Our knit silk stocks, and Spanish leather shoes, (Yea velvet serves oft-times to trample in)

Our plumes, our spangs, and all our quaint array,
Are pricking spurs provoking filthy pride,
And snares unseen which lead a man to hell.

How live the Moors which spurn at glistering pearl, 380

And scorn the costs which we do hold so dear?
How? how but well? and wear the precious pearl

Of peerless truth amongst them published,
Which we enjoy, and never weigh the worth.
They would not then the same, like us, despise,
Which, though they lack, they live in better wise
Than we, which hold the worthless pearl so dear.
But glittering gold,-which many years lay hid,
Till greedy minds 'gan search the very guts
Of earth and clay to find out sundry moulds,
As red and white, which are by melting made
Bright gold and silver, metals of mischief,-
Hath now enflamed the noblest Princes' hearts
With foulest fire of filthy avarice;

And seldom seen that Kings can be content
To keep their bounds which their forefathers left:
What causeth this, but greedy gold to get?
Even gold, which is the very cause of wars,
The nest of strife, and nourice of debate,
The bar of heaven and open way to hell.

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400

But is this strange? when Lords, when Knights and
Squires,

Which ought defend the state of commonwealth,
Are not afraid to covet like a King?

O blind desire! O high aspiring hearts!

The country Squire doth covet to be Knight,

The Knight a Lord, the Lord an Earl or Duke,
The Duke a King, the King would Monarch be,
And none content with that which is his own.
Yet none of these can see in Crystal Glass,

Which glistereth bright, and blears their gazing eyes, 410
How every life bears with him his disease.
But in my Glass, which is of trusty Steel,
I can perceive how Kingdoms breed but care,
How Lordship lives, with lots of less delight
(Though cap and knee do seem a reverence,
And court-like life is thought another heaven)
Than common people find in every coast.

The gentleman, which might in country keep
A plenteous board, and feed the fatherless
With pig and goose, with mutton, beef, and veal,
Yea, now and then, a capon and a chick,
Will break up house and dwell in market towns
A loitering life, and like an epicure.

But who, meanwhile, defends the commonwealth? Who rules the flock, when shepherds so are fled ? Who stays the staff, which should uphold the state? Forsooth good sir, the lawyer leapeth in,

Whiles you, meanwhile, know scarcely what is done, 440

Nor yet can yield account if you were called.
The stately Lord, which wonted was to keep
A court at home, is now come up to court,
And leaves the country for a common prey
To pilling, polling, bribing, and deceit :
All which his presence might have pacified,
Or else have made offenders smell the smoke.
And now the youth which might have served him
In comely wise with country clothes y-clad,
(And yet thereby been able to prefer
Unto the prince, and there to seek advance)
Is fain to sell his lands for courtly clouts,
Or else sits still, and liveth like a lout;

Yet of these two, the last fault is the less.

450

accordingly." The shoes of the men were as elaborate as those of the women, which were "some of black velvet, some of white, some of green and some of yellow, some of Spanish leather and some of English, stitched with silk, and embroidered with gold and silver all over the foot, with other gewgaws innumerable."

1 Spangs, clasps or buckles. First English (and Modern German) "spange," a clasp buckle or stud. But the name was applied generally to small dress ornaments of glittering metal, and acquired the sense of "spangle" before that word was formed from it by help of the diminutive suffix.

And run astray besides the king's high way,
Since by the Knights, of whom my text doth tell,
And such as show most perfect in my Glass,

2 Rules the roast. Has the chief place at the table, with its meat his disposal.

3 Judge Glanville, here figured from Polwhele's History of Devo shire, died in the year 1600. The very comfortable figure on h monument was painted to resemble life, and there was a superstitio belief that its eyes moved sometimes as an omen of coming misch in the parish.

Those imps. From First English "impun," to engraft, came t sense of "imp," as shoot or scion, son of a house. Thus Lord Bac spoke of "those most virtuous and goodly young imps, the Duke Suffolk and his brother." See Note 2, page 30.

I see not one therein which seeks to heap
A world of pence by pinching of dead pays,1
And so beguiles the prince in time of need
When muster day and foughten field are odd,
Since Pompey did enrich the common heaps,
And Paulus, he Æmilius surnamed,
Returned to Rome no richer than he went,
Although he had so many lands subdued,

And brought such treasure to the common chests,
That fourscore years the state was after free
From grievous task and imposition.
Yea since, again, good Marcus Curius
Thought sacrilege himself for to advance

470

Nor one that can despise the learned brain

Which joineth reading with experience.*

Since Palamedes and Ulysses both

Were much esteeméd for their policies,

Although they were not thought long trainéd men. Epaminodas eke was much esteemed,

Whose eloquence was such in all respects

As gave no place unto his manly heart.
And Fabius, surnaméd Maximus,

Could join such learning with experience

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480

As made his name more famous than the rest.

These bloody beasts appear not in my Glass
Which cannot rule their sword in furious rage
Nor have respect to age nor yet to kind,
But down go'th all where they get upper hand;
Whose greedy hearts so hungry are to spoil,
That few regard the very wrath of God
Which grieved is at cries of guiltless blood.
Pericles was a famous man of war,

540

490

I see not one within this Glass of mine,
Whose feathers flaunt and flicker in the wind
As if he were all only to be marked ;
When simple snakes, which go not half so gay,
Can leave him yet a furlong in the field,
And when the pride of all his peacock's plumes
Is daunted down with dastard dreadfulness.
And yet, in town, he jetted every street,
As though the god of wars, even Mars himself,
Might well by him be lively counterfeit,
Though much more like the coward Constantine.
I see none such, my lord, I see none such,
Since Phocion, which was indeed a Mars,

And one which did much more than he would vaunt,
Contented was to be but homely clad.

And Marius, whose constant heart could bide
The very veins of his forwearied legs

510

To be both cut, and carvéd from his corpse,

520

Could never yet contented be to spend
One idle groat in clothing nor in cates.

1 Pinching of dead pays. Taking money from government for payment of his men, and leaving the names of dead men in the register that he may put into his own pocket the pay sent for them. An officer who does this betrays his prince when the day of battle comes, and the troop arrayed against the public enemy does not accord with his official muster-roll.

Jetted (French "jeter," to throw), strutted, affectedly threw his body about in walking. So in "Twelfth Night," Fabian says of Malvolio, "How he jets under his advanced plumes!"

And victor eke in nine great foughten fields
Whereof he was the general in charge.
Yet at his death he rather did rejoice
In clemency than bloody victory.
"Be still," quoth he, "you grave Athenians,"
Who whisperéd and told his valiant facts,
"You have forgot my greatest glory got:
For yet by me, nor mine occasion,

Was never seen a mourning garment worn.”
O noble words, well worthy golden writ!
Believe me, lord, a soldier cannot have

Too great regard whereon his knife should cut.

Ne yet the men which wonder at their wounds,
And show their scars to every comer by,
Dare once be seen within my Glass of Steel,
For so the faults of Thraso and his train
(Whom Terence told to be but bragging brutes)
Might soon appear to every skilful eye.
Bold Manlius could close and well convey
Full thirty wounds and three upon his head,
Yet never made nor bones nor brags thereof

What should I speak of drunken soldiers,
Or lechers lewd, which fight for filthy lust?
Of whom that one can sit and bib his fill,
Consume his coin, which might good courage yield
To such as march and move at his command,
And makes himself a worthy mocking stock,
Which might deserve by sober life great laud.

550

560

576

3 At Boulogne. He was at the capture of Boulogne, in Henry VIII.'s time, September 15, 1544, and has passed all the thirty years since in idleness.

So Gascoigne is proud to do, Tam Marti quam Mercurio; and he is now exercising his "learned brain" upon citation of many ancient Greeks and Romans, whose deeds are recorded in all Greek and Roman histories. But Gascoigne's allusions are very commonly drawn from his readings in the nine books of "Memorable Sayings and Doings," collected by Valerius Maximus in the days of Tiberius.

5 Thraso, a bragging soldier in "Eunuchus," one of the comedies of Terence.

6 Made no bones, made no difficulty in discussing. On the other hand, giving one "a bone to gnaw," was giving something that would keep him occupied.

That other dotes, and driveth forth his days
In vain delight and foul concupiscence,
When works of weight might occupy his head.
Yea therewithal, he puts his own fond head
Under the belt of such as should him serve,
And so becomes example of much evil,
Which should have served as lantern of good life,
And is controlled, whereas he should command.
Augustus Cæsar, he which might have made
Both feasts and banquets bravely as the best,
Was yet content in camp with homely cates,
And seldom drank his wine unwateréd.
Aristoménes deigned to defend

His dames of prize whom he in wars had won,
And rather chose to die in their defence
Than filthy men should soil their chastity.
This was a wight well worthy fame and praise.

O captains come, and soldiers come apace,
Behold my Glass, and you shall see therein
Proud Crassus' bags consumed by covetise,
Great Alexander drowned in drunkenness,
Cæsar and Pompey split with privy grudge,
Brennus beguiled with lightness of belief,
Cleomenes by riot not regarded,'
Vespasian disdained for deceit,
Demetrius light set by for his lust,
Whereby at last he died in prison pent.

Hereto, percase, some one man will allege,
That princes' pence are purséd up so close,
And fairs do fall so seldom in a year,
That when they come provision must be made
To fend the frost in hardest winter nights.

Indeed I find, within this Glass of mine,
Justinian, that proud ungrateful prince,
Which made to beg bold Belisarius

His trusty man which had so stoutly fought
In his defence with every enemy;
And Scipio condemns the Roman rule
Which suffered him that had so truly served
To lead poor life, at his Linternum farm,
Which did deserve such worthy recompense;
Yea herewithal, most soldiers of our time
Believe for truth that proud Justinian

Did never die without good store of heirs;
And Roman's race cannot be rooted out,-
Such issue springs of such unpleasant buds.

580

590

600

610

Art thou a serving man? then serve again, And stint to steal as common soldiers do.

Art thou a craftsman? take thee to thine art,
And cast off sloth, which loitereth in the camps.

Art thou a ploughman pressed for a shift?
Then learn to clout thine old cast cobbled shoes,
And rather bide at home with barley bread
Than learn to spoil, as thou hast seen some do.

Of truth, my friends, and my companions eke,
Who lust by wars to gather lawful wealth
And so to get a right renownéd name
Must cast aside all common trades of war,

And learn to live as though he knew it not.

Well, thus my Knight hath held me all too long Because he bare such compass in my glass.

High time were then to turn my weary pen Unto the Peasant coming next in place. And here to write the sum of my conceit,

I do not mean alonely 3 husbandmen,

640

[650

Which till the ground, which dig, delve, mow and sow, Which swink and sweat whiles we do sleep and snort, And search the guts of earth for greedy gain.

But he that labours any kind of way

To gather gains and to enrich himself,

By King, by Knight, by holy helping Priests,
And all the rest that live in commonwealth,
So that his gains by greedy guiles be got,
Him can I count a Peasant in his place.
All officers, all advocates at law,

All men of art which get goods greedily,
Must be content to take a Peasant's room.

A strange device, and sure my lord will laugh
To see it so digested in degrees.

But he which can in office drudge and drag
And crave of all, although even now-a-days
Most officers command that should be craved;
He that can share from every pension paid
A Peter penny weighing half a pound;
He that can pluck Sir Bennet by the sleeve,
And find a fee in his plurality;

He that can wink at any foul abuse,

As long as gains come trolling in therewith,
Shall such come see themselves in this my Glass,
Or shall they gaze, as godly good men do?
Yea, let them come: but shall I tell you one thing?
How e're their gowns be gathered in the back
With organ pipes of old King Henry's clamp,
How e'er their caps be folded with a flap,

660

670

3 Alonely, alone. Gascoigne, it will be observed, keeps to the plan of his satire, and deals successively with the four orders into which he had divided society: Kings, Knights, Peasants, and Priests. He makes his division comprehensive by reckoning under the Knights every man, whatever his station in life, who has the spirit of a gentleman; and under the Peasants, every man who is not a gentleman at heart, whatever the world may call him. These two classes are set between the civil and spiritual powers, the Kings he began with, and the Priests with whom he means to end.

Swink, labour. First English "swincan," to toil.

A Peter penny. The original Peter penny was a penny to the Pope from thirty pence of yearly rent in land.

6 Sir Bennet. The pluralist clergyman, of whom a share is asked from the new living corruptly given to him. The title "Sir" was once commonly given to priests and curates. The Christian name Bennet, being a form of "Benedictus," was apt for the representation of a priest.

How e'er their beards be clippéd by the chin,
How e'er they ride or mounted are on mules,
I count them worse than harmless homely hinds
Which toil in deed to serve our common use.

Strange tale to tell, all officers be blind,
And yet their one eye, sharp as Lynceus'1 sight,
That one eye winks as though it were but blind,
That other pries and peeks in every place.
Come naked Need, and chance to do amiss,
He shall be sure to drink upon the whip.
But privy Gain, that bribing busy wretch,
Can find the means to creep and couch so low,
As officers can never see him slide

Nor hear the trampling of his stealing steps.
He comes, I think, upon the blind side still.

720

To thrust in eyes of all their master thieves! But Brutus died without posterity,

And Marcus Crassus had none issue male;

Cicero slipt unseen out of this world,
With many mo which pleaded Roman pleas,
And were content to use their eloquence
In maintenance of matters that were good.
Demosthenes in Athens used his art,
Not for to heap himself great hoards of gold,
But still to stay the town from deep deceit
Of Philip's wiles, which had besiegéd it.
Where shall we read that any of these four
Did ever plead, as careless of the trial?
Or who can say they builded sumptuously,
Or wrung the weak out of his own by wiles?
They were, I trow, of noble houses born,
And yet content to use their best devoir
In furthering each honest harmless cause.

730

MISUSED AUTHORITY.

From the Woodcut in "Foxe's Martyrs" (edition 1576) of the burning of Rose Allen's hand by Edmund Tyrrell, as she was going to fetch drink for her Mother lying sick in her bed.

These things, my lord, my Glass now sets to show,

Whereas long since all officers were seen

To be men made out of another mould.

Epaminond, of whom I spake before,
Which was long time an officer in Thebes
And toiled in peace as well as fought in war,
Would never take or bribe or rich reward,
And thus he spake to such as sought his help:
"If it be good," quoth he, "that you desire,
Then will I do it for the virtue's sake:

If it be bad, no bribe can me infect.

If so it be for this my Commonweal,

Then am I borne and bound by duty both

For whom they card, for whom they weave their webs,

(I speak not this by English courtiers

Since English wool was ever thought most worth)

For whom all seas are tosséd to and fro,

3 Zaleucus, a legislator of Locris, declared that, for a certain offence, the penalty should be loss of two eyes. His own son was found guilty of that offence. When he had been deprived of one of his eyes, Zaleucus, to save his son from complete blindness and yet keep the laws unbroken, gave one of his own eyes to complete the payment of the penalty.

Cambyses sentenced an unjust judge to be skinned, had his skin made into a covering for the judge's bench, and required the condemned man's own son to sit as a judge upon it.

5 Because they have not wedding garments on.

6 Rocks, distaffs. The rock, or distaff, is the staff from which the flax was pulled in spinning.

For whom these purples come from Persia,
The crimosine and lively red from Inde:
For whom soft silks do sail from Sericane,
And all quaint costs do sail from farthest coasts:
Whiles in meanwhile, that worthy Emperor'
Which ruled the world, and had all wealth at will,
Could be content to tire his weary wife,
His daughters and his nieces every one,

To spin and work the clothes that he should wear,
And never cared for silks or sumptuous cost,
For cloth of gold, or tinsel figury,

For baudkin, broidry, cutworks, nor conceits.
He set the ships of merchantmen on work
With bringing home oil, grain, and savoury salt,
And such like wares as servéd common use.

770

780

790

800

1 Charlemagne. In the life of Charlemagne, left by his secretary, Eginhard, there is a record of the spinning and weaving required by him from his daughters; his wearing golden raiment on state days, but otherwise home-spun, so that "his dress differed little from that of the common people;" and of his energy in developing all the resources of the empire that had passed away from Rome, and under him extended from the Baltic to the Ebro, from the Atlantic to the Lower Danube, from the Adriatic to the German Ocean.

Baudkin, a rich Persian web of silk and gold.

A hundred per cent. profit.

Father Derby's bands, handcuffs; still vulgarly called "Darbies." In the absence of any known origin for the word, it may be observed that while by, as a Northern suffix, means a dwelling-place, dá represents, in Icelandic, the state of one who cannot stir a limb, and dár is its adjective. A playful word might have been formed out of such elements; but probably was not.

5 By statute staple's staff. "Statute-staple " or " statute-merchant" was a bond acknowledged before the Mayor of the Staple and one of the clerks of the statutes-merchant, or other appointed persons, and sealed with the seals of the debtor and of the king.

6 Wood Street and the Poultry remained for some time the City Counters, or debtors' prisons. Poultry is here pronounced in three syllables, "Poul-tr-y."

7 Counting-house. Gascoigne is suggesting that by "recognisance" -obligation of record to pay a debt by a certain day-extravagant youth may be brought to learn arithmetic in the counters, where they have schoolmasters who will keep their bones in when their flesh is gone; will hold them caged until they rot. The cruelty of the old laws of imprisonment for debt survived the reign of Elizabeth through many generations.

8 Fell, skin.

Knacks, little tricks or dexterous ways. Nares, upon this word, quotes from Tyrwhit a reference to Cotgrave's interpretation of matissiner des mains, "to move, knacke, or waggle the fingers like a juggler, player, jester," &c., and agrees with Tyrwhit in opinion that the juggler's cracking or snapping of his fingers while showing his sleight of hand gave rise to the word. The word is formed from

But holla here I see a wondrous sight,
I see a swarm of saints within my Glass:
Behold, behold, I see a swarm indeed
Of holy saints, which walk in comely wise,
Not decked in robes, nor garnished with gold,
But some unshod, yea some full thinly clothed,
And yet they seem so heavenly for to see

As if their eyes were all of diamonds,
Their face of rubies, sapphires, and jacints,

Their comely beards and hair of silver wires,

And to be short, they seem angelical.

What should they be, my lord, what should they be?

O gracious God, I see now what they be.

These be my Priests, which pray for every state;

These be my Priests, divorcéd from the world,
And wedded yet to heaven and holiness;

Which are not proud, nor covet to be rich;
Which go not gay, nor feed on dainty food;
Which envy not, nor know what malice means;
Which loathe all lust, disdaining drunkenness;
Which cannot feign, which hate hypocrisy ;
Which never saw Sir Simonie's deceits;

Which preach of peace, which carp 10 contentions;
Which loiter not, but labour all the year;

Which thunder threats of God's most grievous wrath,
And yet do teach that mercy is in store.

Lo these, my lord, be my good praying Priests,
Descended from Melchisedec by line,

Cousins to Paul, to Peter, James, and John:
These be my Priests, the seasoning of the earth
Which will not lose their savouriness, I trow.

GASCOIGNE'S PRIESTS.

810

820

830

From the Engraved Title-page to Vol. II. of "Foxe's Martyrs" (Edition 1576).

Not one of these, for twenty hundred groats, Will teach the text that bids him take a wife, And yet be cumbered with a concubine.

the sound. In Danish "knek" is a crack, and "knekke," to crack; "knekke med Fingerne," to make the fingers snap. From this would come the secondary sense of an ingenious trifle, "a knack, a toy, a trick, a baby's cap." ("Taming of the Shrew," iv. 3.)

10 Carp contentions. Latin "carpere," to pluck. Pluck off and remove contentions, as one plucks the blighted roses from a bush To "carp," in the sense of favouring contention, is to pick quarrels, as one may pick roses for one's recreation.