15 [And 186] And I desire thee do thy worst. 35 Tarquin began to yield, And lowe did beare his shield. This soone Sir Lancelot espyde, Forthwith he strucke his necke in two, From prison threescore knights and four 120 [VIII. CORYDON's 187] VIII. CORYDON's FAREWELL TO PHILLIS - is an attempt to paint a lover's irresolution, but so poorly executed, that it would not have been admitted into this collection, if it had not been quoted in Shakespear's TWELFTH 5 NIGHT, A. 2. sc. 3. It is found in a little ancient miscellany intitled, "The golden Garland of princely delights." 12mo. bl. let. In the same scene of the Twelfth Night, SIR TOBY Sings a scrap of an old ballad, which is preserved in the Pepys 10 Collection. [Vol. 1. p. 33. 496.] but is so poor a performance, that it will be sufficient here to give the first stanza: THE BALLAD OF CONSTANT SUSANNA. Of reputation great by fame, A woman fair and vertuous; Lady, lady: If this song of CORYDON, &c. has not more merit, it is at least an evil of less magnitude. (FAREWELL, 188] 5 10 15 20 FAREWELL, dear love; since thou wilt needs be gone, 25 Mine eyes do shew, my life is almost done. Nay I will never die, so long as I can spie Why then let her goe, I care not. Farewell, farewell; since this I find is true, I will not spend more time in wooing you: Shall I bid her goe and spare not? O no, no, no, I dare not. yet stay a while: Ten thousand times farewell; 30 35 I have no power to move. How now am I in love? 15 Once more adieu, I see loath to depart 20 [What 189] What shall I doe? my love is now departed. 25 She would not be intreated, with prayers oft repeated. If she come no more, what care I? IX. GERNUTUS THE JEW OF VENICE. 30 In the "LIFE OF POPE SIXTUS V. translated from 20 the Italian of Greg. LETI, by the Rev. Mr. Farneworth, folio," is a remarkable passage to the following effect, "IT was reported in Rome, that Drake had taken and "plundered St. Domingo in Hispaniola, and carried off an "immense booty. This account came in a private letter to 25 "Paul Secchi, a very considerable merchant in the city, who "had large concerns in those parts, which he had insured. Upon receiving this news, he sent for the insurer Sampson "Ceneda, a Jew, and acquainted him with it. The Jew, "whose interest it was to have such a report thought false, 30 "gave many reasons why it could not possibly be true, and "at last worked himself into such a passion, that he said, "I'll lay you a pound of my flesh it is a lye. Secchi, who "was of a fiery hot temper, replied, I'll lay you a thousand 'crowns against a pound of your flesh that it is true. The 35 "Jew accepted the wager, and articles were immediately exe"cuted betwixt them, That if Secchi won, he should himself "cut the flesh with a sharp knife from whatever part of the "Jew's body he pleased. The ["truth 190] truth of the "account was soon confirmed; and the Jew was almost dis"tracted, when he was informed, that Secchi had solemnly "sworn he would compel him to an exact performance of his "contract. A report of this transaction was brought to the 5 "Pope, who sent for the parties, and being informed of the "whole affair, said, When contracts are made, it is but just "they should be fulfilled, as this shall. Take a knife there"fore, Secchi, and cut a pound of flesh from any part you "please of the Jew's body. We advise you, however, to be 10 "very careful; for if you cut but a scruple more or less "than your due, you shall certainly be hanged." The Editor of that book is of opinion, That the scene between Shylock and Antonio in the MERCHANT OF VENICE, is taken from this incident. But Mr. Warton in his "Ob- 15 servations on the Faerie Queen‡," has, with more probability, referred it to the following ballad, which should seem to have taken its rise from some such story. Mr. Warton thinks this ballad was written before Shakespeare's play, as being not so circumstantial, and having more of the naked- 20 ness of an original. Besides it differs from the play in many circumstances, which a meer copyist, such as we may suppose the ballad-maker to be, would hardly have given himself the trouble to alter. Indeed he expressly informs us, that he had his story from the Italian writers. See the 25 CONNOISSEUR. Vol. I. No. 16. After all, one would be glad to know what authority LETI had for the foregoing fact, or at least for connecting it with the taking of St. Domingo by Drake: for this expedition did not happen till 1585, and it is very certain that 30 play of the JEWE, "representing the greedinesse of worldly "chusers, and bloody minds of usurers, had been exhibited at the play-house called THE BULL, before the year 1579, being men- [tioned 191] tioned in Steph. Gosson's SCHOOLE OF ABUSE, which was printed in that year. As for Shakespeare's MERCHANT OF VENICE, the earliest edition known of it is in quarto 1600; though it had been exhibited before the year 1598, being mentioned together with Vol. I. pag. 128. &c. † He wrote in the time of Charles II. 35 10 15 20 eleven other of his plays in Meres's WITS TREASURY, &c. 1598. 12mo. fol. 282. The following is printed from an ancient black-letter copy in the Pepys Collection†, intitled, “A new Song, shewing 5 "the crueltie of GERNUTUS, a JEWE, who lending to a mer. "chant an hundred crownes, would have a pound of his "fleshe, because he could not pay him at the time appointed. To the tune of Black and yellow." IN THE FIRST PART. N Venice towne not long agoe As Italian writers tell. To them in streets that lie. His life was like a barrow hogge, Yet never once doth any good, [Or 192] Or like a filthy heap of dung, Which never can do any good, པ་ 10 15 |