he Muses' well! that's ever excepted.

AMO. Sir, your Muses have no such water, I assure you; your
nectar, or the juice of your nepenthe, is nothing to it; 'tis above
your metheglin, believe it.

ASO. Metheglin; what's that, sir? may I be so audacious to
demand?

AMO. A kind of Greek wine I have met with, sir, in my travels; it
is the same that Demosthenes usually drunk, in the composure of all
his exquisite and mellifluous orations.

CRI. That's to be argued, Amorphus, if we may credit Lucian, who,
in his "Encomio Demosthenis," affirms, he never drunk but water in
any of his compositions.

AMO. Lucian is absurd, he knew nothing: I will believe mine own
travels before all the Lucians of Europe. He doth feed you with
fittons, figments, and leasings.

CRI. Indeed, I think, next a traveller, he does prettily well.

AMO. I assure you it was wine, I have tasted it, and from the hand
of an Italian antiquary, who derives it authentically from the duke
of Ferrara's bottles. How name you the gentleman you are in rank
there with, sir?

CRI. 'Tis Asotus, son to the late deceased Philargyrus, the
citizen.

AMO. Was his father of any eminent place or means?

CRI. He was to have been praetor next year.

AMO. Ha! a pretty formal young gallant, in good sooth; pity he is
not more genteelly propagated. Hark you, Crites, you may say to
him what I am, if you please; though I affect not popularity, yet I
would loth to stand out to any, whom you shall vouchsafe to call
friend.

CRI. Sir, I fear I may do wrong to your sufficiencies in the
reporting them, by forgetting or misplacing some one: yourself can
best inform him of yourself sir; except you had some catalogue or
list of your faculties ready drawn, which you would request me to
show him for you, and him to take notice of.

AMO. This Crites is sour: [ASIDE.]--I will think, sir.

CRI. Do so, sir.--O heaven! that anything in the likeness of man
should suffer these rack'd extremities, for the uttering of his
sophisticate good parts. [ASIDE.]

ASO. Crites, I have a suit to you; but you must not deny me; pray
you make this gentleman and I friends.

CRI. Friends! why, is there any difference between you?

ASO. No; I mean acquaintance, to know one another.

CRI. O, now I apprehend you; your phrase was without me before.

A