X. CORYDON's FAREWELL TO PHILLIS, is an attempt to paint a lover's irrefolution, but fo poorly executed, that it would not have been admitted into this collection, if it had not been quoted in Shakespeare's TWELFTH-NIGHT, A. 2, sc. 3.-It is found in a little ancient mifcellany, intituled, "The Golden Garland of "Princely Delights," 12mo. bl. let. In the fame Jeene of the Twelfth-Night, SIR TOBY fings a fcrap of an old ballad, which is preferved in the Pepys Collection [Vol. I. pp. 33, 496.], but as it is not only a poor dull performance, but also very long, it will be fufficient here to give the firft ftanza: THE BALLAD OF CONSTANT SUSANNA. There dwelt a man in Babylon Of reputation great by fame; A woman fair and vertuous; Lady, lady: Why should we not of her learn thus To live godly? If this fong of CORYDON, &c. has not more merit, it is at leaft an evil of lefs magnitude. FAREWELL, AREWELL, dear love; fince thou wilt needs be gone, FARVELL, dearly ho Nay I will never die, fo long as I can spie There be many mo, though that she doe goe, Why then let her goe, I care not. Farewell, farewell; fince this I find is true, I will not spend more time in wooing you : But I will feek elsewhere, if I may find love there: Shall I bid her goe? what and if I doe? Shall I bid her goe and fpare not? ✪ no, no, no, I dare not. Ten thousand times farewell;-yet ftay a while: I have no power to move. How now am I in love? 15 Nay stay, and do no more deny me. Once more adieu, I fee loath to depart Bids oft adieu to her, that holds, my heart. But feeing I must lofe thy love, which I did choose, Goe thy way for me, fince that may not be. Goe thy ways for me. But whither? Goe, oh, but where I may come thither. 20 What What fhall I doe? my love is now departed. She is as fair, as fhe is cruel-hearted. 25 She would not be intreated, with prayers oft repeated, If the come no more, fhall I die therefore? If the come no more, what care I? Faith, let her goe, or come, or tarry. 30 XI. GERNUTUS THE JEW OF VENICE. In the "LIFE OF POPE SIXTUS V. tranflated from the Italian of Greg. LETI, by the Rev. Mr. Farneworth, folio," is a remarkable paffage to the following effect: "I was reported in Rome, that Drake had taken and "plundered St. Domingo in Hifpaniola, and carried off an "immenfe booty. This account came in a private letter to "Paul Secchi, a very confiderable merchant in the city, who had large concerns in thofe parts, which he had infured. Upon receiving this news, he fent for the infurer Samplon Ceneda, a few, and acquainted him with it. "The few, whofe intereft it was to have fuch a report "thought falfe, gave many reafons why it could not poffibly "be true, and at last worked himself into fuch a paffion, that be faid, I'll lay you a pound of 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 Jew accepted the wager, and articles were immediately executed betwixt them, That, if Secchi won, he should himself cut the flesh with a sharp knife 66 "from from whatever part of the few's body he pleafed. The "truth of the account was foon confirmed; and the few was "almost distracted, when he was informed, that Secchi had "folemnly fwore he would compel him to an exact perform ance of his contract. A report of this tranfaction was "brought to the Pope, who fent for the parties, and, being "informed of the whole affair, faid, When contracts are "made, it is but just they should be fulfilled, as this fhall: "Take a knife, therefore, Secchi, and cut a pound of flesb "from any part you pleafe of the Jew's body. We advise you, however, to be very careful; for, if you cut but a "fcruple more or less than your due, you shall certainly be "hanged." 66 The Editor of that book is of opinion, that the fcene be tween Shylock and Antonio in the MERCHANT OF VENICE is taken from this incident. But Mr. Warten, in his ingenious " Obfervations on the Faerie Queen, Vol. I. page 128," has referred it to the following ballad. Mr. Warton thinks this ballad was written before ShakeSpeare's play, as being not fo circumftantial, and having more of the nakedness of an original. Befides, it differs from the play in many circumftances, which a meer copyift, fuch as we may suppose the ballad-maker to be, would hardly have given himself the trouble to alter. Indeed he exprefly informs us, that he had his story from the Italian writers. See the CONNOISSEUR, Vol. I. No. 16. After all, one would be glad to know what authority LETI bad for the foregoing fact, or at leaft 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 a play of the EWE, "reprefenting the greedinele of worldly "chufers, and bloody minds of ufurers," had been exhibited at the play-boufe called THE BULL before the year 1579, being mentioned in Steph. Goffon's SCHOOLE OF ABUSE which was printed in that year. * Warton, ubi fupra. * A$ As for Shakespeare's MERCHANT OF VENICE, the ear. lieft edition known of it is in quarto 16c0; though it had been exhibited in the year 1598, being mentioned, together with eleven others of his plays, in Meres's WITS TREAJURY, &c. 1598, 12mo. fol. 282. See Malone's Shakesp The following is printed from an ancient black-letter copy in the Popys collection*, intitled, "A new Song, Shewing "the crueltie of GERNUTUS, a JEWE, who, lending to a "merchant an hundred crowns, would have a pound of his "flefhe, because he could not pay him at the time appointed. To the tune of Black and Yellow." |