The Italian Merry-Andrews took their place,
And quite debauched the stage with lewd grimace,
Instead of wit and humours, your delight
Was there to see two hobby-horses fight,
Stout Scaramoucha with rush lance rode in,
And ran a tilt at centaur Arlequin.
They were acting again in July, 1675, and remained some months in England. cf. Evelyn, 29 September this same year, writes: ‘I saw the Italian Scaramuccio act before the King at Whitehall, people giving money to come in, which was very scandalous and never so before at Court-diversions. Having seen him act before in Italy many years past, I was not averse from seeing the most excellent of that kind of folly.’ Duffett in his Prologue to Ev’ry Man out of his Humour, ‘spoken by Mr. Hayns’, July, 1675, who refers to this second visit—
The Modish Nymphs now ev’ry heart will win
With the surprizing ways of Harlequin
O the fine motion and the jaunty mene