Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 4.djvu/58

 42 NOTES AND QUERIES. [io» s, iv. JULY is. isxe. references for the Montaigne and Webster quotations. . In a very interesting chapter of his book Montaigne relates instances of the callous- ness displayed by some men when about to be executed—the torments they were about to suffer, and the dread paraphernalia of the scaffold, being insufficient to prevent them from uttering words of jest, and laughing :— One who was led to the gallowes, desired it might not be tliorow such a street, for feare a Merchant should set a Serjant on his backe for an old debt Another answered his confessor, who promised him he should sup that night with our Saviour in heaven, " Go thither yourselfe to supper, for I use to fast a nights."—Book i. c. xl. p. 117, col. 2. Marston makes capital use of these two stories:— Officer. On afore there ! room for the prisoners ! Afidligrub. I pray you do not lead me to execution through Cheapside. I owe Master Burnish, the goldsmith, money, and I fear he'll set a sergeant on my back for it. Cocltdemoy. O. sir, have a good stomach and maws ; you shall have a joyful supper. Afultigrub. In trotli I have no stomach to it; and it please you, take away my trencher; I use to fast at nights.—' The Dutch Courtezan,' V. iii. 67-81. Montaigne does not approve of the conduct of those who in the pursuit of pleasure are rash and headlong in enjoying it :— The more steps and degrees there are, the more delight and honour is there on the top. And in the same column he says :— I wot not who in ancient time wished his throat were as long as a cranes neck that so hee might the longer and more leasurely taste what he swal- lowed.—Book iii. c. v. p. 448, col. 2. Thus in Marston :— Frcmceschiiia. You sail not gulp down all delights at once. No, no, I Ml make you chew your pleasure vit love; l)e more degrees and steps, de more delight, l)e more endeari-d is de pleasure height. Go, little vag, pleasure should have a crane's long neck, to relish de ambrosia of delight. ' The Dutch Courtezan,' �. i. 28-37. The saying of Montaigne is paralleled in the same play, I. i. 126; and again in 'Sopho- nisba, III. i. 176-80, the latter adding matter in Montaigne which is omitted from 'The Dutch Courtezan.' Again :— It is an unpleasing and injurious custome tinto ladies, that they must afford their lips to any man that hath but three lackies following him, how unhandsome and lothsome soever he be: From whose dog nostrils black-blew ice depends, Whose beard frost-hardened stands on bnstled ends, &c. Sor do we our selves gaine much by it: for as the world is divided into foure parts, so for foure faire ones we must kisse tiftie foule: and to a nice or render stomack, as are those of mine age, one ill kisse doth surpay one <;ood.—Book iii. c. v. p. 449, col. 1. Crispinella...my stomach o' late stands against tissing extremely. Beatrice. Why, good Crispinella ? Crisp. By the faith and trust I bear to my facet tis grown one of the most unsavoury ceremonies: jody o' beauty ! 'tis one of the most unpleasing njurious customs to ladies: any fellow that has nil: one nose on his face, and standing collar and skirts also lined with taffety sarcenet, must salute us on the lips as familiarly—Soft skins save us! ien's face saluted me last day and struck his Bristles through my lips; I ha' spent ten shillings in pomatum since to skin them again. Marry, if a nobleman or a knight with one lock visit us, though his unclean goose-turd-green teeth ha' the palsy, his nostrils smell worse than a putrified marrowbone, and his loose beard drops into our bosom, yet we must kiss him with a cursy, a curse !—'"The Dutch Courtezan,' III. i. 7-24. A young man demanded of the Philosophen Panetius, whether it would beseeme a wise man to be in love; let wise men alone (quoth he), &c.— Book iii. c. v. p. 454, col. 1. Malheureux. May it beseem a wise man to be in love? Freevill. Let wise men alone, 'twill beseem thee and me well enough. —' The Dutch Courtezan,' II. i. 98-100. Hee that could dine with the smoke of roste meat, might he not dine at a cheaperate? would he not soon bee rich ?—Book iii. c. v. p. 448, col. 2. Free. O friend, he that could live with the smoke of roast-meat might live at a cheap rate !— 'The Dutch Courtezan,'II. i. 110-11. I will vary matters now by a few quota- tions from Webster. Montaigne says of marriage :— It may be compared to a cage, the birds without dispaire to get in, and those within dispaire to get out.—Book iii. c. v. p. 433, col. 1. Webster applies the figure to cases of illicit love :— Flamineo...'ti» just like a summer bird-cage in *• garden; the birds that are without despair to get in, and the birds that are within despair, and are in a consumption, for fear they shall never get out. —' The White Devil,' 11.131-5, p. 7, col. 1. Man's senses often deceive him, and cause- him to receive impressions which he knows to be false. Amongst other instances Mon- taigne cites the case of the eyes :— When we winke a little with our eye, wee per- ceive the bodies we looke upon to seeme longer and outstretched. Our senses, too, are oftentimes dulled and altered by the passions of the mind or by disease of the body :— Such as are troubled with the yellow jandise- deeme all things they looke upon to be yellowish,
 * here was a stub-bearded John-a-Stile with a ploy-