arners of snow, and crystals full of dew;
Rivers of burning arrows, dens of dragons,
Huge beams of flames, and spears like firebrands.
Where I beheld hot Mars and Mercury,
With rackets made of spheres and balls of stars,
Playing at tennis for a tun of Nectar.
And that vast gaping of the firmament
Under the southern pole is nothing else
But the great hazard[234] of their tennis-court;
The Zodiac is the line; the shooting stars,
Which in an eye-bright evening seem to fall,
Are nothing but the balls they lose at bandy.
Thus, having took my pleasure with those sights,
By the same net I went up I descended.

COM. SEN. Well, sirrah, to what purpose tends this stratagem?

MEN. None know directly; but I think it is
T'entrap the eagles, when the battles join.

PHA. Who takes Tactus his part?

MEN. Under the standard of thrice-hardy Tactus,
Thrice-valiant Gustus leads his warlike forces;
An endless multitude of desperate apes;
Five hundred marmosets and long-tail'd monkeys,
All trained to the field, and nimble gunners.

PHA. I imagine there's old moving[235] amongst them: methinks a handful
of nuts would turn them all out of their soldiers' coats.

MEN. Ramparts of pasty-crust and forts of pies,
Entrench'd with dishes full of custard stuff,
Hath Gustus made, and planted ordinance--
Strange ordinance, cannons of hollow canes,
Whose powder's rape-seed, charg'd with turnip-shot.

MEM. I remember, in the country of Utopia[236] they use no other kind of
artillery.

COM. SEN. But what's become of Olfactus?

MEN. He politicly leans to neither part,
But stands betwixt the camps as at receipt,
Having great swine[237] his pioneers to entrench them.

PHA. In my foolish imagination Olfactus is very like the Goddess of
Victory, that never takes any part but the conqueror's.

MEN. And in the woods be[238] placed secretly
Two hundred couple of hounds and hungry mastiffs;
And o'er his head hover at his command
A cloud of vultures, which o'erspread the light,
Making a night before the day be done:
But to what end not known, but fear'd of all.

PHA. I conjecture he intends to see them fight, and after the battle to
feed his dogs, hogs, and vultures upon the murdered carcases.

MEN. My lord, I think the fury of their anger will not be obedient to
the message of Lingua; for otherwise, in my conceit, they should have
been here ere this. With your lordship's good liking, we'll attend upon
you to see the field for more certaint