ile I am stooping?

3 CHILD. No, we scorn treachery.

2 CHILD. Which cut shall speak it?

3 CHILD. The shortest.

1 CHILD. Agreed: draw. [THEY DRAW CUTS.] The shortest is come
to the shortest. Fortune was not altogether blind in this. Now,
sir, I hope I shall go forward without your envy.

2 CHILD. A spite of all mischievous luck! I was once plucking at
the other.

3 CHILD. Stay Jack: 'slid I'll do somewhat now afore I go in,
though it be nothing but to revenge myself on the author; since I
speak not his prologue, I'll go tell all the argument of his play
afore-hand, and so stale his invention to the auditory, before it
come forth.

1 CHILD. O, do not so.

2 CHILD. By no means.

3 CHILD. [ADVANCING TO THE FRONT OF THE STAGE.] First, the title
of his play is "Cynthia's Revels," as any man that hath hope to be
saved by his book can witness; the scene, Gargaphie, which I do
vehemently suspect for some fustian country; but let that vanish.
Here is the court of Cynthia whither he brings Cupid travelling on
foot, resolved to turn page. By the way Cupid meets with Mercury,
(as that's a thing to be noted); take any of our play-books without
a Cupid or a Mercury in it, and burn it for an heretic in poetry.
--[IN THESE AND THE SUBSEQUENT SPEECHES, AT EVERY BREAK, THE OTHER
TWO INTERRUPT, AND ENDEAVOUR TO STOP HIM.] Pray thee, let me
alone. Mercury, he in the nature of a conjurer, raises up Echo, who
weeps over her love, or daffodil, Narcissus, a little; sings;
curses the spring wherein the pretty foolish gentleman melted
himself away: and there's an end of her.--Now I am to inform
you, that Cupid and Mercury do both become pages. Cupid attends on
Philautia, or Self-love, a court lady: Mercury follows Hedon, the
Voluptuous, and a courtier; one that ranks himself even with
Anaides, or the Impudent, a gallant, and, that's my part; one that
keeps Laughter, Gelaia, the daughter of Folly, a wench in boy's
attire, to wait on him--These, in the court, meet with Amorphus,
or the deformed, a traveller that hath drunk of the fountain, and
there tells the wonders of the water. They presently dispatch away
their pages with bottles to fetch of it, and themselves go to visit
the ladies. But I should have told you--Look, these emmets put
me out here--that with this Amorphus, there comes along a