How can we choose but have the itching gift, Kept in one kinde of cloaths, and never shift? Or to be scurvy how can we forbeare, That never yet had shirt or band to weare? How bad I and my fellow Diamond goes, We never yet had garter to our hose, Nor any shooe to put upon our feete, With such base cloaths, 'tis e'en a shame to see't; My sleeves are like some morris-dauncing fellow, My stockings idiot-like, red, greene, and yellow: My breeches like a paire of lute-pins be, Scarce buttock-roome, as every man may see. Like three-penie watchmen three of us doe stand, Each with a rustie browne-bill in his hand: And Clubs he holds an arrow, like a clowne, The head-end upward, and the feathers downe. Thus we are wrong'd, and thus we are agriev'd, And thus long time we have beene unreliev'd. But, card-makers, of you Harts reason craves, Why we should be restrained, above all Knaves, To weare such patched and disguis'd attire? Answer but this, of kindnesse, we require. * * * * * Good card-makers (if there be goodness in you), Apparell us with more respected care, Put us in hats, our caps are worne thread-bare; Let us have standing collers, in the fashion, (All are become a stiff-necke generation); Rose hat-bands with the shagged-ragged ruffe, Great cabbage-shoostrings (pray you bigge enough), French dublet, and the Spanish hose to breech it, Short cloakes, old mandilions[166] (we beseech it); Exchange our swords, and take away our bils, Let us have rapiers, (Knaves love fight that kils); Put us in bootes, and make us leather legs: This Harts, most humbly, and his fellows begs." In Rowlands' 'More Knaves Yet? The Knaves of Spades and Diamonds,' published after his 'Knave of Harts,' the Knaves of Spades and Diamonds are represented in a modernised costume, bestowed on them by the printer, and the favour is thus acknowledged. [Illustration]