Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A20095
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VVorke for armorours: or, The peace is broken Open warres likely to happin this yeare 1609: Written by Thomas Dekker.
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Dekker, Thomas, ca. 1572-1632.
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1609
(1609)
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STC 6536; ESTC S105259
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34,752
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54
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lusty heate begot her strucke an amazement into those that beheld her by the splendor of those maiesticall roabes which she wore when musicke went into her eare in ten thousand seuerall shapes when her walkes were perfumed her sports varied euery hower when her chéekes were dimpled with laughters at her iesters her Parasites her Pandors and all the rest of those seruile soothing Apes that in pide colours waite vpon and shew trickes to fate the appetite of that Lord of flesh and bloud the blacke Prince of the world her husband Then euen then in the full sea of all these iollities pompes and whorish ceremonies the onely bewitchers of mankinde came sayling in the newes of a suddaine insurrection and an vnexpected inuasion by that common fatall and barbarous spoiler of so many kingdoms infamous amongst al nations by that beggerly name of Pouerty These newes vpon the first arriuall did no more moue the great Indian Empresse Money then the bleating of a shéepe terrifies the king of forrests the Lyon Money was rich strong in friends held league with Princes had whole countries at her becke nations were her slaues no people but did loue her On the contrary side Pouerty her enemy had sinall reuenues fewer friends a world of followers but none of any reckoning except a few Philosophers Alchemists c. She held many townes and was obeyed in most kingdomes but how as théeues are obeyed by true men for feare and because they cannot otherwise choose her owne strength therefore being so good and her enemies fuller of spite then of power she onely laughed at the thunder of her threates and resolued that her pleasure should spread larger sailes But her councell being prouident carefull and iealous of their owne estates wisely considering the dangers that a weake enemy being desperate and hauing little to loose may put the best fortefied kingdome to the most valiant nation did in the end with one consent fall on their knées most humbly intreating thier Soueraigne Mistresse to giue ouer her reuellings maskes and other Court-pleasures for a time and that aswell for the safety of her owne royall person to take héede of them for many plots were now and had oftentimes bin laid as also for themselues whose liues and liberties wholly depended on her either to leuy present forces which should méete this beggerly Monarch in the field and so vtterly to driue her out of the kingdome or else to giue the rich men of her Empire leaue to make strict and seuere lawes to take away the liues of that wretched scattered people that follow Pouerty in these commotions wheresoeuer or whensoeuer they take them medling in any of her wealthy dominions These words brake forth with such lighning that Money stampd for very anger that so base an enemy should put her subiects into feare Their vigilance awaked her and like a good Prince that would loose her life rather then her subiects should perish she began with the Eagle to shake her royall wings and to be rouz'd out of her late golden slumbers securities that â—…ay vpon her like enchantments To their requests she yéelded and thereupon to fortifie her kingdome against all the shot of Villany Vengeance shee summoned those of her councell together whom shee know to be most faithfull and most seruiceable in a busines of this nature state importance Her councellors names were these Councellors to Money Couetousnesse Parsimony Deceipt Prouidence Monopoly Violence Vsury Couetousnesse was an old wretched leane fac'd fellow that seldome sléep'd for his eyes though they were great and suncke at least two inches into his head neuer stood still but rolled vp and downe expressing a very enuious longing gréedinesse to enioy euery thing that they looked vpon He neuer pared his nailes and being often asked the reason why he alwaies answered that he saued them for his heire for béeing cut off after hée himselfe was dead they might be put to sundry good thrifty purposes as to make hornes being thinly scraped for a Scriueners lanthorne to write by a nights or to nocke arrowes c. Hée kept not so much as a Barber but shaued his owne head and beard himselfe and when it came to wey a pound hée sold it to a Frenchman to stuffe tennis balles Money his Soueraigne cared not so much for him as he did for her she could make him do any vile office how base soeuer but because he was saucy and would often checke her for taking her pleasures séeking to restraine her of her liberties she hated him and was neuer more merry then when one brought her newes once that Couetousnesse lay a dying Yet was he well beloued af the best Citizens and neuer rode through the city but he was staid and feasted by many Aldermen and wealthy Commoners few Courtiers loued him heartily but onely made vse of him because he was great and could do much with Money their empresse Prouidence was but of meane birth the ladder by which he climbd to such high fortunes as to be a councellor to Money being made by himselfe much giuen to study yet no great scholler as desiring rather to be frée of the City then to serue a long thréed-bare Prentiship in the Universities He is rarely séene in Minerals and distillations and will draw Aurum potabile or fetch quick-siluer out of horse-dung he will grow rich and be in time the head warden of a company though he were left by his friends but thrée shillings thrée pence stocke to set vp such another he was as Whittington a very cat shall raise him if he be set vpon t He is the best that writes Almanackes in these times and where the rest write whole Calenders of lies for bare forty shillings a yéere seruingmens wages he foreséeing what will happen buies vp all the commodities of one or two Countries at one bargaine when he knowes they will bee déere and so makes vp his owne mouth and for it gets much fauour at the hands of Couetousnesse his elder brother Parsimonie is kinsman to those two that go before he is not vp yet for he vseth to lie a bed till afternoone onely to saue dinners when he rises which will be presently the motion shall be shewen and interpreted to you Monopoly is a very good man where he takes that is to say 9. maner of waies Deceipt lookes a little a squint yet is of déeper reach then any of the rest for he doth oftentimes fetch ouer Couetousnesse himselfe He is great in Lawyers bookes and tradesmen not onely loue him but their yongest wines thinke themselues highly happy if at a running at Tilt at a maske or a play at Court or so as he ofteÌ„ doth he will but voutchsafe to place them and the sports done he commonly sends them home lighted He hath more followers then the 12. Péeres of France he studies Machiauell and hath a french face Violence hath borne
Tragi-Comaedies as liuely as euer they did The pide Bul héere kéepes a tossing and a roaring when the Red Bull dares not stir Into this I le of Dogs did I therefore transport my selfe after I had made tryall of all other pastimes No sooner was I entred but the very noyse of the place put me in mind of Hel the beare dragd to the stake shewed like a black rugged soule that was Damned and newly committed to the infernall Charle the Dogges like so many Diuels inflicting torments vpon it But when I called to mind that al their tugging together was but to make sport to the beholders I held a better and not so damnable an opinion of their beastly doings for the Beares or the Buls fighting with the dogs was a liuely represeÌ„tation me thought of poore men going to lawe with the rich and mightie The dogs in whom I figured the poore creatures and fitly may I doe so because when they stand at the dore of Diues they haue nothing if they haue theÌ„ but bare bones throwne vnto them might now then pinch the great ones perhaps vex them a little by drawing a few drops of blood from them but in the end they commonly were crushed either were carried away with ribs broken or their skins torne hanging about their eares or else how great so euer their hearts were at the first encounter they stood at the last whining and barking at their strong Aduersaries when they durst not or could not bite them At length a blinde Beare was tyed to the stake and in stead of baiting him with dogges a company of creatures that had the shapes of men faces of christians being either Colliers Carters or watermen tooke the office of Beadles vpon them and whipt monsieur Hunkes till the blood ran downe his old shoulders It was some sport to sée Innocence triumph ouer Tyranny by beholding those vnnecessary tormentors go away with scratchd hands or torne legs from a poore Beast arm'd onely by nature to defend himselfe against Violence yet me â—…hought this whipping of the blinde Beare moued as much pittie in my breast towards him as the leading of poore starued wretches to the whipping posts in London when they had more neede to be reléeued with foode ought to moue the hearts of Cittizens though it be the fashion now to laugh at the punishment The last Chorus that came in was an old Apâ—…e drest vp in a coate of changeable cullers on horsebacke â—…d he rode his circuit with a couple of curres muzled that like two footemen ran on each side of his old Apes face euer and anon leaâ—…ing vp towards him and making a villanous noise with their chappes as if they had had some great suites to his Apishues and that he by the haste he â—…ade had no leisure to heare such base and bashfull Petitioners The hunny that I sucked out of this weede was this That by seeing these I called to minde the infortunate coÌ„dition of Soldiers and old seruitors who when the stormes of troubles are blowne ouer being curbd of meanes and so hurying that courage and worth that is in their bosoms are compeld by the vilenesse of the time to follow the héeles of Asses with gay trappings not daring so much as once to open their lips in reprehension of those apish beastly and ridiculous vices vpon whose monstrous backes they are carried vp and downe the world and they are flattered onely for their greatnes whilst those of merit liue in a slauish subiection vnder them No pleasure thus nor any place being able to giue perfect contentment to the minde I left swimming in those common sensuall streames wherein the world hath béene so often in danger of beeing drowned and waded onely in those cleare brookes whose waters had their currents from the springs of learning I spent my howres in reading of Histories and for the laying out of a little time receiued larger interest then the greatest vsurers doe for their money By looking on those perspectiue glasses I beheld kingdomes and people a farre off came acquainted with their manners their pollicies their gouernement their risings and their downefalles was present at their battailes and without danger to my selfe vnlesse it were in greeuing to sée States so ouerthrowne by the mutabilitie of Fortune I saw those Empires vtterly brought to subuâ—…rsion which had béene terrours and triumphers ouer all the nations vppon earth The backe of Time which was next to mine eie because he was gone from me was written full of Tragicall wonders but the hinder part of his reuerend head was bare and made bald by mens abusing it O Histories you soueraigne balmes to the bodyes of the dead that preserue them more fresh then if they were aliue kéepe the fames of Princes from perishing when marble monuments cannot saue their bones from being rotten you faithfull entelligensers betwéene Kingdomes and Kingdomes your truest councellors to Kings euen in their greatest dangers Hast thou an ambition to be equall to Princes read such bookes as are the Chronicles of Ages gone before thee there there maiest thou find lines drawne if vertue be thy guide to make thee paralell with the greatest Monarch wouldest thou be aboue him there is the scale of him ascending Huntst thou after glory marke in those pathes how others haue run and follow thou in the same course Art thou ficke in minde and so to be diseased is to be sicke euen to the death there shalt thou finde physicke to cure thée Art thou sad where is swéeter musicke then in reading Art thou poore open those closets and inualuable treasures are powred into thy hands Whilest I dwelt vpon the contemplation of this happinesse the dreames of Infants were not more harmelesse then my thoughts were nor the slumbers of a conscience that hath no sting to kéepe it waking more delicate then the musicke which I found in reading but the swéetest flower hath his withering and euery pleasure his ending This full Sea had a quicke fall and the day that was warme and bright in the morning had frosts and gloomy darknesse to spoile the beauty of it ere it grew to be noone for on a suddaine all the aire was filled with noise as if heauen had bin angry and chid the earth for her Villanies people rush headlong together like torrents running into the sea full of fury in shew but loosing the effect of doing violence because they know not how to do it their rage and madnesse burning in them like fire in wet straw it made a great stinking smoake but had no flame Wildnesse and afrightment were ill fauouredly drawne in euery face as if they had all come from acting some fresh murder and that at euery step they were pursued arme was cryed and swords were drawne but either they had no hearts to strike or no hands for like so many S. Georges on horse-backe they threatned but