SO M E

O L D ENG L IS H
W O R T HIES
ED IT ED WIT H NOT ES
A ND INT R O D U C T IO N
B Y D O R O T H Y S ENI O R

S T E P H E N S W IF T
A ND C O M P A NY LIMITED
T EN J O H N S T R EE T
AD E L P H I M C M X II
 Con t e n t s
P AG E

In t rodu c t i on
T h om a s o f R e a di n g
Ge o rge 3 Gree n
R oge r B a c o n
F ri a r R u s h
No t e s
M e t hi n k e it is better to p the ym i h
a s se t e w t su c h a merry
J es t e and laugh thereat and doo no S y nne , than
f to
or we e
p and do S y
— C
n ne.
p l o an d
.
In tro du c t i o n

long ago when he knew nothing of

O NG , ,

an alphabet man sought amusement for ,

his leisure other than the slaughter of his

enemies and the pursuit of game But since .

these things onstituted for him the main business

c , ,

of life he ould not forget them even in his hours of

, c

relaxation ; if he carved rude pictures on bone

s o,

t h ey w ere pictures of himself engaged in these

,

pursuits ; and if he composed h ants equally rude c , ,

they too set forth h i exploits at large With the s .

latter mode of expressing himself he introduced w ith ,

—
out knowing i t a great art the art of Literature
, .

Ballad making ame in time to be the peculiar Tb

-
c , ,
e B a rd:

province of a certain class whose business it w to as

preserve the traditio ns of their race To the oral .

minstrelsy of these tribal gleemen we owe our

kno w ledge of an ient nations which had no other
c

mean of perpetuating their history N t in Europe

s o

only but in every in h abited quarter of the globe w

.

,
e

fi d traces of the bards They sang in verse be ause

n . c

to at h the popular ear t w necessary to adopt

‘
c c
’
i as

the fashion of rhyming Poetry is moreover easier .

, ,

to remember than prose ; and the method has this

additional recommendation that its followers , a re

less liable to err The autocratic nature of metre will

.

not su ffer alterations ; whereas prose is more elastic

and o ffers scope for the exercise of what Bu kle calls c

the p f/ f
rzn cz
'

m l ti e o a ccu u a on .

With the introd ction of letters however when u , ,

9
 [72 fro dum b ”

the traditions formerly entrusted to the memories of

wandering minstrels were permanently preserved by
means of the w art these h uman repositories of his
ne ,

tory found themselves in da ger of losing their n oc c u

p ti
a The bards
on s therefore
. turned their attention to
entertaining their hearers rather than to in tru ting s c

them as heretofore and began to embellish the i r ,

recitals with marvellous fi t i very alluring to c on s ,

ignorant mind The ultimate source of these fi t i

s . c on s

is hidden by the mists which veil from that us

country of immemorial antiquity which lies Very ‘

far fiF Dr Percy believed that they were intro

o .
’

d d into Norma dy by the Scalds whose successor

u ce n ,
s,

sub tituting heroes of Christendom for the gods of

s

S andinavia mythology propagated throughout

c n ,

F rance a rev i sed version which rea hed after the ,

c us

Conquest In strong contrast to these northern sagas

.

w ere the voluptuous Eastern fables collected by

pilgrims during their travels in the H oly Land and ,

repeated to admiring and credulous audiences at

home Many of the romances of chivalry whi h
.
,
c

c ame into being during the t w elfth and thirteenth

c enturies were founded on Welsh and A m i
, o r c an

legends and this in pite of the fa t that the Celtic

, s c

dialect was unknown to those nations whose litera

ture w strongly i fl as d by i t traditions The n u en ce s .

Brut of L y ( i 5) hasabeen alled

a rn on the c rca 1 2 0 c

fi t metrical romance after B eowulf which English

rs ,
“
,
”

literature possesses It is a translation of W ’

ac e s
’

w h ich in i t turn was based on the

.

Brut
‘

‘ ’
s

H R g m B t mk of Geo ffrey of Monmouth

' ' ’
‘
zrz orz a e u rz a n

wh transmitted to Europe the beginnings

o

of its romance but confesse that he too borrowed , s

from another source .

 [fl t roda ct i on

In the main however the early prose romances Efi f

, ,
ct o

may be attributed to the fertile imaginations of their R o c

S p u errt i t i on
ma n
authors w h w ould have been the last to admit that
on e

, o

they were not telling the whole truth and nothing

but the truth O the contrary w hilst they cast fl n re ec

tions on the authe ticity of t h e metrical versions they

.
,

n ,

presented their own fi t i historical fa ts to a c on s as c

public ready to swallow a ything in the shape of a n

tall story Possibly these narratives w ere founded

’
.

on fact ; but the facts were so lavishly embroidered

that they were lost to sight Each fre h narrator . s

added an individual touch It w easier to onjure . as c

up the wildest fables to explain things which to the ,

ignorant mind saturated with a belief in the super

natural seemed otherwise inexplicable than it w
, , as

to accept such things as being in the ordinary course

of nature The idea of an enchanter once conceived
.
,

miraculous powers were assigned to him as a matter

of course B y superstition men sought to explain the
.

mysteries ofexistence and the secret agencies by w hi h ,

c

the operations of natur e are conducted ( Prescott )

—
.

Yet with all their shortcomings one might almost A c n ien t

—
,

sa
y ,because of them these ancient English fi t i
E
F
li
io
b
c on s
n

id
g s

m
constitute a vital link with the past history of our
nation They were the novel of our forefathers
. s ,

w h never wearied of hearing them repeated as they

o

sat round the fi in the long w i nter evenings F

re . or

us —
they are much more they are pictures of the
past wherein w may see our ancestors i such
, e
‘
n

manner and fashion as they were in when that they

lived Some of the tales ( uch as F riar Rush for
.
’
s ,
’

instance which stands last in the present volume )

,

belong to no particular time or place The underlying .

principles of the human mind do not vary The .

 '
’
[72 t roa m t z o72
story whi h delights the E glish child may be found
c n ,

slightly altered amusing brown babies beside the ,

Nile or Ganges or the Eskimo stewing in his hut ,

near the Pole We repeat to day fables which .

,
-

delighted m (who are but children of a larger

en
‘

growth ) in times far removed from ours that

’
so

they are themselves beco m e heroes of romance ,

and w scarce know if they really existed or whether

e ,

they are only the reatures of the fabulist s brain c

’
.

A Thoms points out in his preface to the Early

s

Prose Romances metri al versio s have re eived ,

’
c n c

abundant attention ; but the M i ll A tig s ce a n ea n ua

A gli
n was the fi t attempt to present a few only
ca n a rs

of the prose fi t i in the form of a colle tion c on s c .

Thoms himself reprinted ten of them includ i ng the ,

four w hich form the present series O f t h Thomas . ese ,

of Reading is the production of Thomas Deloney

’

silk weaver by trade ballad writer and pamphleteer by

-

,
-

in lination A eighth edition of the history appeared

c . n

in 6 9 but no edition earlier than 6 remains The

1 1 , 1 12 .

present version is taken from a copy of the edition of

1 6 3 In its admixture of fact and fi t i
2 . it is a type c on

of the modern historical novel and the earnest seeker ,

after truth or local colour is advised to take much

of it m g m m / } ; yet it contains allusions t
cu ra z o

manners and customs now obsolete which are highly ,

interesting Coates in h i history of Reading

.
,
s ,

ac k nowledges the existence of O ld Cole though ‘

,
’

he sneer at D l y s ti Thomas Cole e on e

’
s n a rra y e .
‘
,
’

he says i the time of Edw d I [Q y H enry I ]

,
‘
n ar . . .

w ascalled the Rich Clothier of Reading Though .

his name and reputation occasioned a fabulous and

childish penny history called the H istory of ,
“

Thomas of Reading ; yet w may learn from the ”

e

1 2
 1 77 17 0411 6 27 0”
circumstance that Reading w even then famous as

for i t trade of clothing

s .
’

The history of the clothing trade forms an i Hi f n u ory o

t i g hapter in our commercial annals Pennant Z

’
g
t
e re s n c
b .
i ’ o’ ffl g
zm
is in error when he traces its antiquity only far so

back as Edward III reign Cloth has been manu .

’
s .

f t
a c u re d in Britain ever since — and possibly before
their Roman conquerors taught the natives to wear
wool instead of skins The Saxon understood the . s

art of cloth making but exer ised it sparingly pre

-

,
c ,

ferring to sell the raw material which w taken to ,

as

the Netherlands and retur ed as the manufactured n

article A quantity of this cloth formed part of the

.

toll exacted by Et h ld d in 9 6 7 from the Easterling

e re s

of the Steelyard .

Within forty years of the Conque t H enry s

establi hed the Weavers Guild which proves that a

s
C ’
,
M “

consider ble trade existed at that ti m e Not many

a .

years later two merchant ships bound for Dublin

,

with English cloth and other goods were captured

near t h at port by S w i an O rkney pirate This e n, .

worthy on h i return home amused himself by s

—
, ,

covering his sails with red cloth part of his loot ;

and was pleased to call that his S l t C i ca r e ru s e .

Edward III prohibited the exportation of English

.

wool and the importation of foreign cloth ; but he

invited weavers from the Netherlands to settle here ,

in order that the English methods might be i m

proved Seventy families arrived in 33 and took
. 1 0

up their abode in the ward of Candlewick The cloth .

manufacture of England reached i t perfection in s

1
36 1 when
,
the wool staple was remo ed from Calais v

and held at nin e di fferent tow s the chief being n ,

Westminster In 37 8 it w again removed from

. 1 as

I
S
 I ntroduction
Westminster to Staple I ; and in 397 a weekly nn 1

market w establi hed at Black w ell H all London

as s , .

In 5 8 our trade to the Netherlands w one of

1 2 as

our most important branches of commerce That .

Cb a rters year H enry V III

,
fi m d the charter of the . c on r e

Guild f C l t h w k fi t incorporated by letters

o o or e rs , rs

patent of Edward IV in 48 under the name of . 1 2 ,

the F raternity of the Assumption of the Blessed

‘

V irgin Mary of the Shearmen of London The ’

.

company was reincorporated by Queen Elizabeth ,

wh o changed its fi t title to that of the Master rs

‘
,

Wardens and Commonalty of F reemen of the Art

,

and Mystery of C l t h w k of the City of Lon don

o or e rs ,
’

whi h charter was fi m d by Charles I in 6 34

c c on r e . 1 .

If D l y story contained nothing el e of

e on e
’
s s

interest it is the setting for a pearl of great price

,

the character of Margaret which is worthy to rank ,

with that of Chaucer s Griselda the flo w er of w ifely ’

p atience Both made

.
’
goodness lovable and by their ,

daily lives proved that it is pos ible for the actual to s

resemble in so m e measure the ideal Both were

, , .

ennobled and uplifted by m isfortunes which would

only have embittered weaker ouls or rushed s c

the m to the earth Deloney is at his best when .

he draw Margaret with touches so light yet

s so
—
unerring that greater writers and he w not a as
—
great writer may well envy him his skill The .

farewell of Duke Robert and Margaret can scarcely

s

be read with dry eyes ; and they are the more

touching be ause there is no strivi g after pathos
c n .

In previou dialogues bet w een the lovers w are

s e

cons ious now and again of something a t i fl

c , ,
r e

pompous not to say bombasti ; but here w have

, c e

the curt simple senten es by which alone true

, c
 [72t rodu ct i on
feeling is able to express itself in moments of stre s s .

Indeed if we except the passages above m entioned

this simplicity is c h aracteristi of the whole tory ;
, ,

c s

and it never fails to reach its mark 8 clearly yet . 0 ,

so naturally are the foibles of each actor in the little

,

serio comedy depicted that w have only to close

-
e

our eyes to see their owners in the flesh Cole heads

the procession an honest upright itizen W hose end
.

,
c

was as unexpected it w undeserved T h re t as as e s

—
.

follow Simon of Southampton w h esteemed a ,

o
‘

mess of pottage more highly than a venison pasty ,

’

but shrewd and kindly w i thal ; Tom Dove lusty ,

lover of musi and women whose openhandedness c ,

w as his ruin ; O ld Bosom in his t w coats and ,

o

multitudinous footwear d his young wife fair ,

an ,
‘

as a lily in her red petticoat and waistcoat with an ,

’

eye on Cuthbert of Kendal amorous and secret ; ,

Margaret also in red w ith her broad brimmed hat

, ,
-

bou d for the h y fi ld or barefooted w ith ashes

n a e s, ,

on her head and a hair shirt tormenting her tender -

flesh about to bid farewell to a world she found

,

passing ruel ; the gallant Duke ; b l fi H enry the

c u
'

—
King for each of these w have a hearty welcome e

their ery fault have m ade them our friends

v s

But here omes one from W hom i horror W A S

.

c n C i n i s t er
—
recoil for the brand of Cain i on h i brow It i
,
F 8
s s . s
“?

the murderer Jarman furtive inister ; who scared , ,

s ,

by the strange manner of his intended Victim (and

indeed w are startled ourselves w read how the
e as e

screech w l cried d the raven roaked close beside

-
o an c

the windo w on that fateful night l) like Macbeth

, ,

and the cat in the adage let I d t wait upon I , a re n o

w ld until against h i better judgment he w per

’
ou , ,
s , as

s uad d by his more callous wife to do the deed Let

e .
 ’

1 72 t rodu ct z on
him pass w ith his guilty partner along the road
on ,

which leads to t h e gallows and a well merited reward

,

We feel more and more as the tory is unfolded

, ,
s ,

that hu m an nature varies but little The defection of .

Dove s servants in h i hour of misfortune shows

’
s us

that even in those day there were some w h held s o

that kind es es unasked deserved gratitude The

n s , ,
no .

clothier s wife desirous of London garm ents got

’

,
’

her own way by a method w hich could hardly be

improved upon by langui hing ladies of the early s

V ictorian era Could w put t h e clock back to the

. e

time when primitive man inhabited the earth no ,

doubt we should fi d primitive woman w orking n

on his feelings in m uch the sa m e way whenever a

rival s splendour aroused yearni gs after a new t fit
’
n ou

of skins Then for the sake of peace primitive man

.
, ,

went out to snare t h w h w i t h l to provide a fur e ere a

petticoat ; and probably lost his life in the attempt ,

if the original owner of the fur refused to become a

victim to the dictates of fashion As for the revolt of .

the women (i Chapter II ) there i little to be said

n . s ,

save that it was perhaps conducted in a ma ner a n

t ifl
r e more di g i fi d than are the tactics adopted by
n e

certain of their des endants of the present day c .

George a Gree has been selected as a companion n

picture to Thomas of Reading although it is far

‘
,
’

inferior to the latter from a literary poi t of vie w ,

n .

The narrative does not run smoothly A t times there .

is an a tual hiatus and w are left to s pply the

c , e u

details for ourselves The jokes and puns are so

obvious uited to a period W hen wit to be p p i
.

,
s ,
a re c

ated had to possess the force of a mace—blow rather

, ,

than the delicate piercing quality of a rapier s ,

’

1 6
 I ntroduction
thrust But we meet with su h old friends Robin
. c as

H ood and Maid Marian ; and our interest in the

doings of the martial Pindar is not allowed to flag .

We feel w should like to know m ore of young

e

Cuddy Musgrave that brave and modest gentleman ,

wh even in the fi t flush of vi tory forgot himself

o, rs c ,

in praise of another to whom rather than to himself ,

he considered honour w due We dwell with as .

pleasure on the pi ture of that mighty man of his c

— —
hands George for the moment at peace walking
,

with Beatrice through the fi ld of green orn It ‘

e s c .
’

is a touch worthy of Deloney And w should like e

W e should dearly like to kno w how the friend hip

.

s ,

which began with reprisals and ripened with kisses ,

prospered between Marian and Beatrice ! But as

far as I have been able to discover history remains ,

silent upon this extremely interesting point .

O ur third story leads

far from these pleasant R us o
gc a con

domesticitie With F riar Bacon w enter the region

s . e

of the occult This popular legend ( taken from a

.

chapbook dated 6 6 ) a ffords a triking example of1 1 s

what the prin iple of accumulation can accomplish

c ,

when allied with vulgar uperstition and hildish

?

s c

n o ra n c e
1
g .

is dangerous to be wiser than the multitude

It ,
’

opines the faithful translator ofBa on s Dis overies c

’ ‘
c
’

for that unruly Beast will have every topping head

to be lopped s h orter lest it plot ruine or stop the , , ,

light or hadow i t w extravagancies Roger

s s o n
’

Bacon w a man born out of due time— p h i l

.
,

as a os o

R O G ER B ACO N f
’
S D is N co d M
v eri y o t be M i ra cle: of Art , a t ure, a n a
g c,

faithf lly translated out of D octor D e s own copy by T M and n v r

before in English P ri ted f S imon Miller at the S tarre in S P aul s
’
u e . . e e
’
n or t
Church yard 6
.

-
1

B
 ’

[72 t rodu ct z on
pher whose tenets were too far advan ed for the c

understanding of his conte m poraries Society w as

—
.

not ready to re eive h i tea hing therefore not

c s c
—
,

wilfully but through ignorance i t misconstrued

,

h i action and motives and

s s w in h i m not the ,
sa

greatest philosopher and natural scientist of his age ,

but a dangerous necroman er w h had made the c o

usual bargain with the devil and had the whole ,

Black Art at his fi g tips in return for his soul

n er -

Yet i the opening chapters of h i Dis overy the

,
n s c

friar is very severe with those impostors who dabble

in magic and pro lai m like Glendower their ability
c , ,

to call spirit from the vasty deep There was in

‘
s .
’

those days ( when Bacon wrote) no H otspur to quash

such boasters with an airy
Why ,
s o can I; or s o ca n a n
y m an

B ut w i ll i b ey come w h en y au do ca llfor t h em

'

S up errt it z on F rom the sixth to the tenth centuries superstition

—
was rife in Europe thanks to the priests w h the o
—
,

only people able to write zealou ly propagated s

legends of the miraculous doings of saints and

martyrs As w have seen already the public would
. e ,

s w allow anything in the shape of o m ens monstrous ,

appearance in the heavens and apparitions hot from

s ,

hell Their credulity was t h greatest bar to progress

. e ,

w hi h they w ere taught to regard as rank blas

c

p h me
y S h ow . an enlightened man
us and w will ,
e

show you a sinner beyond all hope of rede m ption

might have been their y Mean w hile the priests cr .

reaped a golden harvest and fondly believed that ,

their dominion w to be univer al and eternal

as s .

But that bubble w pricked A spirit of scepticism

as .

1 8
 I ntroduction
c rept into men minds and they began to think for
’
s ,

the m selves F years the unruly Beast remaine d

. or
‘ ’

—
as muddle headed ever ; but now and then some as

worker i the dark would n a gleam towards see

which he struggled The glory of dawn was still far .

o ff in time but there was a decided break in the

,

clouds when Roger Bacon appeared ; and he too ,

with clearer Vision followed the gleam , .

H i legendary history alone is fi m ly established H

s r i rt ory qf
-

in English literature ; hence the records of his life R e o e

g "

are drawn mainly from traditions without satis factory

foundation Born at Ilchester in .
4 of a family 1 2 1 ,

which formerly in good circumstan es su ffered

,
c ,

reverses in H enry Il I reign he w educated .

’
s ,
as

at O xford under the auspices of Robert G t é t ro s e,

Bishop of Lin oln who remained his great patron

c ,

throughout his life Edmund Rich ( Archbishop of .

Canterbury) Adam 1 Marisco d Richard F itz

,
( 0 ,
an

a re also instructed and encouraged this ardent

c

seeker after knowledge A far be ascertained . s a s c an ,

Bacon w still at O xford and in orders in 33

as , ,
1 2 .

H next proceeded to the university at Paris H i

e . s

fi t residen e there terminated about

rs c
5 ; and 1 2 0

from that date until 5 7 he remained at O xford 1 2

an d became a thorn in the side of the Church ,

w h viewed with distrust the gro w th of knowledge

o

a mongst laym e n F earful for her authority she .

,

resorted to i quisitorial terror ; but h was power

n s s e

les to prevent the struggle between faith and reason

s

which then co m m enced and which is going on still

—
, .

In 5 7 Roger Ba on pioneer of progress and E il d

1 2 c a x e to
—
, ,

as such to be labelled Dangerous w sent to

,
P ? ‘ ’
as 4"

Paris where he remained under restraint for ten

,

y ears during which

,
period the use of books i t , n s ru

I9
 I ntroduction
ments and writing materials w denied h i m In
,
as .

1 2 6 5 Guy de F oulque ( Papal Legate to E gla d s n n

in the pre eding year) became Pope Clement IV

c

During his residence in E gland he h ad endeavoured

.

to co m municate with Bacon w hom he urged to ,

write a treatise on general s ien e O his ac ession c c . n c

to the p t i fi t he renewed his persuasions with

on ca e ,

the result that Bacon complied and despite t h , ,

e

di ffi cult i ofhis position w rote h i O pus Majus and

es ,
s

O pus Minus That the work was completed in a very

.
’

brief space of time we kno w from the fa t that two c ,

years later in his O pus Tertium Bacon speaks of t h

, ,
’
e

O pus Majus as having been already forwarded to

’

Clement During the period of composition the

.

rigours of his fi m t were relaxed ; and in

c on ne en

1 2 6 8 he returned to England to devote himself to ,

working out the particular sciences which he held

to form the body of all knowledge .

Ba on wrote on divinity medicine opti s music

c , ,
c , ,

astronomy astrology geography philology meta

, , , ,

physi s logic cosmography and moral philosophy

c , ,

a comprehensive list ! H di covered the errors in e s

the calendar and suggested the reformation after

wards adopted by Pope Gregory X III H under . e

stood the casting of metals the arts of war and ,

agriculture N thing escaped him not even an old

. 0 -

wife s remedy for warts or toothache H claimed

’
. e

to have invented a system by which H ebre w Greek ,

and Arabic might be mastered in three days ,

geometry in a week It is said that when the Jew s .

were expelled from O xford certain of their books ,

came into his hands thus giving him the opportunity

,

to study H ebrew rarities to which he could not

otherwise have had access In twenty years he spent .
 [fl t rodu ct i on

Every ear is fill d with the tory of F riar Ba on

e s c ,

that made a Brazen H ead to speak these words Tim e

i
s, which though they want not the like relation ,

is surely too literally received and w but a m y t i , as s

cal fable co cerning the philosopher s great work

n
’

wherein he eminently laboured ; implyi g no more n

by the copper head than the vessel W here it w as

wrought ; and by the words it spake than the ,

opportunity to be watched about the t mp m m e ar s,

or birth of the mysti al hild or philosophical king c c ,

of L lli the rising of the t f / t of A ld

u u s, erra
’

o za cz rn o us

when the earth ffi i t ly impregnated with the su c en

water ascendeth white and splendent ; W hich not

,

observed the work is irrecoverably lost according

to that of Petrus Bonus Iéi t p } p wfl t m
,
’
‘
: es a art c z o, a

oria n t ur imp /z czkz ,

’ '

uama m
!p di elawew a
‘
e
g re s

p
de ura t a ,
g ua e a en t s ta t zm
g
'

a n te ua m vo/en z
g
f ‘

ab
g Now
z fle letting
. slip this critical opportunity ,

he missed the intended treasure which had h e :

obtained he might have made out the tradition

,

of making a brazen wall about England that is , ,

the most powerful defen e or strongest f t i fi t i c or ca on

which gold could have e ffected .

’

It w reserved for George Borrow to discover

as

that the walls of brass with which England was to

h ave be e n protect e d were but types of those roads ‘

of metal on which armies may travel with mighty

velocity the railway s .

Truly there i nothing new under the sun ! In

s

thes days of motor cars and aero p lanes the F i

e r ar s
’

speech to H enry in the sixth chapter (w hich by the ,

w y ia , taken bodily from the fourth and fift h

s

chapters of the Discovery reads like the f lfilm t u en

of prophecy Apropos f fl y i g machines the p h i l

. o n ,
os o
pher na vely confesses that he ever w one nor
1 n sa ,

knew of a yone else w h had seen one but he w

n o as
‘
ex eedingly a quainted with a very prudent man
c c

w h hath invented the whole tifi

’
o ar ce .

Thi extremely interesting pamphlet ( the D l D r

s
‘
S -
‘
i com r
y f
o

c ov e r
y of the Miracles of Art Nature and Magic , ,

contains the recipe for making the Philosopher s ’

Egg The phraseology is so m ewhat involved and

.
,

the author at intervals impresse on his reader the s

ne essity for great care in the perusal Understand

c .

it if you can he urges ; and again Mind and

,
’
:
‘

search what I y for the speech i di fii lt H sa ,

s cu .
’
e

concludes Know that w hen you have

:
‘
m c on s u

mated your w ork you are then to begin not a — ’

cheerf l h earing for the student w h is left with

,

u ,
o

a very o fused idea as to what the work really

c n
‘ ’

is l The treatise ends with those w ords F w ll are e

a p
.

W/zoe ver Mere b a t/z

'

f
un locks key w /zzc/z o en : an d no

l z
,

/ d w hen b e f a t/ s fiut , n o ma n op en r
’
ma n s z uts an .

Anthony a Wood in his H istories and Anti Tb Tb b ,

‘
e a tc er

q iut i of O xford
es tell a story of Bacon whi h i ,
O
f fi d ’
s c s
” ’
f '

not recorded in the chapbook version and w hich

—
,

ru s as follows Certain Cambridge scholars came

n z

to dispute with certain other scholars of O xford ,

boasting that they would be Victorious H earing .

this Bacon disguised himself as a thatcher and w

, ,
as

at work on the roof of a house near the end of the

town when the Cambridge m entered They en .

called to him in rhyming Latin and he replied in ,

the same manner After a few minutes of this the .

,

scholars decided that if a mere O xford thatcher

could beat them at their w game to proceed o n ,

further would be but to court disaster ; so th e y

turned tail and fled .
 I ntroduction
It is amusing to note in this connection that , ,

in the ontest bet w een B acon Bungay and V ander

c s ,

mast the Englishmen were always victorious

, .

R c io
e o n it
g Generations pass away and a period arrives when
n
,

men begin to see things in their proper fo us Then c .

they are fill d w ith contempt for their forebears e

wh smelt magic in what was after all a common

o , ,

place truth The onjurer of one age becomes the . c

teacher of the ext ; and succeeding ages acknow n

ledge their indebtedness to one who whilst he lived , ,

w rewarded w ith obloquy and persecution Thus

as .

has it be e n with F riar Bacon .

F ri a r R us b O ur series concludes with The of F i ‘

H istory r ar

Rush which is frankly fi t i l F iar Rush is the

,
’
c on a . f

B ii d
r Rausch of Germany the Broder Rus of
er ,

Denmark Grimm takes the name to mean i ;

. no se

but Wolf inclines to d k from our old word run en n eu ,

rous e My own opinion which is only to be taken

.
,

for what it is worth I have set down in the form ,

of a note at the end of this book .

Sir Walt e r Scott i d t i fi the F riar with the en es

g
z m} f m popularly
e known
ur, as will the wisp ‘
o
’ ’

or the F i lanthorn Reginald Scott classes him

- - -

’ ’
r ar s .

with Robin Goodfello w and describes him as being ,

‘
for all the world such another fellow this as

H dgi H od k H t in his Declaration

ale
u n e en . a rs n e , ,

says that i f the bowl of curds and cream were not

‘

duly t out for Robin Goodfellow t/ F i and

se ,
ze r a r,

Sisse the dairymaid when then either the pottage ,

w asburnt the cheese would not urdle the butter

, c ,

would not come or the ale in the vat would never

have good head
S ee Georg a G reen
.

*
e ,
’
N te D Do .
 Introduction
Thus to make confusion worse confounded our Had é
, , e en at

hero i associated with the Kobolds or house sprites

s
H ld b -
.
f f’ f fm

In this character d under the name of H od k

,
an e en ,

he once took up his abode with the bishop of

H ilde heim During his residence in the palace
s .

H od ke s e ems to have been of a most kind and

en

obliging disposition It was dangerous however to

.
, ,

insult him O ne of the scullions splashed him with

.

dirty water and he complained to the head ook

,
c .

‘
What ! laughed that fu ctionary Are you a
’
n .
‘

spirit and afraid of a little boy P

,

Since you will not punish him I will soon show ,

you how much afraid I m w the di g i fi d retort a as n e .

That evening H od k caught the boy asleep by

,
e en

the fi strangled him cut him p and boiled him

re , ,
u ,

When the cook rebuked him for this extremely

reprehensible ondu t he flung toad all over the
c c ,
s

meat roasting on the spit ; and soon afterwards

tumbled the cook into the moat People grew afraid .

lest he should set the town and palace on fi and re

the bishop exorcised and bani hed him s .

O n another occasio H od k undertook to look n e en

after the fl i gh t y wife of a H ildesheimer during the

latter s absence but he found h i task so di ffi lt that
’

,
s cu

h w d ever to meddle with such a matter again

‘

e vo e n .

The F riar Rush of our story an emis ary of the F i e ,

s r a b: ’

devil sent to lead the m onks into courses more i l P i

ev g aoa’ Ofl "

than those which they were already pursuing is a ,

personage far more objectionable than H od k e en .

Yet even he has his good points A t least we fi d .

,
n

him on t w occasions indulging in behaviour w hi ch

o

is hardly in keeping w ith his usual pranks H i . s

treatment of the lovesick priest is to be praised

rather than blamed unless we are to assume that
,
 the instinctive hatred of his fraternity for all church
men w even stronger tha his love of mischief for
as n

mis hief s sake ! Again in his apparent desire t

c
’

, o

help the mad girl to a ure he eem to have been c ,

s s

actuated by kind ly motives yet he may have acted

thus in the hope that it might lead to a reconcilia
tion between the Prior and himself and a renewal ,

of his i fl over the inmates of the monastery

n u en c e .

If he w disappointed
s o, as .

M o ra l Whatever the motives of its hero the story has ,

a moral and that a plain one Rush in his wi ked

, .
, c

ness overrea hed himself and opened the eyes of

,
c ,

the monks to their w sins Thu out of Evil o n . s,

ca m e Good and the tempter him elf induced his

,
s

Vi tims to use that great key to the gates of salva

c

tion which he sought to clo e against them for ever s

-
the key whi h i alled R p t c s c e en a n ce .

In preparing this volume for publication I have ,

whilst altering the phraseology and orthography

throughout endeavoured to preserve far as possible
,
as

the spirit of the originals Certain passages have .

—
been softened and others not in any S pirit of
,

—
prudery elimi ated altogether Those w h wish
n . o

to do so may read these passages in the original text

’

To justify myself for having made even these altera

tions I would plead that they stood the perusal
, ,
as ,

of the tales w a task too laborious for the ordinary

as

reader They are w o ffered to the publi in the hope

. no c

that their modern dress may obtain for them a wide r

popularity than they at present enjoy but w hich — as

—
,

part ofour National Literature they richly deserve so

S E NI
.

D H OR OT Y OR .
VI A S O F R EA D I NG
T h e S ix W orth y Y eo m en o f
the W est
I NT R O D U C T I O N
N
days of K ing H enry the F i t w h fi t
the rs ,
o rs

t t t d the H igh Court of P li m t fi ‘

e
1n s 1 u e ar a en

there lived ni e men who were famed through

n

out England for their trade of clothmaking an

art in those days held in great reputation both i ,
n

respect of the great wealth gained thereby d also ,

an

of the b fit it brought to the whole ommon

en e c

w ealth 1 The younger sons of knights and gentle

.
“

men to whom their fathers could leave no land w ere

, ,

often taught this trade order that by it they might

1n

live in co m fort and end their days in prosperity .

Among all crafts it w the chief for it ommanded

as ,
c

the highest m arket and by it our country be ame

, c

famous amongst the nation It w thought that s . as

half the people in the land lived by i t inso m uch ,

that there were few if any beggars the common

, ,
1n

w ealth B y means of this trade poor people w hom

.

God had blessed with many children so ordered ,

them t h at by the time they were six or seven years

of age they were able to earn their own bread .

Idleness w thus banished from our oasts and it

as c ,

w a rare thing to hear of a thief in those days It

as .

w not without cause therefore that clothiers w e re

as , ,
 Same O ld Efl g/zké W arth es
then both honoured d loved and amongst them in an

the fi t H e ry day these ine were of the highest

rs n
’
3 ,
n

reputation namely Tho m as Cole of Reading Gray

— , ,

of Gloucester Sutton of Salisbury F i t ll of , , z a an

Wor ester ( commonly called William of Worcester)

c ,

Tom Dove of Exeter d Simon of Southa m pton ,

an ,

ali as Sup broth These were called by the King

‘ -

.
’

the i worthy husbands of the west Besides

s x .

the e there were three living in the north Cuthbert

s ,
:

of Kendal H dg k i of H alifax and Martin Byram

,
o e ns ,

of Manchester Every one of them employed a great .

number of men spinners carders w eavers fullers , , , , ,

dyers etc to the great admiration of all who came

, .
,

to their houses to them see .

N w you must understand that these gallant

o

clothier because of their respective dwelling places

s, -

divided themselve into three companies Gray of s .

Gloucester William of Worcester and Thomas of

, ,

Reading sin e they journeyed by the same road to

,
c

London usually held onverse together ; whilst

,
c

Dove of Exeter Sutton of Salisbury and Simon of , ,

Southampton onsorted together in the sa m e way c ,

meeting at B i g t k ; and the three northern as n s ro e

clothiers did likewise though they did not meet the ,

*
others until they reached Bosom s Inn in London ’
.

Moreover for the love and delight the w estern

,

men had in each other s company they arranged ’

so

their wains and themselves should always meet one

day in London at Gerard H all i This Gerard was ’
s
'

nickna m ed the Giant for he surpassed in strength ,

’

and tature all other men of that age of those merry

s

making and memorable deed I shall tell you in the s

following discourse .
Tfi e Six Wort éy Yeomen of té e W e ft

H ow t g H en r
y s ou
g /z t t /z e F v our a f
o lzz: S uéjecz s ,
’

es p ecia ll
y t /ze Clot /z iers

King H enry
for his learning w called , who as

B / w
ea ue er c , the third son of the renowned con
as

q After
u e ro r .the death of his brother William ,

Rufus he took upon himself the government of thi

,
s

kingdom in the absence of his brother Robert Duke ,

of N m dy who at that time w fi gh t i g

or an ,
9K
as n

agai st the i fid l and w chosen King of Jerusalem

n n e s as ,

w hi h ffic h for love of his country refused and

o ce e, , ,

returned with great honour from the H oly Land .

King H enry when he heard of h i brother s return

,
s
’

knowing that Robert would claim the crown sought ,

by all pos ible means to w i the good w ill of h i

s n s

nobles d to gain the favour of his ommon by

,
an c s

c ourtesy ; to obtain w hi h and to strengthen him c ,

self against his brother he did them many b fi t en e s

It hanced one day as h w it h one of his sons

.
,

c ,
e,

an d several of h i nobles rode from London towards s

Wales to appease t h fury of the Welshmen w h

~ e , o

had then begu to rise in arms against his t h i t y fi

n au or

that he met a great number of wains laden w ith

c loth coming to London Seei g many drive b y . n so ,

one after another he demanded whose they were to , ,

which the waggon driver answered Cole s of -

s :
‘ ’

—
Reading B y and b y the Ki g asked another To
.
’
-
n :
‘

whom belongeth all this cloth and was told To ‘

O ld Cole Soon afterwards he asked another m

.
’
an

th esame question and again received the same r eply ,

It must be explained that the King had met the

wain in a pla e narrow that he and his train were
s c so

33
 Same O ld Efl g/z s é W ort é i er
'

obliged to stand close to the hedge W hilst the carts

passed b y As the e umbered above two hundred
. s n ,

it was nearly an hour before the King could proceed ;

and he began in time to be di pleased though , ,
s ,

his admiration did mu h to qualify h i fury But c s .

at last giving vent to his impatien e he said c

I s h ould thi k old Cole hath commissioned all the

, ,

carts in the country to carry his cloth

And if he hath doth that grieve you good i , ,
s r

pertly asked one of the wain men -

.

‘
Yes good sir retorted our King What say
, .
‘

you to that good sir ,

The fellow seeing th e King frown was abash e d , , ,

though he knew not the speaker .

‘
Why sir said h i f you be angry nobody
, ,
’
e,
‘
,

c an hinder you for po sibly sir you have anger at s , ,

command .
’

When he saw the man tremble and shake the ,

King laughed heartily as much at his simple answer ,

as at his fear Soon after w ards the last wain went b y

.
,

which gave passage to him and h i nobles A he s . s

rode he asked many questions about the clothmaking

,

trade and gave orders for O ld Cole to be brought

,

before him on h i return home to the intent that s

he might confer W ith him observing him to be a

,

subject of great ability .

Within a mile of Staines his Maj esty met another ,

company of wains laden w i th cloth which sight ,

inspired him w ith fresh admiration and demanding

w hose they w ere he w told ; Goodman Sutton s ’

, as ,

of Salisbury As often as he asked he received this

.
’

answer S tt :
f S / e y u on 5
’

,
o a zs
'

ur .

God send me many u h Suttons ! said the King s c

’
.

The further he travelled w estward the more wains ,

34
Tbe Six W ort éj/ Y eomen o
f tée West
he met ; upo which he said to his nobles that it
n

would never grieve a king to die in defence of a

fertile ountry and faithful subjects
c .

I always thought that England valour w

‘ ’
s as

greater than her w ealth quoth h Yet now I see ’

e
‘

h er wealth is ffi i t to maintain her valour which , .

su c en ,

I will seek to cherish in all that I m y and with a ,

my sword keep possession of that w hich I have .

Kings and lovers can brook no partners therefore let ,

my brother Robert bethink him that although he

was heir by birth to England s cro w n yet I m ’

,
a

King by possession All w h favour him will I . o

a count m ne enem es and will serve them I did

c i
o

i as

the ungrateful Earl of S h rewsbury w hose lands I

,
916
,

have seized and whose body I have ba i hed n s .

’

But w will w leave the King on his j ourney

e no

into Wales ; and w hil t awaiting h i return w ill in s s ,

the meantime tell you of the meeting of these jolly

clothiers in London .

H ow ” i llia m o
f
f W G
orcert er
,
ra
y fo G lo u ces t er , a n d Old

C ole of R ea di n
g m et a t R ea dzh
, g a nd o
f t /zeir Ta lk

éy t /ze Way 4 : i lley rode t o L on don

When Gray of Gloucester and William of Wor

t
ces er w ere come to Readi g according to custom n ,

they called upon O ld Cole to accompany them to

Lo don and he duly awaited their co m ing having
n ,

provided a good breakfa t for them When they had s .

refreshed themselves they took their horses and rod

, e

on towards the city A they j ourneyed William of

. s ,

Worcester asked if they had heard of the Earl of

M ig
ora escape out of the land
ne s
’
.

35
 Where is he fl d asked Gray e .

I wonder much at i t he being so high

‘
the , 1n

King s regard said Cole I pray you do you not

’

,
’
.
‘
,

know the cause of h i going s

The common report quoth Gray i this that

‘
,
’
,
‘
s ,

the covetous Earl w h through gr e edy desire never,

o

ceased begging the King for one thing or another ,

his request being now denied hath of mere obstinacy ,

and wilful forwardness banished himself and q ite u

forsaken the country of Cornwall having vowed ,

never to t foot in England again Rumour hath it

se .

that he and the late banished Earl of Shrewsbury

have joined themselves with Robert Duke of ,

Normandy against the King ; w hich hath so i

,
n

fl m d his Majesty s wrath against them that their

’
a e

ladies and children are turned out of doors helpless ,

and friendles I m told they wander up and down

s . a

the countryside like beggars yet although many ,

pity them few dare relieve them

, .
’

A lamentable hearing ! quoth William of

‘ ’

Worcester .

Just then they espied Tom Dove w ith the rest

of his companions riding to meet them ; and when
the y reached them they fell into pleasant converse , ,

w h h shortened the long way to Colebrooke where

1c ,

they always dined There according to old custo m .

, ,

good cheer was provided for them at the inn for ,

these clothiers were the chief guests W h travelled o

along that road

Now this w sure an Act of Parliament t h at
.

as as ,

Tom Dove could t digest his meat without musi no c,

nor drink w i ne without w omen so his hoste s being s ,

a m erry wench would often call in two or three of

,

her neighbours wives to keep him company and ’

,
 Some Old Efl g/zké W ort é z es
'

What reason is there then agai st our visiting n

t h em ? Is their good w ill to be requited with scorn

, ,

that their expense may not be counterbalanced by

our company ! If a woman be disposed to play the
light love alas alas do you think that you
0
’
c an

prev e nt her ? Nay w maintain t h at restraint of

,

,
e

liberty f t h women to sin ; for w hen a w oman

orc e

is not trusted she cannot think herself beloved and

,

if not beloved what cause hath h to care for such

, s e

an one ? Therefore husbands reform your opinions , ,

and do not m ake trouble for yourselves by mistrust

ing us The clothiers w tell you are jolly fellows
.
,
e , ,

and but for respect to our ourtesy they would c ,

scorn our company .

’

H earing their wives plead so well for themselves ,

the men knew not h w to answer but said the o ,

women would burden their own conscien es if they c

dealt unjustly with their wedded lords ; and so left

them to g their w ways H aving thus conquered
o o n .

their husbands the women w ould t for all their ,

no ,

frowns lose the favour of their friends ; of w hom

, ,

above the rest Tom Dove was the j lh t S high , o es . o

w as his reputation with the women that they made

this song of him
Wl m t w T D T mD e to

al i !
e co o n, or
n ov e , o ov e ,

Th m i t m
mp a y ti ll w l w l
e err e s an ve

Th y
G d g a t th w ll th i
co n s e ov e , e ove ,

to
W i ll w d p a t f m t h
o r n ee e r v e,

A d n n ev er e e r ro ee ,

F b tt w my j y ;
t h hall al way h a ll
or e e r or o rs e , o

F dw i
G d b l i g th w t b y
or ou s ve o u r oo
g s .

’
o s ess n on e e, s ee o

This song went up and down throughout the

38
cou try and at length became a dance a m o g the
n ,
n

common folk that Tom Dove for his mirth and ,

so ,

good fe llowship w famous everywhere

-

,
as .

N w w hen the western clothiers came to London

o

they were w elcomed by the host Gerard the G i t fi ,

an
’6

and as soon as they alighted they were saluted by

the merchants w h aw aited their coming and o

always prepared for them a ostly supper at c

w hi h t h ey usually made their bargains ; and for

,

every bargain made the merchants used to s e nd ,

presents to the clothiers wives The next morning ’

they went to t h e hall

.

where they met

the northern clothiers w h greeted the m thus ,
o :

What my masters of the west well met What

, ,

cheer ? What cheer P

The best cheer our mer hants could make
‘
c us

quoth Gray .

Then you could not choose but f w ll said

‘
a re e

H o dge k i n s .

If you be weary of our company di retorted ,

a eu

Sutton .

Not
‘
said Martin Byram Shall w e not have
so, .

a game before w g e o
‘
—
Yes faith for a hundred pound ! agreed
,
s
’

w orthy Thomas .

Well said O ld Cole

‘
ried the rest ; and with
,
c

that Cole and Gray t do w n to dice with Martin sa

an d H dg k i and the luck being on H dg k i

o e n s, o e ns
’

side Cole s mo ey b g t fl y
,
’
n e an . o .

Now by the Mass 1 said b m y money doth

‘
,
’
e,
‘

shrink as badly orthern loth as n c .

’

When they had played some time Gray took his ,

place and recovered the money which Cole h d

,
a

39
 Some O/a Efl g/zké ’
W ort é i er
lost Whils they played the rest each of w h om took
. t , ,

pleasure in di fferent things t i fi d every man his ,

sa s e

own humour Thus Tom Dove called for m usic .

, ,

William of Worcester for wine Sutton for merry ,

tales Simon of Southampton slipped away to the

.

pottage pot in the kitchen for he esteemed a mess

-

of pottage more highly than a venison pasty .

But Cuthbert of Kendal w of another mind for as ,

no meat pleased him well as mutton laced in a so

red petticoat You must know by the way that these

.
, ,

jolly clothiers when they w ent to dice sojourned at

, ,

Bosom s I which w
’
called after him that
nn,
ale
as so

kept i t H being a dirty loven went about with

. e, s ,

his nose in his bosom (wherefore he w kno w n as as

O ld Bosom) one ha d in his po ket and the other

,
n c

on his sta ff H might w ell have sat for a picture of

. e

cold Wi ter f he al w ays wore two oat two caps

n ,
or c s, ,

two or three pairs of stockings and a high pair of ,

shoes over which he dre w on a pair of lined slippers

yet he complained of cold This lump of ice had .

lately married a young w ife who w as wily as she ,

as

was wanton Cuthbert took great delight in h

. er

company and would o ften commune thus w it h her

,

I muse good wife he would y

, ,
’
sa .

G d wife ! quoth she V erily i in my

‘ ’ ‘ ~
oo .
,
s r,

opinion there is none good but God therefore call ,

me m stress i .
’

‘
F air mistress I have often mused how you a , ,

pretty w oman could fi d it in your heart to mate ,

n

with such a greasy churl as your h h d an ill us an ,

mannered lout a foul lump of kit hen stu ff the ,

c ,

scorn of all men H w can you like one whom all . o

women detest or love su h a loathsome creature c

,

S ee o
N te C on p .
32 .

40
Tb e Six W ort éy Yeomen a
j
f ‘
z ée W est
Indeed sir aid s h e I had but hard fortune in
, ,
’
s ,
‘

this respe t but m y friends would have it

c ,
In so .

truth my liki g and my love for him are both alike

n
—h never had the one or never shall get the ot h er
,

e ,

yet I may tell you that before I married him there

were several proper young men suitors to m w h ,
e, o

loved me their live and glad w he w h could

as s, as o

get my co m pany Those were my golden days .

,

w herein pleasure abounded ; but these be years of

care and gri ef wherein my sorrows exceed N w no . o

man regardeth me no man careth for me and if they , ,

bear me good w ill in secret w h doth dare to show ,

o

i t P This i an added grief that my husband is

. s , so

jealous I dare not look at a man or he at once ,

accuseth me of t
y although I protest he
1 n c on s an c ,

hath no cause to do so .
’

In troth quoth Cuthbert he should have cause

,
’

to complain for somewhat w ere I you ,

As sure as I live he shall if he will not alter his , ,

ways declared she .

H earing this Cuthbert began to grow bolder, ,

wishing to be her servant and secret friend The .

better to obtain his desire he gave her various gifts ,

so that she began in time to listen to him Yet .

,

though she liked his soft speeches well enough she ,

would blame him and take him up very short now

and again ; until at last Cuthbert became desperate
and said he would drown himself rather than su ffer
her disdain .

‘
O my s w eetheart not l cried she then , so
’
.

God forbid I shou ld be the death of any man B e

comforted dear Cut h bert and take this kiss in

.

, ,

earnest of further kin dness But if thou wilt have my .

favour thou must be wise and circumspect and in

, ,
 Some O ld Efl g/z s é Wort é i es
'

my hu ba d sight I would have you always to fi d

s n
’
s n
—
fault w ith my doing blame my bad housekeeping s ,

dispraise my perso d take exception to every n, an

thing whereby he w il l be as well pleased as Simon

,

of Southampton i with a me s of pottage s s .

’

Dear mistre quoth h I will f lfil your ss ,

’
e,
‘
u

charge to the uttermost if you w ill promise not to ,

take my j est for earnest .

’

‘
Thy foulest spee hes I will esteem the fairest c ,

and take thy dis p raise as prai e turning each word s ,

to the contrary h answered N w for the present ’

s e o

good Cuthbert for supper time dra w eth nig h

.
,

a dieu , — , ,

and it is meet for me to look to my meat .

’

A t that moment down came O ld Bosom calling ,

to his wife H Winifred is supper ready 3 They o, ,

have done playing above therefore let the chamber , ,

lain t the table

se .
’

—
B y and b y returned h It shall be done
-

,
’
s e .

straightway .
’

H w now my masters who w ins

o asked , ,

Cuthbert when he had rej oined h i companions

,
s .

O ur money walks westward said Martin Cole ,

’
.

hath won forty pounds of me and Gray hath done ,

well too .
’

‘
The best news is they will pay for our supper , ,
’

said H dg k i o e ns .

Then let have good store of sack quoth Sutton

us .

‘
Content ! aid Cole I promise you I do not ’
s .
‘
,

strive to grow rich b y dici g call for what you n ,

so

will I will pay for all

. .
’

‘
Say you ried Simon Then hamberlain so c .
‘
,
C ,

I pray you bring a whole bottle of pottage for me fie

A pass ge which seems irrelevant is her omitted and transferred to

a e

page 5 7 —Ed
,

. .
 Té e Six W orm] Yeomen of fé e West
Supper being on the board the company sat dow ,
n ,

and presently up comes O ld Bo om their host w h s , ,

o

took his place among them and soon after the

good wife fair as a lily in her red petticoat and
,

waistcoat came also and said

, ,

My masters you are welcome Prithee be merry ,

.

They fell to eating with gusto ; and only when

they were t i fi d did they fi d leisure to talk with
sa s e n

one another Then Cuthbert began to fi d fault

. n .

In truth mine host you have a wise housewife

, ,

said h H ere is meat dressed in a new fashion

e

pardy ! God sendeth meat but the devil dot h send the
.
,

cooks .
’

Why cried she what is wrong with the meat

,
’

Will it not serve your turn ? Better men than you

are contented wit h i t ! But a paltry companion is
ever the w orst to please .
’

Away you sluttish thing said Cuthbert Your

, .
‘

husband hath a sweet j ewel in you ! I marvel that

such a grave ancient man should mate with a young
,

giglot who hath in her much beauty good as as

house w ifery—w hich i just nothi g at all s n .

’

Sir retorted h out of regard for my husba d

,
’
s e, n

I m loath to aggravate anger else would I tell thee

a ,

thy faults l
G‘
to ! What is all this ? cried the rest I
o
’
.
‘
n

good faith Cuthbert you are to blame for you fi d

, , ,
n

fault where none is .

’

Tush ! I must speak my mind aid C t h b t

‘
,
’
s ur er .

‘
I cannot dissemble Yet I trust mine host thinketh .

none the worse of me for what I have said S long o

as I have h i good will what the foul fi d care I

s ,
en

for his wife

quoth Tom Dove Let give over .
‘
us
 Some O ld En g/z ré W ort é zer
'

this quarrelling for musi We mean to be merry c .

,

and not melan holy c .

’

Then said O ld Cole

Trust me Cuthbert we w ill have our hostess and
, ,

you frie ds before w part H er woman I drink to

n e . c, ,

you ! Pay no heed to h i words for he must always s ,

be quarrelling about something .

’

‘
N t h i g grieveth me much as that he should
o n so

thus openly chide me said h If he found any ,

’
s e .
‘

thing amiss he might have chosen a better time to

,

tell me of it H need not put my bad house w ifery e

into my husband s head for inde e d I live not too ’

happily w ith him .

’

She began to w e ep .

Come Cuthbert said the others drink to her

, ,
’

, ,

shake ha ds and be friends

n , .
’

Come then you puling baggage quoth h I

, ,
e .

drink to you Will you pledge me and shake hands P

.

‘
No ans w ered she Ill see the e hanged fi t !
,
’
.
‘ ’
rs

Shake hands with ti m ? I would soon shake hands e as

W ith the devil

G to said her husband You shall shake
o .
‘

hands with him If you do not I ll shake you What .

,
’

you young hussy

Well husband said she i t doth become a
, ,
’

,
‘

woman to obey her lord wherefore for your sake I ,

drink to him .
’

Well said quoth the company ,

’
.

Then she took leave of them and went down

stairs Soon after they paid their shot and departed
.
,

to Gerard s H all where they lodged Next day they

’

,
.

took their w y homeward resting as before at a , , ,

Colebrooke and there according to his custom O ld , ,

Cole gave his money to the goodwife of the house

44
 Same O ld En g/ls n W ort nz ey
'

the greatest is to be fortunate ; and by this came

my fall W ever good lady brought to such ex
. as

t m i t y before ? What hath become of my rare

re

j e w els my rich lothe my sumptuous fare my

,
c s, ,

servants my many friends and all my vain enjoy

, ,

ments ? My pleasure is banished by displeasure my ,

friends like foes are fled my servants gone my , ,

fea ti g turned to fasting my rich array consumed

s n ,

to rags and my je w els gone to deck my enemies '

,

Alas ! poverty with security is better than honour

mi gled with fear therefore t h meanest state is of
n e

all things the best Yet seeing God hath allotted .

,

this misery to me I will frame my heart to embrace ,

humility and carry a m ind conformable to my

,

mi fortunes F i on this empty title of L dy n} !

s . e a s z

H w little doth it avail the distressed ! No no ! I

o ,

mu t forget my birth and parentage and think no

s ,

more of my father s house where I w wont to be ’

as

served Now I will l e arn to serve and plai M g

.
, n e

shall be my na m e Good Lord grant I may get a .

,

good service N y any service shall serve whereby a , ,

I m y have meat drink and apparel

a , , .
’

She had no sooner spoken these words than h s e

saw a couple of girls coming towards her They .

were going to the fair and bidding her good , ,

morro w asked her if h w ere also bound thither

,
s e .

‘
Yes marry quoth h I m a poor man
,
s e,
‘
a
’
s

child that is out of service and I hear that at the ,

fair folks come on purpose to h ire servants .

’

True said the m aidens We g thither for the

,
’
. o

s ame purpose and shall be glad of your company ’

Wit h a good will and I m right glad of yours

.
,

,
a

said h I besee h you good maidens do me the

s e .
‘
c , ,

favour to tell me what service were best for me for

46
Tfi e Six W ort ny Yeomen of fne West
my parents were to blame i somuch that they would ,
n

ne er set me to learn anything

v .
’

What can you do they asked Can you brew .

and bake make butter and cheese and reap orn

, ,
c

N in truth said Margaret But I w ill gladly

o, .

learn to do anything whatever it b ,

e .
’

‘
If you could spin or ard w ool you might do ,
c ,

excellently with a clothier for theirs is the best ,

service I know said one of the girl There you ,

’
s .
‘

would be sure to fare well and live merrily .

’

Then Margaret wept saying Alas w hat shall ,

:
‘
,

I do 3 I w never brought up to these things

as .
’

What you do nothing 3 asked they

,
c an .

N truly quoth h Nothing that is good for

o, ,
’
s e .

anything But I read and write and w I have

. can se .

some skill w ith my needle and a little on my lute , .

But this I see w ill not p fi t me ro

’

Good Lord cried t h ey Are you book learned

.
, ,

-
.

W never yet heard of a serving maid w h could

e -
o

read and w rite ! Yet although you can do nothing ,

else you may perchance get a situation if you behave

,

yourself seemly .
’

Seeing you are book—learned said one of them

‘
,
’

prithee w ill you do much as to read a love letter so

I have had sent to me ? I took it to a friend to

read but he w not at home so I know not what
,
as ,

is in i t .
’

Let me see i t and I will tell you said Margaret , ,

’
.

There w ith she began to read the letter which was ,

as follows
0 Je n n y m y jo y, I di e for t h y ove , l
ha
A n d n ow I e r s a y dos re move th t th u t
th a th
a o

And e re fore , Je n n , I r

Wh hall t th
y p y e e s a
y,
ere s I me e ee , de r, on e da
y ? a
47
 Some O ld Eng/zkn W or t ni es
F or w h y , w i th
m y m s e r n o m ore w i I s ay, at ll t
l
B u t for t h y ov e I w i run w a y : ll a
0 Je n n y , s w e e Je n n y, i m t i th t a
That th l lt h
ou
g ves e p n ,

ou n o o n e r w i e re re m a i n
g .

ll a
I w i w e r ou t m y s oe s o f n e t s le a t h erfi h a ’ “
th ll a a th
-

B ut ou a n d I w i
g i n m ee t g
o e e r, t
t F t
A n d i n s p i e o f o r u n e , R a t , or M o u s e ,
ll ll t t h
W e w i dw e oge h e r i n on e ou s e .

th
F or w h o do t th n o t e s e e m of

h lt h
ee

S a s e rvi ce don e of me
Th h
a ve n o .

a
e re fore ,
J a o od
g en n
y, av e c re

t agm t at h fai
T o m e e p oo r F r en t e r.
’

‘
Now alas ! poor soul quoth J enny I thi k
, .
‘
n

he is the ki dest young man in the world

n

Surely it appeareth that he hath a pretty wit

,

said her companio H w fi ly hath he written his n . o ne

letter in rhyme Prithee let me have a copy to send

to my sweetheart and I will give you somethi g , n

good ! ’

‘
You shall have it w ith all my heart ! w the ’
as

ans w er .

S laughing and chatting they arrived at the fair

o, , ,

where they took up their stand After a while am e . c

Goodwife Gray of Gloucester to make up her store ,

of household stu ff When h had bought what h . s e s e

wanted h told a friend that she w in great need

,
s e as

of a maid servant or two

-
.

‘
There fore h added pray you good neigh
,
’
s e ,
‘
,

bour g with me and let me have your opinion

,
o .
’

‘
Willingly said her friend ; d together they
,
’
an

went and looked over the maidens Goodwife Gray ,

taking special note of Margaret .

48
 Tn Six W e ort éy Y eomen of fn e West
Believe me said she there standeth a proper ,
’

,
‘

maid of a most modest and comely countenance .

’

I truth so she is agreed her friend As goodly ’

n , ,
.

a maid as ever I saw .

’

Margaret perceiving that they looked so much at

,

her was abashed and the living scarlet overspread

, ,

her lily w hite che ks ; at w hich the w o m en seeing

-
c ,

her blushes came to her and asked if she were willi g

,
n

to take service The maid w ith a low curtsy and .

,

most gentle speech replied that to do w the sole ,

so as

reason for her co m ing .

Can you spin or card P said Good w ife Gray ,

.

Truly dame answered she though my skill

‘
, ,
’

,
‘

therein be small my willingness to learn is great , ,

and I trust my diligence w ill please you .

’

What wages will you take ? asked Goodwife

‘ ’

Gray .

That I leave to your conscience and courtesy

‘
,

desiring no more than what I shall de erve said s ,

’

Margaret gently Then the goodwife asking her of .

,

w hat county she came she wept she answered ,

as

Ah good dame I was untimely born in Shropshire

, , ,

of poor parents w h were yet not so eedy as ,

o n

unfortunate But death hath ended their sorrows

.
,

an d I m left to the cruelty of the e envious times

a s ,

to fi i h my parents tragedy with m y trouble

n s
’
.
’

What maiden be of good cheer quoth the

‘
, ,

k indly dame H ave a care to do your duty and live

.

i n the fear of God and you shall have o cause to ,

n

regard fortune s frown ’

.
’

S they went home together and as soon as th

o , e

goodman w Margaret he asked his wife where she

sa ,

h d got that maiden She told him at the fair

a . .

Why then quoth h thou hast brought all

‘
, ,
’
e,
‘

D 49
 Some O ld Eng/zlt n W ort nz er
'

the fair away and I doubt it were better for to send

, us

the fair to another town than to keep the fair here

Why man w hat do you mean by that
, ,

demanded h i wife s .

Woman said h I mean thi that she will prove

,
’
e, s,

a lodestone to draw the hearts of all my men after her

and shall we have W i e service done on all sides
,
’
so s .

‘
I hope husband that Margaret will have better
, ,

care both of her reputation and our business than to

do the goodwi fe returned Let her alone to look
s o,
’
.

to such matters .
’

‘
Is thy name M g t ? Gray asked turning a r a re
’

to the maid T h is thy name well suited to thy

.
‘
cn

person for thou art a pearl indeed orient and rich in

, ,

beauty .
’

H earing this his w ife began to change her pinion

,
O .

Aha quoth h What husband sits the s e .

, ,

wind in that quarter ? Do you already begin to like

your maid well ? I doubt I shall hav e the mos t
so

need to look to yourself Before God I had rathe ,

r

have chosen some other than such an angel But hea r

you maid you shall pack hence I W ill not nourish

.

, ,

a snake i my bosom Get you gone ! I w ill hav

n . e

none of you G and get service where you can

. o,
‘
O h sweet dame be not so cruel as to turn m
, , e

out of doors now e treated Margaret falling on n ,

her knees Alas I know not where to g

. o, n or

what to do if you forsake m e O h let not the fading

, .
,

beauty of my face lose me your favour Rathe r

than that should hinder my service I would dis ,

figu re it with this knife of mine and banish beauty ,

as my greatest ene my .
’

There her tears silence d her so that h coul d ,

s e

Note J .

5 0
Té e Six W ort ny Yeomen of fn e West
not utter another w ord A t this piteous sight the .

goodwife ould harbour resent m ent no longer nor

c ,

could her husband for weeping stay in the room , , .

Well Margaret said her mistress (little knowing

, ,
’

that an earl s daughter knelt before her) behave

’

,
‘

thyself seemly and I will keep thee and thou shalt ,

have my good will if thou govern thyself wisely ’

Then s h e sent her about her work and presently

.

her husband coming in to supper said to her

H w now W ife ! Art thou
, ,
‘
o doubtful of me
,
so

that thou hast sent away thy maiden

‘
You are a wise man I w een quoth she thus , ,
’

,
‘

to sta d praising a girl s beauty before her face

n
’

And you are a w i e woman to grow j ealous s ,

without a reason retorted h e .

Then they went to supper ; and because Margaret

showed herself to be of fi d manners above all re ne

the rest she w appointed to w ait at table It mu t

,
as . s

be said by the w y that Gray never ate his meat

,
a ,

alone but always had some of his neighbours with

,

him before whom he called his maid saying ,

Margar e t come hither ,

There w in the house another of the same name

as ,

and h answered his call

s e .

‘
Nay said h ; I called you not but Margaret
,
’
e
‘
,

of the lily white hands -

.
’

And always after that the maid went by the name

of Margaret of the White H ands .
’

H aw z lze K zng r M ajes ty l l

'
’
ren t
f or ti e
C lot /z zerr, a n d
f i
‘

o t e

s un dry F ‘
a vaurr lze conf erred on t /zem

K ing H enry providing for his expedit on nto i 1

F rance [ 6] against King Louis and Duke Rob rt

1 10
,

e
 Some 014 Eng/i s n W ort é i er
of Normandy his own brother committed the
, ,

government of the realm during his absence to the

*
Bishop of Salisbury a man of great wisdom and ,

learning whom the King esteemed highly This

, .

don e he thought fi t to send for the chief clothiers

,

of England who came to Court at his appointment

, .

When they w ere come into his Maj esty s pr e sence ’

he spoke to them to this e ffect

The strength of a king lieth in the love and
‘

friendship of his people and he that ruleth with ,

ju tice and mercy doth govern his realm most surely

s .

“
H whom many fear ought to fear
e ,
.

therefore the governors of the commonwealth ought

to observe two special precepts The fi t is so to . rs ,

maintain the w elfare of the commons that whatso

ever they do in their calling they refer it thereto , .

The other to b e as careful of the whole common

,

wealth as of any part thereof ; lest while they ,

uphold the one the other be brought to utter decay

, .

And forasmuch as I understand and have partly ,

seen that you the clothiers of England ar e of no

, , ,

small b fi t to the public wealth I thought it good

en e ,

to know from your w mouths if there be anything o n

not yet granted which may b fi t you or anything en e ,

to be r e moved which doth hurt you The great .

desire I have to uphold you in your trade hath

moved me to t his Therefore say boldly what you.

would have and I will grant it to you

,
.
’

With that they all fell on their knees and desired

God to save his Majesty They then asked three days .
’

respite to consider their answer which w granted ,

as

and they departed .

f M a lt a: t i mere debet , guem multi t imen t .

—
P blili u us S yrus .

5 2
 SOld En g/zifn W ort h er
ome
‘
This measur e shall be called a y dfi and no ar
‘

other measure shall be used for the same throughout

the realm of England B y this shall men b y and . u

sell and w will so provide that who oever b t h

,
e s a u se

our subjects by any false measure shall not only pay

a fi for the same to the King but shall also be
ne ,

punished in his own person by impri onment Con s

—
.

cerning the second point of your petition cracked

money—because of my instant departure out of the
land I know no better w y to ase you than to make a c

this decree ; that as they account cracked money

not current I y none shall pass current save
, sa ,

cracked money ! Therefore I will give orders that

all the money throughout the realm shall be slit and ,

so you will not su ffer further loss But now for your .

last request for the town of H alifax where your

, ,

cloth is so often stolen by thieves Since the laws .

already provided to meet the case are not ffi i t su c en

to keep men in awe it is indeed high time to have ,

sharper punishment for them .

’

H er e H dg k i o was rude enough to interrupt

e ns .

‘
Gude faith my liege said h in his broad
, ,
’
e,

north country spee h may t foul fi d have my

-
c ,
‘ ’
en

soul if y t h i g w ill keep them quiet till the carles

on n

be hanged by t necks ! What the d e vil care they

’

for boring out their een lang they may gae , s ae as

groping up and down t t like fause worthless ’

c ou n ra,

loons begging and croaking

,
“
Content thee H dg k i ! said the King
,
o e ns
’
,

smiling at the rough he w n fello w s words We will

-
’
.

have redress for all ; and though hanging w never as

seen in England y t since the corrupt world is

,
e ,

grown more bold in wickedness I think it not amiss ,

54
Tfi Six W e ort n
y Y eomen of M e West
to ordain this death for all malefactors ; and peculi
arly to the town of H alifax give I this privilege that ,

whosoever shall be found stealing cloth if they be ,

taken with the goods upon them they shall without ,

further trial be Thus I have granted what

,

you desired and if hereafter you fi d any other,

n

thing which may be of advantage to you it shall ,

be done I would wish to live among you no longer

.

than whilst I care for the good of the common

wealth .
’

With these words th e King arose from h i royal s

throne and bo w e d to the clothiers w h on their ,

o,

knees prayed for his health and success and showed

, ,

themselves most grateful for his favour ; for which

the King kindly said that on his return hom e again
he would by God s grace visit them
,
’

, .

H ow C lot/z zers rov ided

t /ze
’

p
s um t u ous F ea s t
f or line a p
K zng s S on s , P rin ce Wzllzn m a n d P rin ce R ooerz , a t
’ ’
’ ‘

Gern rd r H a ll J /z ow zng a ls o w /za z oefell Cut/z oert

’
‘

f
o K en da l a t t i e s a me Time l
The clothiers left the Court in a merry mood ,

joyful at their success each praising and magnifying ,

the King s great wisdo m d virtue commending

’
an ,

also h i fl b i li t y and gentle ess of disposition

s a
‘

a n .

H dg k i
o in particular ffi m d on his oath that
e n s, ,
a r e

he would rather speak to the King s Maj esty than ’

to many justices of the peace .

Indeed said Cole he i a most mild and me ci

’

, , s r

ful prince and I pray God he may long reign over

,

us To whi h the others responded Amen

.
’
c

M y masters said Cole then shall w forget

‘ ’ ‘
, , e

Note M .
the great courtesy of the King s son those sweet ’
s,

and gentle princes who w ith su h kindness assisted c

us in our suit In my opinion we ought to entertain

them some w y lest we be judged ungrateful ;
1n a ,

wherefore (i f you think good ) let prepare a us

banquet for them at our host Gerard s w h as you ’

,
o,

know b ath a fair house and goodly rooms The

, .

man himself moreover is brave and of good b

, , e

haviour worthy to entertain princes H i wife too

, . s , ,

is a dainty fi cook ; all which considered I kno w

ne ,

not a fi t t place in Lo don er n .

’

That is true agreed Sutton If the rest be

‘
,
’
.
‘

content I m pleased it should be

,
a so .
’

To this they all answered yes adding that it ,

would not cost above forty shillings apiece whi h ,

c

they would recover in their cracked money The .

feast w therefore prepared To Tom Dove w

as , , . as

left the ordering of the music .

N w Tom Dove had all the fi ddl

o at his beck e rs

and call They followed him up and down the ity

. c

as diligently as little chicks after a hen A t that time .

there lived in London a musician of great repute ,

named R j fi who kept his servants in such co tly

e or
"
s

garments that they w ere fi t to appear be fore y an

prince Their coats were all of one colour and it is

.
,

said that the nobility of this land noting it a ,

as

seemly sight used afterwards in the same w y to

, ,
a ,

keep their men all in one li y l This R j w v er r

“
e or as

the most skilful musician living at that time and ,

his wealth w enormous All the instruments upon

as .

whi h his servants played w ere richly decorated

c

W ith silver and some with gold The bows of their

, .

No te N
.
Tn Six W
o ort n
y Y eomen o
f t ne Wef t
violins were of pure silver F his wisdom he w . or as

besides called to great ffi in the city where at

o ce , ,

his w cost he built the Priory and H ospital of

o n ,

S t Bartholomew s in S m i t h fi ld H i servants being

’
e . s ,

the best players in the city were appointed by Tom ,

Dove to play before the young prin es at the c

banquet * .

‘
I w ill invite several of our merchants and their
wive to the feast then said Cole
s ,
’
.

That is well thought f said Gray Upon whicho ,

’
.

they called their host and hostess who willingly ,

promised to have all thi gs ready ; but the good n

wife asked for two days in which to prepare her

house and other matters .

Co tent said the clothiers In the meantime we

n ,
’
.

will invite our guests and despatch our other a ffair s .

’

‘
Above all do not forget to make good store of
,

pottage Simon of Southampton charged his hoste s s .

It shall be done laughed she .

Whilst all these preparations were in hand ,

Cuthbert of Kendal had not forgotten his affe tion c

for his hostess of Bosom s Inn Choo ing a ’

i . s c on v e n

ent time when her husband w overseeing his hay as

makers he went and greeted her thus

,
‘
Sweet hostes though the last time I w in
s, as

town I was over bold with you yet I hope it was

-

not as o ffensive to you as you pretended .

’

‘
Bold my Cuthbert ? quoth she You have
,
’
.
‘

vowed yourself my servant and therefore are not ,

to blame for doing w hat I willed you to do B y .

my honesty ! I could not help smiling to myself ,

as soon as I was out of their sight to think how ,

prettily you began to brabble

H ere follows the passage omitted from page —Ed 42 . .

57
 Some O ld Englz rn W ort ni er
'

‘
But now said h now we will change our ,
’
e,
‘

chidings to kis e It t h me that these cherry

s s . v e xe

lips should be subject to such a lobcock as your *

husband .
’

‘
Subject to him quoth she In faith i no ! .
, s r,

I will have as much liberty for my lips as for my

to gue the one to say what I list the other to
n , ,

touch whom I lik e In truth Cuthbert I tell you .

, , ,

the churl s breath is so strong that I care as much

’

for kissing him as for looking at him ! F i upon e

him ! I would that my friends had carried m e to

my grave ere they went with m to church to
,
e

mak e him my husband

There shedding a few dissembling t e ars she
, ,

paused .

What my sweet mistress said Cuthbert tend e rly

, .

‘
Do you weep ? Nay i t down by my side and I ,
s ,

w ill sing you one of my country jigs to make you ,

merry .
’

Will you in truth P quoth she Then if you

, .
‘
,

fall singing I will sing with you

a -

,
.
’

‘
It is well you can suddenly change your so

note said Cuthbert N w have at i t . o , .

’

C T E T Lo g h a
HB R Il d th i b l a
hw h m
ss
U .
y n ve ove s on n

Y t du t
’
n ot s t
Th i y p y l
e rs o e sa e.
‘
f I
b l am
e re n ou rov e ou rs e an a s s

Iw h m ‘
as t ore t o

till wi ll I mai th
e e.

Y et s re n to ee

( T di ll d di ll
y )l t ra n
d l tl y
o,
g y g ra n

Th y f i d
’

Th u t my w w t b ll y
r en an ov e r s ecre

H S TE SS
.

‘
O . o ar o n s ee u .

My h b a d h i g f m h m
ll
us n e s on e ro o e,
’
Y o u k n ow i t ver
y w e .

5 8
Tn Six W
o ort eomen of t b W est
n
y Y e

CU T H B ER T ‘
h ll t a a
B u t w en w i h e re urn g in ? ’

HO S TE SS t ut h a t t ll
.

In r Ic nno e
.

l ht
If on g h e k ee p h i m ou t o f s i g
1
.

Trong di lly do, t ra ng di lly

( )
B e s u re th h a l t h a at l h t de i
’

Th u la
ou s ve
g re
g .

CU TH E T B R . o art m
y b on n
y ssie

Whilst they were singing this song O ld Bosom ,

unexpectedly returning stood secretly in a corn e r ,

and heard all .

O h abominable dissimulation he cried blessing

0

, ,

himself with both hands O h monstrous hypocrisy .

,

Are you in this humour ? Can you brawl together ,

and sing together ? Well h e added to himself I ,

’

,
‘

will let them alone to see a little more of their ,

knavery Never did cat watch mouse so narrowly

.

as I will watch them .

’

Then going noisily into the kitchen he asked h i

, ,
s

wife if it w ere not supper time -

.

B y and b y husband the meat will be ready

‘ ’
- -

, , ,

quoth h s e .

Immediately afterwards H dg k i and Martin o e ns

came in and asked for Cuthbert of Kendal They .

were told he was in his chamber ; when they s o,

had called him they went to dinner and requested , ,

their host and hostess to i t do w n with them s .

H usband said she you may g if you please

’ ‘
, ,
o, .

But as for m I k to be excused e, as .

’

‘
Nay said h ,
’
G p good wife ! What e .
‘
o u , ,

woman ! you must bear with your guests !

‘
Why husband quoth she do you think any
, ,
’

,
‘
'

woman can bear the gibes and fl t which that ur s

fl‘

northern tyke gave me the last time he w in as

town ? Now God forgive m I had as lief see the e,

 Some O ld Eng/irn W ort nz er
'

devil as see him ! Therefore good husband g up , ,

o

yourself and let me alone for i faith I shall never ’

again abide that knave W hilst I live

,
’
.

Upon these w ords away went her husband ; and ,

though he said little he thought the more When , .

he came p his guests made him welcome

u , .

‘
Prithee sit down good host said they But ’ ‘

where is your W ife Will h not i t with

.
, ,

s e s us
‘
No verily he returned The foolish woma
, ,
’
.
‘
n

hath taken such a dislike to Cuthbert that she

swears she W ill never come into his company .
’

‘
Is that ? said Cuthbert Then trust me w
so
’
.
‘
,
e

are well agreed and I swear by my father s soul that ’

were it not for good will to you rather than love for
h e r I would never come to your house again
,
.
’

‘
I believe it said O ld Bosom ; and turning so,

to other things they passed the time until dinner ,

was ended After they were risen from table Martin

.
,

and H dg k i went about their business ; but

o e ns

Cuthbert took his host by the hand saying Mine ,

:

host I ll g and talk w ith your wife F my part I

,
’
o . or ,

thought we were friends but seeing her pride is so

high and her heart so great I will see what sh e ,

will say to me .
’

With that he stepped into th e kitchen crying ,

God sp e ed you hostess ,

It must be when y are away then quot h ou ,

What do you mean by that asked h e .

Why she answered God never cometh when

‘
,
’

,
‘

knav s are presente .

’

Gip good draggletail said h If I had such e

—
.
,

a wife you I would present her tallow face to th e

as ,

devil for a candle

 Why mine host what need have you to be so
‘
, ,

hot ? asked Cuthbert I gave a cheese to my

’
.
‘

countryman H dg k i to lay p and delivered it

,
o e n s, u ,

to your wife to be kept Is it then unreasonable that .

she should come with me to seek my cheese 3

O h sneered the old man Belike the door
‘
.
‘

w locked le t the cheese would run away 3

as s

The door clapped to of itsel f unknown to

‘
, us ,

said his wife and having a spring lock was at onc e

,

made fast .
’

Well hussy said h I will give you as much

‘
, ,
’
e,

credit as a crocodile but as for your companion ,

I ll teach him to come hither looking for cheeses

’

With that he bade his men seize Cuthbert and

bind him hand and foot This done they drew him .
,

up in a basket to w ards the smoked beams of the hall

ceiling and there let him hang all night until
, ,

dinner time next day when he should have been

-

at the banquet with the princes But neither .

H dg k io nor Marti could persuade their enraged

e ns n

host to let him down In such a heat w O ld Bosom . as

with drawing up the basket that he was fain to cast ,

o ff his gowns his coats and two pairs of stockings

, , ,

to cool himself and he made a vow that Cuthber t

should hang there seven years unless the King s ’

s on came in person to beg him il When Cole and o .

the rest of the western yeomen heard this they ,

could not help laughing to think h w Cuthbert w ,

o as

caught .

The young princes having promised to dine wit h ,

the l t h i f were punctual to the hour appointed

c o e rs ,
*~
.

But when all the rest went to e tertain them Simon n ,

w so busily supping pottage that he could t

as no

1 A G erard s H all
’
t
'

.
spare the time Seeing this the princes laughed and
.
, ,

said Sup Simon Tis good broth ,

.
’

O else beshrew our hostess ! quoth h never

‘ ’
r e,

looking behind him to see w h spoke until the o ,

prince clapt h i m on the shoulder Then good Lord !

h ow blank he looked not knowing how to excuse
.
,

himself !
After the banqu e t Gerard with one hand took ,

the table ( sixteen feet long) quite ff the ground o ,

over their heads and t it on the other side of the,

se

hall to the great admiration of all w h beheld this

,
o

feat .

The princes being ready to depart the clothiers ,

begged them je tingly to be good to one of their

,
s ,

number w h neither sat lay nor stood

o , , .

Then he must needs hang said the princes .

S he doth most excellent prin es returned the

o ,
c ,
’

others ; and forth w ith told them the whole story .

When they had heard i t away went the princes ,

to Bosom s Inn ; and there looking up to the

’

rafters they espied poor Cuthbert slung up in a

,

basket and so early smoked to death that although

n ,

he w greatly ashamed he piteously desired them

as ,

to have him released .

What is his trespass 3 asked the princes .

‘
Nothing if it please your Graces returned
, ,
’

Cuthbert Nothing at all beyond looking for a

.
‘
,

cheese ! ’

Which he could not fi d without my wife said n

the goodman The villain had just dined on mutto

. n ,

and could not digest his m eat without cheese ; I so

have made him fast these twenty hours that he may ,

have better appetite for his next meal .

’

‘
Let me entreat you to releas e him said t h ,
’
e

63
 O ld Eng/i rn Warth og
S07726 “

Prince If you ever again fi d him in the corn clap

. n ,

him into the pound

Your Grace shall command me in anything said ,
’

the old man .

S o Cuthbert w let down and unbound but

as

when he was free he vowed never to come into that

house agai It is said the old m Bosom ordained
n . an

that in remembrance of this dee d once every year all ,

who ca m e to ask for cheeses should be served in the

same w y ; a custom w hich is kept up to this day
a .

H ow Si mon s
’
W572 of S ouz lza mp t on
,
bei ‘
n
g w /z olly oen t on P r ide

a n d P lea s ure, re ues t ed lzer H us ba n d t o t a ke /zer t o

q
s ee L on don w b z o/z oezn
gg ra n t ed, Iow r/z e
’

g ot Good z
u t t on o S a lzlcon r t o o w zt/z ft er w lz o a ls o t ook
’ ’

wg fe S f y g ,

lz er M a n , Craz e H ow lze p rop /zerlea ma ny t il ing;

’
.

When the clothiers returned from London ,

Simon s wife w h w always very merry and

’

,
o as

pleasant with her husband thus spake her mind to

h im ,

Good Lord husband will you never be so kind

, ,

as to let m g to London w ith y 3 Must I for ever

e o ou

be pent up in Southampton like a parrot in a cage ,

or a hen i a coop ? F all my trouble and care I

n or

w ould ask no more of you than to have a week in

w hich to see that fair ity What is life if it be not
c .
,

mixed with some enj oyment ? And what enjoyment

is more pleasant than to see the manners and fashions
of places unknown 3Therefore good husband if you , ,

love me deny not this simple request You know I

,
.

am no habitual gadabout nor have I often troubled ,

you to travel God knoweth this may be the last

.

thing I shall ever ask of you !

64
 Wo m an q oth h I would willingly satisfy
‘
,
’
u e,
‘

your desire but you know it is not convenient for

,

both of to be away O ur expenses are so great

us .
,

and therefore our carefulness should not be small If .

you will g yourself one of my men shall

o m ,
acco

pa y you and you shall h ave plenty of mone y in

n

—
,

your purse But to g with you myself you see my

. o

bu iness will not permit me

s .
’

H usband said h I accept your gentle o ffer

’ ‘
,
s e, ,

and it may be I shall persuade my gossip Sutton to

go along with me .
’

I shall be glad said her husband Prepare

‘
,
’
.
‘

yourself to g when you please o .

’

H aving thus obtained his permission she sent her ,

man Weasel to Salisbury to ask if Goodwife Sutton

would accompany her to London Sutton s wife being .
’

as ready to g h was to ask never rested until

o as s e ,

she got leave of her husband Then h bethought . s e

herself their pleasure would be mall being but two s , ,

so th wily woman sent letters by choleric Crab her

e ,

m an both to Gray s w ife and Dame F i t ll bid ’

z a en

ding t h em meet at Reading This they did pleased

, ,

.
,

with the j aunt ; and from Reading the y all w ent

t ogether with Cole s w ife and their respective men
’

servants to London w here each lodged with a

, ,

friend .

When the merchants of London heard that they

w ere in tow they invited them every day to their
n,

own houses where they had delicate good cheer ;

,

an d w hen they we t abroad to see the sights t h n ,

e

merchants w ives bore them company attired

’

,
so

daintily that the lothiers wives fretted because they c

’

had not the like fi things to wear ne .

When they were taken to Cheapside there with ,

13 65
 Some O ld En g/zkn W ort ni er
great wonder they beheld the shops of the gold
smiths one side d on the other the w ealthy
on an

mercer whose shops glowed w it h all sorts of coloured

,

s,

silks In W atling Street they Viewed the great

.

number of drapers ; in S t Martin s shoemakers ; at ’

S t Nicholas Church the fles h shambles ; at the end

,

of the old Change the fi h m g ’

in Candlewick
,
s on e rs

Stre e tfi the weavers Then they came into the

‘
.

Jewish quarter and thence to Blackwell h llq w here

,
-
a
L

the country clothiers used to meet After w ards they .

proceeded to S t Paul s Church w hose steeple was ’

so

h igh that it seemed to pierce the clouds O the top ,

. n

w as a mighty weathercock of glistening silver which ,

on account of its height seemed no bigger than a ,

sparrow This same goodly weathercock was after

.

w ards stolen by a unning cripple w h found m eans

c ,
o ,

one night to climb up to the top of the steeple d

,
an

take down the vane ; with the proceeds of w hich ,

added to a great sum of money he had got togethe r

b y begging he built a gate on the north side of the

city w h ich to this day is called Cripplegate
,

F rom thence the sightseers went to the Tower of

.
,

London which w built by Juliu C sar Emperor f

as s a
e o

Rome There they saw salt and wine which h ad lain

, ,

there ever since the Romans invaded this country ,

w hich was many years before our Sa iour Christ w v as

born The wine had grown thick that it could

. so

have been cut like a jelly There also they saw t h . e

leather money which in ancient times passed urren t c

among the people .

H aving w ith great content beheld all this they ,

repaired to their lodgings where a sumptuous suppe ,

r

had been ordered .

66
Tn c W ort n
Szo eomen ti e West
e
y Y of
You must understand that when the country
w fi w h came up w ith their dames saw the
“
e a v e rs o ,

weavers of Candle w ick Street they greatly desired to ,

talk with them and thus began to challenge one ,

another s workman hip

’
s

I ll work W ith any one of you for a crown quoth

.

’ ’

W e asel Take me if you dare and he that makes

.
‘
, ,

his yard of cloth the soone t shall have the money s ,

.
’

Done with you though it w ere for ten crowns ,

w as the answer But we will make this bargain that .

,

each of shall w ind his w quill f

us o n .
’

Content said Weasel S they set to work . o

but Weasel lost and another of them took the matter ,

in hand H like w ise lost d the London weavers

. e ,
an

triumphed o er the countrymen at whom they v ,

jeered .

Alas poor fellows quoth they Your hearts are

, .

good but your hands are ill

, .
’

‘
Tush quoth another The fault was in their .
‘

leg Pray you friend were you not born at home 3

s , ,

Why do you ask 3 demanded Weasel .

‘
Because w the answer the biggest part of
,
’
as ,
‘

your leg is next to your shoe .

’

A t this Crab w h was of a choleric temp e r ,

o ,

chafed like a man of law at the bar and wagered ,

w ith them four crowns to two T h ey agreed and

, .
,

again set to work ; and Crab beat them all Thus .

were the London weavers nipped in the h e ad like

birds and had not a word to say
, .

‘
N w said Crab
o w, have lost nothing y u
’

,
‘
as e ,
o

have w nothing and because I know you cannot

on

be true weavers except you be good fellows too if ,

you will g with we will give you ale o us .

’

Weasel ,
C b,ra et c.
 Some O/ol Eng/z s n '
W ort ni er
'

Spoken like a good fello w and l i ke a weaver I

cried they all and ff they w ent to the sign of the o ,

Red Cross When they were sitting do w n and had

.

well drunk they began to talk merrily and to extol

,

Crab to the skies whilst Crab in his turn protested , ,

that he would come and dwell amo g them n .

Nay that must not b said a London weaver

‘
,
e,
’
.

‘
The King hath given the privilege that none us

shall live among but su h as have served seven us c

years in London .
’

With that Crab who w wont to prophesy sang ,

as ,

the following
Th d y i a at h a d
Wh a h k i g f th i fai l a d
e a s v er ne r n
y
s t

S h a ll p i i l g y tha ;
ere e n o s r n

m
Th w a hall i a l t g
r v e e ou ore n so

en e v ers s n sc r e o,

A d b th h d b b ugh t
t o on e
that i i L d w gh t
n ro er oo e ro ,

Th fi rs t

W h th t ad m b y y fam
e s n on on rou ,

S h all t all d h am
en o er r es en ou r e

cov e to o t e s e.

Th h all y all li w d w ll
B t thi th i g I h all y t ll
en s ou ve on ro u s e .

T h d y w i ll
u s on e n s ou e

m b f h D m e ore t

I Ca dl wi k S t t hall ta d l m
e a co e, e oo ,

n n e c re e s s n no oo ,

N w a dw ll i t h
th t h all m
or an
y g e ver e n ere ,

B mut di t b a ;
l thi g hall b d y d d
en a s ore cre e r

F
that that t a
or c o n s e s ore e ca e ,

A d m n d en u n on e u se r e.

A dy h d y et t m m hall
Th i t ad agai h all ai d b ;
n e a so e en s s e e,

Wh a b i liff f S a m t w
s r e n s r se e

S h all b y d pu h Bi h p d w
e re s a s o ru o n

u an rc ase s o s o n.

68
 S ome O /n Eng/zkn’
W ort h er
A n d men s hall
i t mi ck e s m e t l ha
th t
co u n

To h ear k i n d o f w e v e r s n me ;
’
a a
th hall
a

An d i s a s s ure s co m e t o a
h
A s ere i s a le w i i n is g ss
p s
’
s

th th l a .

When the silly souls w h t round heard Crab o sa

speak thus they wondered at i t and honoured him

, ,

for the same .

Why my masters do you w onder at these words 3

, ,

asked Weasel H can tell you twenty such tal e s

. e ,

for which cause w call him our Canvas Prophet e .

’

H i attire fi t his title said they As for his

‘ ’
‘
s s , .

words we never in our lives heard the like If they

, .

should be true it would be strange , .

’

Doubt not but that it will be true said Weasel ,

’
.

‘
I tell you what he once saw our Nick kiss Nell
, ,

and presently he poured out this rhyme

Th at k i 0 N ll G d ga t h j y
W i ll i m th h b i g th
s s, e ,
o ve ee o ,

n ne ab y on s e n ce rn ee o

and it fell out even as he said

Soon afterwards they parted and went about their
business the London w eavers to their frames the
, ,

country fellows to their dames w h after th e ir ,

o,

feasting and merriment went home with less money ,

than they brought away yet with more pride , .

Simon s wife in particular told the rest of her

’

gossips that she w no reason w h y their h usbands

, ,

sa

should not maintain them as well as the merchants

did their wives .

I tell you what quoth she w are ( to my

‘
,
’

,
‘
e

thinking) s proper women as the proudest of them

a ,

as handsome of person as fair of face our limbs as , ,

well made and our feet as fi Why then what ne .

, ,
Tn Six W e ort éy Y eomen f
o t ne West
—
reaso n is there seeing our husbands are as w ealthy
—
as theirs w e should not be as well provided 3
You say truly gossip declared Sutton s wife , ,
’ ’
.

‘
Trust me it made me blush to see them brave it
,

out so gallantly and w to g so homely ,

e o .
’

Before God I will hav e my husband buy me a

‘
,

London gown or in faith he shall have little peace

,

cried one .

S shall mine o aid another s .

Mine too chimed in a third ; and all of them

sang the same tune so that their husbands h d small ,
a

rest e pecially Simon whose wife bothered him

,
s ,

daily for London apparel .

Good woman be content w his reply Let , ,

’
as . us

g according
o to our station and means What w ill .

the baili ff s think if I prank you up like a peacock ,

and you in your attire surpass their wives ? Either

they would think me mad or that I have more
money tha I know what to do wit h l I pray you
,

n ,

dear wife consider that such as spend in their youth

,

do prove in their age stark beggars Besides that it .

,

would be enough to raise m in the King s b k fi for e

’
oo
"

men s co ffers are often judged by their lothes We

’
c .

are cou try folk and mu t keep ourselves as such

n s .

Grey rus et 1 and good homespun best become

s
~
us .

I t ll you w ife it were

e un eemly for to dress
, , as s us

like Londoners as it is for Londoners to g like o

court ers i .
’

What a coil you are making said she Are w . e

not God s creatures as w ell Londoners and the

’
as ,

King s subjects as w ell as they 3 O ur w ealth i equal

’
s

to theirs w h y then should w not g as gay

,
e o as

Londoners 3N husband no here lieth the fault o, , ,

 Some O ld En g/zlrn W ont ni es
we are kept poor because our husbands are less kind
than London men Why a obbler there keepeth h i .
,
c s

wife better than doth the richest clothier here N y a

—
,

I w ear that the London oyster w ives and the very

s

kitchen stu ff criers excel in their Sunday lothes

-
us c .

M ore than that I saw the wife of the water bearer ,

-

of j f our merchants ome in with a tankard of

on e o c

water on —
her shoulder and half dozen gold rings ,
a -

on her fi g n e rs .
’

‘
Then think wife that she got them not with , ,

idleness said Simon You must remember that

,
’
.
‘

London is the chief city in the land a place on ,

w hich all strangers cast their eyes the King ’

,
s

dwelling—place and royal seat To that city repair all .

nations under heaven Therefore it is meet that the .

citizens of such a town should g not like peasant o, s

in their attire but for the credit of our ountry w ear

,
c

such seemly habit as arry gravity and comeliness in s c

the eyes of all beholders .

’

‘
But if w of the country went likewise were
e ,

it not as much to the credit of England 3 argued ’

sh e .

‘
Woman it is quite unnecessary and in divers
, ,

respects it cannot b said h e,

’
e .

Why then I pray you let

, g and d w ell i us o n

London quoth she .

‘
Easily said he answered but not easily,
’

,
‘
so

performed therefore I beg you cease prating wife

, , ,

for your talk is foolish .

’

Yea yea husband cried h Your old churli h

, ,
s e . s

conditions w ill never be altered ! You keep me here

like a drudge and long as your money stays in
,
so

your purse tis little you care for your redit ! B ut

,
’
c

before I ll any longer g like a shepherdes I ll g

’
o s,
’
o
 Tn Six W
o ort n
y Y eom n of fn e e West
naked I tell you plain I scorn it that you should
.
,

clap a grey gown on my back as if I had not brought

you twopence Before I w married you swore I . as

should have anything I asked but that is all forgotte ,

n

now I ’

S saying she went i

o and soon afterwards became
,
n,

so ill that h had to g to bed That night she lay

s e o .

groaning sighing and sobbing w ithout re t and in

, , ,
s ,

the morning when she tried to rise the good soul

, ,

fell down in a swoon which alarmed her maidens ,

w h ran down to their master crying

o Alas ! alas
—
,

our dame is dead our dame is dead !

The goodman hearing thi ran p in all haste ,
s, u ,

and fell to rubbing and h fi g her temples sending c a n ,

for o it and saying Ah m y weetheart speak

n ne v ae , , s ,

to m Good wife ! Ala k alack ! Call in the

e . c ,

neighbours you queans ,

.
’

But at that she rai ed her head drew a deep s ,

breath and immediately swooned again H had . e

much ado to restore her but at last h came to ,

s e

her elf
s .

H w are you now w ife 3 he asked her then

’
o , .

‘
What will you have 3 F God s sake tell m ! or
’
e

Whatever you have a mind to you shall have , .

’

Away di se m bler she murmured H w can I

,
s . o

believe you ? You have said as m uch a hundred

times and then deceived me It is your hurlishness c

Which hath killed me Never was woman mated with

.
,

so unkind a man
N y goodwife blame me not w ithout cause God
a , ,

knoweth how heartily I love you I

Love me 3 quoth she No no you never loved
me but wit h the tip of your tongue I dare swear
.
, ,

you desire nothing so mu h as my death and for m y c ,

73
 Some O/n Eng/z rn Worth “
'
’

part I would to God you had your wish ! Yet be

c ontent I shall not trouble you long .
’

And with that h sighed and groaned and s e ,

s w ooned again .

Simo w much grieved but soon as they

n as , as

had restored her he said O h my dear wife if any , ,

bad co eit hath caused this illness let me kno w i t ;

nc ,

or if you know anything which may cure you tell me ,

of i t and I protest you shall have i t though it cost

, ,

me all I possess .
’

‘
O h husband ! cried she h w
,
I believe ’

,
‘
o c an

you when you denied me a paltry suit of apparel ?

,
’

Wife you shall have clothes or anything else you

,

want if God will but send you health I said Simon

, .

Ah husband if I fi d you kind I shall think

, ,
n so

myself the happie t woman in the world said h s s e .

‘
Your words have greatly comforted my heart I .

think i f I had i t I could drink a good draught of

, ,

Rhenish wine and eat a morsel of chicken , .

’

I m glad of that said her husband

a .

Within a few days she w quite well ; but you as

are to understand that Simo w obliged to dress n as

her London wi e before he co ld keep her quiet ;

-
s ,
u

neither w ould it please her but that the tu ff were s

bought in Cheapside for out of Cheapside nothing ,

would ontent her were it never

c good If h ,
so . s e

thought a tailor not of Cheapside made her go w n ,

she would declare it to be quite spoilt .

She having thus got her w w y the other o n a ,

clothiers wives when they heard of i t would be

’

, ,

treated i like manner ; d ever afterwards the

n an

wive of Southampton Sali bury Gloucester

s ,
s , ,

Worcester and Reading were clad as gallantly and

,

fi neas any Londoner s wife ’

.

74
Tn Six Wo ort n
y Y eomen of M e West

H ow t/ze C lot/zzerr lz elp t o t lze K ing in F ra n ce, a n d

’

ren t

now lze ov erca me lz zr B rol/z er R ooert a n d orouglz t

'

z
i im t o Engla n d n n a i ow t /ze Clot /zlerr f ea s t ed In}
’
z
M njerty a n d i n} S on a t R ea ding

The King s Majesty being at w with F rance

’

,
ar

against Louis the F rench King d Duke Robert of an

Normandy ending to England for fresh supplies of

,
s

soldiers the clothiers at their w expense fi t t d out

,
o n e

a great number and sent them over to the King

with which fact Roger of Salisbury ( who governed
the realm in the King s ab ence ) acquainted his ’
s

Majesty by letters written in ommendation It came c .

to pass that God gave h i H ighnes the victory over s s

his enemies ; and H enry h aving taken his brother ,

p i fi j
r s on e royfully brought
"
h i m to England and
appointed that he should be kept in Cardi ff Castle ,

with the privilege of hunting and haw ki g where n

he pleased up and down the country In this way

, .

the Duke lived many years We shall speak more of .

him hereafter .

The King being home again after his winter s ,

’

rest made his summer progress into the w est country

to inspect the chief to wns The lothiers forthwith . c

made great preparations against h i oming because s c ,

he had promised to visit them all When therefore .

, ,

he came to Reading he w e tertained and received ,

as n

with great joy Thomas Cole being the chief man in

.

the town the King honoured h i house with his

, s

royal presence and w there with his sons and his

,
as ,

n obles richly feasted during his stay There too he

, .
, ,

saw the great number of people maintained in work

*Not c Y .

75
 Some O ld En g/zltn Worth “
by one m w hose hearty affection and regard for
an ,

h i Majesty w
s w ell shown both by t h eir manners
as

and their gifts to him With Cole himself the King .

was so prepo se sed and put such trust in him that

s s , ,

he set him in a position of great authority in the

town F urthermore the King aid that for the love
.
,
s

these people bore h i m living he would have his ,

bones laid amongst them when he was dead F . o r,

’

said h I know not where they may be better

e,
‘

bestowed until the blessed day of resurrection than ,

among these my good friends w h shall be happy ,

o

partakers of the same .

’

H therefore caused to be built a goodly and

e
*
famous abbey in which he might sho w his de
,

vo ti on to God by increasing H i service leaving an s ,

example to his successors to do the like Also he .

built w ithin the town a lordly castle w hi h w ,

c as

afterwards one of his chief residences and m which

h e often held his Court for as he told the clothiers ,
,

he found them such faithful subje ts that he would c

be their neighbour and dwell among t them s .

After his Maj esty s feasting at Readi g he pro ’

n

cee d d on his progress until he had visited the

e

whole of the western counties much delighted to ,

see the people so diligent about their business A t .

last he reached Salisbury where the Bishop re eived ,

c

him with great joy and w ith triumph attended him

,

to his palace where his H ighness lodged There

,
.

Sutton the lothier presented the King with a broad

c

cloth of exceedi g good work m anship of so fi a

n ,
ne

thread and so fair a colour that his Grace commended

it and it is said held it in such high estimation that
, ,

he had his state robes made of i t and the fi t ,

rs

7 6
delights d pastimes w ith w hich they entertained
an

him and his nobles would take too long to recount ,

therefore I will pa s them over to avoid tediousness

s .

Coasting along the country his Grace at last came ,

to Gloucester an ancient t y built by G l

,
a c1 ou e ,

British king w h named it after h i m lffi H ere h i

o se "
s

Majesty was enter t ained by Gray the lothier w h c ,

o

professed to be of that ancient family of Grays whose

founder issued from the old and honourable castle of
R ithi n The King who had in his company h i
.
,
s

brother ( and pri oner) Robert was most lavishly

s ,

treated H i Grace be i ng desirous to

s the maidens s ee

card and spin they W ere t to w ork Amongst them

.

,
se .

w as fair Margaret of the White H ands whose ,

beauty m ade such an impression upon the amorous

Duke ( f Normandy ) that he could not forget her
o .

So vehemently w his a ffection kindled that he as

could not rest until he had written to her and

revealed his state of mind But we shall speak of .

this elsewhere The King at h i departure to please

.
,
s ,

the townsfolk said he would make his,

Robert s on

their earl who thus became the fi t Earl of

,
rs

G lou c e s t e rxf '

The King next proceeded to Worcester w here

William F i t ll had made preparations to receive
,

z a en

him honourably This man himself of noble birth

.
, ,

w as in no need to be taught how to entertain his

Majesty H w descended from that famous family
. e as

whose patrimony lay about the town of O swestry ,

which town his predecessors had enclosed with

stately w alls of stone Although adverse fortu e had . n

grievously frowned on some of them that thei ,

so r

children were fain to become tradesmen whose hand s

1
‘

N t e o CC .

7 8
Tn Six W o ort n
y Y eomen of fne West
stood them instead of lands yet notwithstanding , ,

this God raised again the fame of William F i t ll

,
z a en ,

whose eldest H enry the King s godson after

s on ,
’

wards became Lord Mayor of London and the fi t ,

rs

mayor of that city ; in which capa ity he served c

—
twenty three years after which h i son Roger
,
s

suc eeded h i m fi
c "

The princely pleasures shown to the King i n

Wor ester were many and marvellous and nowhere

c ,

had he more delight than there ; for w hich he

showed himself at his departure grateful
, ,
.

H aving thus Viewed all his great to w ns in the

west and visited the clothiers during his progress
, ,

King H enry returned to London to the great joy of ,

h i people
s .

H ow H odgekin s f o Ha lifa x come to la in ed C ourt an d com p

l
t o t i e K zng t /zn t b is P riv i lege w a s w ort / n ot /z zng , z
z
oeoo ure w lz en t /zey ca ngi i a ny Ofi n der t ney cou ld n ot
g et a H a n ma n t o execu te ln m H ow
g F ria r de v is ed
'

. a
a Gin t o c/z o
f M en r H ea d: é i fi
’

p o t
y re

After H dg k i had obtained for the to w n of

o e ns

H alifax the privilege of hanging without further

trial su h thieves as stole their loth at night all
c c ,

the clothier of that town were exceedingly glad and

s ,

persuaded themselves that w their goods w ould be no

safe and there w no need to wat h them ;

as c so,

whereas before the town had maintained ertain c

watchmen to guard their cloth by night these w ere ,

now di missed as unnecessary F

s the worthy . or

citizens believed that fear of the penalty would keep

men from undertaking an enterprise so desperate ;
o
N te D D .

79
 Some Old En g/zkn W ort ni er
an indeed the e w s being spread throughout t h e
d n

ountry t h at all loth stealers w ere to be hanged if

,

c c -

caught made many of the m amend their way

,
s .

Nevertheless there w living at that time a

,
as

notorious thief named Wallace whom in the orth ,

n

they alled Mighty Wallace because of his valour

c ,

and strength Thi man when he heard of the . s ,

privilege granted by the King and of the to w n ,

’
s

fancied security aid he would venture his neck for

,
s

a pack of northern cloth H therefore approached . e

one or two of his companions and asked if they

would be partners in this enterprise ; for i f said ,

h they w ould hazard their bodies they should

e, ,

share the booty To this after much persuasion the.

, ,

men onsented Late one night they entered a

c .

farrier shop and called up the people of the house

’
s ,

wh asked what the foul fi d they wanted at that

o en

time of night .

Good fellows w w ould have you take fi our ,

e o
"

horses shoes and set them on again answered

’

,
’

Wallace You shall be w ell paid for your trouble

.
‘
.
’

The mith w at last prevailed upon to do

s as

thi and when he had taken ff all the shoes he

s, o

was ordered to put them on again hind side

before .

F y fay a he cried Are y all f l 3 What the e u es

—
.
,

deil do y want to break your crowns ? Gude fay

e ,

I tro w these men be mad

Not
‘
smith was the reply Do we bid
s o, ,
’
.
‘
as

y and
ou , you shall have your money It is an old .

p roverb
tt
B e i t for b e e r, or b e i t for w ors e,
la
P e s e y ou t h e m a n b e are t h e p urs e th at th .

80
Tn Six o Wan ny Yeomen ‘

of fé e West
Gude fay and so I will ! said the smith ; and
‘
,
’

forthwith did as he was told When all the horses .

were shod ff went the thieve to H alifax w here

o s

w it h out hindran e they loaded their steeds with

, , ,

c ,

cloth and departed in the opposite direction .

In the mor ing directly the clothiers ca m e to the

n ,

fi ld they found they had been robbed whereupon

e ,

one ran to tell the others the ne w s H dg k i as soon . o e n s,

as he heard i t rose up in haste and bade his neigh

,

bours look out for the footprints of m or of horses en

T h ey saw at once that horses had been there ; and

.

pursuing them by the track of their feet they ,

we t in the w ro g direction because the horses

n n

had been s h od backwards N t lly the pursuit was

,

. a u ra

i vain
n

Walla e e m ployed this ruse so often that eventually

c

he was taken and t w other men w ith him ; and

,
o

according to the privilege of the tow halters were n ,

slung about the thieve necks preparatory to hanging s

’

them When they ca m e to t h e place of exe ution c

Wallace and his companio s h aving no hope of

.
,

n , s

e cape made themselves ready patiently to su ffer the

s ,

rigour of the l w They onfessed their sins com

a . c ,

m e ded their soul to God and yielded their bodie

n s s

to t h e grave a sight which oved t h e people who

—
,

m
h ad never seen a man hanged before to pity w ith
— ,

the result that when H dg k i a ked of his o e ns s on e

neighbour to play the part of the hang m an he w ould

s

not do i t though he w a very poor m and would

,
as an ,

have had all the lothing of the thie es for his c v

troubl e Whe he refused to do the deed one of

. n ,

those whose cloth had been tolen w ommanded s as c

to t ; but he also refused saying When I

ac , :
‘

have the skill to make a man I will hang a man , ,

F 81
 Some O ld Eng/zlfn W ort é i er
should it chance that my w orkmanship displease
me .
’

Thus the ffi of hang m an w passed ff from o ce as o

one to another until at last a rogue came b y whom , ,

they would have compelled to do w hat they w ould

not do themselves .

Nay my master not so I said h A you have

, ,
e . s

a privilege for the to w n to hang men y had better ou

procure a commission to make a hangman or else ,

you are likely to be without one for m e .

’

Neighbo r H dg k i I pray you do thi

‘
u o e n s, s

fli ! urged one You have E d most loss

’ ‘
o ce . sn e re ,

therefore y should be most ready to hang them

ou

yourself .
’

Not I ! returned H dg k i
‘
No not though
’
o e ns .
‘
,

my loss were ten times greater than it is But which

ever of these thieves w ill take upon himself t o

hang the other shall have his life aved O ther s .

wise they shall g to prison until I can pro ide o v a

hangman .
’

My masters of the town of H alifax said Walla e ,

’
c ,

w hen he w things were come to this pass

sa though ,

your privilege extend to hanging men directly they

are caught stealing your goods yet it gives y ,
ou n o

warrant to im p rison them until you can fi d a hang n

man I and my fellows here have yielded our elve

. s s

to satisfy the law and if sentence be not performed ,

the fault is yours not ours ; therefore we humbly

take our leave Given from the gallows t h is
,

.
,

eighteenth day of August And with that he leapt

from the ladder and flung the halter in H dg k i o e ns
’

face .

The clothiers when they saw this kne w not wha t , ,

to say but took the thieve by the sleeves and

,
s en

82
Tn Six W o ort n
y Y eomen of M e West
treated them at least to give back what they had
stolen .

N t the value of a pa k or a baw bee declared

o c
—
Wallace We have stolen your cloth then w h y do
.

you not hang ? We have made ourselves ready us

choose A plague on
,

and if you will not hang us, .

you ! You have hindered me God knoweth ! I ,

thought to dine in heaven to day and you keep m -

,
e

here on earth where there is not a quarter such good

—
,

cheer ! the devil take you all I was fully prepared

to give the gallows a box on the ear and now God ,

kno w eth w hen I shall again be in su h a good mind c

to do i t .
’

Then he and his companions departed and when

H dg k i
o saw how not w ithstanding their guilt
e ns , ,

they had flouted his lenien e he was mu h disturbed c ,

c

i
n hi mind A he stood ru m inating in doleful
s . s

dumps making his dinner with a dish of melancholy

, ,

a grey friar p t lly saluted him re s ec u .

All hail Goodman H dg k i ,

said h H appi o e ns e .

ness and health be ever with you and to all sup ,

pressors of evil livers may God send everlasting joy !

I m sorry H dg k i that the privilege granted to
a ,
o e n s,

thi tow by our King hath come to nothing

s n .

Better far had it never been given than that it should ,

be lightly regarded ! The town through i t w

so ,
s o n

peevi hness hath an everlasting reproach this day

s , ,

w hen fooli h pity hath hindered justi e

s Consider c .
,

that ompa sion is t to be had upon thieves and

c s no

robbers Pity belongeth only to the virtuous over

.

whelmed by waves of mi ery and mis han e ! You s c c

have emboldened evil livers by letting these fellows

es ape H w will you now keep your goods in safety
c . o ,

seeing you do not carry out the l w which should a

83
 Some O/n En g/z rn W ort ni er
'

be your defence ? Do not think that thieve will s

hesitate to carry away your goods if they fi d them , n

s elves in no danger of death ! They have more cause

to praise your pity tha to ommend your wisdom ; n c

wherefore seek whilst there is time to prevent t h e

en uing e il F m y part I have that are for your
s v or c

good t h at I would do anythi g for your b fi t not

.

n en e ,

so much in respect of your p fi t as for my desire to ro

uphold justice Since I fi d you and t h e rest

. n so

w omanish that you ould not fi d it in your hearts c n

to hang a thief I have devised a m a hi e whi h c n c

s h all cut f head without man s aid if the King

,
’
o s ,

will allow thereof .

’

When H dg k i heard this he w some w hat

o e ns as

c omforted d told the friar that if his kill could

an s

ontrive what h e promised he w ould himself again

,

c ,

petition the King to allow the use of such a machi e n .

The friar bade him have no doubt ; and whe he s ,

n

had completed his invention got a carpenter to put ,

it together H dg k i i the meantime posted to

. o e ns n

Court and told his Majesty that the privilege of

,

H alifax w not worth a pudding

as .

Why not asked the King .

‘
Because we co ld get no hang m an to trus up u s

our thieves ans w ered H dg k i

,
’
But if it please o e ns .
,

your Grace there is a clever friar w h w ill make

,
o us

a device which shall without aid of m t ff the ,

an ,
cu o

heads of all uch carles if your Maje ty w ill allo w

s ,
s

of i t .
’

The King at length granted this petition and to

this day the custo m is observed i H alifax that n ,

su h as are taken stealing cloth do have their heads

c

chopped ff w ith the ma hine which the grey friar

o c

made in the days of H enry I .

84
 Within half year it ca m e to pass that Thomas
-
a -

Dove of Exeter came up to London and having by ,

his jollity and good fello w ship brought himself into -

di ffi lt i
cu w in debt to divers city men and one
es , as

of his creditors paid ffi to arrest him The an o cer .

Dutchma who w not yet experien ed in such

n ,
as c

matters hearing how many of his fello w s had been

,

killed in trying to e ffect arrests stood shivering and ,

shaking in a corner of the street to watch for Tom ,

Dove .

H aving waited long at last he espied him where ,

upon he got h i mace ready and with a pale face s

proceeded to do his duty Going behind Dove he .

,

suddenly knocked him on the head with his mace

and said I arrest you dealing him such a blow
:
‘

that the clothier fell to the ground senseless A t this .

the catchpole thinking he had killed him dropped

, ,

his mace and ran a w ay with Dove s creditor in ,

’

pursuit calling him to turn back The F leming .

,

ho w ever w ould do no such thing but fled from the

, ,

city and took sanctuary at Westmin ter ; whil t s s

Dove recovering consciousness rose and w ent to his

, ,

inn no man hindering him H w not a little

, . e as

pleased to have escaped yet at his next coming to ,

London another catchpole met him and arrested him

,

in the Ki g s name n
’
.

Dismayed by this mischance Dove knew not w hat ,

to do A t last he reque ted the catchpole not to cast

. s

him into prison but to w ait u til he could send for

,
n

a friend to be his surety Although kindness in a .

catchpole is rare the ffi w won over by fair ,

o cer as

w ord to grant this favour whereupon Dove asked a

s ,

bystander to g to his host Gerard w h i m mediately

o , ,
o

came to him and o ffered himself as Dove s surety ’

.

86
Tn Six W o ort n
y Y eomen j
o
’
t ne W6 5 1
The ffi w h had never seen the man before w
o c e r, o as

a m azed at the sight of h im for Gerard w a mighty

,

as

man of grim counte ance and exceeding hig h n

stature Indeed he so alarmed the catchpole t h at t h e

,

.
,

latter asking Dove if he could fi d no surety but

,
n

the devil entreated him to exorcise Gerard and he

W ould do him any favour ,

.
,

What w ill you not take my word 3 thundered

‘
,

G érard .

Sir quavered the cat hpole i f it were for any

‘
,
’
c ,
‘

matter in h ll I would take y our w ord as soon as

e ,

any other devil s there ; but seeing it is for a matter ’

on earth I w ould have an earthly surety ’

—
.
,

Why thou whoreson cri ket thou maggot

‘
,
c
—
thou pinner thou paltry spider ! do t thou take
s s

me for a devil ? roare d Gerard Sirrah I harge ’

.
‘
,
c

thee take my word for this man or else Goodman

, , ,

B t t fl y I ll make thee repent it

’
u er ,

The ffi w hil t he was inside the house said

o c e r, s ,

he was content but oon as he got into the street as s

he shouted H elp help good neighbours or the :

‘
, , ,

devil will have my prisoner

But no one stirred to the atchpole aid p i c
’
s e rc e v

ing which he held fast to Tho m as Dove and w ould

, ,

by no mean let him g Then Gerard w ithout more s o .

,

ado gave the poor F leming such a filli p on the fore

,

head w ith his fi g that the ffi fell to the n er o cer

ground ; and whilst he lay stretching h i heels in s

t h e street Gerard took Dove under h i arm and

,
s

carried him home w here he thought himself safe ,

as King Charle m ag e in Mount Albion The next n .

morning Gerard onveyed the clothier out of town c

to Exeter w here he afterward took are to keep out

, s c

of reach of the at hpoles laws c c

’
c .
 So me O/n En g/z rn Warth
'
’ “

og

How D uke R ooert come n w oozng M a rga ret o W

'

f t /z e /Ii t e

p
-

Ha n ds a n d lz ow lz e lot ted t o s t ea l ll er a w ay from

,

h er M a s ter

The beautiful Margaret who had now d w elt with ,

her dame for the spa e of four years w highly c ,

as

regarded and secretly beloved of many gallant and

worthy gentlemen but of t w in particular Duke ,
o ,

Robert and Sir William F errers It ha ced one day . c n

that fair Margaret with many others of her master s ,

’

people went haymaking attired in a red t m m ll

,
a -

,
s a e
aI
e

petticoat with a broad straw hat on her head She

,
.

had also a hayfork and arried her breakfast w ith ,

c

her As h went along Duke Robert with one of

s e

his keepers met h er ; d the lovely sight kindled

.
, ,

,
an

anew the ecret fi of love whi h long had

s re ,
c

smouldered in his heart .

F air maid good morrow ! w his friendly

‘ ’

,
-
as

salutation Are you w alking diligently to your

.
‘
so

work ? In sooth the weather mu t eeds be fair ,

s n

when the sun shines bri ghtly and the hay whole so ,

some which is dried with rays splendid so .

’

Renowned and most notable duke she returned ,

’

poor harvesters pray for fair weather and it i the ,

s

labourer s reward to his work prosper The m ore

’
se e .

happy may we count the day which is blessed by

your princely presence .
’

And happier till are they who speak w ith you s ,

’

said the Duke But let me entreat you to turn ba k

. c

to your master s house with me and give your fork

’

to omeone fi t t for such toil Trust me m ethinks

s er .
,

your dame is ill advised in setting you to such homely

-

No te F F .

88
Tn Six W e ort n
y Y eomen of fn e West
tasks I w onder you can endure this vile seemi g -
n

servitude—you w hose delicate limbs were never

.

framed for such w ork

It becometh me not to control your thought s,
’

said h Yet were you not the Duke I w ould y

s e .
‘
, ,
sa

your opinion de eived you ! Though your eyes seem c

clear I m ust deem them imperfect if they fl t

,
re ec

upon your m ind any spark of beauty in me B t I . u

rather think that because it is an old sayi g W m n o en

a re p d t l t/ m l p i d you either speak

rou o zen r ze re ver
f
ra s e ,
,

thu to pass the time or else to wring from me my

s

too apparent imperfe tions But I h u m bly entreat

,

-
c .

your pardon ! I have too long negle ted my w ork c ,

and have ho w n m yself over bold in your presence

s -
.
’

S sayi g w ith the grace of a Court lady h

o n s e

bo w ed to t h e Duke and went onward to the fi ld

,

e s,

w hil t he pro eeded to Glouce ter When he came

s c s .

thither he m ade his keepers great cheer entreating

, ,

them to give him leave to hat a while w ith old Gray c .

‘
W t w ain mu t have a game or t w
e he said s o,
’
.

F or my safe return I pledge my princely word that ,

as I m a true knight and a gentlema I w ill co m e

a n ,

ba k to your keeping again

c .
’

The keepers being agreeable the Duke departed , ,

and went w ith old Gray to the fi ld to in pe t the e s s c

workmen Whilst Gray was busy w ith other thi gs t h e

. n ,

Duke took the opportunity to talk w ith Margaret .

F air maid aid h I did long since manifest

‘ ’ ‘
,
s e,

my love to you by my l t t fi Tell me then were

“ e er , ,

it not better to be a du hess than a drudge c

a lady of high reputation tha a servant of low n

degree ? With me you might live at ease whil t ,

s

here you drag out your days in labour My love .

S ee page 7 8 .

89
 Some Old En g/z rn W ort nz es
' '

should make you a lady f great treasures whereas o ,

now you are poor d beggarly All manner of an .

delights should then be yours and w hatsoever your ,

heart desired that should you have Wherefore

seeing it liet h in your own choice make yourself
.
, ,

h appy by onsenting to my suit I c

,

Sir h replied I onfess your love deser eth a

,
’
s e ,
‘
c v

la dy s favour your affection a faithful friend such an

’

, ,

one as ould make of two hearts and bodies but

c on e
—
heart and mind Yet it is not meet that the turtle dove.

should mate w ith the eagle for though her love be ,

never pure her wings are not strong enough to

so ,
*
mount so high Whilst Thales gazed on the stars .

he stumbled nto a pit They that limb unadvisedly

i . c

risk a sudden fall What availeth high dignity in .

time of adversity ? It cannot help the sorro w ful

heart nor abate the body s misery As for wealth
,
’
.

and treasures w hat are they but fortune s baits to

,
’

lur e men into danger ? They are good for nothing

but to make people forget themselves ; and w hereas
you allege poverty to be an hindrance to heart ea e ’
s s

I h d it t h e contrary knowing that more se urity

,

n ,
c

doth re t beneath a imple habit than under a royal

s s

robe There are in truth none poor in the world

.
, ,

save those who think themselves for uch as are so s

endowed with content are rich having no more ; ,

but he w h posses eth riches without ontent is most

o s c

w retched and miserable Wherefore noble duke .

, ,

though I account my life unworthy of your lightest

favour yet I would desire you to match your love to
,

your like and let me rest to my rake and use my

,

fork for my living .

’

‘
But consider Margaret it lieth not in a man s , ,
’

No
* te GG

9 0
Tn e o W d
S zo } Y or eomen f
o t ne West
ow n po w er to love where he li teth said the Duke s
’

That doth rest with God A bird w never seen in

, .

. as

Pontus nor true love i a fi k l mind But nothing n c e

shall remove the a ffection of my heart w hich dot h

.
,

resemble the stone Abi ton whose fi can never be s ,

re

cooled Therefore sw eet maid give not an obstinate

.
, ,

denial to one who should receive gentle acceptan e c .

’

F air sir quoth she consider i your turn what

’ ‘
, , ,
n ,

high displeasure may arise from a rash match and ,

w hat danger a king s frown may breed My w orth

’
.

lessness mated w ith your royalty may perhaps regain

you liberty and hazard my life Then call to mind how
, .

little you shall enjoy your love or I my wedded lord , .

’

To this the Duke replied that if she consented she

need fear nothing .

The thunder said h is driven away by ringing

,
’
e,

bells the lion s w rath m lli fi d by a yielding body

,
’
o e

h w much more then a brother anger by a ’

o , ,
s

brother s entreaty ! H hath received ma y favours

’
e n

of me and never yet repaid me one of them Who is

,
.

ignorant that the crown he weareth i mine by right 3 s

Yet I m content he shall still enj oy i t if he requite

a ,

m y kindnes But if he hould t then would I be

s . s no ,

as those m who having eaten of the lotus forget

en , ,

the ountry of their birth ; d never more should

c an

English skies hi e over me but with you w ould I

s n ,

li e in a stra ge land better o tent with an egg in

v n ,
c n

your ompa y than with all the delica ie in England

c n c s .
’

With the e d many other w ord he w ooed her

s an s ,

until at last the maid consented to yield him her

hand and heart H then departed promising to write
. e ,

to her from Cardi ff Castle his plans for the future .

So, taking leave of Gray he posted to Cardi ff with ,

his keepers .

9 1
 A day or two later
Sir Willia m F errers came to ,

Gray s house as was h i ustom not so much for

’

,
s c ,

Gray s society as for the mind he had to w ards Maid

’

Margaret for although he w a married man d as an

had a pretty wife he laid hard siege to the fort of ,

this damsel s heart and ought to tempt her w ith

’

,
s

fair words and rich gifts But when she w that by . sa

a hundred denial she w ould never be rid of him s ,

she chanced on a sudde to give him an an wer n s

which drove him from deceit into such a conceit

that he troubled her no more ; for when he asked
her w h y h repulsed h i m h told him there were
s e ,
s e

many reason one above all the rest s, .

I pray you my wench let me know what that

‘
, ,

is said h Whatever it be I w ill amend i t

,
’
e . .
’

Pardon me sir returned Margaret de m urely

‘
, ,
’

w ere I to speak my mind it might possibly fi d

‘ c
o en

you and do me no good It is a natural defect in y . ou

whi h physi can ure

c no c c
’

—
.

Yet let me i f I may obtain no more of you

kno w w hat this defect may b urged Sir William e,
’

abashed I m not wry necked crooked legged

.
‘
a -

,
-

—
stub footed la m e handed nor blear eyed What is it
-

,
-

, .

you dislike in me ? I never knew anybody take

exception to my per on before s .
’

And I m the more sorry that I w malapert

‘
a as

enough to speak of i t said Margaret Good Sir ,

’
.
‘

William I would I had been tongueless like the

, ,

s tork then I should not have disquieted you thus !

,

I pray you pardon my presu m ption .

’

Nay tell me w eet Margaret ! begged h I

‘
, ,
s
’
e .
‘

commend your i glene s of heart in speaking Good s n s .

Margaret tell m i , e

Let it rest Sir William said h I know you , ,

’
s e .
‘

9 2
 Some Old Eng/i rn W ort ni er
The lady then consulted a physi ian w h bore a c o

great reputation in the country and who undertook ,

to remove this fooli h idea of the knight s by his skill

s
’

A day being appointed for him to come the knight

.

in his joy went to meet him But on the w y a . a

w oman who had heard of his nose looked Very hard

at him and h seeing her staring said angrily
,
e, ,

Well good housewife cannot you get about your

, ,

business 3 ’

The woman a shrewish quean answered him , ,

sharply
No marry that I annot
, ,
c

Why not 3 demanded the knight .

Because answered she your nose is in my way

,
’

A t which the knight angry and abashed returned , ,

home .

N w the physician had fi ll d a bladder with

o e

sheep s blood and put it up his sleeve Into the

’
.

mouth of the bladder he put a swan s quill through ’

w hich the blood would run so near h i hand that he s ,

holding the knight by the nose it should seem to ,

i sue from that notable organ All things bei g pre

s . n

pared he told the knight that he was su ffering from

,

an overcharge of blood in the veins of his nose and ,

must therefore have one of these veins opened that

the blood might flow away when the nose would ,

return to i t natural size and he should be troubled

s

by it no more .

I pray you Master Doctor is my nose as big

‘
, , as

you make out 3 asked Sir William .

With all due respect to tell the truth and avoid ,

fl t t y I never w a more mi shapen ugly nose !

’
a er ,
sa s ,

replied the physician .

Th
‘
! ried Sir William turning to his wife
c re
’
c , .

94
Tn Six W o ort n
y Y eomen f
o fn e West
And you would have that my nose was as handsome
and as comely as any man s nose ’

Alas i God k w t h I said it that you should not

,
s r, no

grieve nor take my words in ill part she answered ,

’
.

Besides it did not become me to mislike your nose

,
.
’

We will soon remedy this said the physician ,

’

and w ith that he pricked him in the nose but not in ,

a vein which would bleed very much Then having .

,

craftily unstoppered the quill the heep s blood ran ,

s
’

in great abundance into a basin When the bladder .

w asempty and the basin almost full the physician ,

pretended to close the vein and asked Sir William

how his nose felt w at the sam e time showing no

him t h e contents of the basin The knight greatly

,

.
,

astonished said he thought no man in the world

,

c ould have held as mu h blood in his whole body c as

lay in his misshapen nose Then he began to feel that .

member all over and a glass w brought for him to

,
as

look at i t .

Yes quoth h I praise God now I see my nose

e .
‘

i
s ome do w n to reasonable proportions and I feel
c ,

myself eased of the burden of i r I only hope it w ill .

remain as it is
I ll w arrant that your worship
’
aid the , s

physician You will never be troubled by it again

.
‘
.
’

The knight overjoyed rewarded him ri hly for his

, ,
c

services .

H ow T/z omn r o
f R ea din
g w a r murdered o
y t /ze In n kee p er

C olebrook , w /z o na a murdered ma ny ot /zerr oefore

’
at

lz inz a n d lz ow I n } Gui lt w a r a t la s t rev ea led

Thomas of Reading was often obliged to g to o

London not only on his w business but also on

,
o n ,
 Some Ola En g/z J /i W ort nz er
' '
I

the Ki g s since he held o th e under the cro w n

n
’

,
e .

A t such times he w wont to break the journey as

at Colebrooke Now his host and hostess there .

,

through covetousness had murdered many travellers ; ,

an d one day knowing he had a great deal of money

,

upon him they appoi ted Cole as the next fat pig
,
n

to be killed Whenever they plotted a murder the

.
’

i nkeeper would y Wife there is a fat pig to be

n sa ,

b d if you want one to w hi h she would reply

’
a , ,
c :
‘
Prithee put him i the t y till to morro w F n s -
.
’
o r,

when a traveller arrived alone and they saw he had

much money with him it w their custom to give ,
as

him a room above t h kit hen ; a fair hamber e c c ,

better furnished than any other in the house The .

bedstead though small and low was beautifully

, ,

carved but the feet w ere nailed to the floor and the ,

mattress se w to the sides of the bedst ad Moreover

n e .
,

that part of the floor on which it stood was so made

that by the removal of two iron pins in the k i tchen
below it could be let do w n d taken p like a
,
an u ,

trap door Immediately beneath it was a huge

.

cauldron in which when they w ere brew ing they

, , ,

seethed their liquor The man appointed for slaughter .

was laid in this bed ; and in the dead of night ,

when he w sound asleep the bolts were removed

as , ,

and do w n fell the victim into the boiling cauldron

wherein before he could utter a cry he w i stantly
, ,
as n

scalded and dro w ned Then the murderers had a .

ladder sta ding ready in the kit he by whi h to

n c n ,
c

mount into the room above and take from thence the
man s lothes and all the money in his bag or
’
c

c ap ase ; after w hich raising the trap door they

c , ,

made it fast as before The dead body they would .

p resently take out of the cauldron and thro w it i nto

9 6
Té e Six W ort ny Yeomen o
y
‘
t ne West
the river whi h fl w d close to the house If in the c o e .
,

morning any of the other guest who had talk ed

,
s,

overnight with the murdered man chanced to ask ,

for him they wer e told he had ridden away before

,

dawn and the goodman of the house himself had

,

s een him on his w y Meanwhile his horse by that a .

,

same goodman had bee hidden in a barn which ,

n

stood a m ile or two a w ay of whi h he kept the key ,

c ,

an d before letting the steed loose to wander w here

it pleased he would disguise it by cropping the tail
, ,

mane or ars Thus they escaped detection

,
c . .

Tho m as of Reading as I said being marked as a , ,

fat pig w laid in this death chamber but because

,
’
as -

Gray of Gloucester happened to come also that night

he escaped scalding The next time he cam e he was .
,

p t
u there again ; but before he w w arm in bed as ,

a man rode through the to w n shouting that London

w as on fi and that Thomas Becket s house in re ,
’

Westcheap with many others w burnt to the , ,

as

ground These tidings greatly depressed good Thomas

.
,

for of that same Beck et he had re eived much money c

t hat day and had left in his house many of his

,

papers and some of the King s also ; so there was

,
’

n othing for it but to ride back to London at once ,

t o see how things stood H therefore dre sed and . e s

departed whi h made his host fro w n though he

, c ,

promised himself that the next time hould pay for s

a ll Nevertheless God so ordered matter that the

. s

would b m urderers were again prevented from

-
e

carrying out their design on ac o nt of a great fray , c u

w hich arose at the inn between a couple who fell out

at di e The host w obliged to call up Thomas as
c . as ,

a man in great authority to restore quiet Another

—
.
,

t ime w hen he w
,
put to sleep in the death trap he as ,

G '
97
fell ill that he asked for someone to sit w ith him
so

which again foiled their wicked purpose .

B ut it is hard for a man to escape the ills allotted

to him The next time Cole rode home from London
.

his horse stumbled and broke a leg H hired . e an

other ( alas ! to his own destruction ) for he w ,

as

anxious to reach Colebrooke that night but he was ,

so sleepy that he could s arcely keep in the saddle c

and as he approached the town suddenly h i nose , s

began to bleed When he reached the inn he could .

,

not eat ; and h i host and hostess seeing him so s ,

melan holy came to cheer him p

c ,
u .

‘
Why Master Cole what aileth you to night 3
, ,
-
’

they asked W never w you so sad before !

.
‘
e sa

Will it please you to have a quart of burnt sack

With a good will he answered And would t . o

God Tom Dove were here H would cheer me and . e ,

we should not want for music I m sorry for the a

—
.

man h is so deep in debt too But everyone i

e , . s

sorry for him ; and what good does it do him 3

—
Words are no use in such a case h is in need f e o

other relief Let me see ! I have only one child in t h

. e

world and that is my daughter H alf that I hav

,
. e

is her the other half my wife Shall I be good to

s,
’
3 .

none but them ? In all conscience my wealth t , 1s oo

much for t w people to possess What our religion

o 15
—
.

worth without charity and to whom i charity t s o

be shown if not to ruined householders 3 Good ho t

,
s ,

lend me pen ink and paper I will write a letter to

, , .

the poor man straightway and give him something , .

The alms which a man b t w t h w ith his w es o e o n

hands i sure to be delivered ; and God knoweth

s

h w long I have to live

o

Doubt not but that in the cour e of natur

‘
s e

98
Tn Six W e ort n
y Y eomen of fn e Wef t
you will live many years Master Cole ! said h i ,
’
s

hostess .

God kno w eth he repeated I have never felt .

‘

so heavy hearted before -

.
’

B y this time pen ink and paper had been brought ,

and he w rote as follows

‘
I to m f G d
n im I bequeath my soul
e na e o o ,
z en .

to God and my body to the ground my goods

, ,

equally between my w ife Eleanor and Isabel my

daughter It m I give to Thomas Dove of Exeter
. e :

one hundred p ounds N y that i too little I give to . a ,

s .

Thomas Dove two hundred pounds in money to be ,

paid him imme diately upon his demanding the same

from my said wife and daughter .
’

H he ried when he had fi i h d H w say

a c ,
n s e . o

,
—
you host is not this well done 3 Read i t prithee , .
’

Why Master Cole w hat i this 3 ex laimed the

, ,
s c

innkeeper peru ing i t You said you would write a

,
s .

letter but methinks you have made your will !

,

What need had you to do this ? Thanks be to God ,

you will yet live m any years .

’

"
T i true if it please God returned Cole I ’
‘
s , , .

trust this writing cannot shorten my days ! But let

e —
m see have I made a will 3 I promise you I ,

purposed to write a letter ! H o w ever I have writte n

W hat God put into my mind Yet look again mine .

,

host Is it not written there that Dove shall have two

.

hundred pounds to be paid when he doth ask for ,

it 3 ’

Yes indeed said his host

, ,
’
.

‘
Why the all is well said Cole It shall g
,
n, .
‘
o

as it is for me I will not rewrite it w

, . no .
’

H folded it up and sealed i t then asked his host

e ,

to send it to Exeter H promised to do yet Cole . e s o,

99
 Some 015! En g/zlrn W ort ni er
w as not but mu t needs hire a messenger to
s a t i s fi e d, s

take i t This done he sat down again and suddenly

.
, ,

burst into tears .

‘
I know no cause for these fears which oppress
m e,he replied when they asked w h y he wept But
’

, .

it i on my mind that when I set out on thi journey

s s

to London my daughter made su h a coil to have

,
c

me stay at home ! I could not get rid of the little

baggage h did so hang about me ; and when her
,
s e

mother took her away by force she cried out Ob

— l
,

my f a t /zer , my f a zner I r/za ll n ev er

‘
s ee l im aga in I
‘
Alas pretty oul said his hostess This was
,
s .
‘

mere fondness in the girl It h w t h h doth love s o e s e

you dearly Why should you grieve at i t ? You must

.

consider it was but childishness .

’

Ay so it was i deed agreed Cole

’

, ,
n , .

Presently he began to nod and they a ked if he ,

s

would g to bed But he refused saying he was not

o .
,

in the humour Then certain musicians of the town

.
,

knowing he w there came into the room with as ,

their instruments and began to play solemn music .

That doth suit my mood said Cole w hen he ,

had listened awhile Methinks these instruments .

‘

sound like the ringing of S t Mary O y bells but ver

’
s

the bass doth drown the rest and is like a knell ,

.

F or God s sake bid them desist and give them this

’

small reward .
’

The musicians being gone his host again a ked if ,

s

he would retire for it w nearly eleven o lock Cole,

as
’
c .

looked hard at him and at his wife and suddenly ,

started back .

What aileth you that you look so like pale

‘
,

Death 3 he muttered Good God what have you .

,

done 3Your hands are bloody

listened at Cole s door and made sure by his deep ’

breathing that he was sound asleep they w ent i to

, ,
n

the kitc h en (their servants being all abed) and

pulled out the iron pins do w n fell the b d and i t e ,
s

occupant dropped into the boiling cauldron As soon .

as he w dead they threw his body into the river

as ,

destroyed his clothes and made all look as usual , .

B ut when the host w ent to the stable to remove

Cole s horse the door w open and the steed fl w
’

,
as , o n ,

w ith part of the halter about his neck and straw

trussed under h i belly as the ostler had dressed him
s ,

the night before The horse in the meanwhile had .

, ,

escaped into an adjoining fi ld and after leaping e , ,

sundry hedges had got into another fi ld where a

,
e ,

mare w out at grass Eventually the twain arrived

as .

on the highroad where one of the townsmen met ,

them and knowing the mare took her and the

, , ,

hors e to her owner .

Now the musi ians w h had played at the inn c o

an d been re w arded by Cole intended for gratitude , , ,

to give him more music in the morning But the .

innkeeper told them his guest had ridden aw ay at

dawn H told the ame tale to another guest w h
. e s o

would have borne Cole ompany to Reading c .

Presently the man who o w ned the mare and who ,

was going from house to house to inquire if anyone

had missed a h orse arrived at the sign of The ,
‘

Crane w here Cole lodged and asked the ostlers if

,
’

they had lost a horse ; to w hich they answered no .

Why then said the man ; m y mare is good

, ,
’ ‘

for something I ; for if I send

,
her to grass s ee

si gle she cometh back double

n ,

That day pa sed and the night The next day s , .

Cole s wife wondering w h y her hu band did not

’

,
s
Tn Six W o ort n
y Y eom n of fne e West
return sent one of his men on horseback to see if
,

he ould meet him

c .

‘
If you meet him not between this and Cole
brooke ask for h i m at The Crane h said But
, ,
’
s e .
‘

if you do not fi d him there then ride to London ;

n ,

for I fear he is either sick or some mischance hath ,

happened to him .
’

The fellow did as he w told and asking for his as , ,

m aster at Colebrooke heard that he had gone home ,

on such and such a d y Wondering what had a .

become of him the man made further inquiries in,

the town ; and at last someone told him of a horse

found on the highway whose owner could not be
di covered H went ff at once to see the horse
s . e o ,

re ognised him and took him back to The Crane ;

c ,

whereupon the ho t in great alarm fled secretly s , , .

Th servant then w ent to the Justice demanding

e ,

a i tance ; and whil t he was there news came that

ss s s ,

Jarman of The Crane had run away whereupon ,

everyone sai d he had surely murdered Cole The .

m us cians then came for w ar d to tell what Jarman

i

had said whe they w ished to play to Cole The

n .

hostess w promptly arrested and confessed Jarman

as , .

was soon ft w i d taken in Windsor F orest and

a er a s ,

both he and his wife having made a full confession , ,

w ere hanged Jarman admitted that h . being a e,

carpenter had ma de the trap door at h i wife s sug

, s
’

ge tion and that by means of it they had murdered

s ,

nine persons Yet notwithstanding their ill gotten

.
,
-

gains they had not prospered but w ere found at

, ,

their death to be deeply in debt .

When the King heard of this murder he w so as

grieved that for seven days he w ould see no one H . e

also gave orders that th e house wherein Cole w foully as

 Old En glz rn W ort ni er
ome ’

S
done to death should be burnt to the ground and no ,

one should ever build again pon that ac ursed site u c .

Cole s wealth at his death was very great H

’

, , . e

had daily in his house a hundred men servants and -

forty maids H maintained besides above two or

. e , ,

three hundred people spinners and carders and a , ,

great many others H i wife never married again . s ,

and at her death h left a great sum of money s e

towards the maintenance ofthe newly built monastery -

.

H daughter was well married to a gentleman of

er

great position by whom she had many children

, .

Some say that the river into which Cole s body w ’

as

thrown w afterwards called the river Cole and the

as ,

town Colebrooke
, .

H ow f Clotb zerr H z ver w en t t o t /z e C /z uro/zzng

’
s ome o Ike / i

Wife of S a lzroury , M errzmem

' ’

t /zezr
’

f
’
S ut ton d f
‘
o s an o

Sutton s wife of Salisbury who had lately been

’

delivered of a son prepared great cheer against her ,

going to church when Simon of Southampton s ,

’

wife and others of the clothier dames came to

,
s
’

make merry at the churching feast Whilst these .

ladies t at table Crab Weasel and Wren waited on

sa , ,

them and as the old proverb hath it M y w m an o en ,

m y w d
an it fell out that d y Some talked of
or s , s o a .

their husbands some of their maids sluttishness

,
’

others revealed the cost of their garments others ,

told tales about their neighbours To be brief there .

,

w not one of them but had talk enough to last a

as

W hole day Seeing this Crab Weasel and Wre

.
, ,
n

conspired amongst themselves often as any of the ,

as

women had a good pie e of m eat on her tren her to c c ,

snatch it away and o ff er a clean one ; which rus e

1 04
at an i nkeeper s house and served to the guests
n
’

in tead of pork !
s
’

No neighbour it w not in London said

‘
, , as ,
’

another better informed I hear it was done as he

, .
‘

came from London at a place alled Colebrooke ; ,

c

an d it is said to be true that the innkeeper made pies

—
of him and pe ny pasties y and made his w n a ,
o n

servant eat on e

But I pray you good neighbour can you tell

‘
, ,

how it was known 3 Some say that a horse revealed

’
1t .

N w by the mass it w told one of my neigh

o , ,
as

bours that a horse did speak and tell great things

cried Gray s wife eagerly ’
.

That soundeth like a lie observed someone

‘
,
’
.

Why 3 demanded another May not a hors e

‘ ’
.
‘

speak as w ell B l m ass 3 as a aa

’
s

It may but it is unlikely retorted the sceptic

’
.
, ,

Where was the horse when he spoke 3

Some y he had broken out of the stable w here
sa ,

he w secured in mighty strong iron fetters which

as ,

he burst in pieces though they had been straw s as ,

broke down the stable door and so got away said , ,

’

Dame Gray .

A t that juncture Goodman Sutton entered and

asked what they were talking about so eagerly .

Marry w hear that Cole of Reading is mur

‘
,
e

dered said his W f Prithee is it true 3 1 e .

,

Ay ! ‘
returned Sutton sadly i t is true That
’

,
‘
.

vile illain his host in whose house he spent many

v , ,

a pound murdered him ,

.
’

But did they make pi s of him 3 ask e d Dame

‘
c
’

Sutton .

N no answered her husband H e was scalded

o, .

1 06
Tn Six W
o ort fiy Y eom n e o
j
”
zé e West
to death in a boiling cauldron and afterwards thrown
into the river .
’

But good husband h w w it discovered 3

, ,
o as

B y his horse
’
.

What 3 cried h Did he really tell how h i

’
s e .
‘
s

master w murdered 3 Could the horse speak

as

English 3
Lord what a foolish woman you are to ask such
, ,

a question quoth Sutton testily But to end this .

, ,

you are all heartily welcome good neighbours and , ,

I m sorry you had no better cheer

a .
’

Thus are tales of an evil deed m g i fi d wh e n a n e

they are S pread abroad .

H ow D uke R obert deoew ed b i: K ee ers a n d es ca ed fi onz p p

t /zem lz ow b e met fa tr M a rga ret , a n d, zn ca rry i ng
,
'
r w i ne}: fie iz a a l nr E e:
'

nor o f w a s t a ken ,
, f o
y p ut out

Duke Robert having you have heard obtained as

Margaret s love po dered h w h e should deceive

, ,
’

,
n o

his keepers and carry her aw ay In the end he .

resolved w hat to do and sent her a letter bidding ,

her meet him in the forest between Cardi ff and

Gloucester She received his message unkno w n to
.

her master and mi tress and secretly t out one s ,

se

morning for the try ting place She arrived there s -

fi t and whilst she waited fell into a train of

rs , , ,

thought which foreboded disaster .

O h my dear love ! h cried H w slack art

,
’
s e . o

thou in performing thy promise ! Why do not thy

deeds agree with t h y written words 3 See here they
are C m m y d o M g f— w
e, l C p i d w fi ea r a r a re
’

zz z
‘
,

u
’
s r

w zngr l o t o frien d e or n imo foot ing

fy t y B le i n t /z
y
a
.

t /ze ca mel w /z zo/z run n er}: o n lz un clred mile; in

’

a: ca ly .
 O/n Engli rn W ort ni er
ome ’
S
I w ill w a it f or t / ee
z — ouz do n ot kee me w a ni ng
‘
p long I
Toere is n o coun try like A us tria a mo
f or lzng nam es , a n d
I now got on e t o ca rry t /zee
”
O h my love here a m
—but where art thou ? Why dost thou play the
.
, ,

I
truant w ith Time w h like the wind fii t h by o, ,
e

unseen 3 A ambling j ennet of Spain is too slow for

n

us— flying horse w ere more fi t for flying lovers

a

Thus she made moan casting many an anxious ,

glance through the sylvan glades up and down , ,

thinking every minute an hour Sometimes h . s e

would wish herself a bird that she might fl y ,

through the air to meet him or a pretty squirrel to ,

climb the highest tree and watch for his coming .

But fi di g her wishes vain she began to excuse

n n ,

him and to blame herself .

H w greatly m I to blame thus to fi d fault

‘
o a ,
n

with my lover ! h thought Alas men that la k

’
s e .
‘
,
c

liberty must co m e when they can not when they ,

would ! Poor p risoners cannot do what they desire .

Why then should I be so impatient ? I will lay

, ,

me do w n and beguile unquiet thoughts with quiet

sleep England s forests breed no bears nor lions
.
’

therefore I hope I may rest a while in safety .

’

8 leaving fair Margaret in a swe e t slumber w

0, ,
e

will return to Duke Robert w h had plotted to ,

o

escape from his keepers thus H aving leave of the :

King to hawk and hunt he determined as he , ,

followed the chase to leave the hounds to the hart

,

and the hunters to their horns and fl y w hilst they ,

were intent upon their sport This he did on the day .

he had appointed for Margaret to meet him ; and

when at la t he ame to the trysting place h i horse
s c -

,
s

in a lather of foam and hi m self in a sweat he fou d n

her asleep and awakened her W ith a kiss

,

1 08
 Some O/n Eng/i rn
’
W ort ni er
In your hand I laid the government of my whole
s

house and eased myself of that burden whi h now I c

must take up once more See ! here has h left my . s e

keys in my chests but my comfort is gone w ith her , .

Every gentle word that she w wont to speak as

cometh now into my mind I shall never forget her .

courteous behaviour With how modest and sweet a .

c —
ountenance would she soothe my over hasty temper
F ro m my heart I repent that I ever spoke crossly to
her O h Meg were you here again I would never
.
, ,

chide you more ! But I was an unworthy mistress of

su h a servant What will become of me now i f
c .

I should be ill seeing she is gone w h w my , ,

o as

apothecary and nurse 3 ’

There is no help for i t said her neighbours

‘
,
’
.

‘
Rest content you ll hear of her one day Think
,
’
.

this that h was not

,
sgood but you may get
e so

another good ; therefore do not tak e it so much

as ,

to heart .
’

Ah neighbours blame not my grief ! returned

‘
, ,
’

the weeping dame I have lost a j ewel and m .

‘
,
a

convinced that few people have e ver met w ith her

like I protest I would g round England on my
. o

bare feet to fi d her again Ah my Meg w surely

n .
,
as

stolen from me else would she never have gone ! ,

’

Goodman Gray grieved with his wife rested not ,

day or night but rode up and down seeking Margaret

, , .

But h poor soul w in prison and he could not

s e, ,
as ,

fin d h e n
The King when he heard of his brother s escape
,
’

was very wroth and comma ded that when he was ,

n

caught his eyes should be put out and he shut up

in prison until his dying day ; ordering also that , ,

the maid should die for her presumption in loving

Tn Six W e ort n
y Y eomen f
o t ne West
Duke Ro b ert This b eing reported all over England
.
,

came in time to the ears of Gray and his w ife ,

wh when h heard that Margaret w in prison

o, s e as
—
and conde m ned to death would not rest good aged ,

w m o —
l until h
an came to Court to kneel before s e

the King and with many tears beseeched him to

spare the maid .

Co sider mo t royal King urged she that your

n ,
s ,
’

brother the Duke w able to entice any woman to as

lo e him ; much more a silly maid to w h om he

v

pro m ised marriage to make her a lady a du hess , ,

c ,

a queen ! Who would refuse u h an fi by whi h s c o e r, c

they might at on e get a prin ely husband and high c c

dignity 3 If death be a lover s guerdon then what ’

is due to hate ? I m persuaded in my heart that a

had my poor Margaret thought it would displease

your Maj esty h would never have paid su h a ,
s e c

price for his love H d your Grace made it known . a

that it w unlaw ful for anyone to marry your

as

brother w h would have attempted i t ? If she had

,
o

wilfully disobeyed your ommands she might hav c , e

b e en thought worthy of death ; but seeing that she

o ffended in ignorance I be ee h your Grace to recall ,
s c

the senten e and let me still enj oy my servant f

c , or

I will never rise until your Maje ty hath granted s

my petition .
’

The King w h w by nature merciful be h olding

,
o as ,

the woman s fears took pity on her and granted h

’

, er

suit ; having obtained w hich favour she hastened ,

home and from then e journeyed with her husband

,
c

to Cardi ff Castle arriving just as the maid w being , as

l d forth to execution Gladly she went saying they

e .
,

were not worthy to be called true lovers w h were o

not willing to die for love and so passed on with a

 S ome O/a Eng/i m W ort ni er
’

smiling face as if h h ad eate Api m R im w hich

,
s e n u s,

makes a man die laughing But Da m e Gray fell on

her ne k and embraced h er rying Thou shalt
.

‘
c ,
c :

not die my maid but g home with me See here

, ,
o
,

are the King letters for t h y delivery ’

s .
’

8 saying she gave the papers to the Governor of

0 ,

the castle w h found them to contain these w ords o

l
,

We pa rdon ma id ; lye a n a gra n t l er liberty out let

r
’
t /ze
’

oer n ot go y z
un t i l s i e lz a t /z reen ft er lov er s e e:
p ut out ,
’

w /z io/z w e w ould lza v e don e in m ob a w ay t /z a z

‘

s i n: ma oe des t ro ed a n d t /z e e e rema i n fa ir
g y y y f or w /z ioiz

ca us e w e s en d D oct or P iero, t /z a z lz e ma execu te t ne

‘

y
s a me .

Having read this document the Governor said to ,

the m aid
The King s Majesty hath pardoned thy life and
‘ ’

allo w ed thy liberty ; but thou must not pass hence

before thou hast seen thy lover s eyes put out ’
.
’

O h sir make no mistake cried Margaret

, , .

‘
They are my eyes which mu t be put out and not s ,

the Duke s ! H o ffended through my fault there

’
e ,

fore I being guilty ought to receive the punishment

, , .
’

The King s ommands must be f lfill d said the

’
c u e ,
’

Governor and Duke Robert w brought forth as .

The noble mind is never onquered by grief nor c

overcome by misfortune said h when he heard his ,

’
e,

sentence A the hart . w t h his youth by eating

s re n e e

the serpent doth a man lengthen his life by

,
so

devouring sorrow My eyes have o ffended the King .

and must be punished But my heart is as great a

—
.

culprit w h y is not that killed also 3 ’

The King s Maje ty out of love for you spareth

‘ ’
s , ,

your life and is ontent to atisfy the l w w ith the

,
c s a

loss of your eyes returned the G overnor Take this ,

’
.

1 12
heart Come hither my sweet and let me give thee
.
, ,

my last kiss whilst my eye can still sho w me the s

w y to thy lips
’
a .

Embracing her in his arms he ried O h that I ,

c ,

might give thee a ki s of twenty year long and satisfy s s ,

my greedy eyes with the sight of thee ! Yet it doth

console me that thou art here and I may hold thy hand ,

to comfort my heart at the sudden prick of my eye .

’

The doctor then performed his duty and destroyed

the crystal sight which done the D uke stood up and
, ,

bravely said I must thank his Majesty who though

‘
,

he hath deprived me of sight leaveth me m y eyes to ,

weep for my sins

As soon as Margaret saw the deed was done she ,

fell down in a swoon and her mistress had mu h ,

c

trouble to restore her When the Duke heard of it he .

w a greatly troubled and groped his way towards her

s , .

‘
Where is my love 3 he cried F God s sake ’
. or
’

take care of her ! I bese e ch you Goodwife Gray for , ,

my sake use her kindly .

’

Then the keepers led him into the castle and ,

Margaret w carried away F a long time she w

as . or as

very ill but her mistress was w onderfully tender

,

with her and su ffered her to lack nothing When

,
.

sh was a little better Dame Gray set her on horse

e ,

back d took her home to Gloucester where she

an ,

was received w ith no little j oy .

H ow Tb oma r D ov e bei ng ken oy bira n ea ,

; i
’
wa r fo
rs a
,

F rien ds a n d des is ed o y b i p
s S erv a n t : a n d i ow i n z fie z ‘

En d lze w a s rein s t a ted oy z i e L ioera /i t o o

y f n e Clot fiierr
‘
z
Tho e who eek worldly enjoyments follo w a shado w
s s

without substance and as the asp stings a man t ,

o

1 1 4
Tfi Six We ort n
y Y eomen of fne West
death so vain pleasure Hatters until it makes
,
us us

forget God and waste our goods ; for an example

take Thomas Dove w h thro g h a generous heart
,

,
o u

and liberality of mind w asted his w ealth w hereupon

his friends promptly forsook h im Though he had
,

been of great ability and done good to many yet no ,

one ared for him in his poverty but looked scornfully

c ,

at him or passed him by with curt greetings Non e of

his former acquaintances w ould h elp h i m to the value
.
,

ofa farthing Their old friends h ip w lean forgotten as c

and he made of as slig h t account as Job when he sat

.
,

on the dunghill .

Now when his w icked ser ants saw him thus v

despised by the w orld they too began to disdai ,

n

h i m Not w ithstanding the fa t that for years he had

. c

maintai ed them at his own expense they thought

n ,

n othing of i t but derided him behind his back and

, ,

abu ed him both by their w ords and actions Re pe t

s s c

for him they had none but w hen they spoke to h im

.

it was rudely that an honest man would have

so

grieved to hear i t F inally they said they would stay.

with him no longer It w not to their credit to . as

serve a beggar wherefore they thought it convenient

,

to seek b fi t elsewhere en e s .

N w I fi d to my sorrow what little trust is to

o n , ,

be put in this false world exclaimed Dove in great ,

grief H ave you forgotten my masters my former

.
, ,

prosperity that you have no regard for my present

,

necessity ? I your need I forsook you not in your

n ,

sick ess I left you not nor ever despised your great
n ,

poverty It i not unk o w though you hoose to

. s n n , c

forget t that I took some of you from the gutter

i , ,

others from needy parents and brought all of you ,

from w ant to abundance F rom poor boys I brought .

1 1
5
you up to man s estate and at great expe e taught
’

, ns

you a trade whereby you may live like men And .

now in return for my good will to w ards you will

, ,

you thus suddenly forsake me 3 Is this the be t m s re c o

pense you can fi d it in your hearts to yield me 3 n

H onest servants do not The fi lion kind to so . e rc e i s

those who are kind to him Plu k but one thor out . c n

of his foot and he will show you manifold favours

,

for the same The wild bull will not overthro w his
.

dam and the very dragons are dutiful to those w h

,
o

nourish them B better advised and call to m ind that

. e ,

I have t plucked thorns from your feet but draw n

no ,

your whole bodies out of danger When you had no .

means of support I helped you and when all others ,

forsook you I omforted you your extremity c in

’

What of that 3 as k ed of them Because you ’

on e .

took up when w were poor does it follow there

us e ,

fore that w must be your slaves ? We are young

e

men and for

,
parts w are not obliged to regard
our e

your p fi t unless it is to our advan ement Why

ro c .

should we lose our hances to please you 3If you taught c

us our trade and brought up fro m boys to men you us ,

had our service for i t w hereby you might have ,

gained no small b fi t had you but used it as well en e

as w earned i t But if you are poor you have your

e .
,

self to thank Tis a j ust courge for your prodigality

.
’
s

and since in my opinion it is plain that to stay w ith

, ,

—
you is the ext step to becoming like you unable to
n

help ourselves or our friends Come pay m my ,

e

wages for I will not stay ! The rest may do they

,
as

plea e I m resolved
s . a .
’

Well said his ma ter i f you must needs be

‘
,
’
s ,
‘

gone here is part of your wage in ha d The rest

,
s n .

you shall have as soon God sendeth i t as .

’

1 1 6
 ‘
Give me two pots of ale and I ll betray him ,
’

,
’

said he .

So, the other agreeing this smooth faced Judas ,

-

came to his late master and told him that a friend of

his would speak to him at the door The unsuspecting .

man went to the door where an ffi immediately ,

o c er

arrested him at h i servant s suit The poor fellow

s
’
.
,

struck to the heart with sorro w cried Ah w icked , ,

one are you the fi t who doth seek to increase my

,
rs

misery 3 H ave I thus long given you bread to breed ,

my overthro w and nouri hed you to work my own

,
s

destruction 3Little did I think w hen you so often dipt ,

your false fi g in my dish that I gave food to my

n e rs ,

chief enemy ! But what boots it to complain in such

an extremity ? G wife to my neighbours and see
o, , ,

if any of them will stand bail for me .

’

But she went in vain Then he sent to his kinsfolk .

,

and the y denied him ; to his own mother s son and ’

he would not come There was nothing for i t — h

,

. e

must g to prison ! But he W on his way thither

o as as ,

a messenger met him with a letter from Master Cole ,

in whi h ( you have heard ) he promised Dove

c as

two hundred pounds A t thi the poor fellow rej oiced

. s

greatly and showed the letter to the ffi

,
who w o c e r, as

content to take his word Tom Dove at once set out .

for Reading where he found all the rest of the

,

clothiers lamenting Cole s untimely death The ’

.

disconsolate widow promptly paid the money w hich ,

induced the clothiers to do something for Dove .

O ne gave him ten pounds another twenty another , ,

thirty to begin the world anew and by this means

,

( under God s blessing

’

) he grew ri her than he was c

before .

Wealth being h i once more his former friends

s ,
Té e Six Warray Yeomen of t ne West
came fawning back to him and w hen he had , ,
no

n eed of them w ere all ready to pro ffer h i m their

,

services H i servants too w h had cast him ff in

. s ,
o o

h i distress were glad to come creeping cap in hand

s , , ,

to beg on bended knees for his favo r and friendship u .

But although he seemed to forgive them he often ,

said he w ould never trust them for a straw .

Thus he lived in wealth and prosperity doing ,

much good to the poor and leaving at his death ,

great lands to his children .

H ow f a ir M a rga ret ma a o li er R a n k kn ow n Al a rm
’
t o ner
or t oe L ov e f D uke R oo
’
a n a D a me a n d now ,
f o ert ,

rlz e ma de a Vow n e ver t o ma rry out oeoa me a Nun

l
,

in t l o A ooey of G lou ces t er

air Margaret after she came back to Gloucester

F , ,

never beheld the day but with weeping eyes ; and

so great w her sorrow for the loss of Duke Robert
as ,

her faithful lover that she utterly despised all worldly

,

pleasures d at last betrayed herself in these words

,
an , ,

to the Grays
O h my good master and dame too long have I
, , ,

whom F ate pursueth to deserved punishment kept ,

se ret from you m y parentage I m the woeful

c . a

daughter of the unhappy Earl of Shrewsbury Ever .

since his banishment I have done nothing but draw

misfortune after me Therefore I entreat you dear
.
, ,

master and dame let me pend the r e mainder of my

,
s

life i some bless e d nunnery

n
’

W h en Gray d h i wife heard this they marvelled

.

an s ,

greatly as much at her strange request as at her

,

birth .

Good Lord are you a lady and I knew it not 3

, ,

1 1 9
 S ome O/a Eng/i s n ’
W ort ni er
cried Dame Gray uncertain whether to call her M id , a

or M d m I m sorry I did not know it before

a a .
‘
a .
’

After this revelation the demeanour of the people ,

of the house w very di fferent towards Margaret as ,

and her dame was heard to say that she had hoped to
make a match bet w een her and her son She tried all .

she could to dissuade her from becoming a nun .

What Margaret she would say You are

, .

young and fair and no doubt the w orld hath better

, ,

fortune in store whereby you may leave an honour ,

able issue behind you in whom you shall live again ,

after death .
’

B ut to this as to all other arguments Margaret

, ,

turned a deaf ear .

Who doth not know that this world giveth

‘

pleasure for an hour but sorrow for many days 3 ’

—
,

said she It payeth what it p m i t h which is

.
‘
ro se

nothing more than continual trouble and vexation of

mind Do you think that i f I had the hoice of t h
. c e

mightiest prin es in Christendom I could match c ,

myself better than to my Lord Jesus 3N no 1 H i o, e s

my husband to H i m I yield myself body and soul , ,

giving to him my heart my love and my deepest , ,

afi ti
ec Too long have I loved this vile world ;
on s .

therefore I pray you dissuade me not , .

’

F inding they could not alter her decision her ,

friends made the matter kno w to his Majesty w h n , o,

when she was about to be received into the nunnery ,

came to Gloucester with most of his nobles to ,

honour her act with his w presen e All things o n c .

being ready the maid w richly attired in a go w n

,
as

of pure w hite atin her kirtle of the same unningly s ,

c

embroidered with gold H head w decked with . er as

gold pearls and other pre iou tones and her hair
, c s s ,
 Some O/a En g/zltn W ort ni er ’

Duke s sweet love fare w ell said h N w shall mine

’
s e .
‘
o

eyes weep for my former transgressions and no more ,

shall my to gue talk of vanity F are thee well my

n .
,

dear master and dame ! F arewell good people all I

Wit h the e words she w led away and never
,

s as ,

after w ards seen abroad Duke Robert when he heard .

,

of i t reque ted that at his death his body might

,
s

be buried i Gloucester in that town said h n ,

’
e,
‘
where mine eyes fi t beheld the heavenly beauty rs

of my love and where for my sake she forsook the

,

w orld H i request was f lfi ll d accordingly Th e

’
. s u e .

King wished at his death to be buried at Readi g n ,

f the great love he bore that town

or * .

Gray w h died enormously ri h gave land to

,
o c ,

the nunnery w hich had received Margaret William .

F i t ll also died a very w ealthy man and endow e d

z a en ,

many houses for the poor H i son H enry w the . s as

fi t Lord Mayor of L d
rs
i on on r
'

Sutton of Salisbury likewise did much good at

his death when he left a hundred pounds yearly
, ,

to be lent to poor weavers of the town Simon of .

South mpto gave a generous gift to w ards the

a n

building of a monastery at Wincheste r H dg k i . o e ns

of H alifax also did much good ; so did Cuthbert of

K endal who married twenty three couples out of
his w house and gave each of t h em ten pounds to
-

o n

begin the world withal Martin B y m gave a great . r a

sum towards the building of a free s hool in c

Manchester .

Thus gentle d Ihave fi i h d my story f t h

,
re a e r, n s e o ese

w orthy men ; and would now k you to take my as

pains in good part which will engage me to greater ,

matters should I fi d this courteously accepted n

,

S ee
.

N te o II .
1
"

N te D Do .
Pr e fa ce [y
b the Au th or ]

a market town in the

A K EF IEL D i s -

West Riding of Yorkshire in the ,

hundred of A gb i dg upon the river r e,

Calder here covered with a fair stone ,

bridge Edward the F ourth King of England

.
, ,

adorned the town w ith a tately chapel It is a large s .

tow well built of stone of great antiquity and

n , , ,

drives the clothing trade O f this place it was that .

George a Green w ho en Pindar so long ago as as c s

the reign of King Ri hard the F irst as you will c ,

fi d in the following history

n .

A for P i d
s it is a w ord and ffi peculiar to
n a r, o ce

the north of Engla d and implies one who looks n ,

a ft t and
'

e r s ra
y the like being
s much the same as
p l l p in the southern parts of the kingdom
on n a -
eee er
,

That there w such a per on George a Green

as s as

wh w o Pindar of W k fi ld I think i not to be

as a e e , s

doubted from many considerations ; to say nothing

,

of the many sign we have of him not only in ands ,

about London but in several other parts Also the

, .

uninterrupted tradition of him handed down from

father to and retained in the north to this day
s on ,

especially in h i birthplace i no small proof of his

s ,
s

existence Yet I do not fi d the Pindar name

.
n
’
s

mentioned in any of our chronicles ; but those of

Robin H ood and Little John who were George ,
’
s

contemporaries being recorded in H lli g h d f

, o n s e
’
( these being some of the des e dants of Little John c n

— —
,

who bore the surname of Nailor still or at least ,

very lately living in the kingdom) ; I cannot con

,

i
ce ve this makes against but rather for our present ,

history the actions of the other t w happening in

,
o

all probability to become more cogni able to that s

c hronicle on accou t of their being outlaws w hereas

n

George continuing steadfast in his loyalty to his

,

prince follo w ed a law ful and honest calling It is

, .

true he was as conspicuous for h i valour as any s on e

of them which should recommend him to the good

,

opinion of the brave and generous ; and it is not to

be conceived that anyone will value him the less
because he was more virtuous than his companio s n .

I confess it pleases me not a little that George

is noticed by M Butle the famous author of r r,
H udibras “an immortal piece and the ame se e ms
,
’
3
s

to be a fi m t i in the main of the truth of this

con r a on , ,

hi tory for in his fi t canto of the second part

s ,
rs , ,

having brought H udibras to promise his mistress he

would su ffer a whipping on condition that she w ould
have him being unable to persuade his man R lp h
,
a o

to undergo the pu ishment for him the hero fell to

n ,

threats saying
,

‘
If n o t , re s o v e lb e fore w e go
Th at y t ou an d I mu s
p u cro w ll a .
’

To w hi h the other answered

c

Y h d b t (q th R ’
a lp h o
) th e a n ci e n s t
S y wi ly h h
a es uo as

a a ’
th
’
m ina
l la
a se ,
ave c re c a n ce ,

An d ook b e fore y ou e re y ou
l p;
e

F or a s y ou s ow , y a re i k e t o
’
re
pa .

No te C .

1 2 8
T h e H i s tory of

G e o rge a G ree n
'
Of t /zeP a ren tage a n a B irt /z of‘ G eor e a Green , a n a
g of
’

s ome A cciden t s w ni o/z o z

c ell l i m in lzi r C/z zld/z ood
j ,

oef ore lze could w rite

’
M
a n , a n a w ni o/z
ga ve
g rea t
'

p
H o es t o lzirf ut ure S t rengt /z a n d Va lour

N order that this history may gain the greater

credit and countenance and not incur the ,

mputation of a vain and fabulous discourse ( f

i o

W hich number this age hath already been

abused with too many) I thought it best both f ,
or

the reputation of the work and the encouragemen t

of the reader to follow and observe an exact com p u
,

t ti
a of time as also all the series of such circum
on

stances as are not only known but very remarkable ,

in our best and most approved chroni les c .

Thus therefore it followeth

, ,

The reign of H enry the Second of that name ,

King of England great grandso of William the

,
-
n

Conqueror and son of Geo ffrey Plantagenet Earl f

, , o

Anjou and Maud the E m press daughter of H enry I

, , .
,

began in the month of O ctober in the year after ,

our bles ed Saviour s Incarnation 5 5 and in the

s
’

,
1 1 ,

nineteenth year of Louis V III [ ] King of F rance . 5 26

H was a pri ce of valour and courage so great that

e n

he w o ften heard to y the world was not ffi i t

as sa su c en

to ontain or limit a valiant and magnanimous spirit

c .

Nor did his words ome much short of his heroi

c c
actions for he subdued Ireland by the sword and
,

surprised William King of Scots f in battle joining

,
“
,

and annexing the kingdom to his w F rom the o n .

south ocean to the north islands of the O d i he rc a es

comprehended the whole land under due p i p li t y r n c1 a

and government extending his empire farther than

,

any of his progenitors had done ; for no King of

England before his t me held so many ountries and
,
i ,
c

provin es under their dominion Besides his w k g

c . o n 1n

dom and cro w n of which he w heir and unto whi h

,
as c

he w lineally des ended he had under his rule and

as c ,

command the entire dukedo m s of Normandy ,

Gascony Guyenne Anjou and Chinon ; and he

, ,

subjected unto hi m self Auvergne with other terri ,

tories Moreover by h i w ife Eleanor ( who had been

.
,
s

divorced from Louis V III of F rance ! he had in

dower the Pyrenees dividing F ran e and Spain B y
.

,
c .

this queen H enry had a fair and hopeful is ue s

namely fi sons and three daughter H i sons were

,
ve s . s

William H enry Richard Godfrey and John of

, , , ,

who m only t w su ceeded him the third son o c , ,

Richard (afterwards surnamed 0 Li for his 58 11 7

”

ae
’
on

invin ible courage) and John H i eldest daughter

c , . s ,

Maud married the Duke of Saxony The second

, .
,

Eleanor w wedded to the King of Spain the third

,
as ,

Jane be ame the wife of Willia m King of Sicily

,
c , .

King H e ry w Very prospero u in the beginning

n as s

of h i reign but in the latter part of it Very f

s , u n or

t t ”for as Gerald the

u na e, h ,
i l fl records he c ro n c e r ,

reigned t w enty six years in all worldly prosperity

-

and to the content of his heart but the ext four ,

n

years with di fii lt y and trouble and the fi years

cu , ve

I
I No te H .

1 31
 S ome O/a En gli rn
’
W ort ni er
after that w ith i fi i t vexation and sorro w The n n e .
3"

fi t tumult arose in about the t w entieth year of his

rs

reign when his ons were aided by the S ots king

,
s c

and the two eminent Earls of Chester d Lincoln an .

The cause of their taking up arms against their

father was that he had imprisoned their mother ,

Q ueen El f and kept the

ean or fair R m '

d j
fi as os a on

h i mistre s abandoning the bed and company of his

s s ,

law ful wife .

Thus far I have borrowed of our Engli h annals s ,

the better to illustrate our history now in hand .

In those civil and domestic tumult whilst the s,

—
whole land w in an uproar the father against the
as

and the
s on , s on—
opposed to the father the country ,

bewildered by these factions w ra ked by internal ,

as c

quarrels It was not only peer against peer and

.

county against county but nephews opposed their ,

uncles brother w against brother

,
againstas , s on

father one supporting the father s quarrel the other

,
’

animating the faction of the rebellious children as ,

their fancies and a ffections led them ! Amongst .

those w h abetted the insurrection of the princes

o

w as one Geo ffrey Green a rich farmer of the town ,

of W k fi ld who assisted them i all their designs

a e e ,
n

both with his purse and person These wars lasted .

for the spa e of two whole years to the great

c ,

disturbance of the realm ; but at the end of that

season the King had the better of i t for the army of ,

the princes w dispersed and the King pursuing his

as , ,

victory besieged the t w Earls ofChester and Lin oln

,
o c ,

with other great men in A w i h [Alnwi k ] Castle ,

n c c ,

and in a short time surprised both it and them .

N te J o
No
.

u te N .
 As I have leared his birth fro m bastardy my
c ,

d e sign to free his upbringing from calumny H

18 . e

was trained ac ording to h i father s means at the

,
c s
’

school of W k fi ld to read and write ; for in

a e e

those days few farmers sons aimed at any higher ’

lear ing H proved himself an able scholar and in

n . e ,

stre gth excelled those who exceeded him in years

n .

In all bodily exercises especially when any trial w ,

as

to be made by blow and bu ff ets he always had the s ,

mastery insomuch that his fellow scholars gave him

,
-

the name of Captain of the School But his means .

failing on account of his father s poverty and

,
’
un

timely death his master began to use him hardly

, ,

and because he fou d him to be friendless as well as

,
n

fatherless insulted h i m by chastising and beating him

,

on the slightest provocation Though yet a child the .

,

boy s great spirit co ld not endure this and he made

’
u ,

up his mind on the next occasion to revenge himself

, ,

upon his master and after w ards leave the school The .

opportunity was soon forthcoming It happened that .

his master f some trivial cause w wroth and

,
or ,
as ,

bade George prepare himself for a lashing At this .

terrible summons the lad fell on h i knees with ,

s

Q ua ero
p p t ( for he
ra eoe had mu h Latin
or
) in his so c

mouth to beg pardon loath on so sudden a con

, ,

d m
e ti
na to g to exe ution But after many threats
on o c .
,

on the one side and entreaties on the other George , ,

perceiving his master to be inexorable and not to be

moved either by prayers or tears as the pedagogue ,

w as calling out a boy to horse him George mindful , ,

of his determination uddenly thru t his head ,

s s

bet w een his master s legs held them fast heaved ’

, ,

up his w heels and threw the man with a back

o n

somersault and left him ( aring little whether his

,
c

1 34
 Tn e His t oi y of George a Green
head or neck touc h ed the ground fi t ) lying flat rs on

h i back and half dead in the midst of the school

s .

The door being open George out vo w ing that ,

ra n ,

he would never enter it again Thus George in .

,

the marring of a cholar almost spoilt a school s ,

master The poor man now much less choleric than

.
,

before began to entreat his scholars to help him on

,

his legs again and to run home for q im They

,
a ua v .

led him to a seat the while he complained now , ,

of a pain in his head now of a crick in his back , ,

or his neck or his bones But his scholar George

gone determine d having made so free wit h his
—
.
,

w as
—
,

legs never agai to come w ithin reach of his fi g n n e rs .

This incident though it angered some pleased

ot h ers especially those w h were indulgent to their
, ,

childre with w h om the pedant had been too harsh

n , .

All talked of George s strength and boldness since ’

h e, albeit young had dared to cope w ith this

so ,

tyra t at w hose frown the rest of h i schoolmat e s

n s

quaked and trembled .

In many other w ays George proved himself the

master not o ly of those of h i w age but of
,
n s o n ,

others w h had previously beaten him Yet he w

o . as

naturally of honest and gentle a temper that he

so

rat h er attra ted love and amity than emulation or

c

en em 1 es .

itherto I have spoken of h i m as a hild I must

H c .

no w ask you to imagine so many years have passed

over his head that he is gro w n to his full manhood ,

w ith an understanding more capable and a frame

more vigorous the one to apprehend and the other
,

to undertake These things duly considered I pro

.
,

pose to onclude the fi t division of this treatise

c rs ,

and prepare myself to g on with the second o .

 Some O ld En gli rn W ort ni er

How George Green w a s ers ua ded o

a
—
y p
a F rien d f l ir t o
o z
g o to a n A rt ron omer ,
or F ort une z eller ,
t o ca rt lz ir Na t i vny
‘
' ‘

George grown to twenty years of age persuading

, ,

himself that in regard both of his strength and

stature he might w write himself fully M no an,

began to consider what course in life he should

follow Whilst he meditated he met an old friend
.
,

of his and much familiar discourse w exchanged

,
as

betw e en them A t length they touched upon the

.

subj ect of George s former fl t i Personally he ’

re ec on s .

inclined to the profession of a soldier but from that ,

he was debarred for there was no employment for ,

such persons since there prevailed a general peace

and a cessation of civil arms throughout the kingdom
A serving man he did t much a ffect for he held
.

-
no ,

it too servile and besides he remembered the two

, ,

English proverbs S i i l it g and A : erv ce s no zer a e, : n

old g m m
s erv i nk y
-

g ogg
an H e had no a e: a oun e ar .

hopes of proving a sch lar since he had (as you have o ,

heard ) broken up school too early ; nor did he care

for a trade because he could not endure to be i m
,

prisoned seven years in a shop to cry W/ t d y : za o ou

l k
ac A fter much conference h i friend told him ,
s

that at H alifax some twelve miles distant lived a

, ,

soothsayer or fortune teller w h cast fi g e and -

,
o u re

could predict from men s nativities what should ’

happen to them .

Therefore of him be advised urged George s

‘
, ,
’ ’

friend and according as he shall calculate of your

birth so frame the course of your life
,
.
’

Hi ounsels so far prevailed with George that he

s c

o
N te 0 .
1
‘
No te P .
 Som e O/a En gli rn W ort ni er ’

use as I w ill keep my money for my own

,

S pending ! ’

With that he altered h i course and went back to s

W k fi ld w here he arrived some w hat w iser than

'

a e e ,

w hen he left But his friend as arrant a fool as he

.
,

w got there fi t !
as, rs

H ow George a Green w a s o/ oren P in da r z f

o Wa ke eld
fi .

H ow lze bore lz imrelf in t /z a t Ofi oe, an f

d o s ome
'
ot /z er In oia em : w /zie/z oc ell aim
‘ ‘

It happened soon after h i j ourney to H alifax

,
s ,

that the Pindar of W k fi ld died The post though a e e .

,

of no great reputation was p fi t b l therefor e ,

ro a e,

ma y of the to w n men and others of the neighbour

n s

ing villages made suit for i t Now George was .

well beloved partly for his father s sake but h i fl y

,
’
c e

for his w H b e ing destitute of means and m

o n . e e

ployment it was generally decided that although

,

he had made no reques t for the ffi either by his o ce,

o w n mouth or through the mediation of friends it ,

should be mentioned to him that if he thought fi t

—
to accept so poor a favour albeit it proceeded from
—
their love until something better turned p he u

should have t h e po t in spite of all competitors

,

s , .

Pleased with this voluntary token of a ffection and

being in himself a hater f all ingratitude George o
—
,

considering that he was without a calling decided

t h at it were better to enter a mean profession than
to have none at all H therefore returned a thankful e

an w er of acceptance ( modestly excusing h is w

.

s o n

demerits) on this conditio that as he u derstood n : n

there w ere many suitors for the post who seemed

more expert than himself and ince it w an ffi ,
s as o ce

1 38
 Tae Hi s t oi j/ of George a Green
w hich required a strong man able to undergo much
w ithout being beaten b for his part desired that ,
e

merit should gain it rather than favour ; wherefore

his request w that all w h were interested in the
as o

matter should appear next holiday after evensong , ,

on the green to have a bout or two at quarter t fi

,
-
s a
'

( the w eapo most in use in those

n days ) and so ,

remove all pretext for his being afterwards hated or

envied This suggestion w
. fair that it was as so

denied by none but accepted by all and George , ,

w as much co m mended for having proposed i t The .

day w appointed and a pro lamation made not

as ,
c ,

only to the neighbouring villages but also in all the

market towns in the country that whosoever would
— —
,

appear whether trangers or not should not only s

have fair play but he w h by ta ff and law could

,
o s

maintain h i laim should have the Pi d h i p

s c n a rs

during h i life t W h the time ame a great

s ,
e c .
'

en c ,

crowd of people appeared from all parts d many ,

an

stout champio s entered the li ts Many a tinker was

n s .

seen with his long staff on his shoulder (for lan es c

belonged to hor emen only) and there was not one s ,

but would venture h i body in the fi ght George s .

w as the challenger the rest defendants ; the prize

t h e Pi d h i p Neither bakers nor butchers were
, ,

n a rs .

ex luded nor fencers even for the hallenge w

c , , ,
c as

general Many w h made no pretensions to the

. o

place ame olely to how their valour

c s s .

The hampion tands forth a defendant appears

c s

t h e charge is ounded not by trumpets but by bag

—
, ,

pipes as the Scots m en g to war As one is struck

,
o .

do w n another starts up in his pla e In this combat

,
c .

George may well be compared with H ercules fi gh t i g n

with H ydra ; for soon as one opponent is van as

 Some Ola Eng/zlré
'
W ort ni er
q two
u i s h e d, or three appear in his t d F ewer s ea .
ale

staves have been broken at a tilt on a coronation day

—
than quarter staves at this trial of strength Twe ty . n

heads w hich at fi t stood upright on their respective

,
rs

shoulders in less than an hour stooped lo w er than their

,

knees ; yet there was in George no sign of weakness

or wear ness H seemed as fresh as when he began
i . e .

Some of those who came to make proof of their

valour learned by other men s fates to be wary and
, ,
’

, ,

foreb to enter the lists deeming that the safest

ore
—
,

w y aseeing many cracked crowns pass current

so

to sleep in a whole skin In short George opposed .

,

so many that at last there were none to resist ; and

the ffi by common consent w onferred on him
o ce, ,
as c .

All ackno w ledged moreover that it w his by merit , ,

as

and not by favour .

It chanced that as his valour attracted the hearts

of all men h i fair and genteel appearance made
,
s

him of interest to many women and to one in ,

particular a beautiful damsel named B eatrice only

, ,

daughter and heires of a rich justice of the pea e s c ,

whose name w Grymes ; a man of wealth d of as an

no mean reputation This maiden who w the chief .

,
as

beauty in the north country w espied by George ,

as

i nsuch breathing space as he enjoyed when having ,

foiled one champion he awaited the com ng of ,

i

another ; and h perc e iving that whenever he had

s e,

an opportunity he cast a loving glance in her

direction was not slow to respond Who ever loved
,
.
,

that loved not at fi sight 3 The saying w true rs t as

enough in this case for ever after w ards t h ere was an ,

impression of such cordial and entire love between

Beatrice and George that neither prevention nor
1 40
 Some O/a En gli rn ’
W ort ni er
shortly came into h is h ands These matters satis .

f t i ly accomplished King Ri hard prepared for

ac or ,
c

a voyage to the H oly Land with Philip II King of

F rance Duri g h is absence he constituted the Bishop
.
,

. n

of Ely the Chancellor of England V i e regent of

,
n ,
c -

the kingdom The covetousness of thi b i h p fi on

.
“ s s o

the one hand and the ambition of the King s brother

,
’

[John ] on the other cau ed factions to arise against s

t h e tyrannous prelate and great distractions ensued

,

, .

N y a third ulcer w orse than these broke into open

a
—
, , ,

rebellion namely an insurrection raised by the Earl of

Kendal and several of h is adherents such as the Lord ,

Bonville Sir Gilbert Armstrong and others These

, , .
,

having ollected an army of o m e twenty thousand

c s

malconte ts made public proclamation that they

n ,

came into the fi ld solely to purchase their country

e

men s liberty and to free them from the great and

’

insu fferable oppression of the prince d prelate an .

This drew many followers to the Earl s side that ’

, so

he seemed to have got together a very potent army .

But the main reason of this rebellion was that whe n

the Earl w still a child a soothsayer had prophesied

as ,

that Richard and he should meet in London and the

King do ff his bonnet to him ; a prediction which
e v e ntually proved true but not as it w expounded ,
as .

The Earl s army struck terror to the hearts of the

’

King s faithful subject in the north w h wished

’
s ,
o

for the good of the Commonwealth and the safety

of the kingdom yet many were forced through fear
to supply h is men w ith the necessary provisions lest ,

they should make havoc of all they possessed The .

Earl being for some time destitute of many things

needf l to an army the three confederates encamp
u , ,

1 4 2
ing some fi miles from the town of W k fi ld
ve a e e ,

drew up a commission w hich they each signed with ,

their own seals and sent it by one Mannering a

, ,

servant of the Earl s to the b i li fi and towns m en of

’

,
a
'

W k fi ld desiring them to send a quantity of

a e e ,

provisions corn and cattle with other necessaries

for the use of their host A m of money was also
, ,

. su

required to pay the soldiers Mannering w to use as

—
persuasion fi t then i f they denied his request—h
.
,

rs , e

w to threaten them with fi and sword Ne w s

as re .

of this ommission coming to their ears the baili ff

c ,

and h i fello w s sent a message to the neighbour

s

ing j usti es ( Ma ter Grymes i cluded ) appointing

c s n ,

a meeting in the to w n hall A t this many of the .

common were present George a Green among t

s s

them Before t h is a sembly the messenger [Manner

,

. s

ing ] appeared showed his w arra t and according to n

h i orders entreated h is love and favour The b i li fi

, , ,
’
s a

and j ustices w ere loat h to grant h i request whi h

.
,

s ,
c

w contrary to their allegiance y t they were afraid

as e

to deny it peremptorily and tood wavering and ,

s

debating amongst themselves w hat they had better

do Seeing this Mannering began to alter his tone
.
, ,

fi t tau ting the m and deriding their cowardi e

rs n c ,

then threateni g them that if they did not at once

n

comply w ith his demands the army would in tantly s

despoil them of their good ravish their daughters s, ,

and make a b fi of the town on an example to

re ,
as

others who should dare to oppose the Earl A t thi . s

haughty and i fi b l menace w hilst the ben h

n su
f
e ra e , c

sa t quaking George pressed forward through t h

, e

crowd and asked leave to ans w er the m essenger .

Permission being granted him he boldly stepped p , u

to the latter and demanded his name .

1 43
 S ome O/a En gli s n
’
W ort ni er
Mannering w the reply ,
’
as .

Mannering roared George The name w ill .

‘
as

bestowed on one who can so far forget his manners

as to stand covered before a be ch on w hich the n

majesty of his sovereign is represented ! I will teach

thee m anners since thou lackest them , .
’

S saying he snatched the f ll w f bonnet ff his

o ,
e o s o

head trod on i t and spurned it from him

, , .

H w dare you o ffer violen e to one w h beareth

o c o

so mighty a commission ? exclaimed Mannering ”

enraged .

Your commission ! quoth George I beg your

‘ ’
.
‘

pardon i ,
s r .
’

Then he asked to be allowed to peruse the precious

docume t and having done n Marry cried he
,
so

I cannot hoose but submit myself to this authority

c .

H made a gesture as if he would kiss i t but

e ,

instead tore it i pieces At this Mannering began

,
n .

to stamp stare and swear whereupon George seiz

, , ,

ing him by the collar hook him as though he would ,

s

have loosened every bone his body Then drawing 1n .

,

his dagger and po nting it at his bosom he said .

i ,

‘
I have physic which shall purge you of your angry
blood
With that he stooped to pick up the three eals ,
s ,

whi h w ere ( said h ) three pills to be instantly

c e ,

swallo w ed by the messenger if he wished ever again

to return to his master ; nor would he leave Manner
ing or take the dagger from h i breast until the seals
,
s

w ere do w n Then seeing that they almost choked

.
,

him George called for a jug of ale

,
.

It shall never be said quoth h that the ,

’
e,

messenger of such great personages w sent to the as

t own of W k fi ld and no one w kind enough to

a e e ,
as
 Some Old En gli s n W ort ni er
daughter he a yeo m an son ; her father w a
,
’
s as

justice of th e peace his a farmer She was an heiress

, .
,

he, master of nothing ; she was so rich he w so ,

as

poor ! These discouraging meditations drove him into

so deep a mela choly that othing could comfort
n n

him Then again he reminded himself that all

.
, ,

Virtuous lovers were respecters of person rather than

of place and preferred the m to h i means H told an s . e

himself moreover that he who feared not the face f

, , o

any man should not be dau ted by the frowns of a n

— —
,

woman that faint heart never w fair lady that on

all contracts were fi t fi m d in heaven befor rs c on r e e

they could be concluded on earth These thought

* . s

prevailing over his melancholy he next began to ,

devise a means to acquaint his lady love with h i s

affection ; and knowing t i a laudable ambition i s

to aim high rather than to look low he decided to ,

put his fortune to the test since the worst thin g ,

which could come of it would not be death b t ,

u

denial H had read too that it is a kind of ingrati

. e , ,

tude in one w h i loved and honoured by another

o s

to be angered thereby F orth w ith he took pen in .

hand ( still as one loath to o ffend ) and set himsel f

cautiously to express his own love rather than pre
sumptuously to urge or persuade hers Being a pretty .

poet he wrote his fancy

,

W/J a t a rt t b ou, b ea u ty, un commen ded 2

Or w na t i s s t a t e, if n ot a tt en ded 3

Or gold i n grou n d
If g ,
J ou b t n ot f ou n d 3 .

Wh a t s fa vour i n a p ri n ce of en ded
’ ‘
’

All t b ere li ke s moke a n d b ubble: p rove

An d s o i t napp on s t o my lov e .

1 46
 l a t a re p lea s ure: if un t ri ed
Or w b a t grea t s u i t : if s t i ll den i ed 3

Or w h a t , t o i b ee
Wb o ca n n ot s ee,
I P b azbu: i n b i : n oon day p ri de
: 3 .

He may b e fa i r, a n d y et a n n oy
f i ll w b o a r e b el leu t o en o
p jy .

Wb a t i r w ea lt b , b ut t o p ow er: i t
us e

Or v i rt u e, i
f n on e da r e
p f
r o e s s i t 3

Ev en JO i t fa res
Wi t }; t b ere my ca rer.

Tb en w na t my mi s t res s , w b o ca n gu es s i t
S a v i ng y ou on ly i na do kn ow i t z ‘

I b a ue a b oa rt , but da r e n ot rb ow i t
f

George w afraid that in thus overtly discovering

as

h i meaning he might arouse some distaste yet it

s ,

could not breed anger and if it did he would make ,

the excuse A t m y l k t ki g The air is

:
‘
ca a oo a a n

free for men to breathe nor is the poorest W ight

.

debarred the privilege of gazing at the sun which ,

shines upon all This letter told her that he loved

’

—
.

her true ! But she could prevent no man from

doing that nor would it harm her ; therefore b
, e

incurred no blame Animated with these hopes he .

signed his name ealed the letter and gave it to his

,
s

boy whom he charged to w atch his opportunity

, ,

and when no one w looking to drop the packet as ,

in some place w here Beatrice w ould be sure to fi d n

it and pi k it p The boy proved an apt scholar and

c u .
,

did as his master had tutored him ; and the letter

came safely into the hands of her to whom it was
written When she read i t as h did over and over
.
,
s e

again I can safely say that n e ver came tidings of

,

1 47
 Some O ld En gli rb Wo mb le;
more comfort to her d and discontented heart
sa .

All her study and care was to return him a prompt

and pleasing answer ; for she considered that there
w as no object in appearing coy or delaying ; for
she had many importunate suitors of her w rank o n ,

daily and hourly soliciting a re p ly to all of whom ,

sh gave fair answ ers and seeming regard But

e w . no ,

being fi m ly resolved to marry her dear George h

r ,
s e

w ent to her room shut herself i

,
and wrote to him n,

as foll ws
o

P rov e b ut a : con s t a n t a r t b ou rt b old,

’

Tby s ui t s b a ll n ev er b e con t rolled .

I a m n ot t o b e b ougb t or s old
F or w ea lt b or t rea s u re .

L et s ui t ors f ret a n d p a r en t : rage,

Tb en k eep me i n a n i ron cage
Tet I my s elf t o t b ee engage
Ill us e my p lea s ure
’

Tb en b e n o longer di s con t en t
I w r i t e n o more i b a n w b a t i : mea n t .

Wi t b t b i r my b a n d, my b ea ri i r s en t .

B e t t b i n e en dea v our
’

To lay s ome p lot b ow w e may meet ,

An d lov i ngly ea cb afb or greet
Wi t b a morous w ords a n d ki u er s w eet .

Im t b i n e for e v er
’
.

B EA T R IC E ’
.

Without w aiti g to read this through to

n if see

she had written anything rashly or unadvisedly she

folde d it up and —for fear of discovery or prevention
,

—hid it in her bosom not kno w ing how to convey

,

1 48
swallow their seals Needless to say th e y were
.
,

incensed at this a ffront from a man of low station .

That night they spent in feasting and courting fai r

Beatrice whom the Earl promised to make a count e ss

,

at least ; but the next day they took their l e ave of

her and of Master Grymes her father and return ed , ,

to amp to lay thei heads together for the devising

c r

of a plan by which to seize the Pindar in whom ,

alone ( according to M i g report) lay the a n n er n

’
s

whole strength of the town Whilst they wer e .

debating Sir William Musgrave a brave old knight ,

—
, ,

and his son Cuddy valiant and successful gentleman

a
—had raised a small army on behalf of their absent
King and although fe wer in numbers only await e d
, , ,

the opportunity to fall upon the rebels ; but they

were so strongly encamped that Musgrav e could
only do it at great hazard to himself and his people
pe ding which adventure I will l e ave him for a
n ,

while to speak of other incidents p e rtinent to our

,

story .

H ow George Green ra rp rired a Spy w /zo w a r ren t by t /ze

a

R ebel: t o bet ray S a n don Ca s t le, o

f w b i o/z S i r Wi llia m
M usgra v e a n d b ir S on , Cua dy , b a d t /ze K ee ing a nd
’
p
f
o s un dr
y ot /z er P a rra
ge:

Pr e vious to the incident between George and

Mannering at W k fi ld the Earl of Kendal had
a e e ,

h ired a p y and given him a round

s m to betray su ,

if he could Sandon [Sandal ] Castle in which the

, ,

Musgraves lay with a garrison which though very ,

small had hitherto repulsed all assaults on the part

,

of the rebels This spy as h e pr w led about chanced

.
, o ,

to meet George whom he had never seen before

, ,

1 5 0
 Tbe Hi v o y of George r a Gr een
and did not kno w The two e tered into conversation . n ,

and George seeing that the other w of the Earl s

,
as
’

fa tion began to smooth him down with soft

c ,

speeches and commended the insurrection as though

,

it w ere a good thing for the ki gdom at large B y n .

these mean she so ingratiated himself into the spy s ’

favour that the latter told him frankly what he

purposed to do at the same time showing him a
,

bag of gold which he said should be his w h could , ,

o

devise a plot to bring this stratage m to pass Th e .

Pindar secretly J i i g told him that for such

,
re o c n ,

he would himself undertake to bring him into the

castle at dead of night when he might open the ,

gates and let in as many of h i confederates he s as

pleased .

I m very well k ow to the garrison said

‘
a n n ,
’

George ; for I m often sent to carry th e m p

‘
a ro

vis ons It would be best to my thinking for you

i .
, ,

to enter at nightfall when I will take you on my ,

back ( as if you were load of corn or some such a

commodity as I usually bring thither) d put you an

i
n some corner of the castle that is least uspect e d s .

Then in the dead of night wh e n you think all is

, ,

safe you can get out open the gates and let in
, , ,

all your friends .

’

This he said with such a serious and earnest

c ountenance that the p y promptly fell into the trap s

A sack w provided into w hich he crept where

.

as , ,

upon G e orge slung him over h i shoulder and nimbly s

set out until he came within sight of the astle c ,

when taking from his pocket the halter which he

,

u ed to lead strays to the pound he fastened it to the

s ,

mouth of the sack and hoisted i t about twelve feet ,

from the groun d to a tre e before the castle green

, .
 S omeOld En gli s b Wo mb le;
H then bade the spy farewell and left him dangling
e

bet w een heaven and hell with this inscription ,

pinned on his breast

Wb oev er n ext s b a ll p a rs t b i : w ay,
A li t t le I en t r ea t t o s t ay
An d, if b e ll deign t o look
’
so b igb ,
He ll s ee
’
mos t n ot ori ous spy
a

Tb i r ra ck, t oo, I w ould b a v e you t b i n k,

M ore w b olerome i s t o b a ng t b a n dri n k
B eca us e i n i b i s a p lot w a s la i d
By w b i ob y ou a ll b a d b een b et ray ed .

Us e b i m a ccordi ng t o y our s ki ll
Wb o rougb t i b ir n igb t your blood t o sp i ll .

I f w b o di d t b i :
y ou s b a ll en
q u i re,
’
Tw a r George a Green di d b a ng b i m b ere
.
’
.

H aving done this George trudged as fast as he

,

could to the town to attend to his la w ful business

, .

H w
e as scarcely out of sight w hen Sir William
Musgrave and his son Cuddy came out to take the , ,

evening air and Cuddy by chance espying a strange

something in the tree pointed it out to his father
, ,

and both drew nearer to discover what it might b e .

When they had read the inscription however they , ,

could easily perceive what pig w in that poke as

( as the saying is ) S they

. cut down the sack
o and
its contents with such haste that the latter s neck ’

w as nearly broken by the fall ; and they took the

traitor to the castle where they made him confe s
, s

all the plans made by the rebels A t the same time

they spoke highly of George s W itty stratagem and
.

of his fi d li t y to h i sovereign
e s .

But now for variety s sake I will break ff

,
’

, o ,

1
5 2
 Some Old En g/i rb Wo mb le;
It w a custom amongst the outlaw s when they
as ,

and Robin H ood went hunting to come ( each a -

dressed in green armed with a good yew bow and

,

a sheaf of arrows hanging at the girdle) early in the

morning to rouse their leader with a song .

Now w en d w e t oget b er, my merry men a ll,

Un t o t b e ! green w ood s i de a ,
-

An d t b en ki ll a b uck or a doe,
to
L et your cun n i ng a ll b e t ri ed a -
.

No ma n may comp a re w i t b R obi n Hood,

Wi t b R obi n s S la t b ba t cb a n d yob n
’
-
a,

Tb e li ke n e v er w a s a n d n e v er rb a ll b e,
In ca s e t b a t t b ey w ere gon e a — .

Tb en let u: n ot li nger a w ay t b e t i me,

B ut b i e t o t b e merry green w ood a , -

An d t b er e s t ri ke dow n a ba rk or a doe
F or my ma s t er R ob i n Hood a -

F or my ma s t er R obi n Hood a -

With this music of voices well attuned they would

salute him d afterwards attend him to th e chase
,
an .

But it happened that for f ur or fi days together o ve

the weather w very rainy and tempestuous and

as ,

during this time Marian r e mained in a state of

melancholy the cause of w hich her Robin c uld
,
o

not discover though he tried by all means and

,

entreaties and at last began to be a littl e jealous lest

,

her love should be inclining towards Prince John ,

wh o w continually sending messengers to her with

as

letters and gifts Yet such w Robin s faith in her

. as
’

constancy of which he had had proof again and

,

again that he soon blamed himself for having

,

1 54
 Tbe History George a Green
d oubted her and attributed h e r sadness to the gloomy
,

and unseasonable weather which might well have ,

been the cause of her indisposition To drive this .

a w ay (for nothing could have troubled him more

than to see her looking sad ) he dressed one of his
pages as a wood nymph and providing him with
-

a costly mantle embroidered in many colours bade ,

him present it to the Maid Marian as she sat alone .

This the boy did the while a choir of sweet singers

, ,

plac e d out of sight sang the follo wing so ft strains

,

B a ty ’
d i t l k ’

A g l mi d d m tal b k
e u s ro s e an v r ue s oo ,
’ ’

B th da g l l a
n e s n an or s oo ,

m to
0 t h u fa i t h a th
o en an n e s ce r .

on t

did mi l h
o res e e r ,

H a h b i t on t

h d y h m t l a
e ve n p s e u r
y
A d i
n s n ce , t b e a s a ve e en os c e r.

O ly p S S wi t h i w
t
D th f a y b l am h i l dy b w
n oor n no

l
o e r ou e s c ou ro

But
y a i t
our s d t y n w a e v ou s e rs

Ti b
’
a aditi ai ut tr
Th at h i w p i g a th ai
s on v n

ai t i h hd ta
s ee n c u se r n

F
or s n s n e av e n ca n s e no e rs .

But th i h ay t h at h f a t to t
w l m g
s e s s, e e s

C m Ii t
l gy
o es r s, a n u n e co e ue s ,

I h m i t b f
A d wh
n er o s ro e o co ou rs a .

n h m h
en s t y
e co es, s e e v er s ra s

F h a t f f t da
l p e s ce o or
or
y y s,

A n d, m ore or e s s, w e ep s e ver
y da
y .

th t h
S t S wi h in w h e k n ew
Th at a l all en , e n on ce

in w a s i k e t o f
l h
r on ou ,
y
( t u
If s a in s co d w e e p h e w e p a s m u c
) t
W
h
A s W e n y o u di d t h e a dy e d l lt aa
h o di d on b urn i n g i ron re d ;
To v i rgin s h i s re s p e c i s s u c t h .

1 55
 Some Old En g/i rb W ort b i er
t l th b ad I i g
He ge n y
b l w;
en e rs o

U t h A t ip d
’
n o t

h at t h i m ll g w
n o es e o

B ut s

W h h w t h i with g y l k
e s ore s u en re .

t h i ai y b h t k
en e sa s, an r oo

F m h
Wh i h h h d t h p
ro er s r n ro e e oo ,

c e re t y e o re s e n to ou

h ld witdh y ab id
.

Ti fi i
’
s t t s ou ou e,

A m at w
’
i tu id ’

till ai
s
g an s re
p on er, v r e s r e

Y if i et b f
t s
S S w i t h i p y t h at y w i ll g
r n s as e ore

t
F ai r I i d t h m r
n ra s ou uess

b
ll l
r s o o e ro es os s e s s ,
p
A d n
y w
soi t b a
oum h i m m no e ore .
’

No sooner w the song ended tha Robin H ood

as n

appeared ; but instead of friendly thanks Marian

greeted him with these words
I wonder sir that you can be so stupid and
‘
, ,

heavy witted as to flatter m by calling me the pride

-
e

of virtue and the wonder of mankind w hen “

,
”

the lustre of both of is so suddenly eclipsed ! us

Until within these last few months who was ,

so famous for magnanimity and valour as Robi n

H ood or who more renowned than his Marian for

,

chastity and bea ty 3 But now they are carce thought

u s

of much less spoken of at all The mouths of the

, .

multitude are fill d with the valiant exploits of e

George a Green the famous Pindar of W k fi ld ; ,

a e e

and of the refulge t sun of the north fair Beatri e n ,

c ,

daughter to old Grymes These are preferred before

an earl—before me the daughter of an earl ! Yet the
.

Pindar is but a yeoman and she the child of a petty

gentleman—and even
,

they are more highly s o,

esteemed throughout the kingdom than w are e .

Can you blame m then for being melancholy e, , ,

when I hear abroad uch loud a clamatio s of them s c n ,

and of ourselves scarce any rumour at all 3

1 5 6
 Some O ld En gli rb W ort ki er
so the displeasure of the rebels w increased more as

and more against him especially for the two ,

merry fl t the one against Mannering the other

a
’

ro n s, ,

against their p y of w hose surprisal they had lately

s ,

got intelligen e This decided them to defer revenge

c .

no longer They therefore placed a strong ambush

.
,

and thought the y had him fast ; for the Earl ,

Bonville and Mann e ring thinking to lay a bait

W hich he would be sure to nibble t broke down ,

a ,

a strong fence and put in their horse to feed amongst s

the corn George w h always had an eye on business

.
,
o ,

soon noticed them and sent his boy to drive the

,

animals to the p ound The three confederates at .

once appeared disguised and asked what he meant

, ,

—
to do with their horses did he intend to steal them
under their very noses 3 Th e y then began t assault o

the lad which George perceiv ng he hurried to the

,
.

i ,

scene of action and told the Earl and his companions

( whom yet
as he did not recognise thanks to their ,

disguise) that it w base and discourt e ous in gentle

as

men such as they seemed to be to do an injury and

then maintain it by obstinacy ; to which the Earl
r e plied that the horses were his and were put into ,

the c orn fi ld to feed in spite of George or anyone

e

els e w h should say nay The Pindar seeing he had

o .
,

( apparently ) no more than three to deal with would ,

not be beaten down by bold words and told them ,

in plain terms what a forfeit they had made and

what amends were due from them ; else he added , ,

as they had ridden on horseback thither they should ,

go home on foot ; and he swore by the life of good

King Richard that he w ould t performed The se e i .

Earl hearing him name the King angrily told

, ,

George that he w a base groom and a peasant as ,

1
5 8
 Tbe Hi rz oi
‘

y of George a Green
and had fi t d one w h before long would be
a ro n e o

K ing Richard s master The words were no sooner

’
.

out of his mouth than George w h could not ,

o

endure such an insult to his sovereign struck the ,

speaker a sound blow with h i staff across his s

shoulder blades .

‘
You lie like a traitor and I ll make it good ,
’

upon your carcass thundered the wrathful Pindar .

‘
You are a villain said Man ering stepping n ,

forward You have struck an earl

.
‘
.
’

George s retort w a blow and the words I

’
as , :
‘

care not ! As I have before unsealed his commission ,

so will I now sign h i passport into another world s .

’

With that he knocked the Earl down .

Seeing this Lord Bonville gave a sign to the men

,

in ambush w h were about forty in number and

,
o ,

they surro nd e d the Pindar w h began to p p

u o a re
—
,

hend that strength would no longer avail h must e

have recours e to diplomacy ; he craved a parley so ,

which w granted and began to S peak as follows

as ,

to the Earl 1

‘
I wonder i that you being a nobleman and
, s r, , ,

what is more the general of so puissant an army

, ,

should so demea yourself as to assault with such

n

unequal odds a poor man of no reputation What .

have I done more to you w h abu ed my king ,

o s ,

than you would have expected from your peasant

Mannering if he had heard your H onour reviled ?
If you expect from him the duty of a peasant will ,

you deny m e or blame me for the same duty to my

,

king ? Yet my lord if you can prove that your

, ,

cause i just and your enterprise for the good and

s

ben efi t of the commonwealth I shall be glad to ,

follow you and to draw my sword in your quarrel

, .
’

I S9
 ome
S Old En gli s b W ort ki er
H w e about to say more w hen Bonville taking
as

the Earl aside persuaded him to fall in W ith this

, ,

o ffer and ask no questions ; for said h could they , e,

but enrol the Pindar in their faction he might

—
persuade others especially the to w n of W k fi ld a e e
—to join them The Earl approved ; and spoke thus
.

to George
Thy submission and apology which thou hast
‘
,

so boldly uttered hath dispelled my pleen and

, s

mediated with me for thy pardon .

’

H then ordered his men to return to camp and

e ,

proceeded
M y rising in arms is to suppress the insolence
‘

of a proud prince and a prelate even more insolent ,

both of whom have en roached upon the liberties c

and privileges of the commonwealth I stand for .

the com m on good ; but the greatest inducement

w hich drew me into this cause was the prophecy
of a wizard at my birth who thus calculated my ,

nativity lk t K i g R i k d d I l ld m t i
: a n
'
c ar an r z ou ee n

d b e r/z ould dofi lzir b onn et

’
L on don , an to me .

‘
Ay ,marry replied the Pindar You speak to
,
’
.
‘

the purpose indeed my lord and I am encouraged

, , , ,

by w hat you tell me to become your soldier and ,

servant ; but my lord might I humbly presume to

, ,

advise you the better to justify your proceedings

, ,

and for a more complete notion of your a ffairs ? In

a cave not far hence there lives a reverend old man
who is a great soothsayer and was never known
to fail in his p di t i It were not amiss to take
re c on s .
~

his advi e and to see how nicely h i calculation

c ,
s

ju m p w ith the former May it pl ease you then

s .
, ,

this night to take some simple provis on such as my i

poor cottage can afford ; and my boy shall lead you

1 60
 Some O ld En gli rb W ort b i es
letters passed between the two in w hi h she sole m nly , c

promised to let lip no hance of freeing herself s c

from the lose fi m t of her father s house

c c on ne en
’

and flying to George as her only protection and

sanctuary Mean w hile he devised a plan—namely
.
,

to dre his boy Willy

ss a seamstre s s m aid d as s
’
an

to send him up to the house with lace bands and

other commodities for sale hoping that by this ,

means he might be admitted without uspicion to s

Beatrice s presence F ortune favoured t h e design

’
.

insomuch that the boy came to show his w ares

when the Justice w busy receiving the Earl of as

Kendal and his ac omplices which prevented a too c ,

curious inquiry about the lad w h was freely ,

o

admitted and sent to Beatrice in her own room .

No sooner was he inside the door than he hut it s

and revealed his identity and h i plan Beatri e w s . c as

to put on the seamstress s dres and mu i ng her ’

s,

face as if she had the toothache ( a posture assumed

by the boy when he came i ) h w to take the n ,
s e as

box of laces and g out leaving the boy to answer o ,

her father and to face the m usic generally Beatrice

‘
.

w as delighted with this plan and with no le s speed ,

s

than willingness ex hanged clothes w ith her visitor c .

Willy was nimble as h and was soon as ready

as s e,

to be taken for Mistress Beatrice as h for a seam s e

stress s maid ;
’
that h holding a handkerchief
so s e,

before h er mouth easily passed through the house ,

and out at the gates unquestioned We will there .

leave her on her way to W k fi ld and Willy in a e e ,

her chamber and return to Arm trong who in the

,
s ,

Earl absen e had charge of the camp

’
s c .

H thinki g himself as se ure as the Earl had

e, n c

appeared negligent w t upon in the night by ,

as se

1 62
 Tbe Hi y of G eorge a Green stm

Sir William Musgrave and h i son Cuddy w h took s , ,

o

him when he w carelessly asleep Thus the whole as .

arm y was di m fi t d and young Cuddy fi gh i g hand

sc o e , ,
t n
to hand with Armstrong took h i m prisoner Glad of ,
.

such a pre ent w here w ith to welcome the Ki g home

s n

from the w ars he hastened with his aptive to London

,
c ,

to o ffer him as a pattern of his pro w es s .

Justice Grymes h i hare in the busi ess completed ,

s s n

for the present stole up to see h i daughter but s

— he thought—a other m aid in her dress
, ,

found as n ,

asleep in a hair A t fi t amazed and afterwardsc . rs ,

afraid as he began to u pe t the truth Grymes

,
s s c ,

rou ed the sleeper and demanded w h h w and

s o s e as

h w she came thither

o .

I m a poor gentle w oma and I came hither upon

a n ,

my legs retur ed Willy demure as any u ki g dove

,
’
n ,
s c n .

Where i m y daughter 3 houted Grymes roughly

s s .

I truth sir a seamstre s s habit w hi h doth

‘ ’
n , ,
s ,
c

become her mighty w ell hath been the m eans to ,

co vey her abroad was the an wer But lest her

n ,
’
s .
‘
,

chamber should be found empty h left me here in ,

s e

paw n until her return .

’

The Justi e more and more enraged threatened

c , ,

Willy with the extreme rigour of the l w if he did a

not tell him the truth But ju t then he w alled . s as c

do w n agai about so m e bu iness of the ommon

n s c

wealth w hich had to be attended to immed i ately .

Yet the harm of the you g impo tor in his

c s n s

daughter s room had made su h an impression upon

’
c

him that he lo ked her in d po keted the key c

‘ ’
an c ,

re olved that ince through her he had lo t a

s s s

daughter h ould m ake h i m a wife ( h being a

,
s e c e

wido w er) if she ould give a good a count of her birth

c c

and station These and the like m editations somewhat

.

1 63
moderated his choler for the present and he made ,

what haste he could to despat h his prisoners in c ,

order that he might the more speedily return to

visit his uninvit e d guest
But here for a w h ile w must leave him to return
.

e ,

to Robin H ood and his fair Marian ( w h had by o

this time ac omplished the greater part of their

c

journey ) and show what happened to them at their

,

meeting with the Pindar and his Beatrice .

Of t /za t w b i o/z t ook p

la ce bet w een R obin H ood a n d bi:
M a ria n , a n d George a Green a n d b i: B ea t rice ; a n d
i
b ow t b e r grea t A n i mos i ty w a r a t lengt/z recon ci led ;
w n b oz ker ert i n en t In ozden t fi
‘ ‘
"p
The great joy at the meeting of George and
Beatrice w unspeakable the more since it w
as ,
so as

unexpected But as there is no day so clear yet there

.
,

will be some louds to stain the beauty of the k y

c s ,

so in their content there was one thing w hich

troubled them greatly and that w the danger as

Willy in urred for t h eir sakes Nothing could be

,

c .

done however d their fears continued lest the an

Justice enraged by t h e deception should use violence

, ,

, , .

To divert her melancholy and al o to devise a pla ,

s n

for Willy release George one evening took Beatri e

’
s ,
c

by the arm and led her forth to breathe the fresh and
wholesome air They w ere strolli g through the . n

fi ld of green corn when they uddenly per eived

e s s c

a company of wild looking fellows break through

a gap in the hedge and without troubli g to fi d , ,
n n

the path come towards them treading down the

, ,

corn Thi was more than George s sense of propriety

. s
’

1 64
 Some O ld En g/zlrb W ort b i er
as Tuck had begged a cudgelling at his hand and s

he was bound in conscience to deny the Church

,
—
nothing he w ould surely give it him h soon laid the e

F riar spra w ling on God s earth Still Beatri e smiled

’
. c

and Marian fretted and w hilst Robin and George

were preparing for the fi l combat (for Robin was na

ready to give h im liberty to breathe) Marian stepped

up to Beatri e and called her a proud minx
c .

Turn w your laughter into tears she added

‘
no ,
’

,
‘
for here comes one w h will not only revenge his o

friends but beat b fll and disarm your lubberly

, ,
a e,

s w eetheart
To this Beatrice w h was of a high spirit and ,
o ,

w as moreover emboldened by her George s valour ’

retorted Thou shalt fi d as much di fference

:
‘
n

between my hampion and thine in manhood as

c ,

between the true and natural colour in my cheek s

and thy painted and plaistered beauty

These words were enough to begin w wars and ne ,

the two would have been by the ears in an instant

h d not the F riar and the rest ( now recovered ) W ith
,

much ado kept them apart .

But the t w Virgin w h w ould have been actors

o s, o

themselves w ere now forced to be spectators of one

,

of the bravest ombats ever fought in W k fi ld c a e e .

Long did it last and fi ly did they contest w hich

, e rc e

should be victor until at length when both were , ,

weary Robin said H old thy hand noble Pindar

, , ,

for I protest thou art the stoutest man that I ever

yet laid my hand upon .
’

Recall those w ords ! retorted George Never

‘ ’
.
‘

yet ha t thou laid thy hand on me

s
‘
Nor ever will noble George save in courtesy , , ,
’

w as the ans w er Know then I m Robin H ood

.
‘
, ,
a .

1 66
This is my Marian and these my bold yeomen w h
,
o

are ome thus far from Sherwood solely to prove

c

thy valour and to be spectators of Beatri ce s beauty ’

both wh i ch I fi d to exceed the report which fame

n

h ath given of them

’
.

A t these w ords the F inder embraced h i late s

a dversary and said that next to King Richard he , ,

w as the m he honoured most H then raved

an . e c

pardon of Maid Marian and caused Beatri e to kneel ,

c

be fore her h would willingly have done but

as s e

t h at the sweet lady w ould not u ffer i t but lovingly

, ,

s ,

embraced her i stead confessing that she would

n ,

never have believed the north country could have

bred such a beauty .

George then in ited them all to an e tertainment

v n ,

w herein he howed him elf to be as generous and

s s

bountiful as he w strong for their repast and

as ,

welcome was better suited to a large manor house -

than to a thatched cottage But Robin had not come .

altogether unprovided fro m Sher w ood for he had ,

both money and heifers laden w ith all sorts f o

provisions on purpose to fea t d revel with the s an

Pi dar
n .

S we may leave them in content

o d feli ity and an c ,

proceed to wel ome King Ri hard on his return

c c

from Palestine .

H ow K ing R icka rd , f b i : R e taurnt er

or d er e d t b a z t /z e ,
‘

A bus er commi tted in b i: A bs en ce by i b e P rin ce a n d

i b e B ir/z op rb ou ld be redres rea H ow t ko R ebel: w ere
’

p
.

reren t ed t o b im, a n d b ow b e dis os ed f t kem a nd

p o
b ow George a Green w a s re ort ed o f t o t /ze K in
g p
R ichard the fi
,
rs t ofthat name and for his hardiness,

1 67
 and m g m t y urnamed C ur de Lion after
a n an 1 1 s o
e

,
*
some years spent in the holy w ar returned to his s,

kingdom and was received w ith much joy and pomp

, .

No sooner w this passed over than sundry petitions

as ,
:

were delivered to him concerning the oppressions of

the Bishop and the i l i committed by t h e n so en c e s

Prince These complaint the King w ith the advi ce

. s ,

of his council w studied to redres ; and havi g

no s n

settled them satisfactorily he next on idered t h e

,

,
c s

question of raisi g fresh forces to suppress the n

northern rebellion Whilst he w in the midst of . as

these deliberation young Cuddy Musgrave appe red

s, a

in London with Sir Gilbert Armstrong whom he ,

presented as a prisoner to the King at the same

time telling him of t h e defeat of the great army
,

which had been materially a sisted by one George s

a Green Pindar of the to w n of W k fi ld H then

,
a e e . e

related h w the latter had taken a spy and hung him

o

up before the gate of Sandon Castle by whi h ,

c

means they had discovered the strength of the rebels

and learnt how and w hen to surprise them which ,

w as the direct au e of so fortunate a victory The

c s .

K i g scarcely had time to ommend young Musgrave

n c

for his diligence or to ask what had become of the

,

others concerned in the late rebellion when Justi e ,

c

Grymes appeared and presented ( from George a as

Green ) the Earl of Kendal Lord Bonville d , ,

an

Mannering giving such an exact testimony of the

,

Pindar s valour that his Majesty said for all to hear

’

, ,

how glad he was to have brave a subject Then so .

,

tur ing to the Earl in mere derision the King do ffed

n ,
’

h i bonnet to him
s .

M y lord you are welcome to London ! quoth

‘ ’

No te CC .

1 68
 Some O ld En gli rb W ort b i er

Of zbe Tow n o f m B ra ds t ea d, a n d a C us t om t b ere

f
‘
err
y o
ca lled Trail
s t a fl obs erv ed b
:
-

y t /ze S b oema kerr, ot /z err

ca lled t /z e Gen t le H ow t ke K ing , L eices ter

a n d C udd
y p
a rs ed t b r ou /z i b ir Tow n a n d met R obin
g
H ood a n d George a Green a n d w b a t b app en ed

Not far from W k fi ld there i a town called a e e s

B d t d [
ra s eaBradford where the shoemakers long
ago had a custom that no person should walk through
the town with his sta ff on h i shoulders unless he .

would have a bout or two with one or other of t h e

ge tle craft but if he trailed it after him he might
n ,

proceed in peace without molestation for then none ,

would much say Black h i eye I

so as s

It happened that the King s path lay through this ’

town H therefore w ith Leicester and Cuddy

. e, , ,

disguised as country yeomen w alked boldly along ,

like plain honest travellers with their staves on

, ,

their shoulders for they kne w nothing of this

,

custom Three stout hoemakers each with a good

. s ,

sta ff in his hand instantly tepped forward and beat

,
s

the strangers staves from their shoulders The King

’
.
,

who had hitherto received treatment more polite ,

wondered at such rudeness and gently asked the ,

reason for such Violence They told him it had .

been a privilege of theirs from time immemorial .

Their fathers had kept it before them and they ,

would in turn hand it down to their successors .

When the King asked if they had received their

patent from their sovereign they answered that they ,

did not stand on patents neither k ew they any law ,

n

for it save t fl l l w but that all their confraternity

s a
‘
a ,

were ready to mai tain it with downright blows

n .
 Tbe Hi s t oi
j of/George a Green
‘
andle your staves therefore added the shoe
H , ,
’

m akers There is no other w y to save yourselves

.
‘
a

from a S peedy and sour bangi g n .

’

The King retur ed that he and his companions n

were men of peace d rather than break their ,

an

custom or enter into an unnecessary quarrel they

, ,

w ould drag their staves after them which they did ,

.

Whilst they were talking George a Green with , ,

Robin H ood and his yeome appeared in disguise n, ,

each carrying his t fF on his ba k ; for George had s a c

told Robin of the shoemakers mad merry ustom ’

,
c ,

d brought him that w y for sport s sake to try the

’
an a ,

ge tle ft m
n c ra s —
mettle The new comers observed
en s
’
.

that the King Leicester and Cuddy were trailing

their staves ; at w h ich sight George mu h move d
,

,
c ,

ex laimed See Robin H ere be three lusty able

c :
‘
, ,

fellow w h dare not for fear of the shoemakers

s o , ,

advance their staves ! What do you thi k of them n ,

eh 3 ’

Think of them 3 ried Robin Why that they

‘
c .
,

a base co w ards and it is a pity uch goodly shapes

re ,
s

should hold such timorous and degenerate spirits

S quoth George I ll soon orrect them
o .
’
c .
’

H then went lose up to them and began fi t

e c rs

to upbraid the m for their cowardice d after w ards ,

an

promised them that if they did not instantly raise their

staves in spite of any w h dared to interfere he
,
o ,

woul d himself cudgel them more soundly than the

to w nsmen w ere able to do Even then if they had .
,

shown pirit they would have been let ff but the

s ,
o ,

King a ked to b excu ed ince they were peaceful

s e s ,
s

travellers una quainted w ith such cu toms

c s .

I w
‘
ever put to so hard a choice
as n to be ,
as

beaten whether I w ould fi gh t or no he co clud e d ,

’
n .

1 7 1
 Some O ld Engli rb W ort b i er
He h ad
scar ely spo k en w hen out ca m e a cre w of
c

shoemakers all w ell appointed w h told him that

, , o

he and his o m rades should obey their cu tom

c s .

‘
8 down w ith your maypoles ! they cried and
0
’

began to strike down their staves .

This w the sig for whi h the Pindar and h i

as n c s

companions had been waiting F orth w ith began the .

greatest combat ever seen in the street of B d t d ra s ea ,

for Robin and George began to clear the street

before them inso m uch that the whole town
,

,
—
masters apprentices and journeymen rose Not a .

sta ff was to be found that was not used in defen e c

of their liberty The Pindar seemed to be himself

.

impounded amongst them all and m any a shoe m aker ,

was brought to h i last many a t fl shivered into s ,

s a
~
'

skewers Cr cked crowns went current for many

. a ,

had to take them again t their w ills A t l st the s . a

shoemakers themselves who had sworn to lose ,

bodies and souls in the quarrel thought fi t to give ,

grou d and shamefully ran to shelter This put the

n , .

King and Leice ter in mind of the great s fli t c on c s

between Christians and i fi d l ; for no man ould n e s c

fi d favour or mercy and the victory w

n still doubt
, as

ful ( since w hat the gentle craft lacked in stre gth n ,

they had in numbers) yet neither party would ,

sound the retreat until in the heat of battle the

, , ,

Pindar s disguise fell ff No sooner was b seen and

’
o . e

recognised than the shoemakers with a shout of ,

T il !
ra flung down their staves and threw up their
caps bidding him welcome with a shout to the
, , ,

merry town of B d t d After that no man ra s ea . re

membered h i bruise for joy at eeing the Pindar

s s s .

As the Troj ans thought those wounded by Achilles

to be more honoured than harmed so it w held ,
as
 Som e O/a En g/i s k
’
W ort kier
w ere of late held to be the best man in this m co

pany yet by the Pindar s good leave give King

, ,
’

Ri hard licence to be the third man at least to

c , ,

drink his w health o n

These w ords coupled with his royal bearing

, ,

stru k the m all dumb w ith astonishment especially

c ,

the shoemakers w h j udged them elves to be no

,
o s

better than food for the gallows The Pindar (whom .

nothing save Maje ty could daunt) w the fi t s as rs

to recover himsel f H umbly kneeling before the

.

Ki g he asked pardon for the insults he had

n , un

wittingly o ffered to his sacred person The King

graciously forgave h im ; then raising Robin H ood
.

from h i knees he saluted him by the ame of

s ,
n

Robert Earl of H untingdon and assured him on

, ,

h i royal w ord that all his lands and revenues whi h

s ,
c

had been extorted from him by the Bishop of Ely

an d Prince John should be restored to him ; and
,

that his Matilda daughter to the Earl F itz Walter

,
-

should be onferred on him despite the manner in

c

which the Prince had sought to smirch her honour .

This news w at once spread abroad and the King

as ,

called for George a Green and bade him kneel do w n

to receive the accolade But George humbly b . e

sought h i Maj e ty that he m ight remain as h i

s s s

father w before him w h had lived and died a

as ,
o

poor country yeoman pointing out that his service ,

showed better in that humble state than if he were

burdened with titles of honour .

The shoemakers meanwhile fi m ly convin ed , ,

r c

that the King was terribly a gry with the m had n ,

retired to consult together how they might be t s

appease h i m Whilst they w ere anxiously d li b t

. e e ra

ing Marian and Beatrice knelt before the King and

,

1 74
 Tbe Hi s t oi
j of/George a Green
presented him the one with a rich belt which she
,

h d wrought with her

a w hands for Robin the o n ,

other with a curious scarf These gifts they begged .

his Maj esty to accept not for their worth but for , ,

the sake of the love which tendered them The .

King w ondering w h these rare beauties might b

, o e,

graciously accepted their present raised the m aidens s,

from their knees and fi t i t ly embraced them ,

a
‘
ec on a e .

Then entered Grymes bringing with him Willy , ,

the Pindar s boy and fi t demande d justi e against

’

,
rs c

George for stealing his daughter the that it would ,

n

please his Majesty to grant that she who had been

left in Beatrice place should be at his free disposal
’
s .

The King granted both h i petitions and having s ,

re onciled George w ith h i father i l w dema ded

c s -
n -
a ,
n

h w he wished the other Virgin to be di posed of

o s

to whi h Grymes replied that he w ould have her

c

for h i w ife This also w granted w hereupon

s . as ,

Willy revealed himself to the huge delight of all ,

the company save the old justi e c .

Then the shoemakers ( as a result of their con

ference) came d presented a morris dan e in an c ,

w hich nothing was omitted w hi h ould on such c c ,

s hort noti e be prepared to give pleasure S w ell

c ,
. o

ordered wa it that the King much pleased a ked

s
'

, ,
s

them what w ithin reason they desired as a reward

, , ,

to which they answ ered with a petition that the

l w of T il af ,which they held only by tradition
a ra -
ri
‘

might still remain and that it would please his

—
,

Majesty ince he had himself lowered h i sta ff to

s s
—
them to se ure the privilege to them for ever ;
c

to w hich his Maje ty gra iou ly and w illingly s c s

consented .
F A M O U S H IS T O R Y O F

F R IA R B AC O N .

con t a i n i n
g

The wonderful things that he did

his life al o the ma ner of
: s n

his deat h
With the live and deaths of thes

conj Bungay d
u re rs , an

V a n derm a s t .

P ri n t d at L
e on don b y E A for F a
r n ci s G rove ,

l h
. .

a n d a re to be so d at h i s s o
p, at th e

u
p p e r e n d of S n ow -
h ll a
i , g ain s t
the S aa r c en s
’
He d a .
 done ; yet out of respe t for the priest he concealed c

h i anger and tha ked him for his advice and trouble
s n .

A r the same time he asked him to say no more since ,

he best k ew w hat ple a ed himself and would d

n s , o

i t S they broke ff their talk and parted

. o o .

As soon as he reached home the old man called ,

for his son s books Roger brought the m to his father

’
.
,

who lo ked them up d gave him a cart whip in

o an

place of them .

Boy said old Ba on I w ill have you no priest

,
’
c ,
‘
,

n or shall you be better learned than I You can .

tell w by the al m anac when it is time to sow

no

wheat barley peas and beans and I will teach on

when to sell grain and cattle for I have all the airs
, , ,

and market days in my memory as perfectly as ou r

priest Sir John has mass without book Take you

, ,
.

this whip and I will tea h you the use of that also
, c ,

for it will be more p fi t b l to you than Latin ro a e .

Make no reply but follo w my advice or else by , , ,

the mass ! you shall feel the smart hand of my

anger .
’

Though he thought this hard treatment young ,

Bacon obeyed his father i somuch that he made no n

reply But within i or eight days he gave the old

. s x

man the slip and went to a monastery some twenty

miles ff where he was w ell received There he con
o , .

ti
n ue d his learning and in a short time became ,
so

famous that he was sent for to the Univer ity of s

O xford where he studied for some years until he

, ,

became so versed in the secrets of art and of nature

that not England only but all Christendom admired ,

him .
Tbe F mous H isto y of F i
a r r ar Ba con

H ow K i ng ren t f or F ria r B a con ; a n d o

tbe f t be

w on der
f u l Tb i n
gr b e rb ow ea
’
t b eir M a
jes t ies a t C ou rt

The King [H enry III ] being in O xfordshire .

at a nobleman s house w very anxious to ’

the ,
as s ee

famous friar of whom he had heard such wonderful

things H therefore sent Bacon a message inviting
. e

him to come to Court The friar thanked the King .

through his messenger and said he w at his ,

as

Majesty s servi e and would atte d him instantly

’
c n .

But I pray you make haste he added to the

‘
,
’

messenger else I shall b e at Court t w hours

,
o

before you .
’

F all your learning I can hardly believe that

or , ,
’

s o ffed the man Still scholars old men and

c .
, ,

travellers have li ence to tell lies c .

’

To strengthen your bel i ef I could show you

‘

your latest s w eetheart said F riar Bacon But I w ill ,

’
.

not do it j ust now .

’

The one boast is vain as the other and I should as ,

laugh to either f lfill d retorted the me senger

see u e ,
’
s .

Within four hours you shall both quoth the s ee ,

’

friar therefore make w hat haste you can , .

’

B y my speed I w ill frustrate your magic said the

’
,

other as he hurriedly departed But it seemed he rode

, .

out of his w y for though he had only fi miles

a ,
ve

to ride he w m ore than three hours on his journey

,
as ,

and F riar Bacon w w ith the Ki g long before h i m as n .

H i Majesty welcomed the friar and said that he

s

had long desired to him Bacon replied that fame see .

had belied him and given of h i m a report su h c

as his poor studies did t deserve for he believed no ,

N te B o .
 Some O ld En gli rb W ort b i er
that learning had many sons more excellent than h e .

The King com m ended h i modesty and told him s ,

that nothing became a wise m less than boasting an

yet h begged him to be no niggard of his kno w

e

ledge but to show his Q ueen ( Eleanor of Proven e )

, c

and himself something of his skill .

I were unworthy both of art and of knowledge ,

were I to deny your Maj esty this small request said ,

’

F riar Bacon I pray you seat yoursel es and you

.
‘
v ,

shall see what my poor skill can perform .

’

S the King h i Q ueen and his nobles

o t them,
s ,
sa

selves down ; and when all were seated the friar

waved his wand Immediately there w heard such . as

mu ic as astonished them all Never before had they

s .

heard the like .

This said the friar is to delight the sense of

‘
,
’

hearing Before you g I w ill please your other

. o

four senses in turn .

’

H waved his wand again the musi w axed louder

e ,
c ,

and presently fi dancers entered The fi t w like ve . rs as

a court laundres the second like a footman the third s, ,

like a usurer the fourth like a prodigal the fi ft h

, ,

like a fool These by their excellent dancing gave

.
, ,

pleasure to the beholders and afterwards vanished ,

in the same order as they had entered Thus F riar .

Bacon feasted the senses of hearing and seeing .

H waved his wand a third time and another

e ,

kind of music was heard softer and more languishing ; ,

and w hilst it w being played there suddenly as

appeared before the assembled spectators a table

c overed w ith all sorts of delicacies whi h the friar c

desired the King and Q ueen to taste This they did .

,

with their nobles and w hen they w ere t i fi d the sa s e ,

table vanished .
 Some O ld Eug/zlfb W ort b i er
before h i m and this noble asse m bly can bear witne s
, s

I m as good as my word But hark ! Methinks I

a .

hear him coming .

’

A s he spoke the messenger entered overed , , c

with mud and in the most pitiful condition With .

a s o w l at the friar he cried a pox on all his

c

devils for they had led him out of his way

, ,

through dit hes and quagmires and well nigh

c ,
-

dro w ne d him .

B not e angry sir entreated the merry friar

so , .

H ere is an old friend of yours who hath more cause

than you to be wroth for she hat h waited these ,

three hours for you .

’

With that he pulled aside the arras and revealed ,

a kitchenmaid standing there w ith a basting ladle in -

her h nd her face and clothes well smeared with

a ,

grease and soot .

Aha laughed Bacon N w m I not as good .

‘
o ,
a

as my word 3 I prom i sed to help you to your sweet

heart H w like you this 3
. o

S ill that I will be revenged of you

o ,
returned
the infuriated gentleman .

The friar became suddenly grave .

‘
Threaten m e not lest I shame you even more , ,
’

he said And take heed how you give a scholar

.
‘

the lie again Yet because I do not know how w ell

.
,

stored with money you are just now I will bear your ,

wench s charges home this time

’
.
’

With that he waved h i wand and the maid s ,

vani hed But the King and Q ueen and the whole
s .

company laughed so heartily to with what see

shame the gentleman had Viewed his sooty sweet

heart that he fled from their presence
F i Bacon th e n took his leave of their Majesties
.

r ar ,

1 86
Tbe F mous a
of F ria r Ba con H zirt oi y
who pre e ted him w ith many gifts and thanks for
s n

having shown them his skill .

H ow F ria r B a con deceiv ed b i; M a n w b o f or Com oien oe

’

S a ke w ould f a rt

Friar Bacon had only one servant and him he ,

kept more out of c h arity tha for y service he n an

had of him since he w none of the w isest This

,
as .

man Miles by ame never could e dure to fast

,
n ,
n

as other religious people did and alway had in s

some hiding place or other m eat W hich he would

, ,

eat w hen his master ate bread or abstained from food

altogether A t last however the friar discovered
.
, ,

this se ret larder d made up his mind to be even

c an

with Miles w h i h he accomplished one F riday

,

,
c , ,

i the following manner

n

Mile on the previous night had provided him

s,

self with a great black pudding against F i d y

,

* r a
’
s

fast This pudding he put into h is p ocket thinking

—
.
,

it may b to heat i t for h i master had no fi

e ,
s re

on F ridays The next day w h . demure as Master ,

o so

Miles ? H would eat nothing and when the fri ar

e

o ffered h im bread he refused i t aying t h at his ins

,

,
s s

deserved a greater penan e than one day s fast in c

’

a whole week H i master praised him for this . s

display of proper peniten e but at the same ti m e c ,

bade him be w are that he did not dis emble for if s ,

he did it would surely be dis overed c .

With many protestations of h i honesty Miles s

w ent away — he said to pray privately ; and

as

indeed it w to p y upon his black pudding H

—
,

as re e

pulled it out from his pocket ( half roasted with the -

1 87
 Some O/a En g/zkb kV orz b i ei ’ ‘ ~

heat ) and fell to lu tily H orrible to relate ! H aving

,
s .

put one end into h i mouth he ould neither bite s ,

c

it fl nor get it out again ! H alf fi t d and

o
’ -
su oc a e ,

unable to s p eak he stamped his foot to summon ,

assi tan e F orthwith h i m aster ca m e i and seeing

s c s n,

his plig h t took hold of the other end of the pudding

.
,

and led his crestfallen servant into the hall w here ,

certain of his s holars were assembled and there c ,

exhibited him to their amused and astonished gaze .

See here my good friends and fellow students

,
-

cried the friar see what a devout good man my ‘

—
, ,

servant is ! H will not break a fast day witne s

e -
s

this pudding which his conscience will not let him

,

swallow H shall be an example to you all

e

S saying he tied the man by the end of the

o ,

puddi g to a post ; and there like a bear fastened

n ,

by the nose to a stake stood poor Miles to endure ,

many gibes ; nor did his master release him from

h i penance until nightfall when h
s overjoyed to , e,

be free once more vowed never to break another ,

fast day as long as he lived

-
.

H ow F ria r B a con sa ve d Gen t lema n w b o ba d

a ld
so

b imrelf t o t b e D ev il

There lived in O xfordshire a gentlema who n

throug h riotous extravagance had wasted a fair

,

inheritance and w grown so poor that he had not

,
as

the wherewithal to buy him elf bread enough to s

maintain his miserable existence The memory of .

his former state compared with his present want

made him desperate and careless both of body and
soul w hich gave the devil o casion to wo rk upon
, c

hlS weakness in the following manner

1 88
 Old En g/i rb W ort b i er
S ome
afterthought that he added I pray you read them ‘
,

to me .
’

The devil then read out the onditions to this c ,

e ffect that he w ould lend the prodigal as much

:

money he needed to be employed in the follow

as ,

ing —
u ses zF irst to redeem his mortgaged land ;
,

next to pay h i debts ; lastly to buy such meces

,
s ,

i
sar es as he required This sum was lent to him on .

condition that as soon as he had paid all debts he

should be at the disposal of the lender and freely , ,

without delay yield hi m self to him upon the fi t

, rs

demand of the lender aforesaid .

To this do ument the gentleman ffi x d his seal

c a e .

H then had the money carried to his chamber

e .

With it he made haste to redeem his land and buy

su h things he needed H likewise paid all h i
c as . e s

debts ,
that none could say he owed a penny to
so

any man Thus for a while he lived in great credit

.
,

and grew thrifty that he increased his estate and

so

became richer than his father w as .

But his j y was short lived O ne day the devil

o -
.

appeared to him as he t in his study and told him sa ,

that his land was redeemed and his debts paid ,

therefore it was time for him to yield himself p u ,

as he w obliged by his bond to do This greatly

as , , .

troubled the gentleman even to b ear ; but it ,

troubled him more to think that he must become

a slave to a stranger of whom he knew nothing (for
as yet he did not kno w that it w the devil ) as .

Urged to give ans w er he made the excuse that

an ,

he had not yet paid all h i debts and therefore was s ,

not liable far to the ondition of the bo d At

,
so ,
c s n .

this the devil waxed w roth and with a fearful noise ,

transformed him elf into h i w terrible shape

s s o n .

1
9 0
Tbe F mous a
of F ri a r Ba con H isto ry
Alas poor wretch he exclaimed in a loud
‘
, ,

voice these are but poor excuses which you frame !

,

I know them to be false and will prove them so to ,

your face to morrow morning Until then I leave

-
.
,

you to despair
S saying he went his w y l
o , i g the poor man a ,
e av n

half dead w ith fear

\

When the devil was gone his Victi m reviving , , ,

bethought himself of the miserable state he w as

no w i and w ished he had lived and died poor

n, .

F irst he cursed his ambition which led him to desire

the wealth he had lost by riotous living ; then he
cursed his extravagan e w hi h was the root of his c ,
c

present misery Thus was he for a long w hile .

tormented in h i mind until at last he resolved tos ,

end h i wretched li fe S he went out meaning to

s . o ,

kill himself d would have done so but for F riar

,
an

Baco w h coming alo g j ust as he w about

n ,
o, n as

to fall upon his sw ord called to him to stop and , ,

asked w h y he w desperate as to run headlong as so

to hell .

Sir returned the unfortunate man the cause

‘
,
’

,
‘

i great enough and the relation

s terrible to me
,
so

that I entreat you to trouble me no more but leave ,

me to work my w will o n .
’

This answer fi ll d the friar with amazement and e

pity .

Sir he said gently should I l

‘
,
’
you to this ,
‘
eav e

wilful damnatio I were fi t hereafter to w ear or n un

to touch y robe belongi g to the holy order

an n

whereof I m a brother ! You kno w I doubt t

a ,
no ,

that power i give to the Church to absolve penitent

s n

sinners Let not your w ilfulness deprive you of the

.

ben e fi t which you may receive of H oly Church but ,

 Some O/a En gli rb '
W ort b i er
freely confess yourself to me and fear not but that ,

I shall give your troubled cons ience ease c

’

F ather returned the other I know that all you

.

’ ‘
, ,

say is true and I have many times re eived comfort c

—
,

from the Mother Church I dare t y mother no sa our ,

for I fear she will never again receive me as her

child ! I have no part in her benediction yet since ,

you so earnestly ask the cause of my despair I will ,

tell you H ear and tremble ! Kno w then that for

.
, , ,

a little w ealth I have given myself to the devil and ,

to morro w in thi wood he will have me N w you

-
s . o
—
kno w my grief but I know not h w to get o

comfort ! ’

This is strange indeed ! mused F riar Bacon

‘ ’
.

‘
Yet h of good courage Penitential tears may do
,
e .

much therefore you do not s p are them Soon

,
s ee .

I will Visit you at your hou e and give you ( I s ,

hope ) that comfort which shall restore you to

—
well being ’

Some w h at consoled by these w ords the gentleman

.

retur ed home where at night Bacon came to him

n , , ,

and found him full of tears for his hei ous o ffences n

for w hich tears the friar gave him fresh hope of s

pardo Then he demanded further what compact

n .

he had made w ith the devil The man told h i m .

h w he had promised himself

o soon as his debts ,
so

w ere paid to the Evil O ne and it was now time to

, ,

f lfi l that promise since he o w ed no man anything

u , .

Well said the friar continue your sorrow for

,
’

,
‘

your sins and g forth to morrow without fear to

,
o -

meet your creditor O ly be content then to abide . n ,

by the judgment of the next man w h pa seth that o s

w y who hall decide w hether you do belong to the

a s

devil or no F not but do this and rest assured

,

. car , ,

1 92
The case therefore i plain H i sile ce doth fi m
, ,
s . s n c on r

i t ! Therefore give h i m a j ust sentence

’

—
, .

‘
I will replied riar Bacon But and he
F
’ ‘ ’

—
, .

turned to the gentleman j ust tell me did y ‘

,
ou

never yet give the devil his money back nor requite ,

him i any way 3 n

H hath never had aught of me answered th e

’
e ,

man .

‘
Then let him never have aught of you and you ,

are free said F i Bacon r ar .

H turned again to the devil w hose eyes flamed

e ,

w ith rage .

‘
Deceiver of mankind ! said the friar Your ’
.
‘

bargain w never to m eddle w ith this gentle m an

as ,

so long as he w indebted to anyone H w therefore

as . o , ,

can you demand anything of him w hilst he is

indebted to you for all that he hath 3When he doth
repay you your m oney then take him as your due , .

Until then you have nothing to do with him and ,

so I charge you to be gone

A t this with a horrible noise the devil vanished
,

but F riar Bacon comforted the gentle m an and sent

him home w ith a quiet ons ien e bidding him c c c , ,

as he valued his w sa fety never to pay back the

o n ,

devil s money ; whi h advice the other gladly

’
c

promised to follow .

H ow F ria r B a con ma de a B ra z en H ea d t o s ea k, by p
w b iob b e w ou ld b a oe w a lled Engla n d a bout w it b
B ra s s

Reading one day of the many conquests of England

F i Bacon bethought h i m lf h w he m ight protect
r ar se o
,

it in future from invasion and so make himsel f ,

1
94
 Tbe F mous Hi t a
j of F ria r Ba con s oi /

famous to all po terity After great study he found s .

,

it might best be done by fa hioning a head of bras s s

and if he could make this head speak (and hear it

w hen it spoke ) then he mig h t be able to wall all
,

England about w ith brass With this aim in View .

he got a certain F i Bungay w h w a great r ar ,

o as

s holar d a magician ( though not to be compared

c an

w ith Bacon ) to assist h i m With great study and

care these two fashioned a braze head w h ich i
.

3‘
n ,
n

t lly was exa tly like a real head But this done
e rn a ,
c .
,

they w ere as far ever from perfe tion for they did
as c ,

not know h w to make the head peak Many books

o s .

did they read yet they ould not fi d what they

,
c n

sought and at last they decided to raise a spirit and

as k him to tell them that which they ould not by c ,

their own studie dis over s, c

H aving prepared all t h ing i readiness they went

.

s n ,

on e evening to a wood hard b y and after using many ,

mystic eremo ies they spoke the w ords f j t i

c n o c o n u ra on ,

which the devil at on e beyed and appeared asking c o , ,

what they desired of h i m

We have made a head of brass and w ould h ave it
.

speak replied Bacon In furtherance ofour wish have

,
’
.

w raised thee and being raised we w ill keep thee

e ,

here until thou tell h w to make this head speak us o .

’

I have no power began the devil .

Beginner of lies said Ba on interrupting h i m c , ,

‘
I kno w that thou do t di se m ble therefore tell s s ,
us

quickly or el e w shall bi d thee to remain during

,
s e n

our pleasure ’

Thus t h reatened the devil gave way and told the

.

, ,

magi ia s that w ith a ontinual fume of the six

c n c

hottest simples the head would have motion and

I
9S
 Old Engli rb W ort b i er
ome
S
speak within the spa e of month ; but upon c on e

w hat day or in what h our he kne w not Moreover .

,

if they did not hear it speak all their labour w ould ,

be in vain S t i fi d they su ff ered the pirit to depart

. a s e , s ,

and themselves sped home to prepare the si m ples

and make the fume and with constant watching
aw aited the time when t h e brazen head hould speak
,

s .

Three weeks they w atched without rest u til at ,

n

last they were so weary that they could no lo ger n

refrain from sleep F riar Bacon then called his man

.

Miles and told h i m he kne w what trouble his

,

master and F riar Bungay had take to make the n

brazen head and h w for three w eeks they had been

,
o

w aiting to hear it speak ince if they heard it t ,

s ,
no ,

their labour would be in vain and England w ould

t h ereby sustain a great los H therefore de ired
,

s . e s

Mile to watch whilst he slept and to call them

s ,

instantly if the head bega to speak n .

Good master fear not ! quoth sturdy Miles I

,
’
.
‘

will not sleep but hearken to d attend upon the

,
an

head If it do chance to speak I w ill all you ntil

.
,
c u

then take your rest Trust me I w ill w atch well !

Reiterating his olemn charge to his servant F i
.
, ,

s ,
r ar

Ba on and his ompanion w ent to sleep leaving

c c ,

Miles on guard That w orthy to keep h i m lf w k

.
,
se a a e,

got a tabor and pipe and being m errily disposed g , ,

s an

this song to the tune of G m t tb t f m

‘ ’
a s ou no ro

New ca s tle

To l a t is cu s om,

All th th t a
co u p e

i n gs
W th h l l
e re o
g re e

hy d I n o t ov e ,
l all
en s ou

S i n ce ov e to i s fre e ?

No te F .

1
9 6
 Then he began to sing again to the tune of ’
,

come t b ou t o me 1

Tim i e fo r s om e t o p n ,
s la t
Tim e i s for s o m e t o s ow ,

Tim i e s for s om e t o re p , a
t
A n d i m e i s for m u c m o e
’
h .

Tim i for s om e t o e a t ,
Ti m
e s

i s for s om e t o s e e p , l
l h
e

Tim i e s for s om e t o a u g ,
Tim e i s for s o m e t o w e e p .

Tim i e s for s om e t o s i n g,
Ti m e i s for s om e t o p y ra
na
y ,
will you be telling that Time u s, —
Copper n ose ,

i 3 Miles broke ff
s I hope w scholars know our
o .
‘
e

times w hen to drink deep w hen to kiss our hostess

—
, , ,

when to pay our score and that time i faith ,

’

cometh but seldom

Thus Miles mocked and sang H alf hour .
-
an -

afterwards the head uttered t w words more o

TI M E W As .
’

Miles respe ted these words as little as he had the

c

for m er nor would he rouse the sleepers but sco ffed ,

at the brazen head for having learnt no better pee h s c

with such a t utor as his master In s orn he then . c ,

sang this song to the tune of A R i b M b t

,
‘
e ero a n

M an

Tim wa s w a k ttl h th
th
e en o u, e e,

W t fill d w i b tt m tt
F i B a did th p i l
er e e er a er ;

B ut
W h h h y id did b att
r ar con ee s o

en e t s es e r.

1 9 8
 Fa mous H i s t oi j/ of Fria r Ba con

Tim w w h e n con sci en ce dw e lt

Wi t h m
e as

e n o f occu p ati
Tim w wh la th i
on

w y e rs di d n ot

ll
e as en r ve

S o we by m a ’
n s v e xa ti on .

Tim w wh b gga d k i g
e as en e rs a n n s

Of t f
f h d b i
Ti m w w h ffi k p t k a
p on e
g;
oor s u a e n

Th at tim i w w t h i g !
e as en o ce e no n ves .

e t as or see n

Tim w a b w l f wat
e a s, o o er

D id gi h fa fl i
ve t e c t on

Tim w wh w m k w
; e ce re

n ot a i t
W h i h w t h y ll mp l i
e as en o en ne
p n ,

c no e ca co ex on l

I kno w that Brazen face without your

wa s ! ,
-

telling ! I know Time w and I know what things as ,

did happen w hen Time w But if you ll speak no as .

’

w iser no master shall be w aked for me

, ,

Thus Miles talked and sang for another half

hour Then the braze head said T I M E I S S
. n :
‘
PA T

an d fell down with a terrible noise and flashes of

fi that Miles nearly died of fear
re , s o .

The noise aroused the two friars who were ,

amazed to see the room full of moke But when s .

they perceived the brazen head lie broken on the

floor their grief kne w no bounds d they distinctly ,
an

called Miles to tell them what had happened Still .

half dead with fear he explained how the head had

,

fallen of i t w accord and how the noise and fi

s o n , re

w hich accompanied its fall had early frightened n

him out of h i w its s .

Did it not speak 3 demanded F riar Bacon .

Yes answ ered Miles trembling in every limb

‘
, .

It spoke but to no purpose I d have a parrot

’
‘
.
,
 Old En gli rb W ort b i er
S ome
speak better in the time you have been teaching this
brazen head I
O ut on thee villain ! roared F riar Bacon
‘
,
’
.

‘
Thou hast undone both ! H adst thou but alled us c

us when it spoke all England had been walled ,

about w ith brass to her glory and our eternal fame ! ,

Ah woe is me he added sadly gazing at the

, ,

broken head What w ere the words it uttered 3

.
’

V ery few and those none of the wisest returned

’

Miles promptly F irst he said T I M E I s

, ,
”

F i Bacon groaned
. .

r ar .

H adst thou called then w had been made for us ,

e

ever ! he said ’
.

Then continued Mile half hour later he

‘ ’
s,
‘
an

spoke again and said T I M E W

- -

,
”

,
AS .

Why didst thou not call then 3 asked Bungay us .

A l l said Miles I thought he was about to

’ ‘
‘
as .

tell me some long tale and then I purposed to have ,

called you But he did not speak again for half an

hour more and then he cried T I M E I S S

-
.

,
and PA T

made such a noise that he awakened you himself !

A t this F riar B acon flew into such a rage that he
would have beaten h i man had not Bungay restrained s

him Nevertheless for a punishment by his art he

.
, ,

struck Miles dumb for the space of a whole month .

Thus to their great grief w the work of the

, ,
as

two learned friars overthrown by the folly of this

simpleton .

How F ria r B a con by b ir A rt , ,

t ook Tow n aft er t b e K ing
a ,

b a df or ‘
z b ree M on tb r la id S iege t o i t a n d don e i t n o
Hurt

In the days when F riar Bacon did all his strange

 Some O/a En gli s b ’
W orz b i er ‘

as I will prove by some f w exa m ple I will e s .

speak only of thing performed by art and nature s ,

w herein hall be nothing magical F irst then

s by .
,
:

the fig t i of art there may be made instruments

u ra on

of navigation whereby great ships may cross the seas

without men to w in them and o ly one man to ro ,
n

steer them and thus shall they sail far more swiftly
t h an if they w ere full of men [i of rowers] There . e . .

shall also be made chariots which shall move w ith

incredible speed with no living creature to stir them
, .

Like w ise an instrument may be made to fl y withal ,

if one i t in the midst of it and turn an engine by

s

which the w ings artfully ontrived are made to ,

c ,

beat the air after the manner of a bird s wings as it ’

fl i t h B y an instrument but three fi g

e . high and n e rs

three b d man may rid himself and others from

ro a ,
a

all imprison m ent Also an instrument may easily b e

,

* .

m ade whereby a man may Violently draw to him a

thousand men will they nill they B y art an i t
, . n s ru

m ent may be made where w ith men may without

danger walk at the bottom of the This Alex sea .

ander the Great did ( as the ethic philosopher u se

[ Aristotle ] p t t h ) in order
re that he
or e might behold
the secrets of the ocean But physical fi g t i are . u ra on s

far more strange for by these may be fra m ed per ,

s
p ecti i looking
ve
'
glas
'
es that one thing shall
-
s ,
so

appear to be many one man an army and one sun , ,

or moon a onstellation of suns and moons B y per

c .

s
p ect i glasses
ve distant things may be brought clo e s

to our Vi ion With one of these Julius Ca sar from

s . e ,

the coast of F rance did m ark and observe the

sea -

situation of the astles in England They m y al o c . a s

be made to deceive the eye to make a man ,

so as
Tbe F a m ou r H zlrt my of F r ari Ba con
believe he eet h great store of wealth where there i
s s

none In like m anner may all things w hich are done

.

in cities or by armie be discovered by their e emies s n .

Again bodies may be framed that the greatest

, so

shall appear the least the highest lowest the most

*
, ,

secret to be t h most manifest and Bodies

e ,
so ou .

may also be framed i order that veno m ous and n

infe tious i fl hall be brought whither oever

‘

c n u en ce s s s

a man listeth Thus Socrates perceived that the .

dragon which with its noisome breath d con ,

an

ta
gi i fl
ou s destroyed
n the city and country
u en ce ,

adjoining did lurk in dens in the mountains In this

, .

did Aristotle instruct Alexander ; and through his

instruction the poison of a b ili k l being lifted as s
v ~

up to the wall of a city the poison w onveyed ,

as c

into the to w to the de tructio of its i habitant

n ,
s n n s .

It belongeth to a higher power of fi g t i that u ra on

beams should be brought and assembled by divers

fl i
e x on sand fl i in any distance that we will
re ex on s ,

to burn anything that is opposite to i t ; as is wit

d by tho e glasses which burn before and be
n e ss e s

hind f}: But the greate t and chief of all fi g t i i

. s u ra on s s

to des ribe the heave ly bodies ac ording to their

c n ,
c

length and breadth in a orporeal fi g wherein c u re ,

they may m ove with daily m otion ! These things .

are worth a kingdom to a w se man .

i .

This on luded Bacon may ffi my royal

‘
,
’
c c ,
‘
su ce,

lord to sho w what art can do ; and the e thi g

, s n s,

w ith many more as strange I m able by my art ,

a

to perform Therefore take no thought for w n ing

.
,
i n

this town for by my art ere many days be pa t

, ,
s ,

it shall be yours .
’

The King all this while had listened with admira

TN o te J .
i Note K .
 Some O/d En gli rb W ort b i es
tion ; but when he heard Ba on say that he would c

undertake to w i the town he burst fort h n ,

Most lear ed Bacon only do w hat you have said

n , ,

and I will give you what you most desire either ,

wealth or honour ! Choose what you will and I will ,

be ready to perform I have been to promise

as as .
’

‘
Your Majesty s love i all I seek said the friar ’
s ,
’
.

Let me have that and I hav e honour enough As , .

for wealth I have content and the wise man seeketh

,

no more But now to the purpose in hand ! Let your

.

pioneers raise a mound as high or rather higher than ,

the wall ; and you shall then see so m e probability

of success in that w hich I have promised .
’

In two days the mound w raised Then F riar as .

B acon went to the top of it w ith the King d w ith an

a perspective glass showed him the town as plainly

-

as if he had been in i t A t this the Ki g marvelled . n ,

but F riar Bacon told him he should marvel m ore

at noon next day when he desired him to have his ,

whole army in readiness to scale the wall upon

a signal given by him from h mound This the t e .

King pro m ised to do and returned to his tent full , ,

of joy at the thought that he should gain the

town .

In the morning F riar B a on as ended the mound c c

and set up his gla ses and other instruments In the s .

meantime the King ordered his army to stand in

readiness to give the assault when the signal (w hich
should be the w aving of a flag) w given Before as .

n ine o clock F riar Bacon w ith his burning gla s

’
s

had set fi to the state house and several ot h er

, ,

re -

hou es as well whi h t the w hole town in an

s ,
c se

uproar for none kne w w hence the fi came Whilst

,
re .

they were busy quenching i t F riar Bacon waved his ,

2 04
 Some O ld En gli s b W ort b i es
he de ired to see the pirit of any man de eased
s s c ,

an d if he did pro m i ed to raise him as he w

, ,
s as

when he lived The King replied that above all .

other m he desired to en Po m pey the Great who see

,

could brook no rival H i m V d m t by his t . an er as ar

raised armed in such manner as he w w hen slain

,
as

at the battle of P h li fi A t this all present were ars a a

ls

highly pleased But w hen F riar Bacon (w ithout .

re eali g himself) rai ed the gh st of Juliu Ca sar

v n s o s e

W ho also ould bear no m to excel him and w h

c an ,
o
,

had himself lain Pompey at Pharsalia they were

s ,

all amazed w ith the ex eptio of the King w h had

,
c n ,
o

sent for Bacon and V d m t said that there w an er as as

present some man of m agic art whom he desired

to see .

F i Bacon then showed himself saying

r ar ,

It w
‘
I V d m t whas raised C m partly
,
an er as ,
o s a r,

to give pleasure to this royal ompany but h i fly to c ,

c c

conquer your Pompey he did once be fore at that as

great battle of Pharsalia d as he shall do on e again ,

an c .
’

With that a fi gh t began between C sar and ae

Pompey which ontinued for some time to the

,
c

content of all save V d m t At last Pompey was an er as .

overcome and slain by C sar and both vanished a

e ,

away .

My lord methinks my Englishman hath beaten

,

your German laughed King H enry turning to the ,

ambassador H ath your man no greater cunning

.
‘

than this 3
Yes 1 ans w ered V d m a t stoutly Your Grace an er s .

shall me vanquish your Engli hman before you

see s

g from
o hence Prepare yourself F riar to withstand
me with t h e best of y our art
.
, ,

2 06
Tbe Fa mous History of Fria r Ba con
A l l said Ba on But a very little thi g
’
‘ ‘
as c . n

w ill serve to resist you I have here h pointed

’
.
-
e

to F riar Bungay one who is my inferior Try .

your skill against h i and if you put him to s,

the wor e then I will deal with y

s ,
but not ou ,

before ’

F Bungay then commenced to show his skill

.

ri a r .

After some turn ng of the leaves of a book of magi .

i c

he had w ith him he conj ured up before that great ,

assembly the tree of the H esperides w ith its

*
golden apples guarded by a dragon whi h lay ,
c

beneath the branches H aving done this Bungay .

,

told V d m t to fi d so m eone who w ould dare

an er as n

to gather the fruit V d m t at once raised . an er as

H er ules with h i lub over h i shoulder

c ,
s c s .

H ere i one who shall gather fruit from yonder

s

tree said V d m t Tis H er ules w h in his

,
’
an er as .
"
c ,
o

lifetime conquered the dragon and gathered the

apples of the H e perides ; and now he shall gather s

them again in spite of opposition , .

’

Thu V d m t boasted But as brave H ercules

s an er as .

advanced to plu k the fruit F riar Bacon held up c ,

h i w a d whereupon the hero paused and seemed

s n ,

afraid V d m t angrily bade him pro eed or he

. an er as c ,

would torment h i m ; but H ercule seeming more s,

and more fearful replied ,

‘
I cannot nor dare for great Bacon standeth
, ,

in my path ! H i harms are far m ore powerful than s c

yours V d m t I mu t obey him

,
an er as . s .
’

Then V d m t cursed H ercule and threate ed

an er as s n

him ; but F riar Bacon laughed and urged him not

to hafe him elf before his journey was done
c s .

‘
F said h since H ercules will do nothin g
o r,
’
e,
‘

2 07
 S ome O/a Engli rb
’
W ort b i es
at your comma d I w ill have h i m do you so m e
n ,

at m
s e rV 1 c e 1n e
’

With t h at he bade H ercules arry the onjurer

.

c c

home again to Germany The S pirit obeyed took .

,

V d m t on h i back in the sight of all that goodly

an er as s

company and sped away with him

,
.

H old F riar ,
ried the ambassador Not for half
c .

my land would I lose V d m t ! an er as

Content yourself my lord a swered Bacon I

‘
, ,
’
n .
‘

have only sent h i m home to see his wife ! H will e

return ere long .

’

The King of England thanked F riar Bacon and ,

forced upon him gifts for the service he had done

him ; for the friar ared little for money that c so

he would never take it from his Ki g n .

H ow F ria r B a con tb rougb b ir Wi s dom s a v ed tbe L iv es of

t b ree B ret b ren “ 3

When the treaty of peace between the kings of

Engla d d F rance was oncluded the King of
n an c ,

England retur ed to his w land w here he was

n o n ,

joyfully received by his subjects During his absen e . c

a quarrel the like of which had not often been heard

,

before had occurred between three brethren It w as

this A rich Englishman died d left behind him

, .

: an

three sons Now for some reason ( whi h was best

. c

known to hi m self) he appointed none of them by

name to be h i heir but poke thus to all of them
s ,
s

You are all my sons and as a father should I

‘
, ,

love you all none better than the other and becau e
,
s

I would always do right as nearly as I can I leave ,

my lands d goods to him that loveth me best

an .
’

2 08
 Some O ld Engli rb W ort b i er
third day Then the brethren being ome in the
.
,
c ,

presence of the King Bacon handed to ea h of them c

a bow and arrow .

‘
B not o ffe ded by w hat I have done for
e n ,

there was no other way save thi to decide your s

quarrel he said See here is the body of your

,
’
.
‘
,

dead father G w shoot at him ; and he that

. o no ,

cometh neare t to his heart shall have his lands

s

and his goods .

’

The two eldest made ready and hot ; and their ,

s

arro w s stuck close together in the dead man s breast ’

.

But the younge t refused to hoot s s .

‘
I would liefer lose all than wound the body
which alive I loved so w ell he cried H d you
, , . a

ever had in you but half the love for him that I
have you w ould rather have had your w bodies
,
o n

ma gled than su ffer h i lifeless corpse to be used

n s

thus ! B ut alas ! not only do you u ffer i t you are s -

yourselves the a tors in this deed of shame c .

’

S saying he wept before them all Then F ria

o , . r

Bacon gave judgment in his favour because he loved

h is father best S he had the inheritance and h i
. o ,
s

brothers fled covered w ith shame for what they had

,

done .

This deed of F i B acon s was highly ommended r ar

’
c

by all for not only did he give a true judgment b t

, ,
u

he also saved much blood which must have been shed

had the brethren been allowed to fi gh t .

H ow F ria r B a con d zb e ‘Z bieo er w b o robbed b im

'

s erv e

a nd o
f i be p
S ort b is M a n M iler b a d w it b i b om ‘

It was rumoured about this time that the King , ,

had given F riar Bacon great store of trea ure T h s . e

2 10
Tbe F mous a
of F ri a r Ba con H i s t oi y
report of so much w ealth s p read throughout the
country and three rogues plotted to rob him whic h
, ,

thing they set out even ng to do ,

on e i , .

They fi t k ocked at the gate and they were

rs n ,

let in by Miles No ooner were they in than they

. s

seized him and led him into the house w here , ,

fi di g F riar Bacon they said they had come for

n n ,

money w hi h they must and w ould hav e ere they

,
c

departed thence H told them that he w but . e as

poorly tored w it h money just then and desired

s ,

them therefore to wait until so m e future ti m e They .

an wered that they knew he had plenty d it w

s ,
an as

folly to delay them H would be wise if he let the m . e

have it by fair mea s since if he did not they would n

certai ly h ave it by foul d he would be sorry for i t

, , ,

n ,
an .

Seeing the m resolute the friar told them that

so

they should have all he had and gave t h e m ea h one ,

c

hundred pounds w ith whi h they seemed ontent ,

c c ,

and w ould have gone on their w y a

N y said F riar Ba o Prithee good gentlemen

a ,
’
c n .
, ,

tarry a w hile and hear some of my ma m u ic ! n s

’
s

You are requited reasonable w ell and I h ope you ,

will t in ourtesy deny so s m all a request

no c .
’

That we will not they cheerily re ponded s .

Miles w h expe ted port played lu tily on h i

,
o c s ,
s s

tabor and pipe As soon they heard h i m they

. as

began involuntarily to dan e i su h a heavy manner c ,

n c

that they very quickly w earied themselve ( for they s

had all the w hile the bags of mo ey in their hands ) n .

But F riar Ba on had not yet taken h i full revenge

c s .

H bade Mile lead the m a larger measure ;

’
e s d ‘
an

the player led them traight out of the house into s

the fi ld Still h e piped and till they followed

e s . s ,

dancing in a wild and anti manner Presently they c .

2 1 1
came to a broad dyke f ll of w ater and over they u

—
,

went but Miles went by the bridge dryshod ,

whereas they fell ff it and danced through the o

w ater The he led them along a path where a horse

. n

would have been up to the belly in mud ; willy

ni lly they followed dirty as w ine whi h have , s c

wallowed in the mire Sometimes he let them rest .

,

but it was only t laugh at them for they were so

o ,

weary that when he ceased playing they fell to the

ground ; then he would suddenly play again and ,

they had perforce to ri e and follow him Thus s .

he kept them dan ing the better part of the c

night .

A t last in pity he
,
eased and let them rest ,
c , .

Utterly tired out they fell asleep on the bare ground

, ,

and Miles taking their moneybags from them gave

, ,

them for farewell this song to the tu e of 0 d m

’
,
n o e

no ba rm, good ma n .

Th y ti g li l ik h g i y st

ha dly
e s n or n e e o s n ,

B ut wa m ;
If a ll t h t h at h h p h ld m t
r a re s o r

ha m
a c e suc a s ou ee

T t o m
ru e tw en
’
e re n o r .

Th y m y h d wh i h mad th m gl ad ;
Th i j y did
e on e a ,
c e e

d n ot en

W all th i h h b
e r o u re :

d t
I thi k t h ld b f w !
e re e v e s s e rv e as ese av e e en ,

n w e re ou e e er

Wh h a
en t a t h i h a t w ill a
w ke h
th h l
e e r e r s c e
y
To in k i
on t

th h h ga ll w t h y
e r os s,
u
p
An d t ap
Th
ou
g e o s e e sc e

e
y go b
y W e ep in
g C ro s s .
*
* No te P .

2 12
 S ome O/a En gli s b
'
W ort b i es
measures to prevent i t would cost him h i life This ,
s .

evil whi h he foresaw was threatened by the German

c

co jurer V d m t who had vo w ed revenge on

n ,
an er as ,

Baco for the disgrace he had received at his hands

n .

In order to execute the same V d m t hired ,

an er as

a Walloon soldier and gave him one hundred

3"

c —
rowns to do the deed fi ft y beforehand and fift y ,

whe he had killed Bacon

n

To guard against a surprise F i Bacon when

.

,
r ar ,

he read held i his hand a brass ball Beneath it he

,
n .

se t a basin of bra s that if he chanced to sleep s ,

so

over his reading the fall of the ball out of his hand
into the basin w ould arouse h i m O ne day as he t .
,
sa

thu asleep the Walloon soldier got into his study

s, ,

and had drawn his sword to kill him ; but just as

he was about to strike down fell the ball from F i ,
r ar

Bacon s hand and roused him Seeing the soldier

’

, .

with his sw ord dra w n he as k ed w h he was and why o

he came there .

I m a Walloon and a soldier and more than

‘
a , ,

this a villain replied the man boldly I m come

, ,
’
.
‘
a

hither because I w sent ; I w se t because I was as as n

hired ; I was hired because I dur t do i t The thing s .

I should do is not done The thi g to be done is to . n

kill you Now you have heard what I m and w h y

. a

I came
’

F i Bacon wondering at the man s resolution

.

’
r ar , ,

demanded who had t him to a murderer s work se

’
.

H answered V d m t the German conjurer ‘ ’

e ,
an er as , .

F riar Bacon next asked him what religion he was

o f; d he replied
an O f that w hich m any profess :
‘

t h e fi t principles of which are these to g to an

,

rs o

alehouse and to a hurch with equal devotion ; to c

2 14
Tbe F mous H i j of
a F ri a r B a con s t oi /

abstain from evil for lack of opportunity and to do

good agai st t h eir wills n
’

It is a good profession —for a devil said Bacon

.

dryly Dost thou believe in hell 3

.

I believe in no su h thing answered the

‘
c ,
’

soldier .

The I w ill show thee that thou art w rong said

n ,
’

Bacon and raised the ghost of Julian the Apostate

,
“
,
3

wh came up w ith h i body burning and full

o s so

of wounds that the sight almost frightened the

soldier out of h i w its Then Ba on commanded the s . c

spirit to speak and to tell w h he was and why he o

w thus tormented
as .

I w some ti m e a Roman emperor returned the

as ,
’

apparition There be so m e who ou t greatness

‘
c n

a happy thing I had h appiness beyo d my empire

.

. n .

H d I kept that I had been a happy man Would

a .

that I had lost my empire when I lost that ! I w as

—
a Christian that was my happiness But my self .

love d pride m ade me fall fro m i t for w hich I m

an ,
a

now punished with ever ending torme ts w hi h n -

n ,
c

I must till endure and the like of whi h aw ait

s ,
c

u believing wret he like myself

n c s .
’

S sayi g he vanished
o n , .

All this w hile the soldier stood quaking and

sw eating as if he felt the torment him elf ; and
,
s

falling on his knees he entreated F riar Baco to n

i stru t him in a better cour e of life than he had

n c s

t follo w ed
e F riar Ba on told him that he should
y . c

not want h i help i anything w hi h promise he

s n ,
c

perfor m ed for he set the man s feet in the right

,
’

path Then he gave him money and sent him to the

.

w ars i the H oly Land w here he w

n lain ,
as s .

2 1
5
 Some O ld En g/i rb W ort b i er

H ow F ria r B a con deceiv ed a n ol d Us urer

N t far from F i Bacon dwelt an old man who

o r ar

had great store of money which he let out to

usury but he w ould never h elp the poor with
i t though F i
,
Baco had often exhorted him to
r ar n

do some good whi lst he lived Seeing that his teach .

ing was in vain the friar by his art made an iron

,

pot which seemed to be full of gold H then went . e

to the usurer and told him that he had some gold

w hich he had gained during his lifetime ; but as ,

it was worth a large sum he feared if it were known , ,

that he had i t it would be taken from him be ause

, ,
c

it was b fi t t i g for a priest to have m uch wealth

un e n so .

H there fore desired the usurer to let h i m have one

e

hundred pounds which w not equal to the sixth

,
as

part of his gold and he should keep the treasure for

,

him .

Th e delighted usurer told the friar he should have

the money and promised to keep h i gold for him
, s

as safely as if it were his own F riar Bacon equally .

,

delighted ( though for a di fferent reason ) fet hed ,

c

the pot at sight of w hich the usurer laughed as

,

he thought to himself how all that gold should be

his for he was determined to gull the friar
, .

Instead he gulled himself

,
.

See here is the gold said F riar Bacon Now let

, ,
’
.

me have one hundred pounds and keep you this ,

gold until I pay it back again .

’

V ery w illingly I said the usurer H then counted . e

out the hundred pounds which F riar Bacon took , ,

and so went h i way This money he gave to certain

s .
 Old En gli s b W ort b i er
S ome
not in his ab en e admit Miles Seeing that such
,
s c , .

c old entertainme t was to be his portion Miles n ,

wished he had not troubled her ; yet being there , ,

he was loath to g any farther and w ith fair o ,

so

w ords persuaded her to give him lodging for that

night She told him that h would w illi gly do s e n

but since h e was

.

s o, w ere her husband at home ,

a w ay it w , fi t t i g that she should entertain

as un n

a trange man
s .

You need not mistrust me pleaded Miles

‘
,
’
.

Lock me i any place w here there is a bed and I

n ,

will not trouble you until to morrow when I ari e -

s .
’

A t last thinking her husband would be angry if

,

s h denied
e mall a request from one of his friends
so s ,

the w oman consented to give him a bed on condition

he was locked i Miles was willing and presently n .
,

w ent to bed whereupon h lo ked the door of his

,
s e o

room .

H had not long been in bed when he heard the

e
—
house door open Nimbly he hopped out to peep .

through a chink in the partition and w an old ,

sa

man come i The w comer set down a basket n . ne -

w hich he carried and gave the woman of the house

t h ree or four s w eet kisses w hich made Mile m outh
,
’

,
s

water Then he undid his basket and pulled out of it

.

a fat capon ready roasted bread and a bottle of good , ,

old sack These he gave to the woman saying

.
,

Sweetheart heari g thy hu band was out of

‘
,
n s

town I thought good to visit thee I m not come

, . a

empty handed but have brought something to be

-

merry w ithal Lay the cloth sweet honey d let

.
, ,
an us

banquet .
’

She thanked him kindly and did as he bade her ,

but scar ely had they t do w n to the table when

c sa

2 1 8
Tbe F mous a Hi s z oi y ‘

of F r ar i Ba con
her h b d pus t dly t
an i g
,
k k
un exd at the ec e re u rn n ,
n oc e

door The w oman hearing this w amazed and

.
, ,
as ,

knew not what to do with her elderly lover ; but

looking at her apron strings ( w omen do ) she found -
as

a trick to save herself and straight w ay hid her lover ,

under the bed the capon and bread under a tub , ,

and the bottle of wine behind the chest Then she .

opened the door and with a dissembling kiss w l ,

e

comed her husba d home I reply to her inquiry n . n

as to w h y he had quickly returned he told her so ,

that he had forgotten the money he should have

carried w ith him but that he w ould be gone again ,

early in the morning .

All thi Miles w and heard and havi ng a desire

s sa ,

to taste the capon d the w i e he alled the good an n ,

c

man by name The latter asked h i wife who that . s

w and she told h i m an acquaintance of his who

as , , ,

had asked for a night s lodging The man then bade ’

.

her open the door and let Mile t which h did s ou ,

s e .

The good m an welcomed h i m and told h i w ife to ,

s

set food the table for them She ans w ered that
on .

there w none ready but prayed him keep his

as ,

appetite until the morning w hen she would provide ,

a good breakfast .

Since that is
‘
Mile we must rest contented so, s,

and sleep out our hunger ! aid the goodman rue ’

s

fully .

Nay stay ! returned Miles If you can eat I

‘
,
’
.
‘
,

can fi d you good meat I m a s holar and have

n . a c ,

some art .
’

I would fain see it grinned his host .

You shall said Miles and that instantly

,
’

, .
’

With that he pulled forth a book from his bosom

and began his conj uration
 F rom i b e f ea rful la ke b elow
F rom w b en ee sp i ri t s come a n d go
S t ra igb t w ay come on e, t o a t t en d
F ri a r B a con s ma n a n d fr i en d
’ ’
.

He paused .

Cometh there none yet 3 quoth he . Then I

must use some other char m .
’

Now b e ow l i s fl ow n a broa d,
i
F or I b ea r t k o croa ki ng t oa d,
An d t b e ba t i b ut s b u n s t b e day ,
Tb rougb t b e da rk dot b ma ke b er w ay .

Now t b e gb os t s of men do ri s e,
An d w i t b f ea rf u l, b i deous cri es
S eek re v engemen t from i b e good)
Ou t b ei r b ea ds t b a t sp i lt t b ei r blood .

Come, s ome sp i ri t — gu i ok, I s ay

Nigb t s t b e D ev i l s b oli day
’ ’
.

Wb ere er y ou b e, i n den or la ke,

’

In t b e i v y, y ew , or bra ke,
u i ck y come a n d me a t t en d
Q l
Wb o a m B a con s ma n a n d fri en d
’
.

B u t Ill b a v e you t a ke n o s b ap e
’

Of a b ea r, a b ors e, or ap e ;
Nor w i ll I b a v e y ou t err i ble,
‘

Tb erefore come i n v i s i ble

’
.

‘
Now he is ome ! said Miles Tell me min e
c
’
.
‘
,

host what meat w ill you have 3

,
‘
Anything said the goodman What you will
,
’
. .
’

‘
Why then w hat y you to a capon 3 asked
, ,
sa

Miles .

‘
I love it above all meat returned the goodma ’
n

T h en a capon you shall have a fat one too

.
,
‘ '

.
,

Bemo my spirit whom I have raised to do me

, ,
 Some O ld En g/i s b W ort b i es
took might choke them H old lover too beneath . er , ,

the bed was ready to die of fright for he thought

, ,

Miles would betray him When they had eaten their .

fi ll the goodman begged Miles to let him see the

,

kind spirit w h had fet hed this good cheer Miles

o c

seemed u willing and told him t h at it w against

.

n ,
as

the law s of art to let an illiterate man a spirit see .

Then he relented saying that for this once he should

,

behold it and bade the man open the door adding ,

that he must soundly beat the S pirit or he would be

troubled by it afterwards In order that the goodman .

should not be alarmed Miles said he w ould show ,

him the spirit in the shape of one of his neighbours .

H i host answered that he need not doubt his

s
—
valour h would trounce the rascal soundly ; and
e

to that purpo e he took a good stout cudgel in h i

s s

hand and stood ready Miles then w ent to the side of

.

the bed under whi h the old man lay and began to
,
c ,

conjure him with these words

B emo, q ui ckly come App ea r
L i ke a n old ma n w b o dw ells n ea r .

u i ckl r i s e, a n d i n b i s s b a e
Q y p
F rom t b i s b ous e ma ke y our es cap e .

u i ckl r i s e, or els e I s w ea r
Q y
’
Ill p u t you i n a dea dli er f ea r
’
.

At that seeing there was nothing else for i t the

, ,

old m put a good face on it and rose from beneath

an

the bed .

Behold my spirit who brought me all that you ,

have had said Miles N w be as good as your .

‘
o

word and thrash him soundly

, .
’

‘
I protest your devil i,
like Goodman Stump s as

the tooth drawer as a tomato is like an apple !

-
’

2 2 2
Tbe F mous History of F a r ar i Ba con
said his host Is it pos ible that your spirit
. take s s c an

other men s shapes ? I ll teach this one to keep his

’ ’

ow shape I
n

With that he began to beat the old man so

vigorously that Miles was obliged to pull him aw ay
and to thrust his victim out of doors .

Then after some laughing they all went to bed

, ,

but the w oman could not sleep for grief because her
old lover had su ffered such ill usage for her sake -
.

H ow F ria r B a con b elp ed a Young M a n b is S w eetb ea rt ,

to
wbo w ould b a n e ma rried t o a n ot b er
an d

Ah O xfordshire gentleman had long loved a fair

maid alled Millicent and h i love w as kindly
,
c ,
s as

received it w freely given as that there wanted

as so

nothing save the onsent of her father to o m pletec c

their joy But this he w o ld not give ( though at one u

time he had tried to furt h er the mat h) be ause

.

c c

a knight was also desirou of making fair Millicent s

his w i fe though he never obtained fro m her the

,

slightest token of good w ill so loyal w h to her ,

as s e

true lover Seeing him elf thus de pised the knight

. s s ,

went to F i Bungay and promi ed him a goodly

r ar s

su m of money if h e could get the m aid for him ,

either by his art or advi e Bungay who w c .

,
as

covetou told him there w no better w y i h i

s, as a ,
n s

mind than to persuade her to take the air in a coa h

,
c ,

with her father ; and if the knight could manage

that the friar w ould by his art so dire t the horses
, c

that they should g to an old chapel w here he o

w ould be w aiti g to perform t h e marriage ceremo y

,

n n .

The knight rewarded Bungay for h i ounsel and s c

 S ome O/d En g/i s b W ort b i es
told him that if it took e ffe t he w ould be more c

bountiful to him H then went to the girl father

. e
’
s

and told h i m of this plan The old man approved .

,

and forced the p oor maid to ride with them As oon s

the coach t h e horse t ff at a

.

as they were i n , s se o

gallop ever stopping until they reached the chapel

,
n ,

w here F riar Bungay w waiting A t ight of as . s

c hur h and priest the girl kne w that she was

c

betrayed and fell down in a w oon which grieved

,
s ,

her father and the k ight w h did their best to n ,

o

revive her .

In the m eantime the ge tleman w hom she loved n

best had gone to her father hou e to visit her but ’

s s ,

fi di g her absent and hearing that she was gone

n n ,

with the k ight and her father he suspected foul

n ,

play d ha tened to F riar Bacon desiring his help

,
an s ,

to re over his love again though he feared she was

c ,

utterly lost to him .

F riar Bacon who kne w him for a Virtuous gentle

,

man pitied him ; and to help him showed him a

, ,

glass i w hich might be seen anything (w ithin the

n

s pace of fift y mile ) that one desired to Dire tly

s se e . c

the gentle m an looked into the glass he saw his love

Millicent w ith her father and the knight about to
, ,

be m arried by F riar B ungay A t this sight he cried .

out that he w undone for he should lose his life

as ,

in losing his love But F riar Baco bade h i m be . n

comforted for he w ould prevent the marriage Then

, .
,

taking the gentleman on his knee he seated hi m self s,

in a magic chair whi h immediately transported ,

c

the m through the air to the chapel They entered .

j ust as Bungay w j oini g the hands of the couple ;

as n

but F riar Ba on spoilt his peech by striking him

c s

d umb that he ould not utter another w ord Then

,
so c .

2 2 4
they went to bed and the next day the bridegroom
returned with his bride to his w house many of the o n ,

townsfolk a companying them part of the way in

c ,
re

turn for the good cheer bestowed on them at the feast .

Miles was of thi merry crowd H for his

on e s . e,

master s sake w given so much to drink that for

’

,
as

three days he w never sober In thanks for his

as .

wel ome he gave them at his departure this song

c , ,

to the tune of I b b fi ddl a ve een a er

A n d di d y o u n ot e r o f m i r w ic ha a th hh b e fe ll
at a
Th e m orn in g f er w e ddi n g da y ,
a
A t c rry i n g b ri de a at h
om e t o dw e , ll
a a
A n d w y t o T w i ver, w y, wa y ? a a a
Th e Q l i n t a in wa s s e t an d t h e a l a n ds w e re m de , a
h l g r

( T i s a pi
’
t
o ld cu s o m s s o u d e v e r de c tI
y ) a
th at h
y
A n d w o e b e t o h im w a s ors ed on j a de , a
a
F or h e c rri e d n o cre di w y , aw y ta a a
W e me t wi t h fiddle de de e s t of

h h a th
a con c e r - -

W e s et t
,

e m a co ck o rs e , a n d m de
'

- -

em to j l
p ya

Tb e w i n n i ng of B ullen , a n d Up s e fr ees efi
a a
A n d w y t o Tw i ve r, w y, w ay ! a a a
Th w r a l d i all h p a i h
’
t
Th t w ld g f ll w h p l gh th at d y
e re as n e e a n e r s

to t
h hi w h h a i
a ou o o o e ou a ,

B hi f
u t on s ore ors e s en c e c rr e s ,

A d a w ay
n Tw i away a w ay !
to v er
, ,

tl
Th e b u e r w a s q u i ck , a n d t h e a le h e did t a p ,
Th e m a i de n s di d m k e t h e s ce n e fu ga y a ll .

Th e s e rvi n g m e n ga v e m e
-
fa ddi n g ca p , a -

A n d I di d c rry i t w ay , w y a a a a .
Tbe F mous Hi t j of Fri r B con
a s oi / a a

th
Th e s mi t l t of th e ow n h i s i q u or s o ook
Th t a l
h e w a s p e rs ul de d t h e groun d ook e d b
ll
a u e,

a a a
A n d I d re b o d y t o s w e r on b ook
h th th a
S u c s mi s a s b e e re a re b u t fe w .

t a
A p o s s e w a s m de , a n d t h e w om e n di d s i p ,
a th l
A n d s i mp e ri n g s i d co u d ea t n o m ore

F ll a a a
e
y
u m ny m id wa s k i s s d on t h e li p
’
.

Ill s ay n o more , b u t give o e r, gi ve o e r !

’ ’ ’

They thanked Miles for his song and sent him home
With a fox at his tail H i master a ked him where
* . s s

he had been lo g H told him at the w edding

so n e

I know i t said F i Ba on I know that thou

. .
,
‘ ’ ‘
r ar c
—
, .

—
hast been there and I know also thou beast l that
,

thou hast been drunk every day l

‘
That is the wor t you can say of me master s , ,
’

said Miles Poor men must be drunk if they take

.

a cup more than usual but it is not so with the rich .

’

Why h w is it with the rich then 3 asked

,
o ,

Bacon .

I w ill tell you in a few w ords returned Miles

, ,
’
.

La w y th y i k e rs e a re s c ,

A d f ia ill at a ;
h
n r rs a re e se

B m t ut d k !
A d a ll i
oor en e a re ru n
p y
di n s on e s ea s e.
’

‘
Well sirrah said Bacon do not let me hear
, ,
’

,
‘

that you are infected any more with this disease lest ,

I give you some sauce to your weet meat s

Thus F riar Bacon helped those poor lovers who ,

soon afterwards w ere reconciled with the old father

and lived in great joy F i Bungay s tongue w
,
’
. r ar as

again let loose and all were friends once more

,
.

2 2 7
 H ow M iles j
con ured
f or M on ey ,
an d broke b is L eg

O ne day his master s study open Miles

,
fi n di n g
’

stole from it one of F riar Bacon s conjuring books ’

.

With this he t about conj uring for money for he

se ,

saw that his master had plenty and desired the sa m e

for himself otherwise he would never h ave been
,

bold enough to meddle with his master s devils ’

.

Thinking it best to do the deed in private he went ,

up to the roof of the house and there began to read .

H had not read long before a d e il appeared in

e v

an ugly shape and asked him w hat he wanted Miles .

w in such a fright that he could not speak but

as ,

stood quaking like an a pen leaf Seeing this the s .

devil to increase his fear raised a tempest and hurled

, ,

fi about This w too much for Miles who leapt

re . as ,

ofl the leads and in his fall broke his leg

"
, .

H earing the noise F riar Bacon ran out and found ,

his man on the ground and the devil hurling fi re

on the housetop The friar fi t laid the devil then

. rs ,

went to Miles and asked how he got that broken leg .

Miles told him the devil had done i t for he had ,

frightened him and made him leap down from the

housetop .

What were you doing there 3 asked his master .

I went to conjure for money sir confessed

‘
, ,
’

Miles But I got nothing save a broken leg to

.
‘
, ,

cure which I must now beg for money if you will ,

not take pity on me

I have often warned you not to m eddle w ith my
‘

books said the friar and yet you would do i t

,
’

,
‘
.

You had better take heed how you deal with the
devil again for he that hath power to break your
,

2 2 8
 Some O/a Eng/i s b '
W ort b i es
they together than Bungay by h i art tran ported ,
s , s

spirit and friar through the air and let them fall into
a deep pond in whi h V d m t would have been
,
c an er as

drowned if he had not been able to swim H got . e

out qui kly he could and shook himself like

as c as

a rough water spaniel ; but being out he was not

-

m uch better ff for he could

o t fi d the way home
,
no n ,

and was glad to keep hi m elf warm by walking all s

that night Next day when he returned to the inn

.
, ,

Bungay asked him how he liked his w ench .

Van d m t replied
er as S well that I wish you had : o ,

such another for yourself But Bungay told him that .

’

his order forbade such pra tices therefore he left c ,

them to h i friends Thus did they ontinually

s . c v ex

one another both by words and a tions

,
c .

A t last V d m t de iri g to do F i
an er Bungay
as ,
s n r ar

a mis hief challenged him to the fi ld not to fi gh t

c ,
e ,

with sword and dagger rapiers or poniards but w ith , ,

a far w orse weapon to wit the art of m agic : , .

Bungay ac epted the challenge and both provided

c ,

themselves with the things belo ging to their art and n

went to the fi ld there to sho w w hich of them w

e ,
as

the more cunning or had most po w er over the devil .

They made their cir les about a hundred feet c

from one another and after some ceremonies ,

V d m t began B y h i
an er as charms he raised up
. s

a fi y dragon which ran about F i Bungay s ir le

er r ar
’
c c

and scorched him so that he w ready to melt Then as .

Bungay tormented V d m t with another element an er as ,

—
for he raised up the mon ter which Perseus killed
se a s

when he saved the fair Andromeda Thi monster

* . s

ran to V d m t cir le and sent such flood of

an er as
’
s c s

water out of his wide mouth that the conjurer was

2 30
Tbe F mous H i y of
a F ria r Ba con stm

nearly drowned F riar Bu gay next raised a spirit . n

like S t George w h fought with V d m t ,

o an er as
’
s

dragon and killed i t F ollo w ing this example .

,

Van d m t raised up Perseus w h also fought with

er as ,
o

the monster and killed i t ; and both conjurers

sea -

were released from their peril Not content with .

this however they proceeded with their conjurations

, , ,

and each raised a devil Bungay charged h i to assist . s

him with all his power to overcome V d m t an er as .

The devil promised to do if he would give him so

three drops of blood from h i left arm ; but if he s

refused then V d m t should have power over

,
an er as

him to do what he would V d m t devil made . an er as

’
s

the same bargain and both magicians agreed think , ,

ing thus to over ome ea h other But the devil overc c .

threw both of them .

H aving given the devils the drops of blood they ,

fell again to their conjurations F irst Bungay raised .

,

up Achille with his Greeks who marched against

s ,

V d m t
an erd threate ed him The latter at once
as an n .

raised H e tor with his Troj ans w h defe ded him

c ,
o n

from A hilles and the Greeks Then began a great

c .

battle between the Greeks and Troj an w hich s,

continued until H ector w slain and the Trojans as

fled A fearful tempest follo w ed with thunder and

.
,

lightning whi h made the two conjurer wish them

,
c s

selves el ewhere But w i hes were in vain The time

s . s .

was ome when the devil sought payment for the

c

knowledge he had lent them H w ould tarry no . e

longer but took them i the height of their wicked

,
n

ness and bereft them of their lives .

The tempest greatly alarmed the townsfolk ; and

when it w over they fou d the bodies of V ander
as ,
n

mast and Bungay breathless and strangely burnt , ,

2 31
with fi The latter had Christia burial for the sake
re . n

of his order the former be au e he w a stranger

,
c s as .

Such was the end of these famou conj urers s .

H ow t w o y oung Gen t lemen w b o ca me ,

t o in uire
q f
o F r ari
B a con b ow t b eir F a t b ers a red, killed on e a n ot b er ; f
a n d b ow B a con
f or Grie b roke b is ra re Gla s s m f
w b iob b e could s ee A ny t b mg w b i cb w a s don e w i t kin

F ifiy M i les ‘

It has been mentioned already that F riar Bacon

had a wonderful glass in which a man might behold
anything (within the radiu of fi ft y miles) he desired s

to s ee With this glass he had delighted many people

.
,

for fathers often wi hed to see therein how their s

children w ere and children how their parent fared

,
s .

Relati ons friends enemies from far d wide they

, , ,
an

used to ome to consult this glass

c .

It happened one day that two young gentlemen ,

who were friends and neighbours ame to fi d out ,

c n ,

by Bacon s glass h w their fathers were The friar

’

,
o .
,

no niggard of h i skill let them that which they

s see

desired to — wish w hich through their w

,

s ee a ,
o n

folly they bought w ith their lives as you shall hear

, ,
.

The fathers of these two had in their son ,

s
’

absence become great foes The hatred between

, .

them was intense that whenever the y met they

so

exchanged not words only but blows Just at the ,

.

time w hen their sons w ere looki g into the glass n

to see if they were well they had met drawn their , ,

sw ords and were together by the ears A t this sight

, .

the sons w h had always been great friends did t

, o ,
no

kno w what to say to one another but glared at each ,

other angrily A t last they saw in the glass that the

.

2 32
 Old En gli s b W ort b i es
S ome
c h amber he meditated sometimes upon the vanity
, ,

of arts d s ie e sometime condemni g himself

an c nc s, s n

for studying things ontrary to h i order and so c s

to his soul s health Then he would y that m agic

’
. sa

m ade m a devil Sometimes again he would

an .
, ,

m editate on divinity and reproach himself for having ,

negle ted the tudy of it in favour of the study of

c s

magi A t other times he would meditate on the

c .

shortness of human life and blame himself for having ,

spent his little spa so ill Thus he would g from n . o

one thing to another always condemning his former ,

studies A t last that the world might know how

.
,

truly he repented of h i wi ked life he caused a s c ,

great fi to be made and sending for his friends

re , ,

s holars and others spoke to them follows

c , ,
as

M y good friends and fello w students it is not

‘ -

u known to you how through my art I have

n , ,

attained to such renown as few men living enj oy O f .

the wonders that I have done all England both , ,

ki g and common can S peak I have unlocke d the

n , .

se rets of art and of nature and sho w n to the world

c ,

things which have lain hid ince the death of s

H ermes that rare and profound philosopher

,
* By .

my studies I have discovered the se ret of the stars c ,

an d the books I have made thereon do serve as

precedents to our greatest do tors so excellent h c ,
as

my judgment proved Like w ise I ha e found out . v

the secrets of trees plants and stones with their , , ,

several uses Yet I esteem all my knowledge so

lightly that I wis h I were ignorant and kne w
.

n othing ; for the knowledge of these things (as I

have found) doth not in rease a man s Virtue but c
’

o ly m aketh him proud What hath my kno w ledge

n .

2 34
Tbe F mous H isto y of Fri ra r a Ba con
of nature s secrets gained for me ?
’
—
O nly this the
loss of a better knowledge the loss of divine studies ,

s uch as make blessed the immortal part of man

h i soul I have found that my knowledge hath been
s .

a heavy burden which hath weighed down the better

part of me But I will re m ove the ause namely— c
—
.
,

these books which I purpose w to burn before no

you all .
’

H i friends entreated him to spare the books

s

because they ontained things which might b fi t c en e

future ages H would not be persuaded but threw

. e ,

all the books into the fi In that fl m perished re a e

t h e greatest learning the world had ever known

.

After this the friar disposed of his good some part s,

of w hich he gave to poor scholars the remainder to ,

other poor folk H kept nothing for him el f H then

. e s . e

caused to be made in the hurch wall a cell into c ,

w hich he lo ked himself and there re m ained until h i

c s

death H spent h i time i prayer meditation and

* . e s n , ,

su h pious exercise and sought by all the means in

c s,

h i power to dissuade other from the study of magic

s s .

F or the spa e of two years he lived thus never

c ,

leaving his ell H i meat and drink he received

c s

t h rough a window and through the same i fi

.

or ce

di coursed with those W ho Visited him H dug his

,

s . e

grave w ith his nails and was laid therein whe at , n

la t he died
s .

Su h w the life and death of this famous friar

c as ,

w h lived the greater part of his life

o a magician as ,

but died a truly penitent sinner and an anchorite .

2 35
 T H E H IS T O R Y O F

F R IA K R US H .

H ow he came to a house of religion

seek service and being entertained
,

by the Prior w fi t
,
as rs

—
made under cook .

Imprinted at London by Edw All de : -

dwelling near Christ hurch -

c .

1 62 0 .
 Some O/a Eng/zsb ’
W ort b i es
with certain other devils to keep them in that tate s
—
,

or worse i f worse might b e .

These are the name of the devils who gathered in s

conclave and rejoi ed at the disorder amo gst the c n

monk B lp h g Prin e of Gluttony As m odeus

s e e o r, c ,

Prin e of Lechery and Beelzebub Prince of E y fi

c ,
nv
g

A a result of their consultation they chose a devil to

s

g o d d w
an ell with the m onks to encourage them
in their wickedness This devil whose name w .
, as

R h j was arrayed like a man and set out forthwith

us
“

on his j ourney Arrived at the abbey gates he stood .

-

there for a lo g ti m e all alone with a sorrowful n ,

countenance A t last the prior came out and saw him

. .

What dost thou here and what wouldst thou

‘
,

have 3 demanded the m onk .

Sir answered the uppo ed young man

,
’
s s re

tl
v e re n
y I m a poor youth
,
out ‘
of service and
a I ,

would fain have a master If it w ould please you to .

take me I will serve you diligently and do well

,
so

that you and all your brethren shall be glad of me .

I shall keep your secrets losely too that I trust so c , ,

I shall soo gain the love and favour of all n .

’

The prior w hen he heard him speak thus was , ,

moved with pity and said G into the kit hen to ,

o c

the cook Tell him I sent thee and bid him sho w
.
,

thee what to do for thou shalt be with him a whil e

until something better can be found for thee .

’

The young man thanked the prior and made h i s

reverence to him then hastened to the kitchen , ,

where he found the ma ter ook Before him also s -

c .

Rush louted low and said Sir the prior hath sent , ,

me hither to you and commandeth you to show me

w h t I s h all do for I m to help you in the kit hen
,

a a c
 You be welcome ! a s w ered the master cook
‘ ’
n -

and straightway t him to work se

Thus t h e devil be ame under ook i the pla e

.

c -
c n c

assigned to him by the prince of the devils and

laughed to him elf as he t h ought of his suc ess
s c .

I m right glad that m y purpose is

‘
a well so

achieved for I doubt not that all shall be ours ere

,

long he told hi m sel f I will make such strife d

,
’
.
‘
an

debate amongst the friars that they shall never be at

peace and I w ill make for the m good staves W here
with to beat one another Ay I will so set them by .
,

the ars that never w there heard tell of su h dis

c as c

cord in any loister in the world ! Yet I will

c con

duct myself throughout in such a way as to gain

the favour of all .
’

Indeed h i s heme prospered so well that very

,
s c

soon the m onks held him in high e teem and lo e s v ,

being so blinded with ignorance that they ever n

perceived he w a devil as .

H ow R us b zbrew i b e M a s ter -
oook f
in t o a K et tle o B oi /in
g
Wa ter ,
w b erein b e died

O ne day Rush played truant from his work It .

w as very late w he he ame home again and the n c ,

ma ter cook angered by his lo g ab en e began to

s n s c

chide him t h e m oment he appeared in the kit hen

-

, ,

c .

Thou w horeson knave ried the cook Where c .

hast thou been 3

The he beat Rush with a great sta ff until he w
n as

sore .

Thou whoreson villain why dost thou beat me

‘
,

thus 3 exclaimed Rush enraged by this treatment , .

‘
I will be revenged on thee I
 Sosaying he suddenly caught hold of t h m aster
, e

cook and flung him into a great kettle which stood

full of boiling w ater upon t h e fi
,

,
re .

Lie there in the de il s name ! quoth Rush

‘
,
v
’ ’
.

N w thou shalt scold and fi gh t with me no more

o .
’

Thus he killed the master cook and having done -

, ,

so, went out of the kitchen an errand for the on

prior During his absence some of the friars came into

.

the kitchen to speak to him but fi di g the pla e ,

n n c

deserted they stood by the fi to await his return

,
re ,

for they thought he would not tarry long As they .

stood talking and warm ing themselves by the hearth ,

they saw to their horror a man in the kettle whom

—
, , ,

they soon found to be the master cook They rushed .

ff full of J l ti more profa e than p ous to .

o ,
e ac u a on s n i ,

the prior and told him that the cook had drowned
,

himself in a kettle of boiling w ater ; at which

tidings the prior was much grieved .

In the meantime Rush had ome home When c .

the monks told him of the great misfortune which

had befallen the master cook h e pretended to be -

very orry ; and in such favour was he with the

s

brethren that they never suspe ted him of having c

done the deed .

And so no more of the hapless master ook ! -

c

After this the prior ordered that Rush should be

,

c ook at w hich the whole monastery rejoiced d

, ,
an

Rush also for thi w j ust w hat he w anted S he

,
s as . o

became master cook and dressed the monks meat -

’

exa tly to their taste for in Lent and Advent on

c , ,

—
F ridays and all fast days he put ba on in the pottage c

pot whi h gave the soup a deli ious fl

,
c inso c a v o u r,

much that the prior and all the monks wondered at

h is good cooki g and de lared he did it much better
n c

2 44
purpose that if thieve should come hither to rob
,
s

us we shall have w eapons to defend ourselves w ithal .

Moreover should the need arise come to me and

, , ,

every man of you shall have his truncheon .

’

The monks praised his forethought and left him

to h imself Soon after w ards it chanced that the prior
,

an d b prior fell out and were a gry with ea h

su -
n c

other so that but for shame they would have fought

,

together N t h l their w rath w not quenched

. ev er e es s , as ,

but st i ll smouldered in their hearts ; and all for the

sake of a w oman A rumour of their quarrel pread s
—
.

amongst the brethren w h at once took ides some ,

o s

with the prior others w ith the b prior A t last the

, su -
.

disturbance came to a head To settle i t each man .

,

went secretly to F riar Rush to ask the loan of one

of his staves Soon there w not a monk in the place
. as

wh ohad not a tru cheon hidden under h i robe n s ,

unknown to the rest This was a great joy to F riar .

Rush for he knew the upshot would be a great fi gh t

,

sooner or later .

O nthe next feast day the monks a cording to -

,
c

custom were a sembled in the hapel ready to

,
s c ,

celebrate the midnight mass and o ly w aiting for ,

n

the prior to come before they began Pre ently he . s

entered and took h i seat ; but as he looked about s

—
him his eyes fell on the sub prior the sight of w hom ,

a w akened h i anger It came into h i head then and

s . s ,

there that he would ever again have such an

,
n

opportunity for reve ge he rose up uddenly and

n so s

struck the sub prior a bu ffet on the head The sub

-

prior infuriated retaliated ; and then they set to

, ,

w ork w ith all their m ight As soon as the others saw .

w hat w going
as they rose in their stalls d drew
on , an

their truncheons w hereupon F i Rush blew out

,
r ar

2 46
 Tbe Hi s t oi
y of Fri a r K a sb

all the la m ps and candles in the hapel plunging c ,

it into total darkness ; then grasping his own ,

truncheon he dashed into the thickest of the fray

,

and there laid about him so vigorously that many

w ere felled to the ground and left for dead Next .
,

he stole away to w ards an old desk whi h stood in c

the hoir seized it with both hands and heaved it

c , ,

into the mid t of the crowd doing great damage

s , .

Some had broken arms so m e broken legs some had , ,

their noses t fl whilst a broken head w accounted

cu o
’
as

no rarity w h en all had the same omplaint It would

,

c .

have been rare sport for an onlooker had anyone ,

been there to see the monks reepi g about in the c n

—
,

dark aisle cryi g instead of D mi l bi

s, n Alas o no a a

and la kaday c

When at last the fi gh t w over and t h uproar as e

ceased Rush appeared with a lighted candle in his

,

hand .

‘
F i for shame sirs ! he ried as though he
e ,
’
c ,

knew nothing of the commotion H w came you .

‘
o

thus to quarrel among t yourselves 3 I see w ell that s

you regard neither your w honour nor the good o n

name of this house ! I should grieve to hear it said

that you are not ho est nor religiou men and I cannotn s ,

bear that our house should win evil name there an

fore good m aster I pray you cal m yourselves and

,
s,

put the matter into my hands I will do all I can .

,

and all shall be well and you good friends together

again and no m ore shall be aid
, s .
’

A t that ea h one of them omplained to him of

c c

their great hurts w hilst he pretended to sympathise

,
.

Then those w h could w alked to their ells and

o ,
c ,

those w h could not crawled to their beds as best

o ,

they could d lay there until they were whole

an

2 47
again F the spa e of three week or more God
. or c s

w as ill served for during that ti m e they sang neither

,

matins nor evensong nor entered the hurch All , c .

services were suspended since for shame they dared ,

not let the story be known outside But when they .

were well on e more and could g about the ho se

c ,
o u ,

they brought their staves to F riar Rush and thanked

him for them to which he replied that if they ever
,

wanted them again they had only to say They so .

thanked him once more and fled , .

‘
Aha ! laughed Rush as b counted his staves
’

, e .

I m overj oyed to fi d all my enterprises su cess

a n so c

ful ! Many mis hievous deeds have I done since fi t

c rs

I came here ; and more will I do ere I depart A y , .

,

I will cause them all to be da m ned and I w ill bring ,

their souls and bodies into the burni g flames of hell n ,

there to remain for ever and ever And of me it shall

be said a t h ousand years hence that I did this thing
.

’
.
, ,

H ow F ria r R us b befouled t be Waggon w itb Ta r an d

w b a t b e did i n i b e Cou n t ry

O ne day it chanced that the prior had to journey

into the country on business ; so he called h i servant s

Rush and said to him Rush g into the courtyard

, ,
o ,

and take with thee a dish full of grease to rub on

the wheels and axle trees of the waggon for I must
-

ride forth betimes to morrow -

.
’

O ff went Rush ; but instead of grease he took

a bu ket of tar and anointed the waggon all o er
c v

with i t in ide and out especially the pla e where

, s ,
c

the prior w to i t When he had fi i h d he went

as s . n s e ,

back to his ma ter who asked if he had done as he

s ,

ordered .
m rro w w hen the prior had fi i h d his business
o ,
n s e

and was ready to return home he asked for h i bill , s .

The good w ife ga e it to him ; mu h for horse v so c

meat and ma s meat and at the end b p tt l of

n
’

, , ,
‘
z ree o es

wi f tb A t this the prior was very angry

’
ne or t e s erv a n s .
,

and asked w h told her to give them wine

o .

Your serva t Rush told me to bring i t she

n ,
’

ans w ered H said you would pay for i t

. e .
’

The prior called Rush to him .

Thou rascal ! he cried Would nothing less .

than pottles serve thee and thy fellows ?

Sir we have not drunk much as that returned
,
so ,
’

Rush unabashed Your horses had two of those .

pottles .
’

My b spluttered the prior What should

ors os .

my horses w ant with wine 3

Why sir said Rush they laboured more than
, ,
’

w e did and w ere very weary and had nothing but

, ,

hay and oats wherefore methought it needful to

,

give them some good strong drink with their meat to ,

put fresh heart into them and make them the lustier
to take you home agai I n

When the prior heard the ans w er he saw there ,

w as nothing for it but patience ; so he paid for the

wine and everything else and rode home in his ,

waggon .

But F riar Rush never travelled with his master

again .

H ow t b e P rior ma de F ria r R us b S ext on ,

d ob an
a r
ged b i m
t o t ell b im b ow ma ny F ria rs w ere a bs en t from S erv i ce
at M idn igb z , a n d w b o i b ey w ere
‘

When the prior got home again he made F riar ,

2 5 0
 Tbe Hi s t oi
y o
f F r ar i R us b
Rush sexton of the church H i duty w to ring the . s as

bell to light the candles and to call the m onks to

, ,

mass at midnight The prior also harged him to . c

see that none of the friars abse ted themselves from n

that service and if they did to let him kno w of i t

, , , .

Three or four ights later Rush saw that ertainn c

friars were not in their places H put down their . e

names and the next morning the prior ordered

,

the m to come before him and he rebuked them , .

V ery soon Rush had reported all of them which ,

caused the prior to be greatly o ffended When they .

saw that Rush was spying on them they were wroth ,

w ith him but had no remedy for they were

,
afraid ,
so

of h i m that they never dared to be absent after that .

Seeing them in such fear of him Rush determined ,

to play a fresh tri k upon them ; so one night justc ,

before he rang the bell for midnight mas he went s,

an d broke the steps leading to the dormitory Then .

he slipped away to ring the bell and light the lamps

an d candles in the hur h Thi done he retur ed c c s n

to i t as h e was wont to do at the foot of the steps

.
,

s , ,
.

Presently came one w h suspe ted no harm but o c

thought to g soberly d as usual to the hapel

o an c .

But when he came in the dark to the broken steps ,

down he fell with a crash .

Thou art O I quoth Rush ; and as another

‘
ne
’ ”

came rolling down Thou art Tw I aid h o s e

A third approached— great fat fello w this

.

a , ,

in a mighty hurry because he thought him elf the s

la t and whe he fell on the top of h i companio s

s n s n

he nearly killed them .

Thou art Tb I chuckled Ru h ree s .

But w seven or eight came together and all fell

no ,

down in a heap .
 Softly good masters I ried Rush F
,
ham e ! c . or s

Y come too m any at a time ! Y were not wont

e e
—
to be so hasty ! But I see what it is y would e

deceive me and one would shield the other there

, ,

fore y co m e thus thickly to blind me H w shall

e . o

I be able w to give account to the prior of those

no

who are abse t ? Alas I do not kno w ! Y be too

n , e

subtle for me ! I would another had my fii Woe o ce .

is me I
Presently those monks w h could walk got up
,
o

and limped into the chapel But those w h fell fi t o rs

— —
.

and lay underneath especially the fat friar were

almost too bruised and sore to move ; yet they too
crawled in as best they could When they were all .

assembled in the chapel they made great moan ,

and with that began the service In truth they sang .

a heavy song and a sorro w ful for they were not

—
,

merry in their hearts their pains were too great !

After the service those who could do returned
, so

to th e ir cells The rest stayed in the chapel all

.

night Next morning word w brought to the

.
, as

prior of the great misfortune which had befallen the

friars at m idnight H was much displeased at the . e

news believing it to be Rush deed since he had

,
’
s ,

served him m any tricks already H sent for him

so . e ,

therefore and asked him how the accident had

,

happened .

Sir I will tell you said Rush frankly It i not

, ,
’
. s

unknown to you that w hen you fi t put m into rs e

this ffi [f sexton ] you commanded me to tell

o ce o

you w hen any of my brethren w ere absent from mass .

This I have done several times and many of them , ,

have been puni hed by you F this reason they

s . or

bear me no good will and would fain have me out ,

2
5 2
greeted t h em and t do w n amongst them to play sa

and drink and w soon the merriest there H

,
as . e

played long and the time pas ed quickly that

so s so

h e clean forgot w hat he had to do until he looked ,

up and found that it was almost dark Then he .

remembered that there w nothing ready for the as

prior s supper and it w almost m eal time S

’

,
as -
. o

he paid for his dri k and h a tily took his leave n s .

As he w ent along he w a fat cow grazing in a ,

sa

fi ld H caught her
e . e t her in two left one half ,
ou ,

lying on the ground and carried the other home , ,

where he speedily made it ready for cooking Some .

he put in the pot so m e on the spit Then he kindled

, .

a h ge fi and m ade excellent soup roasted the

u re ,

m eat and all w ith such despat h that everything

,
c

was ready at the appointed hour ; whereat the prior

and his brethren ( who knew h e w late home for as ,

some of them had bee into the kit hen not long n c

before and found there neither cook nor fi

,
re ,

n or anythi g p repared for supper) wondered and

n ,

praised Rush who they said was very quick in his

, , ,

work .

H ow F a rmer s ougb t b is Cow , a n d b ow b e los t b ims elf

a

a n d w a s obli ed t o t a ke S b elter in a b allow Tree a nd

g
o t b e Vi s i an b e b a d
f
There dwelt beside the monastery w alls a poor
husbandman a tenant of the prior s This same poor
,
’
.

man had a cow whi h used to come home from the

,
c

fi ld at a ertain hour every night without fail

e s c , .

Thi was the cow which F riar Rush sle w ; and

s so

sh failed at last to ome home at her usual hour

e c .

Whe the poor man found that she did not return
n ,

2 54
 Tbe Hi s t oi
j /
of F r ari Ka sb
he thought something must be wrong with her ; so
he set out to look for her and searched the fi ld ,
e s

until he found her divided into t w part so neatly o s,

that he felt sure it could only have been the work of

human hands for a wild beast would have torn the
—
,

flesh asunder O nly half of her could he fi d the

. n

other portion w lean gone as c .

V ery mi erable he returned home w ard again ;

s ,

but night overtook him before half the journey was

done and it w so dark that he missed his way nor as

ould h e fi d a house of any sort A t last he ame to

, ,

c n . c

a hollow tree in w hich he took refuge mea ing to

, ,
n

rest there all night But he had not been there long .

before a great company of devils appeared with ,

Lucifer at their head H was the fi t to speak . e rs .

With a loud voice b sum m oned Beelzebub d e an

asked W hat he had done .

‘
Sir answered Beelzebub I have caused strife
,
’

,
‘

bet w een brother and brother insomuch that one hath ,

slain the other .

’

‘
Well said ! returned Lu ifer Thou shalt be ’
c .
‘

rewarded .
’

Then he called another devil named I b fi ,

n cu us
"

and demanded of him w hat he had done .

Sir said Incubus I have caused great strife b

,
’
,
‘
e

tween two lords throu gh whi h they have gone to ,

c

war and many men have been lain

,
s .
’

‘
Thou art a trusty servant said the master ,
’

devil Thou too halt be re w arded for thy

.
‘
s

trouble .
’

Next he asked a devil amed N p ll what he had n or e

done ; and the answer was that he had been w it h

gamblers and caused the m to swear great oaths and
No te D .

2
55
 Some O ld E n g/i s b W ort b i es
to fi gh t with one another ; that he had also made
strife between husba d d wife wherefore the wife n an

cut the h usband s throat

,
’
.

‘
Well done ! said the master Thou shalt be ’
.
‘

rewarded .
’

A other devil named D w

n t ame forward, o n es n e s ,
c

and told how he had made two old women fi gh t and

scratch eac h other s eyes out ’

Last of all F i Rush appeared to tell his tale

.

r ar .

Sir aid h I m in a religious house and I

,
’
s e,
‘
a ,

gover the prior and his brethren w h hold me in

n ,
o

love and high favour for I do them many b fit , en e s .

Many a time too have I caused debate and strife to

, ,

fall among them and I have made them staves with

whi h they stoutly fought together and broke each
c

other s heads and arms and legs But I will do more

’
.

before I leave them for I will make such strife among ,

them that one shall slay the other and all shall come ,

to d w ell with in hell where they shall burn in

us ,

perpetual fi for ever re .

’

‘
If you have indeed done as y say you have ou ,

done w ell said Lucifer I pray you be diligent and

,
’
.
‘

stir them to sin and so make a swift end of your

,

enterprise When you have done all come home

.
, ,

and you shall be well rewarded for your labour and ,

exalted .
’

The the master dev i l sent them all about their

n -

business and they parted some one w y some

, ,
a ,

another to fi i h w hat they had begun As soon as

,
n s .

they were gone the poor husbandman (w h all this

,
o

while had t and shivered in the tree) rejoi ed

sa c

greatly for he had been terribly afraid lest they

,

should discover him But he prayed God to be his .

protector and to save him from that evil company ,

2 5 6
 Some O ld Engli s b W ort b i es
remain until service was done Rush in the likeness .
,

of a h fi went out and stood at the gate until

o rs e
‘

service w over w hen the prior and his brethren

as ,

went to h i m and asked why he came there to

s ee ,

trouble the m .

‘
I came to cause you to i he answered I s n
’ ‘

—
.
,

would have done more for I w ould have made

you slay one another and be damned body and so ,

soul .
’

Whe they heard this they held up their hand

n s

and praised God for their wonderful escape Then .

Rush a ked permission to g promising that he

s o,

w ould never return nor do any more mischief on

which condition the prior allowed him to depart .

After he w gone the monks retire d to their

as ,

cells and lived solitary and chaste lives thereafter

, ,

serving God as they had never done before .

Tb e L a men t a t ion f
o R us b

After he was banished from the monastery Rush

wandered abroad w ith a heavy heart crying Ala ,
s,

alas ! what shall I do 3 I kno w not where to g o,

and all my seve years labour i lost n

’
s .
’

As he walked here and there he happened to ,

meet his master Lu ifer from whom he tried to c ,

hide But Luci fer w him and asked h i news

. sa s .

Sir said Rush dolefully I have worked seven

,
’

,
‘

years 1n v a1 n .
’

H w so 3 asked h i master
o s .

‘
I w ill tell you replied Rush The last time w ,
’
. e

met there w i a tree hard by a poor man who

,
as n

overheard w hat w said and who went straightway e ,

No te E .

2 5 8
 Tbe H i t m of F i s o / r ar Ka sb
to the prior to whom he revealed all S my labour
, . o

is lost and I m banished a

’

Well said Lu ifer you must g elsew h ere and

.
,
’

,
c , o

w hat you can do

’
s ee .

R sh wandered about the country but it was lo g

u ,
n

before he could fi d another place At last he came n .

to the house of a husbandman who wanted a servant

and there Ru h w employed though against the s as ,

w ife s wishes Now this wo m an w very fair d

’
. as ,
an

s h loved the parish priest w h

e in turn lo ed her o v

Many a time t h ey supped together and made good

, .

cheer ; and so se retly did t h ey meet that no c on e

suspe ted an y thing As for the goodma they w ere

c . n,

safe enough fro m him for it was h i wont to ri e s s

early i t h e morning and spend t h e whole day

,

working in the fi ld To prevent him from coming e s .

home to dinner his wife u ed to give him his food ,

s

in a bag and a bottle of drink She w ould not keep

,
.

a servant l st her se ret should be di overed ; and

o c sc

the goodman hi m self feared that no servant would

stop for the devil hi m self ould ever have endured
,
c n

h i wife evil te m per B y this m eans h kept him

’
s s s e

for a long time without a h elper w ell knowing that

.

whilst her husband w away she and her priest as

might meet w ithout fear .

But h was to be found out at last ; and it hap

s e

pened thus .

Rush as w have aid wandering up and down

,
e s , ,

ca m e upon the good m an w orking in the fi ld and e s

gave h i m a frie dly greeti g n n .

‘
Rest you m erry i ! Methinks you take great s r

pains to work so h ard Will it please you to have me

,

.
,

as a ervant I m a poor young man out of service

s a

and w ould w illi gly serve you if you w ould have me n .

2 59
 would have you and gladly too ans w ered the
I , ,
’

husbandman but my wife will never allo w i t , .

’

Sir let me alone to manage that said Rush

‘
, ,
’
.

‘
I will so ontrive things that h shall be pleasedc s e

with me .
’

V ery well said the husbandman Wait until ’

‘ ‘
.
,

I have done my work and you shall g home with ,

o

me .

When he had fi i h d his day s toil they w ent n s e

’

home together But sooner w ere they in the . no

house than the w ife seeing Rush began to glower , ,

an d glare at him .

Dame said her husband perceiving her angry

‘
,
’

looks I pray you be o tent ! You know w ell

,
‘
,
c n

enough that I have more work than I manage can

alone therefore I have hired this young man to help

,

me .

A t this his w ife gre w the more furious and began ,

to brawl and scold as though possessed by the devil .

What a plague do you w ant with a servant 3 h s e

screamed You are able to do all the work we have

.

to do Why should we run our elves into more

. s

expense than we can bear ? But I w hat it is see

you are a lazy oaf and have no mind to work ,

yourself ! ’

Dame be content urged her husband again

‘
, ,
’
.

‘
The young man is honest and hath promised to ,

be a good servant .

But the more he said the louder she braw led , ,

until at last Ru h broke silence s .

B not angry w ith me dame for you have no

‘
e , ,

cause he aid quietly M y master hath but hired

,
’
s .
‘

me for a while on trial and I tr st in that time ,

u

to behave myself in such a w y as shall please you a .

 S Old En g/zsb W or t b i es
ome
As he approa hed the house he sang louder and his
c ,

m istress loo k ed out at the window .

A l I cried h to the priest w hat shall w

‘ ’ ‘
as s e ,
e

do 3H ere ometh our servant and my hu band will

c ,
s

not be lo g after I n

With all S peed she popped the meat into the o en v

an d bade the priest g hide under the great chest o ,

amongst her husband s old hoes When Rush came ’

s .

into the hou e she met him and asked why he was
s

back so oon s .

Because I have fi i h d my work and my master n s e ,

bade me ome ho m e and grease his shoes w the

c ,
’
as

reply Then Rush went upstairs and looked under

.

the chest w here he found the priest

, .

H thou whoreson rogue I he ried pulling

a, c ,

him out by the heels What dost t b here 3 . ou

The priest held up his hands begging for mercy ,

and promising him that if he would save his reputa

tion he w ould ome there more S Rush let him c no . o

go, for that once .

How R us b ca me H ome t o clea n t b e S ta ble, a n d oun d tb e f

P ries t un der i be M a nger ,
cov ered w i tb S tra w

It was not long however before the priest waxed , ,

bold and determined on e more to venture to the c

husbandman s house Seizing the opportunity w hen

’
.

Rush and the goodman w ere at work i the fi ld n e s,

he hurried ff to his lady love w h joyou ly

o see ,
o s

welcomed him and set food before him Then h . s e

drew drink d sat do w n beside him but they had

,
an

not been together many minutes when Rush came

along inging Directly h heard him the good w ife
, s . s e ,

thrust the m eat i to the oven as she had done before

n ,
.

2 62
 Alas where shall I hide cried the priest m
‘
,
?
’

a fluster .

Come with me into the stable and wait there

‘
,

until he is gone said she You creep under the,

’
. can

manger and I will cover you with straw

, .
’

This done h turned ba k to the house where ,

s e c ,

sh found Rush and de m a ded of him the reason for

e n

his quick return H replied that he had fi i h d . e n s e

his work and w w going to lea out the table

,
as n o c n s

which news cau ed the w oman no little a xiety for s n ,

she thought he would again discover the priest .

Still singing Rush went into the stable and began ,

to shake up the traw w ith a fork When he came s .

to the heap beneath w hi h the prie t lay trembli g c s n ,

he thought it seemed a great deal but he took it up ,

on h i fork and carried it out ide w h ere he flung

s s ,

it on the midden Then he shook the straw about .

,

and at last laid bare a corner of the priest s gown ’

.

What the devil i thi 3 cried Rush and forth s s

’

w ith turned the heap over and found the prie t ,

s .

Aha I he cried striking him four or fi ti m es

‘
ve

w ith t h e fork
,

Thou whoreson knave w hat dost .

‘
,

thou here eh ? Thou didst promise ever to co m e

,
n

again ! I thou art a false priest ! but now I will

see

make an d of thee and thou shalt deceive me

en ,

never again ’

A t t h is the priest fell on h i knee and begged

.

s s

Ru h to spare him on e m ore adding that if he ever

s c ,

came there again the ervant might do what b ,

s e

pleased w ith h i m S Ru h let h i m g a se ond time o s o c

Yet w ithin a fortnig h t or three weeks t h prie t

.
.

e s
,

was ba k d the good w ife prepared food for him

c an

usual thinki g t h ey w ere really safe this ti m e

,

as n

But they were wrong It h appe ed that w hen the

.
,

. so n

2 63
 husband m an and Rus h t down in the fi ld that sa e

morni g to break their fast on bread and cheese

n

Rus h found i the latter a hair

,

n .

I tro w my da m e would poison

‘
or else she u s,

does not was h the basket that the cheese doth lie
i
n ,
’
s —
aid h Look i t is full of hairs ! I will g
e .
‘
o

ho m e and w a h the basket s .

’

O ff he went singing merrily all the way As , .

he approached the house the good w ife recognised

h i vo ce and wrung her hands
s i despair 1n .

G hide or you are a dead m I cried h to

o, ,
an
’
s e

the priest G up into the bedchamber and jump o

into the basket w h ich hangeth outside the windo w

.
,

I will all you when he i gone

c s .
’

The priest fl d j t Rush came in and explained e ,

us as

his errand H then went upstair cut the rope by

. e s,

which the basket hung and down it fell priest and ,

all into a great pool of w ater below Rush taking

, .
,

a horse from the table rode into the pool seized s , ,

the rope w hi h trailed from the basket tied it to c ,

the horse s tail and rode three or four times through

’

the pool After thi he rode through the town s,

W here everybody stared at his captive and so home

.
,

again where as though he kne w othing of him

, ,
n ,

he dismounted and looked at the priest .

Thou shalt not es ape me thi time I he roared c s .

Thy life is lost .

’

But the pri est held up his hands

H ere is gold —
.

‘
hundred p i I he w ailed a eces
’
.

Take the m and let me g ,

o .
’

S Ru h took the gold and let the prie t g

o s s o

When h i master returned h e gave h i m half the

.

s ,

money and bade him fare w ell for he w ished to see ,

the world .
 Some Old En g/i s b W or t b i es
Prithee let me her said Rush I trust s ee ,
’
.
‘

speedily to fi d a re m edy n .
’

The gentleman took him indoors and showed him

h i daughter Directly he
s w her Rush knew what
. sa

w as the matter with her .

There i a re m edy for this he said

s ,
’
.

Well aid I exclaimed the father If you can

‘
s
’
.
‘

fi d m anyone able to help her I will reward him

n e ,

d you also
’
an .

Sir this is what you must do F t y or fi ft y miles

, . or

hen e there i a house of religion w herein I was for

c s ,

a long time a servant The prior i a cunning man . s ,

and I doubt not but that if he were here your

daughter would be well within the hour , .
’

A t these good tidings the gentlema rejoiced and n ,

on the follo w ing day sent a servant w ith a letter to

the prior desiring t h at he would come to see him
, .

H aving read the letter the prior made himself ready ,

to ride ba k w ith the m essenger and they arrived

c ,

next day at the gentleman s house The anxious ’

.

father met them at the gate received the prior ,

with all revere ce and comman ded his servant to n ,

bring wine that they m ight dri k together After

,
n .

wards they w alked in the garden talking of many ,

things .

Sir said the gentleman at last the cause of my

,
’

sending for you is this I have a daughter grievou ly : s

vexed and troubled in her mind w herefore I suppose ,

she hath an evil spirit It w told me by one w h . as ,

o

was long a servant at your hou e that you could s ,

help her .
’

What is h i name 3 asked the prior s .

Ru h w the reply
s
’
as

When t h e prior h eard i t he knew w ell enough

, .

2 66
 Tb e History of Fri a r R u s b

w ith w hom he had to deal and aid to h gentle ,

s t e

man Sir let the lady be brought to me I trust

:
‘
, .

in Al m ighty God shortly to fi d a remedy for n

h er .
’

The maid was at once brought before the prior .

When she came he bade her and her father and ,

m other and all present to kneel down and pray unto

, ,

God for her H him elf said ertain prayers o er

. e s c v

her then blessed her ; and i m m ediately there fl w

,
e

out of her mouth a great devil Thus w she restored . as

to her right mind again and for j oy the gentleman ,

w ould have given the prior a great sum of mo ey ; n

but he w ould not take i t .

Sir he said I have a w church being built

,
’

,
‘
ne

and to cover the roof I la k lead w hich I m told is c ,

a

plentif l in this country If it please you to give me

u .

as much as I need I and my brethren w ill be your ,

daily bedesmen and you hall be prayed for as long

,
s

as the world endureth .

’

You shall have all the lead y eed ou n ,

’
re

turned the gentle m an But h w will you get it .

‘
o

carried 3
H ave no fear of that said the prior I shall ’ ‘
‘
.
,

m anage w ell enough

’

T h e gentleman then brought h i m to a great heap

.

of lead and bade h i m take what he wanted The

,
.

prior promptly called Rush d co m manded him to an

take on h i ba k as m uch lead as w ould over the

s c c

chur h bear it home and retur Ru h at o ce did

c n s n

as he was ordered d w back w i thin h alf hour

.
,

— —
,

an as an .
,

The the prior said good bye to the gentle m an d

n -
an

departed bidding Rush arry h i m home also 8 c 0

Rush took him on h is shoulder and withi a quarter

.
,

of an hour bore him home There the prior co jured . n

2 67
him into his proper shape and commanded him to
go into an old ca tle
s which stood in the heart of t h e
forest There he w to remain for ever and never
. as ,

come out g i fi
a a n
‘

F ro m such a devil and all other devils defend

, ,

Good Lord Amen .

Not es
T H E S IX W O RT H Y YE O ME N
OF THE WEST
A
( ) Tb e
f rs t P a rli a men t —B e ore the Conquest the great council of
f
the ing consisting only of the nobles was called M g or
. .

and b y the S ax ons Wi

K , C , a n a t um on o en t u s

P ra ela t or um P rooerum gue Con oili um, t en agemote

ouncil of the ise A fter the Conquest it was call d
, ,
‘
Th e C W Men ’

talk The fi co d d application of the

e

from
.

P a rlemen t um, p a rler t o rs t re r e

t rm to a natio al ass mbly is found in 6

z .

e n e 1 2 4
a ci nt tim s the great trade of this
.

( )
B C l b k i d I ot ma n
g t ra e. n n e e

nation consisted in unmanufactur d wool which foreig ers bought of

.

insomuch that h c stoms of English wool x port d i Edward III

e n us
, ;
’
t e u e e n s

r ign amount d at fif y shillings a pack to per an um This

.

ex c ssive custom on unmanufactured wool gav nco rag me t to the making

e e , t , 2 n .

e e e u e n

of cloth here mor effectually than h laws against e portatio ofwool are
P res nt S tat f G reat
e t e x n n ow

found to do ( C R eadi g
’ ’
HAM B ER LAY NE S e e o n

was famous f clothmaking u til 6 wh n the civil wars ruined trad

or 1 40 ,
o o
n e e

arth r w st is aur nce an so call d of

.

( )
C B I F s m S sL L
nn . e e t e e, e

S L aur nce s C hurch which sta d th directly ov r against h orth end

.

’
t e n e e t e n

ther of A ntiquiti s in this lane I fi d non other tha that among ma y

,

e e n e n n

fair houses there is large inn for r ceipt oftravellers called B lossom s I
.

’
on e e nn,

but corruptly B osom s I and hath to sig S L au e ce the D acon i a

,

S
’
nn, n t r n e n

border ofblossoms or fl ( S urvey of L ondo ( edition

ow e rs
’
r ow s s
’
‘ ’
,

G
n 1

D
( ) d H ll O the south
era r side of ’
this
s lan [B asi
a g L a e] is n e n n

one gr at house of old time build d upo arch d vaults d with arched
. .

e e n e an

gates now a common hostelry for receipt of trav ll rs commonly and

,

corruptly call d G erard s H all of a giant said to hav dwelt there In the
; e e ,
’
e e

high roof d hall of this house sometime stood a large fi pole which
, .

r ach d to h roof thereof and was said to be one of h staves that G rard
-
e r -

e e t e t e e

h giant used in the wars to run withal

,

t
o o
e

E
( ) R b f N dy B y the
ert o tr aty of peace conclud
rma n d b etw en e e e

W illiam d R obert and sworn to by the Norma chiefs the functi ns of

. .

an n o

K ing f Engla d devolv d on h duke B was th n absent on a

, ,

o h e t e ut e e

ourn y to the oly and whither he was of to in arms at

n

H
.

j e L h fi g on e t e rs t o

the i vitation of P ope U rban II ( Tmm m Norman Co qu st ,

’
f
’
s n e
’

elsh a t r onquest retired to their mountain

n .

( )
F W l — T h W f h C e e t e

fastness s wh c at i t rvals they iss d to harry their Norman ppr ssors

. a es .
, ,

n e ue O e

To prev nt this a syst m of colo isation was i troduced and from

e , en e .

ma y parts h old i habita ts w r r thlessly e xpell d A h time of

e e n n ,
,

t n n e e u e t t e

H enry I s acc ssion practically all southern and western Wales had b en
n e .

’
. e e
,
conqu red and the Celtic power fl i h d in G wynedd alone whose chiefs
e our s e

then began to call thems lves kings or pri ces of W al s

, ,

e n e

— obert the ld st son

.

R oger Earl f S hrewsbury

G
( ) T b E l f S b b c R
ar d B ol r ew s f ur
y e e es m e, e e o

d one of the most powerful counts i Normandy

. .

o an n

d Engla d was h lead r of the di a ff cted barons agai st the Norma

, ,

ki gs H has been cit d as e x ample f the feudal nobility at its worst

an n ,
t e e s e n n

e x claims R ejoic
n e e an o

V italis sp aking f his banishm nt in

. .

d give tha ks to h L ord G od for you b ecam a fre r ler

O d ir er cu s e o e 1 1 01 : e,

K i g H e ry
, ,

n n an n t e e e u

from the d y when you banished R obert of B l m from your realm

, ,
’

G o c
a e es e

Its manufacture clothing the trade of which amounts

.

H
( ) l u es ter

to 5 f which h she p f C otswold hav so fi a wool

. .
, ,

that the S panish strain ( i is said) came from a pr se t of thes sh p given

1p
00, 0 00 er a n n u m , or t e e o e ne ,

by Edward I to A lphonso K ing of S pain ( C

t e n e ee

) HAM B ER LAY NE
N rom cattl
.
,
—
.

b
G A S
’

( )
I l Fea t s ea t er . n ea t e.
— reek pearl
.
-
. :
.

J
( ) M a r a ret .
g i ma rg a r tes a

oger a poor pri st a who won avour

z
.
, .

( K ) B i b p f S li b y s— R o o f aC s ur f e o en

with H enry by h rapidity with which he p rformed mass H died i 39

. .
,

t e e e n 1 1

rod
. .

( )
L
M
( )
A
T b G
d
i
.

bb .
A
l
S
f H
yd
l
e

a
i
f
ar

e
— S .

pposed
manor of W k fi ld ( f which H alifax formed part) was bestowed on Earle
-

to
et hav
-
originated
.

aw

o
.

wh o
gy
h
r

a
z a

ax.
.

u e en t e

W arren T h law to h followi g e ffect

e w as t e n

T h thief was to be tak within the lib rty and if he escaped th nce
.

be brought back f e x ecution but if h ever r turn d and was

1 e en e e

h could
.
,

e n ot or e e e

taken he to suff r the penalty w as e

T h th ft was to be proved and the o ffender to be taken b db b d

.
,

2 e e an a en

or b kb d—that is with the stol n goods in his hand or his b ack or

.
,

ao era n e on ;
confessing that took them
,

co
nf d—
es s a n h e

value of goods must not less than halfpenny

.

The accus d was to be ex ecut d on the S aturday after his d m

3 T h. h e b hti p e e t rt ee n en c e .

4 . e e c on e na

T h last mal factors to su ffer und r this law w re A braham W ilki son
and A ndr w Mitch ll e x ecuted on 3 h A pril 6 5
e e e e n

e e ot 1 0

call d by our author — was the founder and

.
,

N
prior of S B artholom w s S towe me tions him as having been a pleasa t
( ) )
R j ( . e or soR h e fi . a e re rs t
’
t e n n

witted ge tl ma and therefore in his time called the ki g s minstrel ab out

.

’
n e n, n

the year of C hrist H was buried in S B ar holomew s C hurch

, ,

in a fair mo ume t which is still in e x istenc

’
e t t ,
’
n n e.

— practic is mentioned in statut s ichard

,

( )
O T f
’
L i i h v er es . fi e R II e rs t e o s

r ign In the time of Edward IV the t rms li y and b dg seem to hav

. .

e e v er a e e

be n synon mous
. .

( )
P
Q
L o
l
bcoc k—
.
—
A
A dull y

provincial
sluggish
word
f llow
.
.

from A S l to quarrel
,

C
e .

( ) F u rt s .
f i f ta n =
M o taig s essay on D mocritus and H eraclitus ( F l i translation)
. . .
, . .

fl urting at A le x ander
’ ’ ’
‘
n ne e or o s :

Ev so D iogen s
en e
’

— The crocodile was said to weep over

.

( )
R A b fi s d i
muc l cre t a s a or ooo e.

its victims b fore it d vour d them

.

C dl i ck S
e e e

took its name says

.

( an C dlew ig b S ) — I t reet or an ew r t t reet . t ,

2 7 2
 ( )
B B Gl oc
old R oman station deriving its name from h
u es t er —A n t e

B ritish camp Caer G l i

. .
,

G
ou

o c — ob rt natural son of H enry

, .

was cr a ed Earl of G loucester in 9 on his marria e with M abel

C
( ) C Tb fi E l o
.
f l R
c rs t ar I u es t er . e , .
,

daught r of R ob rt F it H amon lord of G lo cester

e t 1 10 , g ,

o o
e e u

here wer som times baili s of

-
, .

( D D ) L d M f I d T r a
y f
f
r o on on . e e t wo
L ondon until R ichard I i the year 8 9 changed the name of b ilifi i to
. .

'

1 1

M yo (C
n a n

The ord ayor was e ry it lwyn

, .

a r
’
) fi L M
HAM B ERLAY NE H F A rs t n z

goldsmith who remai d in ffi from the fi y ar of

-
.

F i Li f
tz e s t a ne , ne o ce rs t e

R ichard I s r ign until h fif h f K ing John s In John granted

-
,
’ ’
t t e en t
e
5 e o 1 2 1

the citi ens h right to elect their mayor an ually

. .

z t e n
— constable
.

( E H ) C b p l A a te oe
— kind of woollen cloth
. . .

( F F ) S ll A t a mme
Ionic philosopher the to introduce the
. . .

—
study f math matics d philosophy into G r ece P lato tells h story f
( C C ) Tb l A . f
a es .fi n , on e o rs t

o e an e t e o

how walking along with his eyes lifted to heaven he f ll i to a well

.

e n
— shilling was struck in the
, , .

( H H ) Ti b b i lli T h s fi ut t en s n
g s
’
e rs t

r ign f H enry V II In early times calc latio s were made in y f

. .

o mon e
cco which was not r pres nted by coin of the same d nomination
e . u n o

a un t , e e e

a reminiscence f still arlier days when mon y was comput d by w ight

o e e e e

II It was not that

.

( ) Tb K i g i b d b b i d e R d i n w fi s e to e ur e at ea n
g un t
the victor f T h b i should sleep on a spot all whose associations wer
. .

o en c e ra e

purely English a spot which had its arli r place in history as the scene
f some of the gr atest e x ploits f A l fred ( P S w on e e

o
,

eF ) ee also o R O F ES S O R R EEM AN .

GE O RGE A GR EE N
A f Tb runken B ar aby ig n s b i m —Cf i D
( )
V eni W k fi ld p
.

U b i qu rens G eorgium G
m am
e m
e
[ S e

traighteat
ma ny
W e ra
s

k fi ld I was s en
Wher I sought for G eorge a G reen
xnu
o

re e n u
.

e
n

a e e e a,

a ;
d i li num could not fi d s ch a cr ature
,

F i x um reperi G eorgii signum

N i on i n ve n , s e B n g ut n u e

Y on a sign I saw his feature et

,

U bi allam b i b i f m W here strength of ale had so much

, ,

D G orgio fortior eram Thati I dgrewme stouter f than G ordie

ou ee e
e ra

. s t rr
’
,

] ar e .

In R i R obin H ood we fi d mention f the P indar and here is in

the R oxb urghe collectio an old black lett r ballad call d T h Jolly Pindar
’
t s on s n o ; t

of W k fi ld with R obin H ood S carlet and John to which S hakespeare

n -
e e e

a e e

makes allusion ( S h second part f H IV A scene 3 also

, , , ,

ee t e o ct

o
en r v
y ;
sce rayton and rathwaite make
. .
,

Wi W
me tion of G eorge whose name has passed into a prov rb
Tb M c
f
err i d A i
y D on B o n s r, ct .
, ne

( )
B
n

R o bi
forthcoming Tb S i b
H o d.
— N historical evidence
ourt enth
f R
n o b in H ood s
,

e x
o

centuries
ist
is
ce is
the
o o
e .

’
en

i ( f f d fif ch )
cot o r on oon o e an t e en t
earliest chro icle in which his nam is mentio ed The earliest ballads on the
.

n e n

subj ct da e from Edward III r ig

.

’
e t . s e n .

2 74
 C
( ) satir on the P resbyterians d Ind p nde ts It was
Hudi bra s —A e an

publish d i thre parts during 6 6 3 7 8 d is of great historical interest

. . e e n .

The author S amu l B utler di d i xtr me poverty 6 8

e n e , 1 -

, an .

o
e e n e e 1 0
nr II alarmed by
, , , .

rapid conquests of R ob rt F i S t phe M auric F i G rald and R ichard

D
( ) H bd d. I l d eb b su d H
ue
y re a n h y t e s w r .
-
e .
, t e

d Clare S tro gbo e d fearful l st th y should stablish in Ir land an

n

i dependent Norma state w nt over hims lf to that distressful country in

n n
w
e

an
tz

e
-
e

e
n,

e
e
e tz -

e
e

wh n many of native chi fs did him feudal homag in blissful

,

7
1 1 2 h e t e e

ig ora c of h obli atio s ther by i curred Hi ill l b

, e,

t e
g n e n m
co
n n e no ae ao r ae
— illiam ion was taken prisoner y
.

E
( ) W l li K i f S i W a m, h L g
n o ts t e

in his attempt to r gain the arldom of orthumb land To obtain

. .

N
his liberty h agreed to C o v tion of F alais by which h held S cotla d
( 7 )
1 1 4 e e er .

e the n en e, e

a fi f from h K ing of E gland H di d i

n

t e 1 2 1

o oc
as e e n e n
4
— from tlantic to the
. .

( )
F F b b r b
m t 0 d i
e s an i h A ea n to t c rea es e. t e

O rkne y Islands
. . .

Elea or of quitain daught r of illiam

.

G
( ) — A n or. W n e, e

C ount of P oitou married L ouis V II not V III who divorced h in 5 ,

er 1 1 2
In the sam y ar h married H ry of A njou who became K ing of E gla d
.
, . .

e e s e en

ars lat r It was by this marriag that he b came possessed of uvergne

, n n

t
G ui nne
wo y

H
e d G ascony
e

H
an

o
e

o
.

b b
.

b —
A e e
,

( ) K i y p p n
g i i
en r i f i
w as T h r s fi er us n i e e
g nn n
g o s rei n .
g e rs t

years of H nry s reig wer prosp rous tha ks to his e rgy d tact
.

’
t en e n e e n ow n ne an

d to the help of A rchbishop Theobald h C hanc llor B cket d the Earl

,

an t e e e an

f L ic ster With B cket s acc ssion to the archbishopric H ry s troubles

, ,

b ga d w brought to a climax b y h murder of that pr lat H i sons

’ ’
o e e . e e , en

e n , an ere t e e e. s

w r his worst mies I fl d by their mother and L ouis V II they

e e en e n ue n c e

rsist tly r bell d against th ir fath r embitt ri g his last y ars by their
. .

e e e , e n e
p e en e

ingratitud whilst th ir hostility was a s rious check on hom reforms and

e, e e e

di d m ch to dimi ish H e ry s prestig i Europe

G
’

G
u n n e n

erald arry
.

( )
I ld. b b i l
era — d t B e G i
c ron o er .ld C b i e ra us am ren s s
’

( 1 1 7 4
etc r ig of ry has b en
d ivid d by B is h op S tubbs into four epochs—from his ac essio
J
( ) H i d e i re
g ne T h t w en ty H s x
y ea rs , e e n en e

to h
-
. .

e c n, t e

B eck t quarr l (
e
5 6 ) the
e period of
1 1 his strif
4 with 4 archbishop e the
f om ecket s death to the d ath of the ou g r nry
4

( 6 B
’
H i
c o
1 1 4 r
y e n e e n

d from the c to H ry s own d ath in

’ ’
1 1 83 89 ( D i i f e 1 1 t

E li b Hi o )
n e en
; an
o na r
y
st

o o u e having incit d her

r
n
g s
y .

( )
K I p i of Q m E l
r s — T h
n men t Q ueen ea n r. e e n, e

so s to r belli was sei d and imprisoned ( S h r mai ed i

.

n e on , z e 1 e e n n

c aptivity for si t en y ars d on h husband s d ath was r leas d by

x e e an er
’
e e e

R ichard
,

o o osamo d li ord daught r of alter ord

.

( )
L F i R d — a r R C ff sam n W L n e

C li fi d T h r is authority for story of b i g poiso ed b y Queen

. .
, ,

El a or S he di d at W odstock d was buried i Godstow nunn ry

or . e e no the h er e n n

A ccording to S tow the following distich app ar d on h

e n e o an n e

tomb
.
, .

e e e er

H i e ja cot i n t um ba , ros a m un di , n on ros a mu n da

Non redo et , s ed olct
l , q ua l
redo ere s o et . l ’

2 75
 any men f Norman rac d clared th ms lv s the side of
the sons The S a x on population coll ctiv ly r mained indifferent
M
( ) .
‘
M o e e e e e on
e e e

Individually h s rfs and serving m of E glish birth attached th ms lves

. .

t e e en n e e

to h party followed by their master

-

t
N
( ) S
e

i f .A l i c k — e e o 7 T
(
h
T

the good will of S T homas a B ecket at whos shrin H nry had r cently
g S a
t
x ons)
sawnw in this victory
. proo f
1 1of 4 . e
HIER R Y

e
.

e e e

done p na c
,

T
e n

y
e.

i b op
o s er v e s ev en — The
nact d that no one should be allowed to practise a trad until h had s rved
S tatute of A ppr ntic
ea rs s whic hn a s .

e
e

e
e ,

sev n y ars as an p i was not pass d u til 5 6 3 ( repealed in

e e

e a re n t ce , e n 1

but the system f apprentic ship is of very early date probably coeval with
e

o e

the institutio of trade guilds

,

made calculatio s as to positions of the

.

( )P W b fi i o ea s t g ures .h e n t e

heave ly bodies at h moment f a man s birth

-

. . .

’
t e o

c
n

twelve labours
.

( Q) H l fi b i g er u esi b H y d — O f
g h t n w t f ra ne o t e o

Hercules T h H ydra was a s rpent whic h ravaged L erna n ar A rgos This

. .

e e e

monster had nin heads of which the middle was immort l F each ,
. .

e on e a or

head str ck ff by H rcules two more appear d H fi lly burned th m ff

, .

u o e e e na e o

d b urie d the immortal u der a rock

.
, ,

on e n

ont mporar writers declar that wh n

an .

b d b f H I I — C
( )R T c ea t
y o en r
y e e e

R ichard went to vi w his father s corps in the abb y church at F o tevrault

. .

’
e e e n

blood fl d i cessantly from h d ad king s nostrils from h mom nt h i

-

,
’
owe n t e e t e e s

son ent red the church until h left thus proving ( to the satisfaction of the
,

e e ;
aforesaid historia s and according to the O rdeal b y B i r right) that the
n , e

i gratitude of his sons was the cause of his d ath

-

( S T b E l f
her and married Isab lla of A g lém
G l o c c b i ar — l ohn
o was
e
aft rwards divorced
u es t er s fro m
n
’

ou
e res s

e.
. .
e .

( )
T
,

T b B i b p f E le — W illiam s L oo gchamp o H was appointed

y n e

Justiciar f Engla d 9 and became P apal L egate in the following y ar

. . .

o n 1 1 0, e

It is said that nothi g—from a J w s m rchandis to a knight s silver baldri

.
,
’ ’
n e e e c

or a woman s necklac —was saf from his rapacity’

e e

N o — The L ord s P ray r repeat d backwards

.

’ ’

( )U T b d i l P e w s a t er s t er. e , e

was supposed to invoke a terrible curse upo those against whom it was uttered
.
,

co c — e trem ly roundabout
.

( )V A ll j nfi n t rad A
ts w ere rs t co rme e tc. n x e

way f sayin that M arriag s mad in heaven I

. ,

ic
( )W
dry
o

T b i c k .
—
g
S ack
s sa is a dry S panish
,
wine
t oo, e t c from the
e

. L
a re

atin
e

o
s cus

The larg st or st in England

e x tending from Nottingham to h centr of Yorkshire It was at this period
)
( )X S b d. S i
er w oo d . f re -
w e . e e ,

the hau t f bands of armed S a x ons who d ni d the C onqu st d chos

t e e .

n o e e e an e to
live outside h pal of h usurper s law t t
’

o
e e e

— northern lord a terwards chosen by

.

( )Y L d F i W l r A tz f a t on h t e

baro s as th ir lead r in the struggl ith K ing John

. ,

( )
the
Z
n

S
ballad
l b b
printed
b
.
— W
by W
ill S
e

carlet
at

ynken de
vario
a to

W orde
sly
e

named
. S cad l ock S h l k
e

,
w
u
.

, ca t e oc e

( i n
) S h l k d S l k a r oc

o
an c a r oc
— outlaw was said to bear a wol s h ad
, .

H A
’

( A A ) l d
’
b i e e n
g ut a we f n e

and might th r for be lawfully slain by anyone who happened to meet h im

.
.
,

e e e .

2 7 6
 G
( ) An i n s t rumen t It is possible to inve t an t b ree j a
g ers b ig b
engi e of a little bulk yet of gr at fli y eith r to h d p ssi g or l
. . n

n e e ca c e t e e re n

vation of the v ry gr at st weight which would b of much co sequenc in , , e e

e e e e n

s veral accid nts for hereby a man may either asc nd or descend y walls
, e

e e : e an

d liv ring himself or comrades from prison ; and this ngi e is only thre
e e e n
,

fi g rs high and fo r broad ( R D iscovery of h M iracl s f

e

u e B u O G ER ACO N, t e e o

A Natur and M a ic
rt ,

c g
e

H
( ) P p i l — i
ers the t l
e scop
t which
ve B
g acon who
a s s es . was e. e e e,

famous for his skill in opt cs is said to have invented

. .
,

i
It is r po ted that Julius C sar wh h cam to co qu r B ritain stood , .

e r ae en e e n e

on h F r nch shor and vi w d the whole r io with h cities and castles

,

t e e e e e e
g n t e

therein that he might better i form himself of the pl ( A n a ce

’
N rH0 NY
'
A
W oo )
,

n
— rom some of acon s no es in
.

it app ars that he und rstood h prop rti s of conve x d co cav glasses
M
’

( )
I T b . b ll pp e
g l F
rea t es t s B a a S ea r ea s t . t .
,

J( Tb poi o f b ili k The cockatrice hight B ili c i G re k

e e t e e e an n e .

e s n o a as s as s us n e

and R l in L atin d hath that name R gul s of a little ki g for

.
,

an e u
e
g u us ; n

he is king of s rpe ts and th y be afraid and fl whe th y him F

,

e n e ee n e s ee or

h slay th th m with his sm ll and with his breath and slayeth also any
, .

e e e e :

thing that hath li fe with breath and with sight ( B W A )

’
A RT HOL O M E NG L ICU S
A kind f larg cannon was also call d a basilisk C oryat the travell r
.

(1

as
5 7 7 mentions that h
b i li k which was so gr at that it would easily
s e,
o

saw in M ilan
e

citad l
the
x c
body
di
of
g
a
huge
v ry
e ,
e

c on t a
e
.

ne
‘
an e
,

ee n
e

y e e

corpul t en The analogy betw e this piec of ordna c d the

m an
’
e n e n e an

mo ster whos breath was fatal to lif is asily se n

.

n e e, e e

— his iscovery of iracl s aco writes

.

M
W may hav an arti fi cial compositio of S altp ter d oth r in gredie ts or
( )
’
K B i g l
. Iu rn n D g a s s es B . n
‘
e , n

e e n e an e n

f the oil f R d P l i and other things or with M altha Naptha with

,

o o e et ro e

such like which will burn at what distance we please with which P liny
, , ,

reports that he k pt a city agai st h whole R oman A rmy A nthony 3

, ,
’
e n t e 1

W ood writing on the same subject says that A rchimed s within h town
.

of S yracuse commonly call d S aragossa devised such glasses by means of

, , e , t e
’
e

which he dest oy d the en my s ships whilst they were still at some distance
, , ,
’
r e e

from h tow t P eter de M h

e n or P et r P eregrine as h is som tim s a a rn cou rt , e e e e

call d made a bur ing glass in three y ars having vow d ver to l ave his
.

e n e e ne e

study until h had accomplish d i

, ,

t
o o
e e

The opernicans attribut d thr e motions to Earth

.

— i the diur al round h own a x is causi g night and day h a nual

( )L D i l i
. a C y m t n. -
h e e t e
v z n er n t e n

round the and h motion of li b ration wh reby h arth so proceeds

.
, , ,

in h orbit as that her a x is is co stantly parallel to the ax is f h world

s un ; t e , e t e e
’
er n o t e

A ccording to h P tolemaic theor y h arth was the c ntre of the universe

.

t e t e e e

d the moon and stars mov d round it onc i twenty four hours
,

an s un , e e n

harsalus is a tow Thessaly

-
.

M
( ) T b b l f P b el i —Pa tt e o i T h
a rs a a n n e
P harsalian plains lie along the A id her sar vanquish d ompey
. . .

p T C P an u s e ae e

and the R oman R epublic becam the R oma Empir

.

(4 8 e n e

the marriage of Juno with Jupit r

.

N
( ) T b f b H e
p i dt ree— O o t e es n e

the Earth present d her with som gold appl s which wer placed in the
. er es .

e e en e , e

2 7 8
 guardi anship of the H sperid s the three daughters f A tlas and Hesperis e e o
T o b tain these appl s was h last but one of h tw lve labours of H ercules
.
,

o e t e t e e

H aving done he d dicated th m to Minerva who afterwards restored

.

s o, e e

them to th ir former plac on Mount A tlas

e e
,

This stratag m of the friar s is borrow d from

.

—
a story i the G esta R
O
( ) T b b .b b e t ree ret ren . e
’
e

om a n oru m

o
n

— rosses were er cted the highway

.

( )
P T b b W p i Ce
yg Co
y ee b y n
g r ss e

wh re p nit nts off r d their devotio s To com hom by We pi g Cross

. .
,

e e e e e n e e e n

to m et with defeat or to r p nt for having taken a c rtain course Cf

.

= e e e e

M ontaigne s Essays have wedd d their sw eth arts or mistresses but

.
, .

’
F ew e e e

have com by W eping C rosse d lo g r p nted their b g i ’

oo
e e an e re n e e ar a n e

d sc da t of the ltic elga la ders

.

(Q W l — A
( )
1 l C B i F
o
2 a n e en n e e n n
— ph w of onstanti e ab ured the
. .

R J l b A p u N
ia n i e C H
s ta te
j e e n e

Christian faith ied in his thirty second y ar having

. . .

3 6 D 3 6 3 1 e

r ig d about tw ty months
-

, .
, ,

e ne en

medi val hurch its ace

.

( )
S U i b M i dd
s ur l A y
— T h
n t c C f e
g es e ae s et

agai st usu y when no oth r body had the power to protect the poor against
. .

n r e

the rich T hus us ry became a r cognis d o ff nc in the spiritual courts but

it was not until H nry V II r i n that the S tat reall y took the matter up
. u e e e e ;
’
e s e
g e

and i stituted a fi d rat of inter st

.

xe
co
n e e

i cide ts in this chapt r recall

.

( )
T H M i l j d
ow
f T hes n ure or mea t e n n e

those of a po m supposed to hav bee writt by D u bar ( 6 5 5 3

-
. .

called The F i rs of B r ick ( S Pi ke to s S cotch P o ms vol i

e e n en n 1 4
-
1 0

G
’ ‘ ’ ’
‘
t e e w ee n r n e

also ans nderse s r at la s ittle laus

. .
.
, ,

H
’
A K
’

p S ee K d L n e u an

gam form rly in great req st at weddi gs

. .

especially i S hropshire A thick plank was set i h grou d and poles

U
( ) T b Q i
. A e u n ta i n . -
e e ue n ,

n n t e n

provided with which h you g m a tilt on horseback H who brok

.

t e n en ra n e e

the most poles h garla d Cf H rrick

, .

w on t e n . . e

Thy wak s thy q i l here thou hast e u nte s,

T h y may poles two with garla ds g

, ,
’ ’
d -
n ra c .

V
( ) U p f
— A h av
se
y ki d of
rees ebe r import d from F riesland e and n e e

formerl y m ch us d in E gla d To be U p fr es to be drunk

. .

W
( )
e,
A f b i . i
u

1 — i made
ox a t

tim the badge of a fool T f = cant term to make drunk Cf :P

a
e

fool ofs him Ata fo x

n

tail. was at
o
n

one .
.

c.

ox a
se e e

.
-
.

EPYS
’

h July 6 6 5 M at h wat rsid with M Ch

.
, .

D k
’
1 AR Y , l ot 1 et t e e e r arn oc e

who had b n with compa y d q it fo d

k
’
w as xe

o
ee n an u e

Jealo s assiopea s boast

, .

X
( ) T b b i b P i
m ll d —n s t er f C w o
’

that her daughter A drom da was more beautiful t h a his Ner ids Neptune sent
. c s ea -
o ers eus e . u

n e n e

a sea mo ster to ravage IE h pi T deliver her country A ndromeda on the

,

n t o a. o

advic of an oracle was chained to a rock and left to the monster s f ry

-

, ,
’
e u

P erseus slew h monster and married the maid n who at her d ath was
.
,

t e e e

placed amongst the stars

, , , ,

o o — Trismegistus erm s an
.

( )
Y T b d p f at d p b i l
ra re
p b an H r un wo en e ,

Egyptian priest d philosopher H flo rished and instructed

.

an 7 6 e u A M. 20

his cou trymen i the cultivatio of h olive the measurement of land

. .
,

n n n t e

d the knowledg f hi roglyphics

, ,

an e o e
 ) ( Z F r ari riar
Ba B aco co c ll —
A ccording to traditio
acquired
n s
’
e n, F n

his magical skill by promisi g himself to h devil aft r death provid d he

. .

n t e e e

died i b b b n
f ti This contract
e o urohe ma aged to evade
or by causing
out o i n
,

a cell to be built i h wall of h church Th re— neith r in nor out of the

.

n t e t e e e

church —h died d was buri d

.

e an e .

THE H IST O RY OF F RIAR R U SH

A
( ) o
is an old D anish poem on h subj ct of
B ey n d t bc s ea There
— t e e

B roth r how did service as cook d mo k i h monastery of

. .

e R us , he an n n t e

E m In poem trav ls through h air to England d ains h

’
s s ero the R us e t e an g t e

K ing s daughter There s ms little r ason to doubt that h D anish story was
.

’
ee e t e

drawn from the same source as the English l gend

.

etc — or aalp or was a oabitish divinity

.

( )
B B b
b g B l h
p ge o B e or, M e e or, e

whose worship was cel brated with p culiarly abomi abl rit s
. .
,

e e n e e

B eel ebu b the lord of fl ies was a god of h P hilistin s It has be n

.

said as G l h i mentions in his H istory of the H eath n G ods that

z , , t e e . e
’
‘
a t ruc us e

h name B l bub was give to this divinity because in h o ff r d

, ,

t e ee z e ifi n t e s a cr ce s e e

to him his priests were torm nted by swarms of fli whereas in h ifi e e s, t e s a cr ce s

of h true G d not a fl y was to b s

A smodeus —T h evil spirit who persecut d S ara the daught r of R agu l
t e o e een .

with his unwelcome att ntions S ee A pocrypha T obit viii

. e e ,
e e ,

is worthy note that

.
, .

( )
C T b i d i l b s R — I
eta f w K
os e b n a me w as us . t o as

a thing proverbially worthless the old saying It

.
,

( A S i ) g i i fir s oe s n C] :
es :

is not worth a rush

. . .

c — mon abled to cause oppression ilto s

.

D
( ) I b A d f n u us . S M e ee n
’

P aradise R egain d B ook II

. .

’
e ,

t t ht B e li a l, t h e di s s o lu t e s t s p i ri fe ll,
t a

T h e s e n s u a le s t , a n d af er A s m oda i
T h e fl e s h li e s t In cu b u s ’
.

omf o —Cf the old so g The M ad P ranks

o in G oo llow
E
( ) . Tb e f r o a b rs e. . n of of
’
R b dfe

S t t h
S t h
e m li k e a m a n ,

h t
t om e
i m e s Im e e t e
o m e i m e s a n o x , s om e i m e s a ou n d,

t t t t th And to a o rs e u rn m e I c a n ,

T o ri p a n d ro a b o u e m ro u n d
’
.

pp o i p o y o su

e
i —The old S
se s criptural
possession di d hard In the reign of Charl s the S econd we read that h
( F I b d b d l b liefei s s s es s e s me ev

e
. e

t
n

poor w etch s fi d in B dlam were tr at d with the utmost cruelty to

.

‘
r e c on ne e e e

d rive their devils ’

ou t

o o o co
.

G
( ) C j d b i i b i p p b p n ure
g i m nt s r er s a e n ev er to me out a a n.

Wh y the prior did act thus at an earli r stage of the proc di gs was
.

n ot e ee n

b st know to himself I
e n