lyke an owle sitting on the top of this iuie on his bases were wrought all kinde of birdes as on the grounde wondering about him the word Ideo mirum quia monstrum his horses furniture was framed like a cart scattering whole sheaues of corne amongst hogs the word Liberalitas liberalitate perit On his shield a bée intangled in shéepes wooll the mot Frontis nulla fides The fourth that succéeded was a well proportioned knight in an armor imitating rust whose head piece was prefigured like flowers growing in a narrowe pot where they had not anie space to spread their roots or dispearse their florishing His bases embelisht with open armed handes scattering golde amongst trunchions the word Cura futuri est His horse was harnished with leaden chaines hauing the out-side guilt or at least saffrond in stead of guilt to decypher a holie or golden pretence of a couetous purpose the sentence Cani capilli mei compedes on his target he had a number of crawling wormes kept vnder by a blocke the faburthen Speramus lucent The fift was the forsaken knight whose helmet was crowned with nothing but cipresse and willow garlands ouer his armor he had on Himens nuptiall robe died in a duskie yelow and all to be defaced and discoloured with spots staines The enigma Nos quoque florimus as who shuld saie we haue bin in fashion his stead was adorned with orenge tawnie eies such as those haue that haue the yellowe iandies that make all things yellow they looke vpon with this briefe Qui inuident egent Those that enuie are hungrie The sixth was the knight of the stormes whose helmet was round moulded like the Moone and all his armour like waues whereon the shine of the Moone sleightly siluerd perfectly represented Moone-shine in the water his bases were the banks or shores that bounded in the streames The spoke was this Frustra pius as much to say as fruitles seruice On his shield he set forth a lion driuen from his praie by a donghill cocke The worde Non vi sed voce not by violence but by his voice The seuenth had lyke the gyants that sought to scale heauen in despight of Iupiter a mount ouerwhelming his head and whole bodie His bases out-layde with armes and legges which the skirts of that mountain left vncouered Under this did hee characterise a man desirous to climbe to the heauen of honour kept vnder with the mountaine of his princes command and yet had hée armes and legges exempted from the suppression of that mountaine The word Tu mihi criminis author alluding to his Princes commaund thou art the occasion of my imputed cowardise His horse was trapt in the earthie stringes of tree rootes which though their increase was stubbed downe to the grounde yet were they not vtterly deaded but hop'd for an after resurrection The worde Spe alor I hope for spring Uppon his shield hee bare a balâ— striken downe with a mans hand hat it might mount The worde Ferior vt efferar I suffer my selfe to bee contemned because I will climbe The eighth had all his armour tharoughout engrayled lyke a crabbed brierie hawthorne bush ouâ— of which notwithstanding sprung as a good Childe of an ill Father fragraunt Blossomes of delightfull Maye Flowers that made according to the nature of Maye a most odoriferous smell In middest of this his snowie curled top rounde wrapped together on the ascending of his creast sate a solitarie nightingale close encaged with a thorne at her breast hauing this mot in her mouth Luctus monumenta manebunt At the foote of this bush represented on his bases lay a number of blacke swolne Toades gasping for winde and Summer liu'de grashoppers gaping after deaw both which were choakt with excessiue drouth and for want of shade The word Non sine vulnere viresco I spring not without impediments alluding to the Toades and such lyke that earst laye sucking at his rootes but nowe were turnd out and neere choakt with drought His horse was suited in blacke sandie earth as adiacent to this bush which was here and there patched with short burnt grasse and as thicke inke dropped with toyling ants emets as euer it might crall who in the full of the summer moone ruddie garnished on his horses forehead hoorded vp theyr prouision of grain agaynst winter The word Victrix fortunae sapientia prouidence preuents misfortune On his shield he set forth the picture of death doing almes déeds to a number of poore desolate children The word Nemo alius explicat No other man takes pittie vpon vs. What his meaning was héerein I cannot imagine except death had done him and his brethren some greate good turne in ridding them of some vntoward parent or kinsman that woulde haue beene their confusion for else I cannot see howe death shoulde haue béene sayde to doe almes déedes except he had depriued them sodainly of their liues to deliuer them out of some further miserie which coulde not in anie wise hée because they were yet liuing The ninth was the infant knight who on his armour had ennameld a poore young infant put into a shippe without tackling masts furniture or any thing This weather beaten and ill apparelled shippe was shaddowed on his bases and the slender compasse of his body set forth the right picture of an infant The waues wherein the ship was tossed were fretted on his steads trappings so mouingly that euer as he offered to bounde or stirre they séemed to bounse and tosse and sparkle brine out of theyr hoarie siluer billowes Theyr mot Inopem me copia fecit as much to saie as the rich praye makes the théefe On his shielde hée expressed an olde Goate that made a young trée to wither onely with biting it The worde thereto Primo extinguor in aeuo I am frost-bitten ere I come out of the blade It were here too tedious to manifest all the discontented or amorous deuises y t were vsed in that turnament The shieldes onely of some few I wil touch to make short worke One bare for his impresse the eies of yong swallowes comming againe after they were pluckt out with this mot Et addit et addimit your beautie both bereaues and restores my sight Another a siren sâ—â—ling when the sea rageth and ships are ouerwhelmed including a cruell woman that laughs singes and scornes at her louers tears and the tempests of his despaire the word Cuncta pereunt all my labor is ill imploid A third being troubled with a curst a trecherous and wanton wanton wife vsed this similitude On his shild he caused to be limmed Pompeies ordinance for paracides as namely a man put into a sack with a cocke a serpent and an ape interpreting that his wife was a cocke for her crowing a serpent for her stinging and an ape for her unconstant wantonnesse with which ill qualities hee was so beset that thereby hee was throwen into a sea of grief The â—orde Extremum malonim mulier
his last parting Who should it bee but one Cutwolfe a wearish dwarâ—ish writhen fac'd cobler brother to Bartoll the Italian that was confederate with Esdras of Granado and at that time stole away my curtizan when he rauisht Heraclide It is not so naturall for me to epitomize his impietie as to heare him in his owne person speake vppon the whéele where he was to suffer Prepare your eares and your teares for neuer till this thrust I anie tragicall matter vpon you Strange and wonderfull are Gods iudgements heere shine they in their glory Chast Heraclide thy bloud is laid vp in heauens treasurie not one drop of it was lost but lent out to vsurie water powred forth sinkes downe quietly into the earth but bloud spilt on the ground sprinkles vp to the firmament Murder is wide-mouthd and will not let God rest till he grant reuenge Not onely the bloud of the slaughtred innocent but the soule ascendeth to his throne and there cries out exclaimes for iustice and recompence Guilties soules that liue euerie houre subiect to violence and with your despairing feares doo much empaire Gods prouidence fasten your eyes on this spectacle that will adde to your faith Referre all your oppressions afflictions and iniuries to the euen ballanced eye of the Almightie hee it is that when your patience sléepeth will bee most excéeding mindfull of you This is but a glose vpon the text thus Cutwolfe begins his insulting oration Men and people that haue made holy-daie to behold my pained flesh toile on the whéele Expect not of me a whining penitent slaue that shal do nothing but crie and saie his praiers and so be crusht in péeces My bodie is little but my minde is as great as a Giants the soule which is in mee is the verie soule of Iulius Caesar by reuersion My name is Cutwolfe neither better nor worse by occupation than a poore cobler of Verona coblers are men and kings are no more The occasion of my comming hether at this present is to haue a fewe of my bones broken as we are all borne to die for being the death of the Emperour of homicides Esdras of Granado About two yeares since in the stréetes of Rome he slew the onely and eldest brother I had named Bartoll in quarrelling about a curtizan The newes brought to me as I was sitting in my shop vnder a stall knocking in of tackes I think I raisd vp my bristles solde pritch-aule spunge blacking tub and punching yron bought mee rapier and pistoll and to goe I went Twentie months together I pursued him from Rome to Naples from Naples to Caiete passing ouer the riuer from Caiete to Syenna from Syenna to Florence from Florence to Parma from Parma to Pauia from Pauia to Syon from Syon to Geneua from Geneua backe againe towards Rome where in the way it was my chance to méet him in the nicke here at Bolognia as I will tell you how I saw a great fray in the stréetes as I past along and manie swords walking wherevpon drawing néerer and enquiring who they were answer was returned mee it was that notable Bandetto Esdras of Granado O so I was tickled in the spléene with that word my heart hopâ— daunst my elbowes itcht my fingers friskt I will not what should become of my féete nor knew what I did for ioy The fray parted I thought it not conuenient to single him out being a sturdie knaue in the street but to stay till I had got him at more aduantage To his lodging I dogd him lay at the dore all night where hee entred for feare hee should giue me the slip anie way Betimes in the morning I rung the bell and crau'd to speake with him vp to his chamber dore I was brought where knocking hee rose in his shirt and let me in and when he was entred bad me lock the dore and declare my arrant and so he slipt to bed againe Marrie this quoth I is my arrant Thy name is Esdras of Granado is it not Most treacherously thou 〈◊〉 my brother Bartoll about two yeres agoe in the streetes of Rome his death am I come to reuenge In quest of thée euer since aboue thrée thousand miles haue I trauaild I haue begd to maintaine me the better part of the waye onely because I would intermit no time from my pursute in going backe for monie Now haue I got thée naked in my power die thou shalt though my mother and my grandmother dying did intreate for thée I haue promist the diuell thy soule within this houre breake my word I will not in thy breast I intend to burie a bullet Stirre not quinch not make no noyse for if thou dost it will be worse for thée Quoth Esdras what euer thou bee at whose mercie I lye spare me and I wil giue thee as much gold as thou wilt aske Put me to anie paines my life reserued and I willingly will sustaine them cut off my armes and legs and leaue me as a lazer to some loathsome spittle where I may but liue a yeare to pray and repent me For thy brothers death the despayre of minde that hath euer since haunted mee the guiltie gnawing worme of conscience I féele may bee sufficient penaunce Thou canst not send me to such a hell as alreadie there is in my hart To dispatch me presently is no reuenge it wil soone be forgotten let me dye a lingring death it will be remembred a great deale longer A lingring death maye auaile my soule but it is the illest of ills that can befortune my bodie For my soules health I beg my bodies torment bee not thou a diuell to torment my soule and send me to eternall damnation Thy ouer-hanging sword hides heauen from my sight I dare not looke vp least I embrace my deaths-wound vnwares I cannot pray to God and plead to thée both at once Ay mee alreadie I see my life buried in the wrinckles of thy browes say but I shall liue though thou meanest to kill me Nothing confounds like to suddaine terror it thrusts euerie sense out of office Poyson wrapt vp in sugred pills is but halfe a poyson the feare of deaths lookes are more terrible than his stroake The whilest I viewe death my faith is deaded where a mans feare is there his heart is Feare neuer engenders hope how can I hope that heauens father will saue mee from the hell euerlasting when he giues me ouer to the hell of thy furie Heraclide now thinke I on thy feares sowen in the dust thy teares that my bloudie minde made barraine In reuenge of thée God hardens this mans heart against mee yet I did not slaughter thée though hundreds else my hand hath brought to the shambles Gentle sir learne of mee what it is to clog your conscience with murder to haue your dreames your sleepes your solitarie walkes troubled and disquieted with murther Your shaddowe by daye will affright you you will not sée a weapon vnsheathd but
as before they deemed them as a number of wolues vp in armes agaynst the shepheardes The Emperyalles themselues that were theyr executioners lyke a Father that wéepes when he beates his child yet still wéepes and still beates not without much ruth and sorrow prosecuted that lamentable massacre yet drumms and trumpets sounding nothing but stearne reuenge in their eares made them so eager that their hands had no leafure to aske counsell of theyr effeminate eyes theyr swords theyr pikes theyr bils their bows their caléeuers slew empierced knockt downe shot thorough and ouerthrew as many men euerie minute of the battell as there fals eares of corne before the sithe at one blowe yet all theyr weapons so slaying empiercing knocking downe shooting through ouerthrowing dissoule ioyned not halfe so many as the hailing thunder of their great ordenance so ordinary at euerie footstep was the imbrument of iron in bloud that one could hardly discerne heads from bullettes or clottered haire from mangled flesh hung with gore This tale must at one time or other giue vp the ghost and as good now as stay longer I would gladly rid my hands of it cleanly if I could tell how for what with talking of coblers tinkers râ—apemakers and botchers and durtdaubers the marke is cleane gone out of my muses mouth and I am as it were more than dunsified twixt diuinitie and poetrie What is there more as touching this tragedie that you would be resolued of saie quickly for now my pen is got vpon his féet again how I. Leiden dide is y t it he dide like a dog he was hanged and the halter paid for For his companions do they trouble you I can tel you they troubled some men before for they were all kild and none escapt no not so much as one to tel the tale of the rainbow Heare what it is to be Anabaptists to bée puritans to be villaines you may be counted illuminate botchers for a while but your end wil be Good people pray for me With the tragicall catastrophe of this munsterian conflict did I cashier the new vocation of my caualiership There was no more honorable wars in christendome then towards wherefore after I had learned to be halfe an houre in bidding a man boniure in germane sunonimas I trauelled along the cuntrie towards England as fast as I could What with wagons bare tentoes hauing attained to Middleborough good Lord sée the changing chances of vs knight arrant infants I met with the right honourable Lord Henrie Howard Earle of Surrey my late master Iesu I was yerswaded I sâ—oulde not be more glad to sée heauen than I was to sée him O it was a right noble Lord liberalitie it selfe if in this yron age there were anie such creature as liberality left on the earth a prince in content because a Poet without péere Destinie neuer defames her selfe but when she lets an excellent poet die if there bee anie sparke of Adams paradized perfection yet emberd vp in the breastes of mortall men certainely God hath bestowed that his perfectest image on poets None come so néere to God in wit none more contemne the world vatis auarus non temere est animus sayth Horace versus amat hoc studet vnum Seldom haue you séene anie Poet possessed with auarice onely verses he loues nothing else he delights in and as they contemne the world so contrarily of the mechanicall worlde are none more contemned Despised they are of the worlde because they are not of the world their thoughts are exalted aboue the worlde of ignorance and all earthly conceits As swéet angelicall queristers they are continually conuersant in the heauen of artes heauen it selfe is but the highest height of knowledge he that knowes himselfe all things else knowes the means to be happie happy thrice happie are they whome God hath doubled his spirite vppon and giuen a double soule vnto to be Poets My heroicall master excéeded in this supernaturall kinde of wit hee entertained no grosse earthly spirite of auarice nor weake womanly spirit of pusillanimity and feare that are fained to be of the water but admirable airie and firie spirites full of fréedome magnanimitie and bountihood Let me not speake anie more of his accomplishments for feare I spend al my spirits in praising him and leaue my selfe no vigor of wit or effectes of a soule to goe forward with my history Hauing thus met him I so much adored no interpleading was there of opposite occasions but backe I must returne and beare halfe stakes with him in the lotterie of trauell I was not altogether vnwilling to walke along with such a good purse-bearer yet musing what changeable humor had so sodainly seduced him from his natiue soyle to séeke out néedlesse perils in these parts beyond sea one night verie boldly I demaunded of him the reason that moued him thereto Ah quoth he my little Page full little canst thou perceiue howe faâ—re metamorphozed I am from my selfe since I last sawe thée There is a little God called Loue that will not bee worshipt of anie leaden braines one that proclaimes himselfe sole king and Emperour of pearcing eyes and chiefe soueraigne of softe heartes hée it is that exercising his empire in my eyes hath exorcized and cleane coniured me from my content Thou knowest stately Geraldine too stately I feare for me to doe homage to her statue or shrine she it is that is come out of Italy to bewitch all the wise men of England vpon Quéene Katherine Dowager shée waites that hath a dowrie of beautie sufficient to make her wooed of the greatest kings in christendome Her high exalted sunne beames haue set the phenix neast of my breast on fire and I my selfe haue brought Arabian spiceries of swéete passions and praises to furnish out the funerall flame of my folly Those who were condemned to be smoothered to death by sinking downe into the softe bottome of an high built bedde of roses neuer dide so swéete a death as I shoulde die if her rose coloured disdaine were my deaths-man Oh thrice emperiall Hampton court Cupids inchaunted castle the place where I first sawe the perfect omnipotence of the Almightie expressed in mortalitie tis thou alone that tithing all other men solace in thy pleasant scituation affoordest mée nothing but an excellent begotten sorrowe out of the chiefe treasurie of all thy recreations Deare Wilton vnderstand that there it was where I first set eie on my more than celestiall Geraldine Séeing her I admired her all the whole receptacle of my sight was vnhabited with her rare worth Long sute and vncessant protestations got me the grace to be entertained Did neuer vnlouing seruant so prentise like obey his neuer pleased mistres as I dyd her My lyfe my wealth my friendes had all theyr destinie depending on her command Uppon a time I was determined to trauell the fame of Italy and an especiall affection I had vnto Poetrie my second mistres for which Italy
Mâ—roâ— féede on nothing but scorpions vse is another nature yet ten times more contentiue were nature restored to her kingdome from whence shee is excluded Beléeue mee no aire no bread no fire no water agrée with a man or dooth him anye good out of his owne countrey Colde frutes neuer prosper in a hot soile nor hot in a cold Let no man for any transitorie pleasure sell away the inheritance of breathing he hath in the place where he was born Get thée home my yong lad lay thy bones peaceably in the sepulcher of thy fathers ware old in ouer-looking thy grounds bee at hand to close the eyes of thy kinred The diuell and I am desperate he of being restored to heauen I of being recalled home Here he held his peace and wept I glad of any opportunitie of a full poynt to part from him told him I tooke his counsaile in worth what laye in mee to requite in loue should not bee lacking Some businesse that concerned mee highly cald mee away verie hastely but another time I hop'd wee should méete Uerie hardly he let me goe but I earnestly ouerpleading my occasions at length he dismist mee told mee where his lodging was and charged mee to visite him without excuse very often Heeres a stirre thought I to my selfe after I was set at libertie that is worse than an vpbrayding lesson after a britching certainly if I had bethought mee like a rascall as I was hee should haue had an aue marie of mee for his cynicke exhortation God plagud mee for deriding such a graue fatherly aduertiser List the worst throw of ill lâ—ckes Tracing vp and downe the City to seeke my Curtizan till the euening began to growe well in age it fortuned the Element as if it had dronke too much in the after-noone powrde downe so profoundly that I was forst to créepe like one afraid of the Watch close vnder the penâ—ises where the cellar doore of a Iewes house called Zadoch ouer which in my direct waye I did passe beeing vnbard on the in-side ouer head and eares I fell into it as a man falls in a ship from the oreloope into the holde or as in an earth-quake the ground should open and a blinde man come féeling pad pad ouer the open Gulph with his staffe should stumble on sodaine into hell Hauing worne out the anguish of my fall a little with wallowing vp and downe I cast vp myne eyes to sée vnder what Continent I was and loe O destenie I sawe my Curtizans kissing verie louingly with a prentise My backe and my sides I had hurt with my fall but now my head sweld akt worse than both I was euen gathering winde to come vpon her with a full blast of contumely when the Iewe awakde with the noyse of my fall came bustling downe the staires and raysâ—ng his other seruants attached both the Curtizane and mee for breaking his house and conspiring with his prentise to rob him It was then the lawe in Rome that if anie man had a fellon falne into his hands eyther by breaking into his house or robbing him by the high way hee might choose whether he would make him his bond-man or hang him Zadoch as all Iewes are couetous casting with himselfe hee should haue no benefite by casting mee off the ladder had another policie in his head hee went to one Doctour Zacharie the popes phisition that was a Iewe and his Countrey-man likewise and tolde him hee had the finest bargaine for him that might bee It is not concealed from mee sayth he that the time of your accustomed yearely Anatomie is at hand which it behooues you vnder forfeiture of the foundation of your Colledge verie carefully to prouide for The infection is great and hardly will you get a sound bodie to deale vpon you are my Countrey-man therefore I come to you first Bee it knowen vnto you I haue a young man at home faine to me for my bond-man of the age of eightéene of stature tall streight limm'd of as cleere a complection as anie painters fancie can imagine goe too you are an honest man and one of the scattered Children of Abraham you shall haue him for fiue hundred crownes Let mee sée him quoth Doctour Zacharie and I will giue you as much as another Home hee sent for mee pinniond and shackeld I was transported alongst the stréete where passing vnder Iulianaes the Marques of Mantuaes wiues window that was a lustie Bona Roba one of the popes concubines as she had her casement halfe open she lookt out and spide me At the first sight she was enamored with my age and beardles face that had in it no ill signe of phislognomie fatall to fetiers after me shee sent to know what I was wherein I had offended and whether I was going My conducts resolued them all She hauing receiued this answere with a lustfull collachrimation lamenting my Iewish Premunire that bodie and goods I should lyght into the hands of such a cursed generation inuented the moanes of my release But first Ile tel you what betided me after I was brought to Doctour Zacharies The purblinde Doctour put on his spectacles and lookt vppon mee and when he had throughly viewd my face he caused mee to bee stript naked to feele and grope whether each lim were sound and my skin net infected Then hee pierst my arme to ses how my bloud ranne which assayes and searchings ended he gaue Zadoch hys full price and sent him away then lockt mee vp in a darke chamber till the day of anatomie O the cold sweating cares which I conceiued after I knew I should be cut like a French summer dublet Me thought already the bloud began to gush out at my nose if a flea on the arme had but bit me I déemed the instrument had prickt me Well well I maye scoffe at a shrowde turne but theres no such readye waye to make a man a true Christian as to perswade himselfe he is taken vp for an anatomie Ile depose I praid then more than I did in seauen yeare before Not a drop of sweate trickeled downe my breast and my sides but I dreamd it was a smooth edgde razor tenderly slicing down my breast and my sides If any knockt at doore I supposed it was the beadle of Surgeons Hall come for mee In the night I dreamd of nothing but Phlebotomie bloudy fluxes incarnatiues running vlcers I durst not let out a wheale for feare through it I should bléed to death For meate in this distance I had plum-porredge of purgations ministred mee one after another to clarifie my bloud that it should not lye cloddered in the flesh Nor did he it so much for clarifying phisicke as to saue charges Miserable is that mouse that liues in a Phisitions house Tantalus liues not so hunger-starud in hell as shée doth there Not the very crums that fall from his table but Zachary swéepes together and of them mouldes vp a Manne Of the ashie parings