ragged and corrupt Teeth he ha's drawne from others have beene the onely meanes to draw in him customers; and hee preserves them as Trophes of Triumph to dignifie his Banner. At spreading forth his Flags of affiance, streamers, Pendants, &c. multitudes of people commonly assemble; when the Cut-purse spying his best advantage, becomes a great sharer in the worke, and can as nimbly imploy his limetwig-fingers to draw a Purse, as himselfe a Tooth. Of all Trades in the City, he is most beholding to the Comfitmaker; for hee and his Confections have been a great bane to the Teeth, helpt him to much worke, and brought sowre sawce to their sweete meats. To conclude hee is a man onely us'd at a pinch; and the use of his pincers ha's drawne his Patients out of patience. Those that have once tride him, hope they shall never have occasion to use him more. So I leave him, till paine pricks me to employ him, but desire no further acquaintance of him.

RICHARD BRATHWAITE

(? 1588-1673)

Whimzies: Or, A New Cast of Characters.... London, ...1631. 12mo.

Edited by J. O. Halliwell,... London:... 1859. 4to. 24 characters, arranged to form an A. B. C.

Brathwaite's style is as various as the long list of his writings, ranging from the solemn dulness of the English Gentleman or the whimsicality of his Spiritual Spicerie, to the jollity of Barnaby's Journal or the picturesque appeal of Whimzies. The style in Whimzies is attractive in its love of life and wit.

It might have been expected that the precision of the character-form, which helped many writers to be definite, would have curbed Brathwaite too, but he never learned fully to control his pen. Perhaps he found his alphabetscheme difficult. Certainly some of the characters are prosy enough to make the reader suppose their subjects were not the author's choice. And yet the rewards for reading them are not infrequent. Passages marked by a felicitous rhythm may be found throughout his work. The Captive-Captain (1665) is attributed to him, and its unusual sketch of The fat Prisoner' contains: This May-bird can sing as sweetly in a Cage, as if he were in a Forrest. He accounts his imprisonment the Embleme of his life and his life neither unhappier nor shorter by being a Prisoner. He findes freedom in his greatest restraint; and that inward liberty which many Libertines who have the wide world to walk in, could never purchase.'

An Almanack-maker

Is an annuall Author, no lesse constant in his Method then matter; enlarging his yeerely Edition with a figure or cipher. He cites as familiarly, as

if they were his familiars, Euclid, Ptolomie, TichoBrache, etc. But beleeve it, many have spoke of Robin Hood, that never shot in his bow. Hee scrapes acquaintance of a fortunate gentleman, one Euphumemismus, whom he erroneously takes for brother of that feigned knight Parismus; Whose name hee interprets to bee, Boni ominis captatio, whereof he himselfe for his part, was never capable. Horizons, Hemispheares, Horoscopes, Apogaeum's, Hypogaeums, Perigaeum's, Astrolabes, Cycles, Epicycles are his usuall dialect; yet I am perswaded they may bee something to eate, for ought he knowes. His frequent repetition of Mazzaroth, Arcturus, Orion, and the Pleiades, proclaime him highly versed in the astrologicall observations of Job, whom he resembles in a Paralell line of Poverty, rather than patience. Hee ha's the true situation and just proportion of the principall Angles or houses of the Heaven or Firmament: yet can hardly pay house rent for his owne. Forty shillings is his yeerely pension upon every impression: but his vailes are meaner, unlesse he have the Art for stolen goods to cast a figure: wherein, trust me, hee ha's a prety smattering. He walks in the Clouds, and prates as familiarly of the influence of the Moone, as if hee had beene the man that was in her. Hee would make you beleeve hee had a smacke of Poetry, by the verses which hee fixeth above every moneth, but doe not credit him, hee is guiltlesse of that art: only some stolen threads he hath raked out from the kennell of other Authors, which most pedantically hee assumes to himselfe, and makes an additament to his Labours. Whole Summer nights long

AN ALMANACK-MAKER

201

hee lyes on his backe, as if hee were mell-dew'd or Planet-strucke, gazing on the starrie gallerie: and would make you believe that hee knew the names and markes of all the Oxen that draw Charles waine. Hee talkes much of the 12 Signes, yet I am confident, that one might perswade him that the Cardinals hat, or Sarazens head were one of them. He keepes a terrible quarter with his Jacobs staffe, which he conjectures was first found at Jacobs Well; as his erring Erra pater informes him for other Cabals hee disclaimes them. The Memorable work of conveying the New River from Ware to London was the issue of his braine, if you may believe him: yea, he will tell you, the state is much engaged to his notions. He ha's some small scruple of Physitian in him, and can most Empyrically discourse of the state of your Body: but had he store of Patients, hee would slaughter more than a Pestilence. He ha's a little judgement in your Chrisis: and which is best season for Phlebotomie: yet hee knowes not, whether Phlebotomie bee a man or a woman. Not a highway man in Europe can direct you better in the Roade: all which he ha's by inspiration, for he scarce ever travaild out of smoke o' th Citie. He ha's excellent observations for planting, plowing, setting, sowing, with other experimentall rules of husbandrie, yet never was Master of a Plough in all his time. Certaine (but most uncertaine) generall Notions hee ha's of the seasons of weathers, which hee expresseth in such strange and unbaptized language, as like the Delphian sword, it may cut either way. About four a clock at night (saith he) which may as soone fall out at

foure a clocke i' th morning for aught he know's, there will fall some mizling, drizling drops, with some whistling, rustling windes, &c, all which he findes out of the depth of Art. He professeth some skill in palmistry; wherein trust me, the Gipsies do farre out-strippe him: poring on the table of your hand, hee fetcheth a deepe sigh, thinking of his owne unfurnish'd Table at home, than which none can bee barer. And examining the lines of your Table, he alwayes findes his owne to be most ominous. Hee shewes himselfe deeply read in antiquitie, by the artlesse draught of his threed-bare Chronologie; and imps his illiterate worke, for want of better stuffe, with a trite discourse of weights and measures: most ponderously dividing them into Troy and Averdepois: where hee findes his owne gold too light by many graines for either scale. His Cage (or Studie if you please) is hung about with Moath-eaten Mappes, Orbes, Globes, Perspectives; with which hee can worke wonders. His shelves for want of authors, are subtilly inter-woven with Spiders Caules, which hee makes the stupid vulgar beleeve, are pure Elixirs extracted from the influence of the Moone. It is the height of his ambition to aspire to the credit of a Blanke Almanack; upon which election hee holds himselfe a Classicke Author. If famous, he seldome dies: for some inferiour Artist will assume to himselfe his name. But if he die, an other Phoenix-like, will bee forthwith raked out of his ashes. His death makes him in this infinitely happy; It is not bitter to him in respect of his substance: And in this onely hee expresseth himselfe a Scholer; He dyes poore. In a word, this may