DAMON AND PITHIAS.

Here entreth Aristippus.
Ariftippus.

HO' ftrange (perhaps) it feemes to fome,
That I Ariftippus a courtier am become:
A philofopher of late, not of the meanist name,
But now, to the courtly behaviour, my lyfe I frame.
Mufe he that lyft, to you of good skill,

I fay that I am a phylofopher styll.

Lovers of wisdom, are termed philofophers,
Then who is a philofopher fo rightly as I?
For in lovyng of wisdom, proofe doth this trie,
That fruftra fapit, qui non fapit fibi.

I am wyfe for myfelfe, then tell me of troth,

Is not that great wifdom, as the world goth?

Some philofophers in the streete go ragged and torne,
And feede on vyle rootes, whom boyes laugh to fcorne:
But I in fine filkes haunt Dionifius' pallace,
Wherin with dayntie fare myfelfe I do folace.
I can talke of philofophie as well as the best,
But the ftraite kynde of lyfe I leave to the rest.
And I profeffe now the courtly philofophie,
To crouche, to fpeake fayre, myfelte I applie,
To feede the kinge's humour with pleasant devifes,
For which, I am called Regius canis.

But wot ye who named me first the kinge's dogge?
It was the roage Diogenes, that vile grunting hogge.
Let him rolle in his tubbe, to winne a vaine praise,
In the courte pleasantly I wyll fpende all my dayes;
Wherin, what to doo, I am not to learne,

What wyll ferve myne owne turne, I can quickly discearne.

6 philofophers,] Philofophie, both Editions. The alteration by Mr.

Dodiley.

5

All

1

All my tyme at fchoole I have not spent vaynly,
I can helpe one, is not that a good point of philofophy?
Here entreth Carifophus.

Carifophus.

1 befhrew your fine eares, fince you came from schoole,
In the court you have made many a wifeman a foole;
And though you paint out your fayned phylofophie,
So God helpe me, it is but a plaine kinde of flattery,
Which you use fo finely in fo pleasant a forte,
That none but Ariftippus now makes the kinge fporte.
Ere you came hyther, poore I was fome body,
The king delighted in mee, now I am but a noddy.
Ariftippus.

In faith, Carifophus, you know yourselfe beft,
But I will not call you noddie, but only in jeft,
And thus I affure you, though I came from schoole

To ferve in this court, I came not yet to be the kinges foole;
Or to fill his eares with fervile fquirilitie,

That office is yours, you know it right perfectlie.

Of parafites and ficophantes you are a grave 7 bencher,
The king feedes you often from his owne trencher.
I envye not your state, nor yet your great favour,
Then grudge not at all, if in my behaviour

I make the kinge mery, with pleasant urbanitie,
Whom I never abufed to any man's injurie.

Carifophus.

8

Be cocke fir, yet in the courte you doo & best thrive,
For you get more in one day then I doo in five.

Ariftippus.

Why man, in the court, doo you not fee
Rewardes geven for vertue, to every degree?

To reward the unworthy that worlde is done,

The court is changed, a good thread hath bin sponne

Of dogges woll heeretofore, and why? because it was liked,

And not for that it was beft trimmed and picked :

But now men's eares are finer, fuch groffe toyes are not set by,
Therfore to a trimmer kynde of myrth myfelfe I applye:
1 grave] great, 2d edit.

doo] omitted in 2d edit.

Wherein though I please, it commeth not of my defert,
But of the kinge's favour.

Carifophus.

It may fo be; yet in your profperitie,
Difpife not an olde courtier, Carifophus is he;
Which hath long time fed Dionifius' humor:

Diligently to please, ftyll at hand; there was never rumour
Spread in this towne of any fmale thinge, but I
Brought it to the kinge in poft by and by:

Yet now I crave your friendship, which if I may attayne,
Moft fure and unfained friendship I promyfe you againe :
So we two linckt in friendshippe, brother and brother,
Full well in the court may helpe one another.

Ariftippus.

By'r lady, Carifophus, though you know not philofophie, Yet furely you are a better courtier then I :

And yet i not fo evyll a courtier, that wyll feeme to dispise Such an olde courtier as you, fo expert and fo wyse.

But whereas you crave myne, and offer your friendship fo willingly,

With hart I geve you thankes for this your great curtefie :
Affuring of friendship both with tooth and nayle,

Whiles life lafteth, never to fayle.

Carifophus.

A thousand thankes I geve you, oh friend Ariftippus,

Ariftippus.

O friend Carifophus.

Carifophus.

Ariftippus.

How joyfull am I, fith I have to friend Ariftippus now!

None fo glad of Carifophus' friendship as I, I make God a

vowe,

I fpeake as I thinke, beleve me.

Carifophus.

Sith we are now fo friendly joyned, it feemeth to mee, That one of us help eche other in every degree:

Prefer you my caufe, when you are in prefence,

To further your matters to the kinge, let me alone in your

absence.

this] the, 2d edit.

Ariftippus.

Ariftippus.

Friend Carifophus, this fhall be done as you would wish :
But I pray you tell mee thus much by the way,
Whither now from this place wyll you take your journay?
Carifophus.

I wyll not diffemble, that were against friendship,

I goe

into the citie fome knaves to nip.

For talke with their goodes, to encrease the kyng's treasure,
In such kinde of fervice I fet my cheefe pleasure :
Farewel, friend 1o Ariftippus, now for a time.

10

Ariftippus.

Adewe, friend Carifophus-In good faith now,
Of force I must laugh at this folempne vow.
Is Ariftippus linkt in friendship with Carifophus?
Quid cum tanto afino, talis philofophus ?

They fay, Morum fimilitudo confultat amicitias.

[Exit.

Then, how can this friendship betwene us two come to paffe? ** We are as like in condicions, as Jacke Fletcher and his bowlt, I brought up in learnyng, but he is a very dolt,

As touching good letters; but otherwife fuch a craftie knave, Yt you feeke a whole region, his lyke you can not have:

A villaine for his lyfe, a varlet died in graine,

You lofe money by him, 12 if you fell him for one knave, for hee ferves for twaine:

A flatteryng parafite, a ficophant also,

A common accufer of men: to the good an open foe.

Of halfe a worde, he can make a legend of lies,
Which he will advouch with fuch tragicall cryes,

10 friend] omitted in 2d edit.

11 We are as like in condicions, as Jacke Fletcher and his bowlt] A Fletcher is a maker of arrows, from fleche an arrow, Fr. The Fletchers Company had several charters granted to them, though at prefent, I believe, they have only a nominal existence. Ariftippus means to fay, that he differs as much in difpofition rfom Carifophus, as Jack the arrowsmith varies in quality from a bolt or arrow of his own making. S.

12

if you fell him for one knave, for bee ferves for twaine] So, in Leke. to Leke, quoth the Devil to the Collier, 1589:

There thou mayft be called a knave in grane, "And where knaves be fcant thou mayft go for twayne." See a Note on The Two Gentlemen of Verona, vol. I. edit. 1778, p. 176.

S.

As

As though all were true that comes out of his mouth.
Were he indede to be hanged by and by,

He cannot tell one tale, but twyfe he muft lie.
He fpareth no man's life to get the kinge's favour,
In which kind of fervis he hath got fuch a favour,
That he wyll never leave. Methinke then that I

160

Have done verie wifely to joyne in friendship with him, lest perhaps I

Comming in his way might be nipt; for fuch knaves in prefence,

We fee oft times put honeft men to filence:

Yet I have play'd with his beard in knitting this knot,

I promift friendship, but you love few wordes: 'I fpake it, but

I meant 13 it not.

Who markes this friendship betwene us two

Shal judge of the worldely friendship without any more a doo.
It may be a ryght pattern therof; but true friendship indeede
Of nought but of vertue doth truly profeede.
But why do I now enter into philofophie,
Which doo profeffe the fine kinde of curtefie?
I wyll hence to the court, with all hafte I may,
I thinke the king be stirring, it is now bright day.
To wait at a pinche, ftill in fight I meane,
For wot ye what? a new broome sweepes cleane 14.
As to hie honor I mynde not to clime,
So I meane in the court to lofe no time:
Wherein, happy man be his dole 1s, I trust that I
Shall not speede worst, and that very quickly.

13 meant] meane, 2d edit.

[Exit.

14 a new broome fweepes cleane] This was proverbial. See Ray's Collection of Proverbs, p. 140.

15 happy man be bis dole] A proverbial expreffion often found in ancient writers. Dole, Mr. Steevens obferves (Note to The Taming of the Shrew, A. 1. S. 1.), is any thing dealt out or diftributed, though its original meaning was the provifion given away at the doors of great men's houfes. It is generally written be his dole, though Ray, p. 116, gives it as in the 2d 4to. by his dole. Shakspeare also uses the phrase in The Merry Wives of Windfor.

Again, in Hudibras, P. 1. C. 3. 1.637:

"Let us that are unhurt and whole
"Fall on, and happy man be's dole.”

VOL. I.

M

Here