tongues to do justice to thy questions, they come so thick upon one."

"Tongues! Talk not to me of tongues, I prythee," exclaimed his companion, in seeming anger. "Thou hast one of such a sort that it requireth no other to help it. O' my life, I do believe thou couldst wheedle the moon into a nut-shell-thou hast got such a tongue. Didst thou not cut me

out with the mercer's daughter, and be hanged to thee !"

"Indeed I fared no better than thyself in that quarter, believe me," said Master Shakspeare.

"No!" cried Master Burbage, in extreme astonishment. "What, did she not become villainously in love with the? Did she not give thee most exquisite, fond en. rtainment? Didst thou not, now, in honest truth, d her 'a most delicious creature,' as thou didst say to me through the keyhole-thou aggravating villain!"

"In honest truth, then, Dick, I must answer to all thy questions—no !”

"Ha! ha! ha! 'tis good! 'tis excellent good!" exclaimed Master Burbage, and he began to caper about the room, seemingly in a monstrous delight. "That be the pleasantest news I have heard a long time; and, in truth, thou hast been but rightly served for the very heathenish wickedness thou didst commit, of cutting me out with her."

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Nay, I do assure thee, Dick, I knew not, till

within a minute or so of thy coming, that thou wert at all of her acquaintance; and I then was resolved to have some sport at thy expense, merely because of thy having disparaged me to her, and claiming for thyself the merit of my best verses."

"Ah, that was done out of no malice, thou shouldst be well aware. I said it but out of vanity, and would have been the very first to tell thee of it again. By this light, Will! I do think it lawful to tell a pretty woman anything. I would swear to her I was the greatest, wisest, faithfullest of men, if I thought she would believe me. I would brave it out with her I was the Pope of Rome, or the Great Mogul, or even one of the Anthropophagi, if it looked as if 'twould advantage me in my suit. Nay, Ovid himself knoweth not the metamophoses I would undergo under such circumstances. Dost think they would have no disguises? Dost think they stand upon the saying of anything with us? By this hand, I would as soon expect to find sunbeams in a snowball, as truth in a pretty woman. Ask of her if she love thee, she shall answer 'no' straight, when be sure she hath 'yes' in her heart all the time. Attempt to lay siege to her lips, she shall presently frown and seem in a monstrous to do, but so completely doth her nature assent to it, that do but persist for a sufficient time, and make no doubt the citadel shall surrender at discretion."

"I do believe, Dick, thou knowest very little of

the matter," observed Master Shakspeare. "Thou art like to a many more I have met with, that can speak bravely of the difficultest things, but question them close of their knowledge, and they shall be proved as ignorant as a dead horse."

"None of thy dog's meat similes," exclaimed Master Burbage, as if in some disdain: "I tell thee 'tis a subject that none have studied closer than have I—I have entered into it thoroughly. I have pursued my investigations (albeit though it be a matter so exceeding profound that no one ever got to the bottom on't) as deep as have any. But tell me, Will, how did it happen that, notwithstanding of thy villainy in cutting of me out, for the which I now heartily do forgive thee, thou hadst no better luck with the incomparable Joanna."

"She told me that she loved a youth for whom I entertained great friendship," replied his companion, "and thereupon did I desist of my intentions towards her out of respect to him. She did speak to me of him with marvellous earnestness; and knowing that he had such excellence as well deserved her praise, I joined with her in such commendation. But liking not the character of her behaviour to me previous to this avowal, which was that of one who in appearance is indifferent to admiration, and yet doth encourage the admirer, I spoke to her upon the possible mischief of it to

plea, that if she could

herself, as much as to those whose advances she allowed of; and the palpable injustice of it to my young friend, Master Francis, whom thou hast seen with me once or twice. Upon this she sought to defend herself upon the without sinfulness create the happiness of others, she thought there could be no harm in so doing to ever so many. But I straightway gave her to understand that the philosophy of love be the possession of the beloved object; and assured her it was a truth beyond all dispute, that no real lover ever yet existed who did not at some time or other hope to possess his mistress."

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Spoke like an oracle, Will, as thou art," said the other.

"I said also," continued Master Shakspeare, "that one of so much beauty of person and kindliness of heart, as she seemed to be, might, without the commission of any apparent criminality, create a present pleasure of no ordinary kind among such as may be content with affectionate looks and sugared phrases--but no man that truly loveth will remain all his life so easily contented; and the present pleasure will in all likelihood be turned to a continual misery, when he finds, as find he must, 'tis all profitless and inconclusive."

"That be indisputable," observed Master Burbage. "'Tis marvellous pleasant certainly for a pretty woman to say she loveth thee, but if that be

the full extent of her love, then is her parrot to be as much envied as art thou. I'd be none of such parrots, I promise thee, Will. I would hop her perch in a twinkling."

"But more than all," continued his companion, smiling at what had dropped from the other, " I dwelt particularly on the impossibility of her creating such happiness with any honesty. The happiness that may be created at the expense of another can never be defended. Master Francis I knew had given her his exclusive affections, and he naturally looked for, and imagined himself possessed of her's to the same extent. Any division of her love to another, I told her was not only an injustice to him, but as the knowledge of it was very like to make him uneasy, it would decidedly be at the expense of his happiness. It so happened, that in a play of some merit Master Francis shewed me on our first acquaintance, there were certain passages marvellously to the purpose on this very point, which hath since given me reason to believe he had some suspicion of her true character, and wrote it as in the natus of an expostulation, hoping she would mend. I kn a not whether I quite succeeded in proving to her her error; but I fear much for my young friend if she alter not speedily. I know that, though of a truly modest disposition, he may be easily moved; and as for Joanna, I think she is one of a very insatiate vanity and selfishness,