England in Shakespeare's Day

G B Harrison

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781134565900
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literatur
• Subtopic: Literaturkritik

First published in 1928. This book collects together over one hundred sources by Elizabethan authors which show English life in English literature. Most of them have been selected as much to catch the atmosphere as the moods of the period, and come from the great Elizabethan writers who can transmit the essence of the time. A 'gallery of Elizabethan pictures' rather than a complete survey of life in Shakespeare's day, the spelling and punctuation have been modernized throughout. To enable those who wish to read the extracts in their context, references are given to the most accessible editions.

SECTION FIVE

LONDON LIFE

I. PAUL’S WALK

THOMAS DEKKER. The Dead Term. 1608 ; in Grosart’s edition, vol. Hi, page 49. “Paul’s Walk,” ; the central aisle of the Cathedral, was the general rendezvous for business men, servants looking for masters, needy idlers wanting a free meal, and rogues of all sorts. The “Paul’s man” ; was a recognized type of hanger-on, the best example in literature being Captain Bobadill in Every Man in His Humour. See page 53.

The Steeple on St. Paul’s is speaking:

For whereas I was at first consecrated to a mystical and religious purpose (the ceremonies of which are daily observed in the better part of me, for my heart is even to this hour an altar upon which are offered the sacrifices of holy prayers for men’s sins), yet aire some limbs of my venerable body abused and put to profane, horrid and servile customs : no marvel though my head rots,⁹¹ when the body is so full of diseases ; no marvel if the Divine Executioner cut me off by the shoulders, when in my bosom is so much horrible and close treason practised against the King of the whole world.

For albeit I never yet came down all my stairs, to be an ocular witness-bearer of what I speak, and what is (sometimes spoke openly and sometimes spoke in private) committed in my walks, yet doth the daily sound and echo of much knavish villainy strike up into mine ear. What whispering is there in Term times how by some sleight to cheat the poor country client of his full purse that is stuck under his girdle ? What plots are laid to furnish young gallants with ready money (which is shared after­wards at a tavern) thereby to disfurnish him of his patri­mony ? What buying up of oaths out of the hands of Knights of the Post,⁹² who for a few shillings do daily sell their souls ? What laying of heads is there together and sifting of the brain, still and anon, as it grows towards eleven of the clock (even amongst those that wear gilt rapiers by their sides) where for that noon they may shift from Duke Humphrey⁹³ and be furnished with a dinner at some meaner man’s table ? What damnable bargains of unmerciful brokery and of unmeasurable usury are there clapped up ? What swearing is there, yea, what swaggering, what facing and out-facing ? What shuffling, what shouldering, what jostling, what jeering, what biting of thumbs to beget quarrels,⁹⁴ what holding up of fingers to remember drunken meetings, what braving with feathers, what bearding with moustaches, what casting open of cloaks to publish new clothes, what muffling in cloaks to hide broken elbows, so that when I hear such trampling up and down, such spitting, such hawking and such humming (every man’s lips making a noise, yet not a word to be understood) I verily believe that I am the Tower of Babel newly to be builded up, but presently despair of ever being finished, because there is in me such a confusion of languages.

For at one time, in one and the same rank, yea, foot by foot and elbow by elbow, shall you see walking, the knight, the gull, the gallant, the upstart, the gentleman, the clown, the captain, the apple-squire,⁹⁵ the lawyer, the usurer, the citizen, the bankerout,⁹⁶ the scholar, the beggar, the doctor, the idiot, the ruffian, the cheater, the puritan, the cut-throat, the high-man, the low-man, the true-man, and the thief ; of all trades and professions some, of all countries some ; and thus doth my middle aisle show like the Mediterranean Sea, in which as well the merchant hoists up sails to purchase wealth honestly, as the rover to light upon prize unjustly. Thus am I like a common mart where all commodities (both the good and the bad) are to be bought and sold. Thus whilst devotion kneels at her prayers, doth profanatiofa walk under her nose in contempt of religion. But my lamentations are scattered with the winds, my sighs are lost in the air, and I myself not thought worthy to stand high in the love of those that are born and nourished by me. An end therefore do I make here of this my mourning.

II. THE NIP AND THE FOIST

ROBERT GREENE. The Second Part of Connycatching. 1592 ; vol. 1, pages 30, 33, in the Bodley Head Quartos. Greene’s Connycatching Pamphlets are most valuable accounts of the professional ras­cals who infested London. Greene knew his subject intimately and at first-hand, and wrote five pamphlets to expose their practices. He also promised to produce a “Black Book” giving the names, addresses and haunts of the most important members of the profession, but died before it was finished.

The nip and the foist, although their subject is one which they work on, that is, a well-lined purse, yet their manner is different, for the nip useth his knife, and the foist his hand: the one cutting the purse, the other drawing the pocket. But of these two scurvy trades, the foist holdeth himself of the highest degree, and therefore they term themselves “gentlemen foists”, and so much disdain to be called “cutpurses”, as the honest man that lives by his hand or occupation,⁹⁷ in so much that the foist refuseth even to wear a knife about him to cut his meat withal, lest he might be suspected to grow into the nature of a nip. Yet, as I said before, is their subject and haunt both alike ; for their gains lie by all places of resort and assemblies ; therefore their chief walk is Paul’s, Westminster, the Exchange, plays, Bear Garden, running at tilt, the Lord Mayor’s Day, any festival meetings, frays, shootings, or great fairs ; to be short, wheresoever is any extraordinary resort of people, there the nip and the foist have fittest opportunity to show their juggling agility. . . .

In Paul’s, especially in the term time, between ten and eleven, then is their hours, and there they walk, and perhaps if there be a great press, strike a stroke⁹⁸ in the middle walk ; but that is upon some plain man that stands gazing about, having never seen the church before. But their chiefest time is at divine service, when men, devoutly given, do go up to hear either a sermon or else the harmony of the choir and the organs. There the nip and the foist, as devoutly as if he were some zealous person, standeth soberly with his eyes elevated to heaven, when his hand is either on the purse or in the pocket, surveying every corner of it for coin. Then when the service is done, and the people press away, he thrusteth amidst the throng, and there worketh his villainy. . . .

So likewise at plays the nip standeth there leaning like some mannerly gentleman against the door as men go in, and there finding talk with some of his companions, spieth what every man hath in his purse, and where, in what place, and in which sleeve or pocket, he puts the bung,⁹⁹ and according to that so he worketh, either where the thrust is great within, or else as they come out at the doors. But suppose that the foist is smoked¹⁰⁰ and the man misseth his purse and apprehendeth him for it. Then straight he either conveyeth to his stall,¹⁰¹ or else droppeth the bung and with a great brave he defieth his accuser ; and though the purse be found at his feet, yet because he hath it not about him, he comes not within the compass of life. . . .

Therefore let all men take this caveat,¹⁰² that when they walk abroad amid any of the forenamed places or like assemblies, that they take great care for their purse, how th£y place it, and not leave it careless in their pockets or hose, for the foist is so nimble-handed that he exceeds the juggler for agility and hath his leger de main as perfectly. Therefore an exquisite foist must have three properties that a good surgeon should have, and that is, an eagle’s eye, a lady’s hand, and a lion’s heart. An eagle’s eye to spy out a purchase,¹⁰³ to have a quick insight where the bung lies ; and then a lion’s heart not to fear what the end will be ; and then a lady’s hand, to be little and nimble, the better and the more easy to dive into any man’s pocket.

III. QUACKS

HENRY CHETTLE. Kind-heart’s Dream. 1592 ; vol. iv, pages 26, 27, 32 in the Bodley Head Quartos.

For the dead palsy, there is a woman hath a desperate drink that either helps in a year, or kills in an hour. Beside, she hath a charm that mumbled thrice over the ear, together with oil of suamone (as she terms it) will make them that can hear but a little, hear in short time never a whit. But above all, her medicine for the quartine ague is admirable, viz. a pint of exceeding strong March beer, wherein is diffused one drop of aqua mirabilis ; this, taken at a draught before the fit, is intolerable good, and for a precedent, let this serve.

A gentlewoman about London, whose husband is heir of a right worshipful house, was induced to take this drench from this wise woman ; for every drop of that strong water she must have twelve pence. A spoonful at the least was prized at forty shillings. Thus, daily for almost a month, she ministered, the gentlewoman, having still good hope, at last was put by her husband quite out of comfort for any good at this woman’s hands ; for he, by chance getting the deceiver’s glass, would needs pour out a spoonful whatever he paid ; she cried out she could not spare it ; all helped not, he took it and tasted, and found it to be no other than fountain water. . . .

Besides these runagates, there are some of good experience, that giving themselves to inordinate excess, when they are writ unto by learned physicians to minister for the patient’s health, according to their advised prescription, negligently mistake. As for example, a doctor directs to his apothecary a bill to minister to a man having an ulcerous sore, certain pills for the preparing of his body, withal, a receipt for the making a corrosive to apply to the sore ; he (either witless, which is too bad, or wilful, which is worse) prepares the corrosive in pills, and forms the receipt for the pills in manner of a plaster. The party receives the corrosive inward, his maw is fretted, death follows. If there be such an apothecary that hath so done, let him repent his dealings, lest the blood of that man light on his head....