before you

were an Implement belonging to the REVELS.

There is no such word in the Office now,

I assure you Sir: I haue seru'd heere Man and Boy a

prentiship or twaine, and I should know. But (by what

name soeuer you call it) heere will be a Masque, and

shall be a Masque, when you and the rest of your Com-

rogues shall sit disguis'd in the stocks.

Sure, by your language, you were neuer

meant for a Courtier, howsoeuer it hath been your ill

fortune to bee taken out of the nest young: you are

some Constables Egge, some such Widgin of authori-

tie, you are so easily offended! Our comming was to

shew our loues, Sir, and to make a little merry with

his Maiestie to night, and wee haue brought a Masque

with vs, if his Maiestie had not been better prouided.

Who you? you a Masque? why you

stinke like so many bloat herrings newly taken out of

the chimney! In the name of ignorance whence came

you? or what are you? you haue beene hangd in the

smoake sufficiently, that is smelt out already.

Sir, we doe come from among the Brew-

houses in Saint KATHERINS, that's true, there you

haue smoak'd vs (the Docke comfort your nostrils) and

wee may haue liued in a mist there, and so mist our

purpose: but for mine owne part, I haue brought my

properties with me to expresse what I am, the keyes of

my calling hang heere at my girdle; and this, the regi-

ster booke of my function, shewes me no lesse then a

Clerke at all points, and a Brewers Clerke, and a Brew-

ers head-Clerke.

A man of account Sir! I cry you mercy.

I Sir, I knew him a fine Merchant, a Mer-

chant of hops, till all hopt into the water.

No more of that, what I haue bin, I haue

bin: what I am, I am. I PETER NOTCH Clearke,

hearing the CHRISTMAS Inuention was drawne dry

at Court, and that neither the Kings POET, nor his

ARCHITECT had wherewithall left to entertaine so

much as a Baboone of qualitie, nor scarce the Welsh

Embassador if hee should come there; out of my alle-

geance to wit, drew in some other friends, that haue as

it were presumed out of our owne naturals, to fill vp

the Vacuum with some pretty presentation, which wee

haue addrest, and conuei'd hither in a lighter at the ge-

neral charge, and landed at the back-doore of the But-

tery, through my neighbour SLVGs credit there.

A poore Lighterman Sir, one that hath had

the honour sometimes to lay in the Kings Beere there,

and I assure you I heard it in no worse place, then the

very Buttry, for a certaine, there would be no Masque,

and from such as could command a Iacke of Beere two

or three.

Dat is true, exceeding true, de Inuentors be

barren, lost, two, dre, vour mile, I know that from my selua:

dey haue no ting, no ting van deir owne, but vat dey take

vrom de eard, or de sea, or de heauen, or de hell, or de rest uan

de vier elementen, de place a, dat be so common as de benche

in de Burdello. Now, me vould bring in some daintie new

ting, dat neuer vas, nor neuer sall be, in de rebus natura! dat

has neder van de mater, nor de vorme, nor de head, nor de

voot, but is a mera deuisa of de braine—

Hey-da, what HANS FLVTTERKIN is

this? what do's this Dutchman build, or talke of?

Castles in the ayre?

He is no Dutchman Sir, he is a Brittaine borne,

but hath learned to misuse his owne tongue in trauell,

and now speaks all languages in ill English. A rare Artist

he is Sir, & a Projector of Masques. His project in ours,

is, that wee should all come from the three dancing

Beares, a famous Alehouse in Saint Katherines (you may

hap know it Sir), hard by where the Priest fell in, which

Alehouse is kept by a distrest Lady, whose name (for the

honour of Knighthood) will not be knowne, yet shee is

come in person, errant, to fill vp the aduenture with her

two Women that draw drinke vnder her, Gentlewo-

men borne, all three I assure you.

And were three of those Gentlewomen, that

should haue acted in that famous matter of Englands

Ioy, in sixe hundred and three.

What talke you of Englands Ioy, Gentlemen?

you haue another matter in hand ywis, Englands Sport,

if you can manage it. The poore Cattell yonder, are pas-

sing away the time with a cheat loafe and a bumbard,

how wil you dispose of them?

Cattell? what Cattell do's she meane?

No worse then the Kings Game I assure you:

Beares of quality and fashion, right Beares, true Beares!

A deuice, onely to expresse the place from

whence we come (my Ladies house) for which we haue

borrowed three very Beares, that (as her Ladiship afore-

said sayes) are well bred, and can dance to present the

Signe, and the Bearward to stand for the Signe-post.

That is prety: but are you sure you haue suffici-

ent Beares for the purpose?

Very sufficient Beares, as any are in the ground:

and can dance at first sight, and play their owne tunes, if
need bee. JOHN VRSON the Beareward offers to play

them with any Citie-Dancers, christned, for a ground

measure.

Marry, for lofty tricks, or dancing on the ropes,

he will not vndertake: it is out of their element, he sayes.

Sir, all our request is, since we are come, we may bee ad-

mitted, if not for a Masque, for an Antick Masque: and

as we shall deserue therein, we desire to be returned with

credit to the Buttry, from whence we came, for reward;

or to the Porters Lodge, for our punishment.

To be whipt with your Beares? Well, I could

bee willing to venter a good word in behalfe of the

Game, if I were assured the aforesaid Game would be

cleanly, and not fright the Ladies.

For that, Sir, the Bearward hath put in securi-

tie, by warranting my Lady and her Women to dance

the whole Changes with them in safety; and for their

abusing the place, you shal not need to feare, for he hath

giuen them a kind of diet-bread, to bind them, to their

good behauiour.

Well, let them come: If you need one, Ile helpe

you my selfe.

How like you? how like you?

Excellaunt. The Beares haue done learnedly,

and sweetly.

Tis no ting, tis no ting, vill you see some ting? Ick

sall bring in de groat Turkschen, met all zin Bashawes, and

zin dirty towsand Yanitsaries, met all zin Whooren, Eunu-

ken, all met an auder, de Sofie van Persia, de Tartar Cham,

met de groat King of Mogull, and make deir men, and deir

horse, and deir elephanten be seene fight in de ayre, and bee all

killen, and aliuen! and no sush ting. And al dis, met de ars, van

de Catropricks, by de refleshie van de glassen.

O, he is an admirable Artist.

And a halfe Sir.

But where will he place his glasses?

Fow, dat is all ean! as it be two, dree, vier, vife tou-

sand mile of, Ick sall multipliren de vizioun, met an ander se-

cret dat Ick heb. Spreck, vat vill you heben?

Good Sir put him toot, bid him doe something

that is impossible: he will vndertake it, I warrant you.

I do not like the Mogull, nor the great Turke,

nor the Tartar, their names are somwhat too big for the

roome: marry if he could shew vs some Country-plaiers

strolling about in seuerall shires, without licence from

the office; that would please, I know whom.

Or some Welsh Pilgrims.

Pilgrim? Now you talke of de Pilgrim, it come in

my head, Ick vill shew you all de whole braue Pilgrim o' de

vorld: de Pilgrim dat go now, now, at de instant, two, dree,

towsand mile to de great Mahomet, at de Mecha, or here, dere,

euerywhere, make de fine Labyrints, and shew all de braue

error in de vorld.

And shall we see it here?

Yau, here, here, here in dis roome, dis very roome:

vel, vat is dat to you, if Ick do de ting? vat an Diuell, vera

boten Deuill?

Nay, good Sir be not angry.

Tis a disease that followes all excellent men,

they cannot gouerne their passions, but let him alone,

trie him one bout.

I would try him, but what has all this to doe

with our Masque?

O, Sir, all de better, vor an Antic-masque, de more

absurd it be, and vrom de purpose, it be euer all de better. If it

goe from de nature of de ting, it is de more art; for dere is

Art, and dere is Nature; you shall see. Hochos-pochos. Fa-

bros Palabros.