Microcosmography: or, a Piece of the World Discovered; in Essays and CharactersEarle, John
General
Microcosmography: or, a Piece of the World Discovered; in Essays and Characters
Earle, John
Character sketches
Now we haue well bousd, let vs strike some chete.
_Nowe we haue well dronke, let vs steale some thinge._
Yonder dwelleth a quyere cuffen it were beneshype to myll hym.
_Yonder dwelleth a hoggeshe and choyrlyshe man it weare very well
donne to robbe him._
_Roge._ Nowe, bynge we a waste to the hygh pad, the ruff-manes is by.
_Naye, let vs go hence to the hygh waye, the wodes is at hande._
_Man._ So may we happen on the harmanes and cly the jarke, or to the
quyer ken and skower quyaer cramprings and so to tryning on the
chates.
_So we maye chaunce to set in the stockes, eyther be whypped,
eyther had to prison-house, and there be shackeled with bolttes and
fetters, and then to hange on the gallowes._
[_Rogue._] Gerry gan the ruffian clye thee.
_A corde in thy mouth, the deuyll take thee._
_Man._ What! stowe you bene cofe and cut benar whydds; and byng we to some
vyle to nyp a bong, so shall we haue lowre for the bousing ken and
when we byng back to the deuseauye, we wyll fylche some duddes of
the ruffemans, or myll the ken for a lagge of dudes.
_What! holde your peace, good fellowe, and speake better wordes;
and go we to London to cut a purse, then shal we haue money for the
ale-house, and when we come backe agayne into the countrey, we wyll
steale some lynnen clothes of one hedges, or robbe some house for a
bucke of clothes._"
I have been induced, from the curiosity and rarity of this tract, to
extend my account of it farther, perhaps, than many of my readers may
think reasonable, and shall, therefore, only add a specimen of Harman's
poetry, with which the original terminates.
"--> Thus J conclude my bolde beggar's booke,
That all estates most playnely maye see;
As in a glasse well pollyshed to looke,
Their double demeaner in eche degree;
Their lyues, their language, their names as they be;
That with this warning their myndes may be warmed
To amende their mysdeedes, and so lyue vnharmed."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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