Microcosmography Part 25

The p.a.w.ne before the King, is peace, Which he desires to keepe at home, Practise, the Queene's, which doth not cease Amid the world abroad to roame, To finde, and fall upon each foe, Whereas his mistres meanes to goe.

Before the Knight, is perill plast, Which he, by skipping ouergoes, And yet that p.a.w.ne can worke a cast, To ouerthrow his greatest foes; The Bishop's prudence, prieng still Which way to worke his master's will.

The Rooke's poore p.a.w.nes, are sillie swaines, Which seeldome serue, except by hap, And yet those p.a.w.nes, can lay their traines, To catch a great man, in a trap: So that I see, sometime a groome May not be spared from his roome.

THE NATURE OF THE CHESSE MEN.

The King is stately, looking hie; The Queene doth beare like maiestie: The Knight is hardie, valiant, wise: The Bishop prudent and precise.

The Rookes no raungers out of raie[CX], The p.a.w.nes the pages in the plaie.

LENVOY.

Then rule with care, and quicke conceit, And fight with knowledge, as with force; So beare a braine, to dash deceit, And worke with reason and remorse.

Forgive a fault when young men plaie, So giue a mate, and go your way.

And when you plaie beware of checke, Know how to saue and giue a necke: And with a checke beware of mate; But cheefe, ware had I wist too late: Loose not the Queene, for ten to one, If she be lost, the game is gone."

FOOTNOTES:

[CS] These are a king; a queen; a prince; a privy-counsellor; a n.o.ble man; a bishop; a judge; a knight; a gentleman; a lawyer; a soldier; a physician; a merchant (their good and bad characters); a good man, and an atheist or most bad man; a wise man and a fool; an honest man and a knave; an usurer; a beggar; a virgin and a wanton woman; a quiet woman; an unquiet woman; a good wife; an effeminate fool; a parasite; a bawd; a drunkard; a coward; an honest poor man; a just man; a repentant sinner; a reprobate; an old man; a young man, and a holy man.

[CT] It is by no means certain that this may not be intended to perpetuate the memory of some other person of the same names, although Mr. Gough, in a note to the second volume of _Queen Elizabeth's Progresses_, seems to think it belongs to our author.

[CU] Bridges' _Northamptonshire_, vol. ii. page 78, s. Shaw's _Staffordshire_, vol. i. page 422.

[CV] To these lists of Breton's productions may be added, 1. _A Solemne Pa.s.sion of the Soule's Loue._ 4to. Lond. 1598. 2. _The Mother's Blessing_, 4to. Lond. 1602. 3. _A True Description of vnthankfulnesse; or an enemie to Ingrat.i.tude._ 4to. Lond. 1602. 4. _Breton's Longing_, 4to. t.i.tle lost in the Bodleian copy; prefixed are verses by H. T. gent. 5. _A Poste with a packet of Mad Letters_, 4to. 1633, dedicated by Nicholas Breton to Maximilian Dallison of Hawlin, Kent. The last tract excepted, all the above are in a volume bequeathed by Bishop Tanner to the university of Oxford, which contains many of the pieces noticed by Ritson, and, in addition, _The Pa.s.sion of a discontented Minde._ 4to. Lond. 1602, which I should have no hesitation in placing to Breton. At the end of the volume are _The Pa.s.sions of the Spirit_, and _Excellent Vercis worthey imitation of euery Christian in thier Conuersiation_, both in ma.n.u.script, and, if we may judge from the style, evidently by the author before-mentioned. For the _Figures_, in the composition of which he had certainly a share, see page 198.

[CW] I am not aware that the following specimen of his versification, which is curious, has been reprinted.

[CX] _Raie_, for _array_; order, rank. So Spencer.

"And all the damzels of that towne in _ray_, Came dauncing forth, and ioyous carrols song:"

_Faerie Queene_, book v. canto xi. 34.

vii. _Essayes and Characters of a Prison and Prisoners. Written by G. M.

of Grayes'-Inne, Gent._ (Woodcut of a keeper standing with the hatch of a prison open, in his left hand a staff, the following lines at the side;

"Those that keepe mee, I keepe; if can, will still: Hee's a true Iaylor strips the Diuell in ill.")

_Printed at London for Mathew Walbancke and are to be solde at his shops at the new and old Gate of Grayes-Inne._ 1618.

[4to. pp. 48. t.i.tle, dedication, &c. eight more.]

A second edition appeared in 1638, and, as the t.i.tle informs us, "with some new additions:" what these were I am not able to state, as my copy, although it appears perfect, contains precisely the same with that of 1618.

Of Geffray Mynshul, as he signs his name to the dedication, I can learn no particulars, but I have reason to suppose him descended from an ancient and highly respectable family, residing at Minshull, in the county of Chester[CY], during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. By what mishap he became an inmate of the King's-bench prison, from when he dates[CZ] his _Essayes_, it is impossible to conjecture, but as he talks of usury and extortion, as well as of severe creditors; and advises those who are compelled to borrow, to pay as soon as they can, we may suppose that imprudence and extravagance a.s.sisted in reducing him to the situation he attempts to describe.

In the dedication to his uncle, "Mr. Matthew Mainwaring[DA], of Namptwich, in Cheshire," he says:--"Since my comming into this prison, what with the strangenesse of the place, and strictnesse of my liberty, I am so transported that I could not follow that study wherein I tooke great delight and cheife pleasure, and to spend my time idley would but adde more discontentments to my troubled brest, and being in this chaos of discontentments, fantasies must arise, which will bring forth the fruits of an idle braine, for _e malis minimum_. It is farre better to giue some accompt of time, though to little purpose, than none at all. To which end I gathered a handfull of essayes, and few characters of such things as by my owne experience I could say _Probatum est_: not that thereby I should either please the reader, or shew exquisitenes of inuention, or curious stile; seeing what I write of is but the child of sorrow, bred by discontentments, and nourisht vp with misfortunes, to whosc help melancholly Saturne gaue his iudgement, the night-bird her inuention, and the ominous rauen brought a quill taken from his owne wing, dipt in the inke of misery, as chiefe ayders in this architect of sorrow."

"CHARACTER OF A PRISONER.

A prisoner is an impatient patient, lingring vnder the rough hands of a cruell phisitian: his creditor hauing cast his water knowes his disease, and hath power to cure him, but takes more pleasure to kill him. He is like Tantalus, who hath freedome running by his doore, yet cannot enioy the least benefit thereof. His greatest griefe is that his credit was so good and now no better. His land is drawne within the compa.s.se of a sheepe's skin, and his owne hand the fortification that barres him of entrance: hee is fortunes tossing-bal, an obiect that would make mirth melancholy: to his friends an abiect, and a subiect of nine dayes' wonder in euery barber's shop, and a mouthfull of pitty (that he had no better fortune) to midwiues and talkatiue gossips; and all the content that this transitory life can giue him seemes but to flout him, in respect the restraint of liberty barres the true vse. To his familiars hee is like a plague, whom they dare scarce come nigh for feare of infection, he is a monument ruined by those which raysed him, he spends the day with a _hei mihi! ve miserum_! and the night with a _nullis est medicabilis herbis_."

FOOTNOTES:

[CY] In the church of St. Mary, at Nantwich, in that county, is a monument erected by Geofry Minshull, of Stoke, Esq. to the memory of his ancestors.

_Historical Account of Nantwich_, 8vo. 1774, page 33. King, in his _Vale Royal of England_, folio, _Lond._ 1656, page 74, speaks of Minshall-hall, "a very ancient seat, which hath continued the successions of a worshipfull race in its own name"--&c.

[CZ] This place of residence was omitted in the second edition.

[DA] The Mainwarings were an old family of repute, being mentioned as residing near Nantwich, by Leland, _Itin._ vol. 7. pt. i. fol. 43. See also the list of escheators of Cheshire, in Leycester's _Historical Antiquities_, folio, Lond. 1673, p. 186.

viii. _Cvres for the Itch. Characters. Epigrams. Epitaphs. By H. P.

Scalpat qui tangitur. London, Printed for Thomas Iones, at the signs of the Blacke Rauen in the Strand._ 1626. [8vo. containing pp. 142, not numbered.]

I have little doubt but that the initials H. P. may be attributed with justice to _Henry Parrot_, author of _Laquei ridiculosi: or, Springes for Woodc.o.c.ks_, a collection of epigrams, printed at London in 1613[DB], 8vo.

and commended by Mr. Warton, who says, that "many of them are worthy to be revived in modern collections"[DC]. To the same person I would also give _The Mastive, or Young Whelpe of the Old Dogge. Epigrams and Satyrs._ Lond. (Date cut off in the Bodleian copy,) 4to.--_The Mouse Trap, consisting of 100 Epigrams_, 4to. 1606.--_Epigrams by H. P._ 4to.

1608.--and _The More the Merrier: containing three-score and odde headlesse Epigrams, shot (like the Fooles bolt) amongst you, light where they will_, 4to. 1608[DD].

It appears from the Preface to _Cvres for the Itch_, that the _Epigrams and Epitaphs_ were written in 1624, during the author's residence in the country, at the "_long vacation_," and the _Characters_[DE], which are "not so fully perfected as was meant," were composed "of later times."

The following afford as fair a specimen of this part of the volume as can be produced.

"A SCOLD. (B. 5.)

Is a much more heard of, then least desired to bee seene or knowne, she-kinde of serpent; the venom'd sting of whose poysonous tongue, worse then the biting of a scorpion, proues more infectious farre then can be cured. Shee's of all other creatures most vntameablest, and couets more the last word in scoulding, then doth a Combater the last stroke for victorie. She lowdest lifts it standing at her door, bidding, w^{th} exclamation, flat defiance to any one sayes blacke's her eye. She dares appeare before any iustice, nor is least daunted with the sight of counstable, nor at worst threatnings of a cucking-stoole. There's nothing mads or moues her more to outrage, then but the very naming of a wispe, or if you sing or whistle when she is scoulding. If any in the interim chance to come within her reach, twenty to one she scratcheth him by the face; or doe but offer to hold her hands, sheel presently begin to cry out murder.

There's nothing pacifies her but a cup of sacke, which taking in full measure of digestion, shee presently forgets all wrongs that's done her, and thereupon falls streight a weeping. Doe but intreat her with faire words, or flatter her, she then confesseth all her imperfections, and layes the guilt vpon the wh.o.r.e her mayd. Her manner is to talke much in her sleepe, what wrongs she hath indured of that rogue her husband whose hap may be in time to dye a martyr; and so I leaue them."

"A GOOD WIFE,

Is a world of happiness, that brings with it a kingdom in conceit, and makes a perfect adiunct in societie; shee's such a comfort as exceeds content, and proues so precious as canot be paralleld, yea more inestimable then may be valued. Shee's any good man's better second selfe, the very mirror of true constant modesty, the carefull huswife of frugalitie, and dearest obiect of man's heart's felicitie. She commands with mildnesse, rules with discretion, liues in repute, and ordereth all things that are good or necessarie. Shee's her husband's solace, her house's ornament, her children's succor, and her seruant's comfort. Shee's (to be briefe) the eye of warinesse, the tongue of silence, the hand of labour, and the heart of loue. Her voice is musicke, her countenance meeknesse; her minde vertuous, and her soule gratious. Shee's a blessing giuen from G.o.d to man, a sweet companion in his affliction, and ioynt co-partner upon all occasions. Shee's (to conclude) earth's chiefest paragon, and will bee, when shee dyes, heauen's dearest creature."

FOOTNOTES:

[DB] Mr. Steevens quotes an edition in 1606, but the preface expressly states, that they were composed in 1611.--"_Duo propemodum anni elapsi sunt, ex quo primum Epigrammata haec (qualiacunque) raptim et festinanter perficiebam_"--&c.

[DC] _History of English Poetry_, iv. 73.

[DD] _Censura Literaria_, iii. 387, 388.