Tuc. Gods and fiends! Caesar! thou wilt not, Caesar, wilt thou? Away, you whoreson vultures; away. You think I am a dead corps now, because Caesar is disposed to jest with a man of mark, or so. Hold your hook'd talons out of my flesh, you inhuman harpies. Go to, do't. What! will the royal Augustus cast away a gentleman of worship, a captain and a commander, for a couple of condemn'd caitiff calumnious cargos?
Tuc. Caesar! [The vizards are put upon him.
Virg. Demand what cause they had to malign Horace.
Dem. In troth, no great cause, not I, I must confess; but that he kept better company, for the most part, than I; and that better men loved him than loved me; and that his writings thrived better than mine, and were better liked and graced: nothing else.
Virg. Thus envious souls repine at others' good.
Hor. If this be all, faith, I forgive thee freely. Envy me still, so long as Virgil loves me, Gallus, Tibullus, and the best-best Caesar, My dear Mecaenas; while these, with many more, Whose names I wisely slip, shall think me worthy Their honour'd and adored society, And read and love, prove and applaud my poems; I would not wish but such as you should spite them.
Hor. A bason, a bason, quickly; our physic works. Faint not, man.
Cris. O------retrograde------reciprocal------incubus.
Hor. Retrograde, reciprocal, and incubus, are come up.
Cris. O------glibbery------lubrical------defunct------O------!
Mec. Magnificate! That came up somewhat hard.
Cris. O! I shall cast up my------spurious------snotteries------
Oris. Chilblain'd------O------O------clumsie------
Hor. Spurious, snotteries, chilblain'd, clumsie.
Gal. Who would have thought there should have been such a deal of filth in a poet?
Cris.------Puffie------inflate------turgidious-------ventosity.
Hor. Balmy, froth, puffie, inflate, turgidous, and ventosity are come up.
Cris. O------oblatrant------furibund------fatuate------strenuous---
Hor. Here's a deal; oblatrant, furibund, fatuate, strenuous.
Caes. Now all's come up, I trow. What a tumult he had in his belly?
Hor. No, there's the often conscious damp behind still.
Hor. It is come up, thanks to Apollo and AEsculapius: another; you were best take a pill more.
Cris. O, no; O------O------O------O------O!