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10 The first that broke silence was good old Ben, Prepared before with canary wine, And he told them plainly he deserved the bays, For his were called works, where others were but plays. And Bid them remember how he had purg'd the stage Of errors, that had lasted many an age, And he hoped they did not think the Silent Woman, The Fox and the Alchemist, outdone by no man.

Apollo stopt him there, and bade him not go on, 'Twas merit, he said, and not presumption Must carry 't, at which Ben turned about, And in great choler offer'd to go out: But Those that were there thought it not fit To discontent so ancient a wit; And therefore Apollo call'd him back again, And made him mine host of his own New Inn.

Tom Carew was next, but he had a fault That would not well stand with a laureat; His muse was hide-bound, and th' issue of 's brain Was seldom brought forth but with trouble and pain. And All that were present there did agree, A laureat muse should be easy and free, Yet sure 'twas not that, but 'twas thought that, his grace Consider'd, he was well he had a cup-bearer's place.

Will. Davenant, asham'd of a foolish mischance That he had got lately travelling in France, Modestly hoped the handsomeness of 's muse Might any deformity about him excuse. And Surely the company would have been content, If they could have found any precedent; But in all their records either in verse or prose, There was not one laureat without a nose.

To Will. Bartlet sure all the wits meant well, But first they would see how his snow would sell: Will. smil'd and swore in their judgments they went less, That concluded of merit upon success.