“Believe it, Doricus, his spirit
Is higher blooded than to quake and pant
At the report of Scoff’s artillery,” &c.,
was evidently written in derisive mimicry of Jonson’s scornful addresses to the audience; and Doricus’ remonstrance,
“Now out upon’t, I wonder what tight brain
Wrung in this custom to maintain contempt
’Gainst common censure,” &c.,
was unquestionably intended as a stiff rebuke to Jonson’s towering arrogance. But these strokes of personal satire are not confined to the Induction. Quadratus’ scathing ridicule of Lampatho Doria, in the first scene of the second act, was certainly aimed at some adversary of Marston’s; and there can be little doubt that this adversary was Ben Jonson. Lampatho is described in the following terms by his admirer Simplicius Faber:—
“Monsieur Laverdure, do you see that gentleman? He goes but in black satin, as you see, but, by Helicon! he hath a cloth of tissue wit. He breaks a jest;[22] ha, he’ll rail against the court till the gallants—O God! he is very nectar: if you but sip of his love, you were immortal.”
At first Lampatho speaks the language of an affected gallant; it is nothing but “protest” with him. Quadratus is disgusted with him:—
“A fusty cask
Devote to mouldy customs of hoary eld.”
After listening to much abuse, Lampatho turns on his assailant:—
“So Phœbus warm my brain, I’ll rhyme thee dead.
Look for the satire: if all the sour juice
Of a tart brain can souse thy estimate,
I’ll pickle thee.”
The threat only irritates Quadratus the more:—