Nay, thou hast yet Another Cruelty gnawing in thy bosome; for what hope is there yt thou shouldst haue pitty ouer others, when thou art vnmercifull to thy selfe! Looke ouer thy walls into thy Orchards and Gardens, and thou shalt sée thy seruants and apprentises sent out cunningly by their Masters at noone day vpon deadly errands, when they perceiue that the Armed Man hath struck them, yea euen whe¯ they sée they haue tokens deliuered them from heauen to hasten thither, then send they them forth to walke vpon their graues, and to gather the flowers the¯selues that shall stick their own Herse. And this thy Inhabitants do, because they are loth & ashamd to haue a writing ouer their dores, to tell that God hath bin there, they had rather all their enemies in the world should put them to trouble, then that he should visit them.
Looke againe ouer thy walls into thy Fields, and thou shalt heare poore and forsaken wretches lye groaning in ditches, and traualling to seeke out Death vpon thy common hye wayes. Hauing found him, he there throwes downe their infected carcases, towards which, all that passe by, looke, but (till common shame, and common necessity compell• none st•p in to giue them buriall. Thou setst vp pos•s to whip them when they are aliue: Set vp an Hospitall to comfort them being sick, or purchase ground for them to dwell in when they be well, and that is, when they be dead.
Is it not now hye time to so•nd a Retreate, after so terrible a battaile fought betwéene the seuen Electors of the Low Internall Countryes, and one little City? What armyes come marching along with them? What bloudy •••lors do they spread? What •rtillery do they mount to batter the walls? How valiant are their seuen Generalls? How expert? How full of fortune to conquer? Yet nothing sooner ouerthrowes them, than to bid them battaile fi•st, and to giue them defiance.
Who can deny• now, but that Sinne (like the seuen-headed Nylus) hath ouerflowed thy banks and thy buildings (o thou glory of Great Brittaine) and made thée fertile (for many yéeres together) in all kindes of Vices? Volga, that hath fifty streames falling one into another, neuer ranne with •o swift and vnreststable a current as these Black-waters do, to bring vpon thee an Inundation. If thou (as thou hast done) knéelest to worship this Beast with Seuen Crowned Heads, and the Whore that sits vpon it, the fall of thée (that hast out-stood so many Citties) will be greater then that of Babylon. She is now gotten within thy walls; she rides vp and downe thy stréetes, making thee drunke out of her cup, and marking thée in the forhead with pestilence for her owne. She causes Violls of wrath to be powred vpon thee, and goes in triump• away, when she sées thée falling. If thou wilt be safe therefore and recouer health rise vp in Armes against her, and driue her (and the Monster that beares her) out at thy Gates. Thou seest how prowdly and impetuously sixe of these Centaures (that are halfe man, halfe beast, and halfe diuell) come thundring alongst thy Habitations, and what rabbles they bring at their heeles; take now but note of the last, and marke how the seuenth rides: for if thou findest but the least worthy quality in any one of them to make thee loue him, I will write a Retractation of what is inucyd against them before, and pollish such an Apology in their defence, that thou shal• be enamored of them all.
The body and face of this Tyrannous Commander, that leades thus the Reareward, are already drawne: his Chariot is tramed all of ragged Flint so artificially bestowed, that as it runnes, they strike one another, and beate out fire that is able to consume Citties: the wheeles are many, and swift: the Spokes of the wheeles, are the Shinbones of wretches that haue bin eaten by misery out of prison. A couple of vnruly, fierce, and vntamed Tygers (cal•Murder and Rashnes) drew the Char•ot: Ignorance holds the reynes of the one, and Obduration of the other: Selfe-will is the Coach-man. In the vpper end of the Coach, sits Cruelty alone, vpon a bench made of dead mens sculls. All the way that he rides, he sucks the hearts of widdowes and father-lesse children. He kéepes neither foote-men nor Pages, for none will stay long with him. He hath onely one attendant that euer followes him, called Repentance, but the Beast that drawes him, runnes away with his good Lord and Master so fast before, that Repentance being lame (and therefore slow) tis alwayes very late ere he comes to him. It is to be feared, that Cruelty is of great authority where he is knowne, for few or none dare stand against him: Law only now and then beards him, and stayes him, in contempt of those that so terribly gallop before him: but out of the Lawes hands, if he can but snatch a sheathed sword (as oftentimes hée does) presently hée whip• it out, smiting and wounding with it euery one that giues him the least crosse word. He comes into the Citty, commonly at All-gate, beeing drawne that way by the smell of bloud about the Barres, (for by his good will he drinks no other liquour:) but when hee findes it to be the bloud of Beasts (amongst the Butchers) and not of men, he flyes like lightning along the Causey in a madnes, threatning to ouer-runne all whom he méetes: but spying the Brokers of Hownsditch shuffling themselues so long together (like a false paire of Cards) till the Knaues be vppermost, onely to doe homage to him, he stops, kissing all their chéekes, calling them all his déerest Sonnes; and bestowing a damnable deale of his blessing vpon them, they cry, Roome for Cruelty, and are the onely men that bring him into the Citty: To follow whom vp and downe so farre as they meane to goe with him,
— Dii me terrent, & Iupiter hostis.
FINIS.
Tho. Dekker.
WARRES.
THE purple whip of vengeance, (the Plague hauing beaten many thousands of me¯, women, & children to death, and still marking the people of this Cittie, (euery weeke) by hundreds for the graue, is the onely cause, that al her Inhabitance walke vp & downe like mourners at some great soleme funeral, the Citie her selfe being the Chiefe mourners. The poyson of this Lingering infection, strikes so déepe into all mens harts, that their cheekes (like cowardly Souldiers) haue lost their colours? their eyes, (as if they were in debt, and durst not looke abroad,) doe scarce péepe out of their heads; and their tongues (like phisitions ill payd) giue but cold comfort. By the power of their Pestilent Charmes, all mercy méetings are cut off. All frolick assemblyes dissolued, and in their circles are raised vp, the Blacke, Sullen and Dogged spirits of Sadnesse, of Melancholy, and so (consequently) of Mischiefe. Mirth is departed, and lyes dead & buryed in mens bosomes, Laughter dares not looke a man in the face; Iests are (like Musicke to the Deafe, not regarded: Pleasure it selfe finds now no pleasure, but in Seghing, and Bewailing the Miseries of the Time. For (alack) what string is there (now) to bée played vpon whose tench can make vs merry? Play-houses, stand (like Tauernes, that haue cast out their Maisters) the dores locked vp, the Flagges (like their Bushes) taken down, or rather like Houses lately infected, from whence the affrited dwellers are fled, in hope to liue better in the Country. The Players themselues did neuer worke till now, there Comodies are all turned to Tragedies, there Tragedies to Nocturnals, and the best of them all are weary of playing in those Nocturnall Tragedies. Thinke you to delight your selues by kéeping company with our Poets? Proh Dolor! their Muses are more Sullen then old Monkeys, now that mony is not stirring, they neuer Plead chéerfully, but in their Tearme times, when the Two-peny Clients, and Peny Stinkards swarme together to héere the Stagerites:Playing vocations are Diseases now as common and as hurtful to them, as the Fowle Euill to a Northen Man, or the Pox to a French man. O Pittifull Poetry, what a lamentable prentiship hast thou serued, and (which is the greatest spite) canst not yet be made Free! no, no, there is no good doings in these dayes but amongst Lawyers, amongst Vintners, in Bawdy houses and at Pimlico. There is all the Musick, (that is of any reckning) there all the méetings, there all the mirth, and there all the mony. To walke euery day into the fields is wearisome; to drink vp the day and night in a Tauerne, loathsome: to bée euer ryding vpon that Beast with two Heades, Letchery) most damnable, and yet to be euer idle, is as detestable.
What merry Gale shall wée then wish for? vnles it bée to Ferry ouer the Hellespont, and to crosse from Sestus to Abidus, that is to say, from London to the Beare Garden? The company of the Beares hold together still; they play the
ir 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 Ile 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 represe¯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 the¯ 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 wt scratchd hands, or torne legs from a poore Beast, arm’d onely by nature to defend himselfe against Violence: yet me thought this whipping of the blinde Beare, moued as much pittie in my breast towards him, as y• leading of poore starued wretches to the whipping posts in London (when they had more néede 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 Ape drest vp in a coate of changeable cullers (on horsebacke) and 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 leaping vp towards him and making a villanous noise with their chappes, as if they had had some great suites to his Apishnes, and that he by the haste he made had no leisure to heare such base and bashfull Petitioners.
The hunny that I sucked out of this weede, was this: That by séeing these, I called to minde the infortunate co¯dition of Soldiers and old seruitors, who when the stormes of troubles are blowne ouer, being curbd of meanes and so burying that courage and worth that is in their bosoms, are compeld (by the vilenesse of the tune) to follow y• heeles of Asles 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 béeing 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 gréeuing to sée States so ouerthrowne by the mutabilitie of Fortune, I saw those Empires vtterly brought to subuersion, 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 ye fames of Princes from perishing, when marble monuments cannot not 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 thée: there maiest thou finde lines drawre (if vertue be thy guide) to make thee paralell with the greatest Monarch: wouldest thou be aboue him there is ye 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 sicke in minde? (and so to be diseased, is to be sicke euen to ye 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 gaue not a blow, euery one fearing to smite first, least the rest should make that an occasion to kill him for beginning the quarrell. But at the last drummes were heard to thunder, and trumpets to sound alarums, murmure ran vp & downe euery streete, and confusion did beate at the gates of euery City, men met together, and ran in heards like Deere frighted, or rather like Beares chased, or else séeking for prey. But what wild beasts (thinke you) were these that thus kept such a roaring? it was a people sauage and desperate, a nation patchd vp (like a beggers cloake of ye worst péeces) that could be gathered out of all nations and put into one. They were more scattered then the Iewes, and more hated; more beggerly then the Irish, and more vnciuill; more hardy then the Switzers, and more brutish: giuen to drinke, more then the Dutch, to pride more then the French, to irreligion more then the Italian. They were like the Dunkirkes, a mingle mangle of countries, a confusion of languages, yet all vnderstanding one another. Such as the people were, such was the Princesse whom they followed, she had all their conditions, & they all hers, séeming to be made for no other purpose then to gouerne them, because none else could be bad inough to be their gouernour. They obeyed her not for loue, nor feare, but made her onely great amongst them, because it was their will to haue it so, she (amongst a number of vices, that reigned in her) hauing onely this vertue of a Prince, not to see her people take wrong.
Into armes therfore as well for her owne chastity as defence of her subiects doth she determine to put her selfe presently. A faithful & serious inquisition made I to vndersta¯d the cause of this suddaine and vniversall vprore, and by true intelligence (from persons of either side) found that ye quarrell was old, the enmity mortall, the enemies puissant and fierce, many leagues had béene made, and all were broken, no conditious of peace would now be looked vpon, open warre must be the the sword to stricke open wrong.
> The fires (kindled by Guizian Leagues) set not France in hotter combustions then these are likely to proue, if the flames in time be not wisely quenched. The showers of bloud which once rained downe vpon the heads of the two kingly families in England, neuer drowned more people, not that braue Romane tragedy acted in our time, at ye battel of Neuport, not the siege of Bommell, where heads flew from sholders faster then bullets from the Cannon. No, nor all those late acts of warre and death, commenced by Hispaniolized Netherlanders, able to make vp a Chronicle to hold all the world reading: did euer giue rumour cause to speak so much as the battailes of these two mighty enemies (so mortally falling out) will force her to proclaime abroade, vnlesse they grow to a reconcilement, to which, by the coniecture of all strangers, that haue trauailed into both their dominions, and know the hot and ambitious spirits of the quarrellers, they cannot easily be drawne: for no one paire of scales being able to hold two Kings at one time: and this law being ingrauen on ye very inside of euery Kings crowne (because it is the wedding ring of his Empire to which hée is the Bride-groome) that,
Nulla fides socijs Regni omnisque potestas,
Impatiens Consortis erit.
At the sterne of a kingdome, two Pilots must not sit, nor principality endure a partner, and againe, that
Non capit Regnum duos,
A Kingdome is heauen, and loues not two suns shining in it. How is it possible, or how agréeable to ye politick grounds of state, that two such potentates should be vnited in firme friendship, sithence their quarrel is deriued from an equall claime of soueraignety.
Ouer Citties is there ambition to bée Superiours, yet not together but alone. and not onely ouer London (the great Metropolis of England) but also ouer Paris in the kingdom of Fraunce; ouer Ciuil, and Madril in Spaine; ouer Rome in Italy: Francfurt and Colin in high Germany: Antwerp in Brabant, Elsinor in Denmarke, Prage in Bohemia; Craconia in Poland: Belgrad in Hungary, and so ouer all the other Capitall Citties, that bewtifies the greatest Kingdomes of Europe. For Signority in these doe they contend.
Complete Dramatic Works of Thomas Dekker Page 215