thousand fiue hundreth sixtie and two yeares past, applying not the finne of the sea calfe to their heades, but that inchaunted apple of perdition to their hartes, hath so venoumously infected with contagious poyson of iniquitie, and lulled so soundly a sleepe in the carelesse cradle of securitie: that neither the golden belles of Aaron, the thundring trumpe of Esay, the well tuned simbals of Dauid, the pleasant harmonie of the Euangelists, nor the sweete comfortable pipe of Christe himselfe, could once as yet allure them to repentance and amendment of life: trusting that God by this my plaine rough summons, penned without feare, or flatterie, shall now, in the dawning of the day, ring such a peale at the dore of their conscience, as shall either moue them at length to loue him in his mercies, prouoke them to feare him in his iustice, or leaue them vnexcusable in the day of vengeance..... To conclude, gentle reader, I craue only thy friendly censor without partialitie, not forgetting the good Hermit, who hauing three of his friendes come to visit him, for want of better dainties to entertaine them, bestowed on euerie of them an olde apple, halfe putrified with spots. The first friend, to shew his affection, denoured his apple hartely, sound and rotten together as it was. The second, more nice then wise, because his was spotted in part, disdainefully threw away the whole. The third, making choice of the best, reiected onely the rest. So doe I wish thee, not with the first friend, to deuoure the badde with the good neither with the second, to cast away that is good because of some bad: but with the third, to accept and vse that is wholesom, and refuse that is lothsom. Vale in Christo. Leonard VVright." : Vice and folly called forth the warm and honest indignation of the writer. Rough, pointed, and temperately severe, the attack was general: like the Fool in a crowd, who, fearful a knave might escape, belaboured The usual characters of usurers, lawyers, every one. courtiers, priests, matrons, &c. pass more conspicuously beneath the lash of the satirist. "Grieuous abuse in this land, is the corruption of iustice, by meanes of too many ambitious lawiers, who swarme as thicke now, as the friers in times past, and are as couetous as they were superstitious and as those wilfull beggers were maintained of deuotion and charitie, and the marchants are enriched through pride and brauerie: so doe these liue by malice and enuie, by whom our good lawes are abused, as though they had beene made rather to enrich those lawiers then then for execution of iustice, and become like spider webbes, where great flies passe easily through, but litle flies are strangled: or as a baite to catch birds: the lawiers are the foulers, the judge the net, and the poore clients the birdes: for though their cause be neuer so plaine and sure, yet were he much better to giue halfe the price of his coate at the first, then to defend the whole through briberie and corruption of iustice: so long as their clients continue in greasing their vnsatiable handes with vnguentum rubrum, they seeme to feele their matter, incourage them to proceede, and extolling their cause, as though the day were alreadie wunne, till they haue drawne all the money out of their purses, and the marrow out of their bones. At last when all is gone, so as they cease to feede them, as the crow doth her brattes, then waxe they colde as a stone, and finding one cauell or other send them home to agree amongst their neighbors, ah fooles so they might haue done before!...... "Couetous patrones, are so greatly infected with the golden dropsie, as their church doores wil not be opened without a siluer keye: hee that will haue a church liuing (what other good gifts soever he bee indued withall) he must needes bringe this learning with him, to know who was Melchizedeck's father and mother, or els a dish of Maister Latimer's apples, or he may cough for any benefice...... "This land is also most vily corrupted with intollerable pride, with such a confused mingle mangle, and varietie of apish toyes . apparrell, euery day flanting in new fashions, to deforme God's workemanship in their bodies, as great monstrous ruffes starched in the diuel's licour, and set with instruments of vanitie, dublets with great burssen bellies, as though their guttes were readie to fall out, some garded like Frenchmen,* some fringed like Venitians, some their heades Turkish, their backes Spanish, and their wastes Italians: some their haire curled, and their beardes writhen to make them looke grinme and terrible, as though they had seene the diuel, with long daggers at their backes, to kill euery one they meete prouder then themselues: with such vaine riot, excesse and vaine curiositie, that I thinke they haue made a league with Satan, a couenant with hell, and an obligation with the diuel to marrie his eldest daughter."t In ⚫ French nets do catch English fooles. Margin. The curious reader may be amused with comparing this with the following account of the fashions as existing in the time of Edward III, where the honesty of description must excuse the In the Pattern for Pastors, the admonition extends to women preachers, and the author blushes "in their behalfe in calling to mind the vnshamefastness of that sexe." J. H. A Treatise entytuled the Treasure of a Good Mynde, famyliarlie written to a frinde, by Ry. Denys, Esquyor. MS. 4°. 170 leaves, exclusive of Dedication, &c. &c. This unfinished MS. seems to have been intended for the press by the author, and its numerous classical allusions shew him to have been a man of learning: there are several pieces of poetry interspersed, and a few extracts may be acceptable. On the last leaf appears the following memorandum, written by some possessor of the MS. probably, of the author's family. As it throws light on the close of his days," I transcribe it. "At the scige of Eunigande in Brittaine, in May, 1591, during the tyme of the assault, Captaine Denys, a braue gentellman, being sent wth some forcis to make offers of a scalado to one other part of the towne: advancing himselfe to farre re blunt expression of the chronicler. In this time [about 1346] englishme so moch haunted & cleued to the wodnesse & foly of the strangers, That fro tyme of comyng of the Henaudres [the queen, Philippa, was daur. of Count Heinault.] xviij yere passed. they ordeyned & changid them eu y yere diuse shappis & disgisings of clothing of long large and wide clothis destitut & diseit, from al old honeste & good vsage. And an othertyme short clothis strayt wasted dagged & kyt & on euy side slatered & botoned and with sleues & tapitis of surcotes & hodis ou long & ou moch hangyng, that if J the soth shall say, they wer more like to tormentouris & deuels in ther clothing & shoying & other aray, than to men. And the women more nysely yit passid the men in aray & corious loker, for they wer so strait clothid that they let hang fox tailles sewed by neth within ther clothis for to hele & hide ther ar..., the wich disgysyngee and pride pauentur aft ward brought forth & caused mony myshappis & myschief in the reame of englond. Chronicle of St. Albans, 1483. A viij rev. ceued ceued a musket shote in the bottome of his belly, whereof he died about twelue of the clocke the same night." "The auctor to hys booke. "Go lytle booke, shame nott to show thy face, *thow menyst to dysclose." Following the above are dedications "To the Right Worshipfull his singulor good nevew, Oliviere Saint John, Esquier, brother to the Right Honorable the Lord Saint John, of Blettsoe, health and happie felicitie." "To the Ryghte Honorable his singuler good Lordes Henrye, Earle of Kent, and Iohn Lorde Saynt Iohn, barne of Bletsoe: healthe, honor, and happie felicetie." "The Epistle to the Reader," next, occupying seven pages. The author in the praise of a good mynde," eighty-four lines. "What thinge of greater price On earth may any fynde, What goulde or ryches may compare The mynde doth still possesse, In man a kinglie place. And guydes the steppes of mortall wightes, And rules in every case. *** Now will I saie no more, But he that doeth enjoy So good a mynde, so greate a grace, May lyve without anoye. Finis" * An uncertain word in the MS, The "The Author in the praise of Vertue." 118 lincs. "Who wyll ensue the statelie steppes, ****** Loe thus is vertu of the mynde The onelie staie of happie state, A gyft that is not ryef, And as the glyttering goulde doe shine From forge all fined new, So doe they shine aboue the rest, That vertu doth ensue. Finis." The first part containeth fourteen chapters-the seconde part thirteen chapters-the thirde part left unfinished, apparently from the author's death. At the end are several meditations and godly rules. Take "gentle reader," as a specimen of his prose, the following from the thirteen chapter, part first. "To speake furder of good and ill princes, the good Emperour Marcus Aurelius was not so much praised and beloved for his vertues as Comodus his sonne was hated in Rome for his vices; what eares do not abhorre to heare of the cruelties of Nero, and the wickedness of Tyberius and Heliogabalus, all three wycked Emperors, that corrupted all the world with their vices, and who doth not delight to heare the praises of the gentill Emperour Traianus, that was an example of vertu to all Princes, but the noble Jarmanicus for his worthyenes & vertue was so beloved, that when the Romaynes heard of his deathe, as Swetonius reporteth, they battered the temples wh stones, they threw downe the aultors of their goddes some dyd hurle their houshold goddes into the streetes, and finally other did cast awaie their children latelie borne. Such is the commendacion and love of vertu wch is of so greate force that it wynnes praise of a man's oune enemies Bristol, 1810. J. F. Old |