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A13482
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The olde, old, very olde man: or the age and long life of Thomas Par the sonne of John Parr of Winnington in the parish of Alberbury; in the country of Salopp, (or Shropshire) who was borne in the raigne of King Edward the 4th. and is now living in the Strand, being aged 152. yeares and odd monethes. His manner of life and conversation in so long a pilgrimage; his marriages, and his bringing up to London about the end of September last. 1635. Written by Iohn Taylor.
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Taylor, John, 1580-1653.
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1635
(1635)
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STC 23781; ESTC S102639
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9,432
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32
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first had life When Yorke and Lancasters Domestique strife In her owne bloud had factious England drench'd Vntill sweet Peace those civil flames had quench'd When as fourth Edwards Raigne to end drew nigh Iohn Parr a man that liv'd by Husbandry Begot this Thomas Parr and borne was Hee The yeare of fourteen hundred eighty three And as his Fathers Living and his Trade Was Plough and Cart Sithe Sickle Bill and Spade The Harrow Mattock Flayle Rake Fork Goad And Whip and how to Load and to Vnload Old Tom hath shew'd himselfe the Son of Iohn And from his Fathers function hath not gone A Digression YEt I have read of as meane Pedigrees That have attain'd to Noble dignities Agathocles a Potters Son and yet The Kingdome of Sicilia hee did get Great Tamberlaine a Scythian Shepherd was Yet in his time all Princes did surpasse First Ptolomey the King of AEgypts Land A poore mans Son of Alexanders Band. Dioclesian Emperour was a Scriveners Son And Proba from a Gard'ner th' Empire won Pertinax was a Bondmans Son and wan The Empire So did Valentinian Who was the off-spring of a Rope-maker And Maximinus of a Mule-driver And if I on the truth doe rightly glance Hugh Capet was a Butcher King of France By this I have digrest I have exprest Promotion comes not from the East or West To the Matter SO much for that now to my Theame againe This Thomas Parr hath liv'd th' expired Raigne Of ten great Kings and Queenes th' eleventh now sways The Scepter blest by th' ancient of all days Hee hath surviv'd the Edwards fourth and fift And the third Richard who made many a shift To place the Crowne on his Ambitious head The seventh eighth brave Henries both are dead Sixt Edward Mary Phillip Elsabeth And blest remembred Iames all these by death Have changed life and almost ' leven yeares since The happy raigne of Charles our gracious Prince Tom Parr hath liv'd as by Record appeares Nine Monthes one hundred fifty and two yeares Amongst the Learn'd 't is held in generall That every seventh yeare 's Climactericall And dang'rous to mans life and that they be Most perillous at th' Age of sixty three Which is nine Climactericals but this Man Of whom I write since first his life began Hath liv'd of Climactericals such plenty That he hath almost out-liv'd two and twenty For by Records and true Certificate From Shropshiere late Relations doth relate That Hee liv'd 17 yeares with Iohn his Father And 18 with a Master which I gather To be full thirty five his Sires decease Left him foure yeares Possession of a Lease Which past Lewis Porter Gentleman did then For twenty one yeares grant his Lease agen That Lease expir'd the Son of Lew's call'd Iohn Let him the like Lease and that time being gone Then Hugh the Son of Iohn last nam'd before For one and twenty yeares sold one Lease more And lastly he hath held from Iohn Hugh's Son A Lease for 's life these fifty yeares out-run And till old Thomas Parr to Earth againe Returne the last Lease must his owne remaine Thus having shew'd th'extension of his Age I 'le shew some Actions of his Pilgrimage His Marriage A Tedious time a Batchelour hee tarried Full eightie yeares of age before he married His Continence to question I le nor call Mans frailtie's weake and oft doth slip and fall No doubt but hee in fourscore yeares might find In Salop's Countie females faire and kind But what have I to doe with that let passe At th' age aforesaid hee first married was To Iane Iohn Taylors Daughter and 't is said That she before he had her was a Mayd With her he liv'd yeares three times ten and two And then she dy'd as all good wives will doe She dead he ten yeares did a Widdower stay Then once more ventred in the Wedlock way And in affection to his first wife Iane Hee tooke another of that name againe With whom he now doth live she was a widow To one nam'd Anthony and surnam'd Adda She was as by report it doth appeare Of Gillsels Parish in Mountgom'ry-Shiere The Daughter of Iohn Lloyde corruptly Flood Of ancient house and gentle Cambrian Blood Digression BVt hold I had forgot in 's first wives Time Hee frayly fouly fell into a Crime Which richer poorer older men and younger More base more noble weaker men and stronger Have falne into The Cytherean or the Paphaean game That thundring Iupiter did oft inflame Most cruell cut-throat Mars layd by his Armes And was a slave to Loves Inchanting charmes And many a Pagan god and semi-god The common road of lustfull love hath trod For from the Emp'rour to the russet Clowne All states each sex from Cottage to the Crowne Have in all Ages ' since the first Creation Bin folyd overthrown with Loves temptation So was old Thomas for he chanc'd to spy A Beauty and Love entred at his eye Whose pow'rfull motion drew on sweet consent Consent drew Action Action drew Content But when the period of those joyes were past Those sweet delights were sourely sauc'd at last The flesh retaines what in the Bone is bred And one Colts tooth was then in old Toms head It may be he was guld as some have bin And suffred punishment for others sinne For pleasures like a Trap a grin or snare Or like a painted harlot seemes most faire But when she goes away and takes her leave No ugly Beast so foule a shape can have Faire Katherin Milton was this Beauty bright Faire like an Angell but in weight too light Whose fervent feature did inflame so far The Ardent fervour of old Thomas Parr That for Lawes satisfaction 't was thought meet He should be purg'd by standing in a Sheet Which aged He one hundred and five yeare In Alberbury's Parish Church did weare Should All that so offend such Pennance doe Oh what a price would Linnen rise unto All would be turn'd to sheets our shirts smocks Our Table linnen very Porters Frocks Would hardly scape trans-forming but all 's one He suffred and his Punishment is done Another Passage more of his Life BVt to proceed more serious in Relation He is a Wonder worthy Admiration Hee 's in these times fill'd with Iniquity No Antiquary but Antiquity For his Longeuity's of such extent That hee 's a living mortall Monument And as high Towres that seeme the sky to shoulder By eating Time consume away and molder Vntill at last in piece meale they doe fall Till they are buried in their Ruines All So this Old Man his limbs their strength have left His teeth all gone but one his sight bereft His sinewes shrunk his blood most chill and cold Small solace Imperfections manifold Yet still his sp'rits possesse his mortall Trunk Nor are his senses in his ruines shrunk But that his Hearing 's quicke his stomacke good Hee 'l feed well sleep well well disgest his food Hee will speake heartily laugh and
With him and his most blest Posterity Till time shall end be they on Earth renown'd And after with Eternity be crown'd Thus had Parr had good breeding without reading Hee from his sire and Grand sires sire proceeding By word of mouth might tell most famous things Done in the Raigns of all those Queens and Kings But hee in Husbandry hath bin brought up And nere did taste the Helliconian cup He nere knew History nor in mind did keepe Ought but the price of Corne Hay Kine or Sheep Day found him work and Night allowd him rest Nor did Affaires of Stae his braine molest His high'st Ambition was A tree to lop Or at the furthest to a May-poles top His Recreation and his Mirths discourse Hath been the Pyper and the Hobby-horse And in this simple sort hee hath with paine From Childhood liv'd to bee a Child againe 'T is strange a man that is in yeares so growne Should not be rich but to the world 't is knowne That hee that 's borne in any Land or Nation Vnder a Twelve-pence Planet's Domination By working of that Planets influence Shall never live to be worth thirteene pence Whereby although his Learning cannot show it Hee 's rich enough to be like mee a Poet. But er'e I doe conclude I will relate Of reverend Age's Honourable state Where shall a young man good Instructions have But from the Ancient from Experience grave Roboam Sonne and Heire to Solomon Rejecting ancient Counsell was undone Almost for ten of twelve Tribes fell To Ieroboam King of Israel And all wise Princes and great Potentates Select and chuse Old men as Magistrates Whose Wisedome and whose reverend Aspect Knowes how and when to punish or protect The Patriarkes long lives before the Flood Were given them as 't is rightly understood To store and multiply by procreations That people should inhabit and breed Nations That th' Ancients their Posterities might show The secrets Deepe of Nature how to know To scale the skie with learn'd Astronomy And found the Oceans deepe profundity But chiefly how to serve and to obey God who made them out of slime and clay Should men live now as long as they did then The Earth could not sustaine the Breed of Men. Each man had many wives which Bigamie Was such increase to their Posterity That one old man might see before he dy'd That his owne only off-spring had supply'd And Peopled Kingdomes But now so brittle's the estate of man That in Comparison his life 's a span Yet since the Flood it may be proved plaine That many did a longer life retaine Than him I write of for Arpachshad liv'd Foure hundred thirty eight Shelah surviv'd Foure hundred thirty three yeares Eber more For he liv'd twice two hundred sixty foure Two hundred yeares Terah was alive And Abr'ham liv'd one hundred seventy five Before Iob's Troubles holy writ relates His sons and daughters were at marriage states And after his restoring 't is most cleare That he surviv'd one hundred forty yeare Iohn Buttadeus if report be true Is his name that is stil'd The Wandring Iew 'T is said he saw our Saviour dye and how He was a man then and is living now Whereof Relations you that will may reade But pardon me 't is no part of my Creed Vpon a Germanes Age 't is written thus That one Iohannes de Temporibus Was Armour-bearer to brave Charlemaigne And that unto the age he did attaine Of yeares three hundred sixty one and then Old Iohn of Times return'd to Earth agen And Noble Nestor at the siege of Troy Had liv'd three hundred yeares both Man and boy Sir Walter Rawleigh a most learned Knight Doth of an Irish Countesse Desmond write Of seven score yeares of Age he with her spake The Lord Saint Albanes doth more mention make That she was Married in Fourth Edwards raigne Thrice shed her Teeth which three times came againe The high-High-land Scots and the Wilde-Irish are Long liv'd with Labour hard and temperate fare Amongst the Barbarous Indians some live strong And lusty neere two hundred winters long So as I said before my Verse now sayes By wronging Nature men cut off their dayes Therefore as Times are He I now write on The age of all in Britane hath out gone All those that were alive when he had Birth Are turn'd againe unto their mother earth If any of them live and doe replye I will be sorry and confesse I lye For had he bin a Marchant then perhaps Stormes Thunderclaps or feare of Afterclaps Sands Rocks or Roving Pyrats Gusts and stormes Had made him long ere this the food of worms Had he a Mercer or a Silk-man bin And trusted much in hope great game to win And late and early striv'd to get or save His Gray head long ere now had been i' th Grave Or had he been a Iudge or Magistrate Or of Great Counsell in Affaires of state Then dayes important businesse and nights cares Had long ere this Interr'd his hoary haires But as I writ before no cares opprest him Nor ever did Affaires of State molest him Some may object that they will not believe His Age to be so much for none can give Account thereof Time being past so far And at his Birth there was no Register The Register was ninty seven yeares since Giv'n by th' eight Henry that Illustrious Prince Th' yeare fifteene hundred fourty wanting twaine And in the thirtieth yeare of that Kings raigne So old Parr now was almost an old man Neere sixty ere the Register began I' have writ as much as Reason can require How Times did passe how 's Leases did expire And Gentlemen o' th County did Relate T' our gâ—acious King by Their Certificate His age how time w th gray haires hath crownd him And so I leave him older than I found him FINIS