SCENE V.-A Street before the Palace.

Enter TUCCA, CRISPINUS, and PYRGUS.

Tuc. What's become of my little punk, Venus, and the poultfoot

stinkard, her husband, ha?

Cris. O; they are rid home in the coach, as fast as the wheels can

run.

Tuc. God Jupiter is banished, I hear, and his cockatrice Juno

lock'd up. 'Heart, an all the poetry in Parnassus get me to be a

player again, I'll sell 'em my share for a sesterce. But this is

Humours, Horace, that goat-footed envious slave; he's turn'd fawn

now; an informer, the rogue! 'tis he has betray'd us all. Did you

not see him with the emperor crouching?

Cris. Yes.

Tuc. Well, follow me. Thou shalt libel, and I'll cudgel the rascal.

Boy, provide me a truncheon. Revenge shall gratulate him, tam

Marti, quam Mercurio.

Pyr. Ay, but master, take heed how you give this out; Horace is a

man of the sword.

Cris. 'Tis true, in troth; they say he's valiant.

[Horace passes over the stage.

Tuc. Valiant? so is mine a--. Gods and fiends! I'll blow him into

air when I meet him next: he dares not fight with a puck-fist.

Pyr. Master, he comes!

Tuc. Where? Jupiter save thee, my good poet, my noble prophet, my

little fat Horace.--I scorn to beat the rogue in the court; and I

saluted him thus fair, because he should suspect nothing, the

rascal. Come, we'll go see how far forward our journeyman is toward

the untrussing of him.

[Exeunt.

The Poetaster · 第 4 / 7 章