AN INTERLUDE BETWEEN JUPITER, JUNO, APOLLO, AND MERCURY. Which was originally intended as an INTRODUCTION TO A COMEDY, CALLED JUPITER'S DESCENT ON EARTH. AN INTERLUDE BETWEEN JUPITER, JUNO, APOLLO, AND MERCURY. SCENE I. JUPITER, JUNO. JUPITER. PRAY be pacified. JUNO. It is intolerable, insufferable, and I never will submit to it. JUP. But, my dear JUNO. Good Mr. Jupiter, leave off that odious word; you know I detest it. Use it to the trollop Venus, and the rest of your sluts. It sounds most agreeable to their ears, but it is nauseous to a goddess of strict virtue. JUP. Madam, I do not doubt your virtue. JUNO. You don't? That is, I suppose, humbly insinuating that others do: but who are their divinities? I would be glad to know who they are; they are neither Diana nor Minerva, I am well assured; both of whom pity me, for they know your tricks; they can neither of them keep a maid of honour for you. I desire you will treat me with good manners at least. I should have had that, if I had married a mortal, though he had spent my fortune, and lain with my chambermaids, as you suffer men to do with impunityhighly to your honour be it spoken! JUP. Faith! Madam, I know but one way to prevent them, which is, by annihilating mankind; and I fancy your friends below, the ladies, would hardly thank you for obtaining that favour at my hands. JUNO. I desire you would not reflect on my friends below; it is very well known, I never shewed any favour, but to those of the purest, unspotted characters. And all my acquaintance, when I have been on the earth, have been of that kind; for I never return a visit to any other. JUP. Nay, I have no inclination to find fault with the women of the earth; you know I like them very well. JUNO. Yes, the trollops of the earth, such as Venus converses with. You never shew any civility to my favourites, nor make the men do it. JUP. My dear, give me leave to say, your favourites are such, that man must be new made before he can be brought to give them the preference; for when I moulded up the clay of man, I put not one ingredient in to make him in love with ugliness, which is one of the most glaring qualities in all your favourites, whom I have ever seen; and you must not wonder, while you have such favourites, that the men slight them. JUNO. The men slight them! I'd have you know, Sir, they slight the men; and I can, at this moment, hear not less than a thousand railing at mankind. JUP. Ay, as I hear at this instant several grave black gentlemen railing at riches, and enjoying them, or at least coveting them, at the same time. JUNO. Very fine! Very civil! I understand your comparison,Well, Sir, you may go on giving an example of a bad husband, but I will not give the example of a tame wife; and if you will not |