the roaring of the fal of Nylus, because the nóyse is so familiar unto them.

Com. S. Have you no other objects to judge by than these, Auditus?

Aud. This is the rarest and most exquisite,

Most spherical, divine, angelicall,

But since your duller eares cannot reforme it,
May it please your worship to withdraw yourselfe
Unto this neighboring grove, there shall you see
How the sweete treble of the chirping birds,
And the soft stirring of the moved leaves,
Running delightful descant to the sound
Of the base murmuring of the bubling brooke,
Becomes a concert of good instruments;
While twenty babling ecchoes round about,
Out of the stony concave of their mouths,
Restore the vanisht musicke of each close,
And fill your eares ful with redoubled pleasure.

Com. S. I wil walke with you very willingly, for I grow weary of sitting. Come, M. Register and M. Phantastes."

Worthy old Common Sense, whom we plainly see is not of a kind to relish the unsubstantial treats of Auditus, thus departs; but not the witty knaves in waiting, Mendacio and Anamnestes.

Men. Prithee, Nam, be perswaded, is't not better go to a feast, then stay here for a fray?

Ana. A feast? dost thinke, Auditus wil make the judges a feast?
Men. Faith I, why should he carry them to his house else?

Ana. Why, sirra, to heare a set or two of songs, and his banquets are nothing but fish; all sol, sol, sol. I'le teach thee wit, boy; never go mee to a musitian's house for junkets, unlesse thy stomacke lies in thine eares; for there's nothing but commending this song's delicate ayre, that motet's dainty aire, this sonnet's sweet ayre; that madrigal's melting ayre; this dirge's mournefull ayre; this church ayre; that chamber ayre, French ayre, English ayre, Italian ayre; why, lad, they bee pure Camelions, they feede only upon the ayre."

On their return, Auditus describes his dwelling-place to the Umpire, in these ingenious lines:

"Upon the sides of faire mount Cephalon
Have I two houses, passing humane skill,
Of finest matter by Dame Nature wrought,
Whose learned fingers have adorn'd the same
With gorgeous porches of so strange a forme,
That they command the passengers to stay:

The doores whereof in hospitality

Nor day, nor night, are shut, but open wide,
Gently invite all comers; whereupon

They are nam'd, the open eares of Cephalon.
But, least some bolder sound should boldly rush,
And break the nice composture of the worke,
The skilful builder wisely hath inrang'd

An entry from each port, with curious twines
And crookt meanders, like the labyrinth
That Dedalus fram'd to inclose the Minotaure;
At end whereof is plac't a costly portal,
Resembling much the figure of a drumme,
Granting slow entrance to a private closet;
Where, dayly with a mallet in my hand,

I sit and frame al words and sounds that come
Upon an anvile, and so make them fit
For the perewinckling pore, that winding leads
From my close chamber to your lordship's cell;
Thither do I, chief justice of all accents,
Psyche's next porter, Microcosme's front,
Learning's rich treasurer, bring discipline,
Reason's discourse, knowledge of forraine states,
Loud fame of great Heroes' vertuous deeds:
The marrow of grave speeches and the flowers
Of quickest wits, neat jests, and pure conceits,
And often times to ease the heavy burthen
Of government your lordship's shoulders beare,
I thither do conduce the pleasing nuptials
Of sweetest instruments, with heavenly noise:
If then, Auditus have deserv'd the best,
Let him be dignified before the rest."

Tactus enters for the trial without his shew, and appears in anger; whereupon Common Sense asks

"Com. S. What, in such anger, Tactus? what's the matter?

Tact. My lord, I had thought, as other Senses did,

By sight of objects to have prov'd my worth:
Wherefore considering that of all the things
That please me most, women are counted chiefe,
I had thought to have represented in my shew
The queen of pleasure, Venus, and her sonne,
Leading a gentleman enamored,
With his sweete touching of his mistresse lips,
And gentle griping of her tender hands,

And divers pleasant relishes of touch,

Yet all contained in the bounds of chastity.

Pha. Tactus, of all I long to see your objects.

How comes it we have lost those pretty sports?

Tact. Thus 'tis, five houres agoe, I set a dozen of maids to attire a boy like a nice gentlewoman, but there is such doing with their looking-glasses, pinning, unpinning; setting, unsetting; formings and conformings; painting blew veines and cheekes; such stirre with stickes and combes, cascanets, dressings, purles, falles, squares, buskes, bodies, scarffes, necklaces, carcanets, rebatoes, borders, tires, fannes, palizadoes, puffes, ruffes, cuffes, muffes, pusles, fusles, partlets, frislets, bandlets, fillets, croslets, pendulets, amulets, anulets, bracelets, and so many lets, that she is scarce drest to the girdle and now there's such calling for fardingalls, kirtles, buske-points, shooeties, &c. that seven pedlers' shops, nay, all Sturbridge-faire, will scarce furnish her: a ship is sooner rig'd by far, than a gentlewoman made ready.

Pha. 'Tis strange, that women, being so mutable, Will never change in changing their apparel.

Com. S. Well, let them passe; Tactus, we are content to know your dignity by relation.

Tact. The instrument of instruments, the hand,

Courtesie's index, chamberlaine to nature,
The bodie's souldier, and mouth's caterer,
Psyche's great secretary, the dumbe's eloquence,
The blind man's candle, and his forehead's buckler,
The minister of wrath, and friendship's signe,
This is my instrument: neverthelesse, my power
Extends itselfe farre as our queene commands,
Through all the parts and climes of Microcosme.
I am the roote of life, spreading my vertue
By sinewes that extend from head to foote,
To every living part.

For, as a subtle spider closely sitting

In center of her web, that spreadeth round,
If the least flie but touch the smallest thread,
She feeles it instantly; so doth myselfe,
Casting my slender nerves and sundry nets
Over every particle of al the body,
By proper skill perceive the difference

Of several quallities, hot, cold, moist, and dry;
Hard, soft, rough, smooth, clammy, and slippery,
Sweet pleasure and sharpe paine profitable,
That makes us wounded seeke for remedy:
By these meanes doe I teach the body flie
From such bad things as may endanger it.
A wall of brasse can be no more defence

Unto a towne, than I to Microcosme.

Tell me, what Sense is not beholding to me?
The nose is hot or cold, the eyes do weepe,

The eares doe feele, the taste's a kind of touching,
That, when I please, I can command them all,
And make them tremble when I threaten them:
I am the eldest and biggest of the rest,
The chiefest note, and first distinction,
Betwixt a living tree and living beast;

For, though one heare, and see, and smell, and taste,
If he want touch, he is counted but a blocke.
Therefore, my lord, grant me the royalty,

Of whom there is such great necessity."

After a fair hearing of all sides, Common Sense comes to a decision, and thus awards: addressing himself to the Senses, he says:

"Com. S. Though you deserve no small punishment for these uprores, yet, at the request of these my assistants, I remit it, and by the power of judgement our gracious soveraigne, Psyche, hath given me, I thus determine of your controversies: hum! By your former objects, instruments, and reasons, I conceive the state of Sense to be divided into two parts, one of commodity, the other of necessitie, both which are either for our queene, or for our countrey; but, as the soule is more excellent than the body, so are the senses that profit the soule to bee estimated before those that are needful for the body. Visus and Auditus serve yourselves; Master Register, give me the crowne; because it is better to be wel, than simply to be, therefore I judge the crowne, by right, to belong to you of the commoditie's part, and the robe to you of the necessitie's side; and since you, Visus, are the author of invention, and you, Auditus, of increase and addition to the same; seeing, it is more excellent to invent than to augment, I establish you, Visus, the better of the two, and chiefe of al the rest, in token whereof I bestow upon you this crowne to weare at your liberty.

Vis. I most humbly thanke your lordships.

Com. S. But, lest I should seeme to neglect you, Auditus, I here chuse you to be the lord's intelligencer to Pysche, her majesty; and you, Olfactus, we bestow upon you the chiefe priesthood of Microcosme, perpetually to offer incense in her majestie's temple: as for you, Tactus, upon your reasons alleged, I bestow upon you the robe.

Tactus. I accept it most gratefully at your just hands, and will weare it in remembrance of your good lordship.

Com. S. And lastly, Gustus, we elect you Psyche her only taster, and great purveyor for all her dominions both by sea and land, in her realme of Microcosme.

Gust. We thanke your lordship, and rest wel content with equall arbitrement.

Com. S. Now for you, Lingua.

Ling. I beseech your honour, let me speake; I will neither trouble the company, nor offend your patience.

Com. S. I cannot stay so long, wee have consulted about you, and find your cause to stand upon these termes and conditions. The number of senses in this little world is answerable to the first bodies in the great world now, since there be but five in the universe, the foure elements, and the pure substance of the heavens, therfore there can bee but five senses in our Microcosme, correspondent to those; as the sight to the heavens, hearing to the aire, touching to the earth, smelling to the fire, tasting to the water; by which five meanes onely, the understanding is able to apprehend the knowledge of all corporeall substances, wherefore wee judge you to bee no sense simply; onely thus much we from henceforth pronounce, that all women for your sake shall have sixe senses that is, seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching, and the last and feminine sense, the sense of speaking."

Besides the main stream of the principal action, there are numerous scenes between the minor personages, which do not only afford considerable amusement, but, likewise, give us interesting information concerning the manners of the times in which our unknown author wrote. Take, for instance, the following dialogue between the imaginative Mendacio and the gluttonous Appetitus, or, as he styles himself, King of Hungary.

"Ap. Hang this superiority, crowne me no crowne, but Bacchus' crowne of roses; give me no scepter, but a fat capon's leg, to shew that I am the great King of Hungary; therefore I prithee, talke no more of state matters, but, in briefe, tell mee, my little rascall, how thou hast spent thy time this many a day?

Men. Faith, in some credit, since thou saw'st me last.

Ap. How so? where?

Men. Every where: in the court, your gentlewomen hang me at their apron-strings, and that makes them answere so readily. In the city, I am honoured like a god, none so well acquainted with your tradesmen your lawyers all the terme time hire me of my lady; your gallants, if they heare my name abused, stabbe for my sake; your travailers so dote upon me as passes. O, they have good reason, for I have carried them to many a good meale under the countenance of my familiaritie; nay, your statesmen have oftentimes closely conveied me under their tongues, to make their policies more current; as for old men, they challenge my company by authoritie.

Ap. I am exceeding glad of your great promotion.

Men. Now, when I am disposed, I can philosophy it in the universitie with the subtilest of them all.

Ap. I cannot be perswaded that th'art acquainted with scholars,

ever since thou wert prest to death in a printing-house.

Men. No; why I was the first founder of the three sects of philosophy, except one of the peripateticks, who acknowledge Aristotle (I confesse) their great grandfather.