THE COXCOMBE

But what skil't! Hee'l have an attractive Lace, And whalebone-body es, for the better grace, Admit spare dyet, on no sustnance feed,

But Oatmeale, Milke, and crums of Barly-bread. Use Exercise untill at last hee fit:

(With much adoe) his Body vnto it.

23

Hee'l not approach a Taverne, no nor drinke ye
To save his life Hot-water, (wherefore thinke ye,)
For heating's Liver! which some may suppose
Scalding hote, by the Bubbles on his Nose.
Hee'l put up any publique foule disgrace,
Rather then hazzard cutting of his Face.
If in his element you'd have the (Foole!)
Aske him when he came from the Dauncing-schoole.
Whereas much Leather he doth dayly waste
In the French Cringe, which Ieremy brought last.
And more, then Coriat, (I dare maintaine)
In going to the Alpes and backe againe.
Whereof, that all the world may notice take,
See! every step an Honor hee doth make
That Ladyes, may denote him with their Fan,
As he goes by, with a Lo: Hee's the man.

2 Thomas Coryate (d. 1617), the traveller.

THOMAS NASHE (1567-1601)

...

Pierce Penilesse his Supplication to the Divell. . . London, ... 1592, 4to. [C4", G4']

The Works of Thomas Nashe. Edited... by R. B. McKerrow. 1904.

Pierce Penilesse is an exuberant commentary on contemporary abuses, and is arranged loosely in 7 sections, each being called a Complaint' of one of the Seven Deadly Sins. The Complaint of Pride,' for instance, contains pictorial accounts of the various typical personages referred to, such as an upstart, a counterfeit politician, merchants' wives, the Spaniard and the Dane.

Mistris Minx

MISTRIS MINX, a Marchants wife, that will eate no Cherries forsooth, but when they are at twentie shillings a pound, that lookes as simperingly as if she were besmeard, & jets it as gingerly as if she were dancing the Canaries: she is so finicall in her speach, as though she spake nothing but what shee had first sewd over before in her Samplers, and the puling accent of her voyce is like a fained treble, or ones voyce that interprets to the puppets. What should I tell how squeamish she is in her dyet, what toyle she puts her poore servants unto, to make her looking glasses in the pavement? How she will not goe into the fields, to cowre on the greene grasse, but shee must have a Coatch for her convoy: and spends halfe a day in pranking her selfe if she be invited to anie strange place? Is not this the excesse of pride signior Sathan?

24

SLOTH, A STATIONER

Sloth, a Stationer

25

IF I were to paint Sloth,.. by Saint John the Evangelist I sweare, I would draw it like a Stationer that I knowe, with his thumb under his girdle; who if a man come to his stall to aske him for a Booke, never stirres his head, or looks upon him, but stands stone still, and speakes not a word: only with his little finger poynts backwards to his boy, who must be his interpreter, & so all the day gaping like a dumbe image he sits without motion; except at such times as hee goes to dinner or supper: for then he is as quicke as other three, eating sixe times everie day.

THOMAS DEKKER (1570-? 1641)

The Seven deadly Sinnes of London.... At London... 1606. 4to. [B2]

Worke for Armorours: Or, The Peace is Broken. Open warres likely to happin this yeare 1609.... London,... 1909. 4to. [D4]

A Strange Horse-Race, . . . London,... 1613. 4to. [C3] In the course of Dekker's fanciful but brilliant treatments of contemporary London life, he gives now and again sketches of some of the passing figures in the crowded scenes. The part selected here from his picture of the Politick Bankrupt' is an early example of the 'Turncoat,' a type very familiar later in the century.

[The Religious Turncoat]

THE Politick Bankrupt is a Harpy that lookes smoothly, a Hyena that enchants subtilly, a Mermaid that sings sweetly, and a Cameleon, that can put himselfe into all colours. Sometimes hee's a Puritane, he sweares by nothing but Indeede, or rather does not sweare at all and wrapping his crafty Serpents body in the cloake of Religion, he does those acts that would become none but a Divell. Sometimes hee's a Protestant, and deales justly with all men, till he see his time, but in the end he turnes Turke.

Parsimonie

Parsimonie, to save a pennie, hee will damne halfe his soule, hee weares cloathes long, and will sooner alter his religion ten times, then his doublet once, his hatte is like his head, of the old blocke, he buies no gloves but of a groat a

paire, and having worne them two daies hee quarrels with the poore Glover that they are too wide, or too ill stitched, & by base scolding and lordly words gets his money againe, and the wearing of so much leather for nothing. He will be knowne by a paire of white pumpes some 16. or 20. yeares, onely by repairing their decaied complection w' a peece of chalke.

Hospitalitie pictured

. an old Lord (that is now no Courtier) for hee keeps a place in the Countrey, & all the chimnies in it smoke: he spends his money as he spends the water that passeth to his house, it comes thither in great pipes, but it is all consumed in his kichin, his name Hospitality. It is a grave & reverend counteneance; he weares his beard long of purpose, that the haires being white, & still in his eie, he may be terrified fro doing any thing unworthy their honor his apparrel is for warmth, not bravery: if he thinke ill at any time, he presently thinks wel: for just upon his breast he wears his Reprehension. As a jewel comprehends much treasure in a little roome; and as that nut-shell held all Homers Iliads smally written in a peece of Vellum. So, though the tree of his vertues grow high, and is laden with goodly fruit, yet the topbough of all, and the fairest Apple of all he counteth his Hospitality: His bread was never too stale, his drinke was never sowre, no day in the yeare was to them that are hungry, A fasting day, yet he observes them all: Hee gives moderately every houre, but in reverence of one season in the yeare, all that come may freely take.