TO THE MOST LEARNED, AND MY HONOURED FRIEND MASTER CAMDEN CLARENCIEUX
SIR,—There are, no doubt, a supercilious race in the world, who will esteem all office, done you in this kind, an injury; so solemn a vice it is with them to use the authority of their ignorance, to the crying down of Poetry, or the professors: but my gratitude must not leave to correct their error; since I am none of those that can suffer the benefits conferred upon my youth to perish with my age. It is a frail memory that remember s but present things: and, had the favour of the times so conspired with my disposition, as it could have brought forth other, or better, you had had the same proportion, and number of the fruits, the first. Now I pray you to accept this; such wherein neither the confession of my manners shall make you blush; nor of my studies, repent you to have been the instructor: and for the profession of my thankfulness, I am sure it will, with good men, find either praise or excuse. Your true lover,
BEN JONSON.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
KNOWELL, an old Gentleman: OLIVER COB, a Water-bearer.
EDWARD KNOWELL, his Son. JUSTICE CLEMENT, an old merry
BRAINWORM, the Father's Man Magistrate.
GEORGE DOWNRIGHT, a plain Squire. ROGER FORMAL, his Clerk.
WELLBRED, his Half-Brother. Wellbred's Servant
KITELY, a merchant. DAME KITELY, KITELY'S Wife.
CAPTAIN BOBADILL, a Paul's Man. MRS. BRIDGET his Sister.
MASTER STEPHEN, a Country Gull. TIB Cob's Wife
MASTER MATHEW, the Town Gull.
THOMAS CASH, KITELY'S Cashier. Servants, etc.
SCENE,—-LONDON
PROLOGUE.
Though need make many poets, and some such
As art and nature have not better'd much;
Yet ours for want hath not so loved the stage,
As he dare serve the ill customs of the age,
Or purchase your delight at such a rate,
As, for it, he himself must justly hate:
To make a child now swaddled, to proceed
Man, and then shoot up, in one beard and weed,
Past threescore years; or, with three rusty swords,
And help of some few foot and half-foot words,
Fight over York and Lancaster's king jars,
And in the tyring-house bring wounds to scars.
He rather prays you will be pleas'd to see
One such to-day, as other plays should be;
Where neither chorus wafts you o'er the seas,
Nor creaking throne comes down the boys to please;
Nor nimble squib is seen to make afeard
The gentlewomen; nor roll'd bullet heard
To say, it thunders; nor tempestuous drum
Rumbles, to tell you when the storm doth come;
But deeds, and language, such as men do use,
And persons, such as comedy would choose,
When she would shew an image of the times,
And sport with human follies, not with crimes.
Except we make them such, by loving still
Our popular errors, when we know they're ill.
I mean such errors as you'll all confess,
By laughing at them, they deserve no less:
Which when you heartily do, there's hope left then,
You, that have so grac'd monsters, may like men.
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