I worked no bawds to tempt you; never practised
The cunning and corrupting arts they study
That wander in the wild maze of desire.[381]
I think, however, that reminiscence will suffice to account for the parallel. The man who could write the last line of this passage has no need to buttress up his fame with The Two Noble Kinsmen, though it is of course conceivable that he edited it for publication in 1634.
Lastly, the method of Massinger calls for a few words. It has been noticed by all the critics that he often repeats himself. As is the case with Plautus the same metaphors, thoughts, and words recur from time to time in similar situations. It is clear that this characteristic might help us to trace those parts of Fletcher's plays in which Massinger collaborated.
One or two simple instances of this fact may be quoted: the characters in Massinger are very fond of blushing;[382] [pg 105] references to the talkativeness of women are frequent;[383] metaphors from the sea and sailing are very common;[384] people are fond of saying that they mean to do something but they do not know what;[385] the exact courtier kneels and kisses the robe of a lady or her foot, and is sometimes rebuked for doing so.[386]
As a good moralist, Massinger dislikes suicide[387] and duelling.[388] The latter practice is referred to in his plays as a new-fangled importation from abroad.
Let us now quote some of his favourite words: references need not be given for “honour”; wherever we find “atheist” for a bad man,[389] or “magnificent” for munificent,[390] [pg 107] or the Latin phrase “nil ultra,”[391] or the Greek words “apostata”[392] and “embryon”;[393] wherever we find “frontless”[394] impudence and “sail-stretched” wings[395] and “libidinous”[396] Caesars; wherever the moisture of the lips is compared to nectar,[397] wherever we read of “the centre”[398] or of “horror,”[399] or of washing an [pg 108] Ethiop,[400] there we are on familiar ground. Again, it is a characteristic of Massinger, which offends some of his readers more than others, that he is always ready with the obvious remark. Thus, when Marrall, after a career of tergiversation is finally kicked off the stage, he says:
This is the haven
False servants still arrive at.[401]