GREENES VISION Written at the instant of his death Conteyning a penitent passion for the folly of his Pen. Sero sed serio Imprinted at London for Thomas Newman and are to be sould at his shop in Fleetestreete in Saint Dunstons Churchyard To the right worshipfull and his especiall good friend M. Nicholas Sanders of Ewell Esquier T. Newman wisheth all felicitiâ— WERE I as able as I am willing Right Worshipfull to shewe my selfe thankful for your manie kindnesses extended vnto me some more accomplisht Dedication then this should haue offred it selfe to your iudiciall view at this instant It was one of the last workes of a wel known Author therefore I hope it will be more acceptable Manie haue published repentaunces vnder his name but none more vnfeigned then this being euerie word of his owne his own phrase his own method The experience of many vices brought forth this last vision of vertue I recommend it intirely to your worships euen ballancing censure None haue more insight then you into matters of wit All men of Art acknowledge you to bee an especiall Mecenas and supporter of learning in these her despised latter daies I am one that haue no interest in knowledge but the inseperate loue that I beare to them that professe it That attendant loue on good letters striues to honor you in whome Art is honoured I thinke not this pamphlet any way proportionable in woorth with your worshippes patronage but it is my desire to yeelde some encrease to your fame in anie thing that I shall imprint Thus wishing to your worshippe that felicitie and contentment which your owne best gouerned thoughtes doe aime at I most humblie take my leaue Your VVorships most bounden T. Newman To the Gentlemen Readers Health GEntlemen in a vision before my death I foresee that I am like to sustaine the shame of many follies of my youth when I am shrowded in my winding sheete O let not iniurious tongues triumph ouer a dead carcase Now I am sick and sorrow hath wholy seaâ—d on me vaine I haue beene let not other men shewe themselues vaine in reproching my vanitie I craue pardon of you all if I haue offended any of you with laciuious Pamphleâ—ing Many things I haue wrote to get money which I could otherwise wish to be supprest Pouertie is the father of innumerable infirmities in seeking to salue priuate wantes I haue made my selfe a publique laughing stock Hee that commeth in Print setteth himselfe vp as a common marke for euery one to shoote at I haue shotte at many abuses ouer sâ—oâ—â—e my selfe in describing of some where truth failed my inuention hath stood my friend God forgiue me all my misdeameanours now in the best lust of my yeares death I feare will depriue me of any further proceeding in securitie This booke hath many things which I would not haue written on my Tombe I write this last let it be my last will and testament Farewell if I liue you shall heare of me in deuinitie in the meane time accept the will for the deede and speake well of me when I am dead Yours dying Robert Greene. GREENES VISION After I was burdened with the penning of the Cobler of Canterbury I wared passing melancholy as grieuing that either I shold be wrong with enuy or wronged with suspition But wheÌ„ I entred into the consideratioÌ„ that slander spareth not Kinges I brookt it with the more patience thought that as the strongest gustes offend lesse the low shrubs than the tall Cedaâ—s 〈◊〉 the blemish of report would make a lesse scarre in a cottage than in a pallace yet I could not but conceit it hardly and so in a discontented humor I sat me down vpon my bed-side and began to cal to remembrance what fond and wanton lines had past my pen how I had bent my course to a wrong shore as beating my brains about such vanities as were little profitable â—owing my seâ—d in the sand and so reaping nothing but thornes and thistles As this I recounted ouer the follies that youth led me vnto I stept to my Standish that stâ—â—â— hard by and writ this Ode Greenes Ode of the vanitie of wanton writings THough Tytirus the Heards swaine Phillis loue-mate felt the paine That Cupid fiers in the eâ—e Till they loue or till they die Straigned ditties from his pipe VVith pleasant voyce and cunning stripâ—â— Telling in his song how faire Phillis eie-browes and hir haireâ— How hir face past all supposes For white Lillies for red Roses Though he sounded on the hils Such foâ—d passions as loue wils That all the Swaines that foulded by Flockt to heare his harmonie And vowed by Pan that Tytirus Did Poet-like his loues discusse That men might learne mickle good By the verdict of his mood Yet olde Menalcas ouer-ag'd That many winters there had wag'd Sitting by and hearing this Said their wordes were all amisse For quoth he such wanton laies Are not worthie to haue praiseâ— Iiggâ—s and ditties of fond loues Youth â—o mickle follie mooues And tould this old said saw to thee Which Coridon did learne to me Tis shame and sin for pregnant wits To spend their skill in wanton fits Martiall was a bonnie boy He writ loues griefe and loues ioy He tould what wanton lookes passes Twixt the Swaines and the lasses And mickle wonder did he write Of Womens loues and their spight But for the follies of his pen He was hated of most men For they could say t'was sin and shame For Schollers to endite such game Quaint was Ouid in his â—ime Chiefest Poet of his time What he could in wordes rehearse Ended in a pleasing verseâ— Apollo with his ay-greene baies Crownd his head to shew his praise And all the Muses did agree He should be theirs and none but he This Poet chaunted all of loue Of Cupids wings and Venus doueâ— Of faire Corima and her hew Of white and red and vaines blew How they loued and how they greed And how in fancy they did speed His Elegies were wanton all Telling of loues pleasings thrall And cause he would the Poet seeme That best of Venus lawes could deeme Strange precepts he did impart And writ three bookes of loues art There he taught how to woe What in loue men should doe How they might soonest winne Honest women vnto sinne Thus to tellen all the truth He infected Romes youth And with his bookes and verses brought That men in Rome nought els saught But how to tangle maid or wife With honors breach throgh wanton life The foolish sort did for his skill Praise the deepnesse of his quill And like to him said there was none Since died old Anacrâ—on But Romes Augustus worlds wonder Brookt not of this foolish blonder Nor likt he of this wanton verse That loues lawes did rehearse For well he saw and did espie Youth was sore impaird thereby And by experience he finds VVanton bookes infect the minds Which made him straight for reward Though the
in the feare of the Lord for the guift of hir honestie is aboue gould A woman of fewe wordes is a guift of God and to a well nurtured Maide may nothing be comparde An honest and mannerly woman is a guift aboue other guifts and there is no weight to bee compard to a womans minde that can rule it selfe like as the cléere light vpon the holy Candlestickes so is the beautie of the face vpon an honest body like as the goulden pillers vpon the sockets of siluer so are the faire legs vpon a woman that hath a constant minde A faire Wyfe reioyseth her husband and a man loueth nothing better but if shee bee louing and vertuous withall then is not her husband like to other men He that hath gotten a vertuous woman hath a goodly possession she is vnto him a helpe and piller on whome he resteth where no hedge is there the goods are spoiled and where no Husband is there the friendlesse mourneth Dooest thou marke my Sonne these Sentences if thou hast so good a wife oh how hast thou sinned to wrong hir with Ielousie to taint thine honor and to blemish the credit of her chastitie If she bee wanton and wyll neuer wante one but sitteth downe as Syrach saith and openeth hir Quiuer to euery Arrowe then my Sonne shake her off abide not with such a woman least yee féele the force of the lawe but bee not iealous for that breedes thy fatall ruine and to her is no preiudice Oh Father quoth he these wordes as they pierce to the quicke so are they Balme vnto my distressed soule I feele a comfort in the sweetnesse of your counsaile and these principles are perswasâ—â—e arguments to race out my former folliâ—s I must of force confesse that I married her a Maid famoused through all Antwerpe for her vertue as shee was spoken of for her beautie And beeing married I found her obedient chaste modest and sâ—lent but her beautie bred the bane and was the meanes of all my misery For when I noted the excellencie of her feature and the rarenesse of her perfection and considered that euery mans eie aim'd at so faire an obiect that womens harts were of waxe ready to receiue euerie impression and saw how diuerse Marchants of the citie flockt to my house then the sting of Iealousie beganne to torment me and suspition brought mee into this melancholie humour I néed not paint out in particulars For Father thou hast described sufficiently my paâ—â—ions how I was passionate onely let this suffice I was iealous but whether with cause or nâ— there lies the question Were I satisfied in this I would say farewell to all fond Iealousie to ease thé◠of this martyrdome My sonne I will not onely reléeue them with counsaile but aid thee with the effect of my Art Thou hast bene absent a long while from thy wife and al men hold thee still for lunaticke I hauing some skill in Negromancie will change thy countenance into y e shape of a most beutiful yong man beeing thus metamorphosed thou shâ—lt go to thy wife and being now crossed with pouertiâ— liuiâ—g poore distrest in Cottage thou shalt proffer her golde and maintenance I tel thée my sonne thou shalt carry with thâ—e two great perswasions to make breâ—ch into a womans honestie which is beautie and wealth chiâ—flie where the partie is pinched with pennurie If shee yâ—elde vnto thâ—e shake her off as an inconstant Curtilan and then be more iealouse For what shouldst thou be suspitious of that which thou knowest If she withstand and had rather brooke honest pâ—uertie than violate her chastitiâ— Oh Alexander then sorrowe at thy follieâ— say â—hou hasâ— sin'd against so veâ—â—â—ous a wifâ— â—nd reconâ—ile thy selfe vnto hir and be not touched any more with iealousie for that is a hell to thée and no hurt to hir This counsaile did greatlie comfort Alexander that he not onely humblie thanked the ould man for his aduise but intreated him to prosecute the intent of his purpose which he presentlie did for by his arte he made him séeme a beautifull young man faire to the eye and well proportioned but in all forme farre from that which he was hauing store of Crownes in his pursse thus transformed away he trudgeth towards Antwerpe where in the suburâ—es hee heard of his wife how she was wrongd by his friends turned out of doores and liued there with a widow woman in a poore cottage hir fame was good and the report of her labours were great her honestie highly valued and her patience much commended which greatly comforted the thoughts of Alexander at last learninâ— out the house he went thether and comming in asked for Theodora who humblie rose and saluted him with such modest curtesâ—e as did importe a shâ—w of great vâ—rtue Alexander noting her bashfulnesse began to consider that if she plaide false she was cunning to coyne her countenance and he sought therefore to trie her thus FAyre Mistresse whom Fortune hath made as miserable as Nature had formed beautifull and whom the crosse aspect of the planâ—ts haue left as distrest as the Gods in their fauours haue made vertuous Know this that comming as a stranger to Antwerpe it was tould me by mine hoast as a wonder of the extremitie of your husbands iealousie and the excellencie of your patience his follies and your vertues his suspition and your constancie His report made me desirous to sée with mine eye what I heard with mine eare that I might confirme reporte with a fure witnesse Now sâ—eing you and noting your exteriour lineaments gracst with so manie inward perfections I praise Nature for hir workemanship accuse Fortune for her tyrannie and sorrowe that so beautifull a creature should bee bitten with such bitter crosses But necessitye is a sore penance and extremitye is as hard to beare as death yet Mistresse Theodora it is a colde comforte is wrapt in no remedie a greeuous vlcer that no Chirurgie can finde a salue for and a hard sorrow that no releefe can medicine Seeing therefore your husbands iealousie hath left you from friends and many cares seeke as you haue hetherto â—hockt Fortune with patience so to thwart mishap with a present remedie and thus it is Your beautie Mistresse Theodora is able to content any eye and your qualities to satisfie the most curious minde which as it doth amase me so it driues a pittiful compassion into my thoughts to lay any plot for your better estate Therefore may it please you to vouchsafe of such a friend as my self your want shall be releeued and your necessitie redressed I will take you from this cottage to a place more fit for your calling your rags shal be robes and your thin diet plenteous fare and to make vp all fortunate you shall haue such a friend at your commaund as no mishap any waye can diuert from your loue If you stand vpon the losse of your honour and the blemish of your fame to answer that
obiection first Antwerpe hath made hazard of your credit and though without cause yet they haue calde your name in question and infamie is such a déepe coloure that it will hardlie be raced out with obliuion to take you from such vipers as cease not to sting you with the enuie of their tongues I will carrie you from the reach of them all and the greatest wonder lastest but nine dayes nor will the talke of your departure continue any longer tearmes for the offence why it is loue and that shadowes wanton scapes what is doone closely is halfe pardoned and affections that are mainteyned with loyaitie are but slender faults let not feare of a little fame tie you still to such extremity Misery is a malady that ought to haue no respect of medecine and where necessitie dooth bréede a soare foolish is that patient if hee makes doubt to accept of any salue What Theodora your husband is Lunatick neuer to be hoped for nor had againe in his right wits then vouchsafe a friend who if no other maske will serue will shadowe all faultes with gould Theodora could scarce stay the bearing of such a long discourse knowing it was preiuditiall to a womans credit to listen to such prattle alluding to the French prouerbe Le ville que parle le femme qui S'esconte L'ane se gaigne l'aulâ—e S'effonte Wherevpon she puld her hand from his and with a modest blush made him answer I cannot deny sir but I haue found Fortune my foe yet to counteruaile her malice I haue had Patience my friend and what the world hath obieded with suspition I haue answered with innocency for my present misery as I brooke it with content so I hope to finde the heauens more fauourable and for my husbands follies I counte his present iealousie counteruailde with his former loues and hope that God will chaunge his opinions into better censures and make him conceit of me as fauourable as now hee thinkes hardlie In the meane time sir your aime is farre beyond the marke and your compasse directed by a wrong starre for though I be pinched with wante and toucht with that sting that forceth many to attempt vnlawfull actions yet had I rather sit with Cornelia and satisfie my hunger with handes labours then frolick it with Lamia and buy repentance with delicates no Sir thinke not that all the pouertie in the world can hale me from the thought of mine ould honour or any shower of misfortune driue me from the seate of vertue better liue in lowe content then in high infamie and more pretious is want with honestie then wealth with discredit Therefore sir I thanke you for your proffer but I am no traffike for such a chapman but reporte this wheresoeuer you come that I would scorne a crowne in respect of constancie and vould the participation of a kingdom light in value of my chastity I tell you sir though I be a woman yet the loue that I bear and the dutie that I owe to my husband howsoeuer he hath wrongd mee makes me so resolute that neyther extremitie shall diswade me from affecting him nor any proffer of riches perswade to fancie any other And wheras you obiect that my credit is already crasde in Antwerpe I denie not but I am suspected and of most wrongde with hard reproches yet carying a cleere conscience I haue this hope that seeing Temporis filia veritas Time and my good behauiour shall wipe out the blemish of such causelesse infamie and then shall I shew my self to mine owne honour and theyr discredit And whereas you say that Louers faults are slender offences I answer that there can be no greater staine to a woman then to be toucht with losse of her good name especially being confirmed and ratified by proofe for that being lost she hath no more whereon to boste and that made Lucretia let out a pure soule from a defiled body Then good Sir you knowe my minde my pouertie is my content mine honor my wealth and mine innocencie the onely thing that is left to quiet my conscience therefore as your Marte was little your market being doone the doore is open and you may go when you please Alexander hearing this was highly contented yet thought to giue one assault more and houlding hir fasâ— by the wrest returnde hir a replie thus Tush Mistresse Theodora women must be coye and séeme at the first to disdaine that which after they desire els might they be thought very light that would come at euery lure I haue béene a Huntsman and will not at the first default giue ouer the chace therefore aduise your selfe better take time when you will giue me an answer aske counsaile of your pillowe I can tell you gould is a goodly thing and there is not a warmer coatâ— then wealth what such faults are checkt with a smyle not controulde with a frowne and men smother vp Louers offences with fauour Be not peremptorie for in that you shall discouer rather folly then any aduised wisdome such as haue diseases and refuse remedie are worthie still to bide in the paine and they who are ouer the shooes in wante are worthie the Staffe and the Wallet if they will not any way reach at wealth Consider therefore with your selfe and to morrow this time I will come craue an answere Theodora hauing her face full of choller pluckt away her arme sate her downe to her Wheele and then reason'd thus roughly with him Sir neuer take any longer daies where the partie is vnwilling to set no further date nor giue any more attemptes where the Castle is impregnable Know your sute is in vain and your words breathed into the wind and to bee short take it as you please I hould your golde in scorne and your selfe vnlesse you were more honest in disdaine If you be so passionate that you must needs haue a Paramour go seeke suche Lettice where they grow for heere is none for your lips you shall not finde heere a Danae that will bee drawne in with a shower of golde but rather a Diana whome Venus and al her frownes could neuer affright Therefore take this for a finall answer if you come any more you shall find your welcome as bad as may be and for want of entertainment you shall doe your account at the doore and so Sir if you be a Gentleman be gone This cheared so the hart of Alexander that in that very momeÌ„t he left to be iealous conceiued such a new loue towards Theodora that hee could scarce abstaine from imbracing her but yet he bridled his affection seeing he could doe no good tooke his leaue verie courteouslie Hee was no sooner out of doore but Theodora rose and shut it Alexander subtilly stole vnder the window to heare what shee would say and according to his expectation hee heard her say thus to her Landes-Ladie Oh quoth she and she fetcht a déepe sigh How doth Fortune frowne and how is the