he boldly
asks, "Where have I been particular? Where personal?--Except
to a mimic, cheater, bawd, buffoon, creatures (for their
insolencies) worthy to be taxed." The mere list he here
furnishes us with would serve to crowd one of the "twopenny
audiences" in the small theatres of that day.

[390] Alluding, no doubt, to the price of seats at some of the minor
theatres.

[391] It was the fashion with the poets connected with the theatre to
wear long hair. Nashe censures Greene "for his fond (foolish)
disguising of a Master of Arts (which was Greene's degree)
with ruffianly hair."--ED.

[392] Alluding to the trial of the Poetasters, which takes place
before Augustus and his poetical jury of Virgil, Ovid,
Tibullus, &c., in Ben's play.

[393] Decker alludes here to the bastard of Burgundy, who considered
himself unmatchable, till he was overthrown in Smithfield by
Woodville, Earl Rivers.

[394] Horace acknowledges he played Zulziman at Paris-garden. "Sir
Vaughan: Then, master Horace, you played the part of an honest
man--"

Tucca exclaims: "Death of Hercules! he could never play that
part well in 's life!"

[395] Among those arts of imitation which man has derived from the
practice of animals, naturalists assure us that he owes _the
use of clysters_ to the Egyptian Ibis. There are some who
pretend this medicinal invention comes from the stork. The
French are more like _Ibises_ than we are: _ils se donnent des
lavements eux-memes_. But as it is rather uncertain what the
Egyptian _Ibis_ is; whether, as translated in Leviticus xi.
17, the cormorant, or a species of stork, or only "a great
owl," as we find in Calmet; it would be safest to attribute
the invention to the unknown bird. I recollect, in Wickliffe's
version of the Pentateuch, which I once saw in MS. in the
possession of my valued friend Mr. Douce, that that venerable
translator interpolates a little, to tell us that the Ibis
"giveth to herself a purge."

JONSON AND DECKER.

BEN JONSON appears to have carried his military spirit into
the literary republic--his gross convivialities, with anecdotes
of the prevalent taste in that age for drinking-bouts--his
"Poetaster" a sort of _Dunciad_, besides