in the shire he murmures at all payments and levies especially the money to bee collected for the maintenance of his Majesties navy royall If hee fortune to bee Church-warden of his Parish at every briefe gathering in the Church hee reserves a groat or sixe pence to himselfe if hee doe affect to follow the fashion in his cloathes it is long of his wife some gentlemans daughter who was matched unto him for his wealth and being fine he takes place above her all women at the table salute him on the way he will give you never a word his hands are commonly unwashed and his doublet unbuttoned but never trussed his ordinary discourse is of his last years hay which he hopes will give fixe pounds the loade in Smithfield and of the rate of Swine in Râ—mford market all his jests consist in rude actions with the hand or foote his speech is Lincolnshire about Wrangle and Freestone if hee be westward about Taunton and tenne miles beyond though the most of them weare russet and have their high shooes well nailed yet they are often too hard for velvet and satten in law tricks and quiddities and commonly hold their owne the longest great men that hold them hard and keepe them under have them as they list yeeld unto one of them or stand to his mercy you shall finde no Tyrant more imperious and cruell most true is that old verse Rustica gens est optima flens pessima rideâ—s Of Travaile THe true taste of our lives sweetnesse is in travaile upon the way at home or abroad in other Countries for not onely it affordeth change of aire which is very availefull to health but variety of objects and remarkable occasions to entertaine our thoughts beside choise of acquaintance with able and excellent men in all faculties and of all nations and perhaps some such as you would ever after thinke your labour and expence of money well bestowed if you had but onely passed the sea for their acquaintance such an one I met withall travailing in a very rainy evening through a moody part of Westphalia where I had lost my way and it grew neare night and in latine demanding of him the way toward Oldenburg and how I had lost my way using the word deviavi hic answered humanum est errare to be short hee would not suffer me to passe any further but carried me home to his owne house which was almost hâ—lfe a mile off where I never found better entertainment or had more friendlier respect in all my life The first thing in any good Towne where ever I came so soone as I had made choyse of mine Inne and lodging was of my acquaintance for in all places you shâ—ll meet with very civill and courteous people evermore of the better sort in Italy especially who will shew you all respect and kindnesse but without charge you must never put them to any expence or charge no not so much as to come to dinner to their houses though you bee solemnly invited and on the contrary look that nobody be chargeable to you you shall have many times as also here in England as soone as you are alighted at your Inne or Harbery fellowes that will insinuate themselves into your company and acquaintance beginning either by commending your horse or demanding how farre you have come that day or of what Countrey you are and the like and after perhaps will offer their service to shew you the Towne to bring you acquainted with some famous man there living or carry you ad calidas callidas solis filias as Lipsius calleth them to tâ—e handsomest wenches about the towne Sed aures obtura ad has Syrenum cantiunculas rather bee alone purusing some good booke in your chamber or walke by your selfe You shall in travaile never lose ought by silence many have paide dearely for their lavish tongues in strange Countries especially being far from home and where they must not bee allowed to bee their owne interpreters especially in matter of Religion State when you shall find it safer and better to talke of the great Turke than the Pope Let your observations be of such things whereby you may profit your selfe or your Countrey your selfe by procuring winning the acquaintance of the famous men in Science or Art for the bettering of your understanding and skill in whatsoever you pretend unto if you study Physicke you shall have in Paris and other places of France the most learned and able Physitians of the world if you would bee a Civilian Bononia and other Cities of Italy will afford you the rarest men in that way if you delight in painting and the use of your pencill the Netherlands every where will afford you rare Masters if in other Mechanicall Arts the higher Germany which Bodine calleth hominum officinam for the variety of Arâ—ists there and therein Spires Shasbourge Norenburge and many other famous Cities will furnish you with skilfull men aboundantly I have observed as I have gone along those Countries many excellent poynts of good husbandry in fields gardens which wee here in England have not beene acquainted withal as in manuring their land so at one time that it shall beare a great croppe seaven or tenne yeares together their artificiall Ploughes that shall turne up in a day as much as two of ours their neate and handsome stacking of their corne abroad to stand dry all the Winter their many devices for draining of grounds casting of Moates and Towne ditchâ—s many excellent formes of grafting adulterating Plants flowers with infinite such devices Apparrell abroad is much dearer than here in England especially cloth Stuffes are cheape and ordinary in the Netherlands so are velvets and silkes about Naples and other parts of Italy and commonly worn of tradsemens wives and daughters Boots shooes are very deare every where especially in France for leather is there very scarce so that if I had but the Monopolie of carrying old shoos newly mended and Mastiffe whelps into France I should think to live as well and as happily as Maâ—ter Major of Quinborrow For dyet I bought what I liked and learned one thing not usuall with us in England save in Cookes shoppes that is to know the price of meate before you eate it If our young gallants would observe this rule in costly Taverâ—s who only call for a bill at the end of dinner they would have money many times when they want it but they esteeme it a disgrace better befitting Carriers and Aquivitae men than gentlemen of ranke hence it commeth to passe they pay eight shillings for a Capon as my L. of N. gentleman did once at Greenwich another a marke or foureteen shillings for a paire of soales I having often bought as good at Benâ—ington in Holand for three-pence And as I would not have you to bee familiar with every one so it is good so to retire your selfe as you scorned to eate or drinke in
The Truth of our Times Revealed out of one Mans Experience by way of Essay Written by Henry Peacham LONDON Printed by N. O. for Iames Becket and are to be sold at his shoppe at the middle Temple gate 1638. To my Honoured and much Respected Friend Mr. Henry Barnwell of Turrington in Marshland neere to Kings-Lynne in the County of Northfolk Sir WHen I had finished this lâ—â—tle peece and bethought my selfe to whom I should present the Dedication I often as Pliny adviseth Authors to do considered the Title which was Experience now least the Porch or fore-Front might not bee suteable to the whole Fabricke I begin with the Experience I formerâ—y have had of your Friendly respect of me ever since our first acquaintancâ— at Lynne which you have continued by many yeares even to our late and last meeting in London The consideration whereof hath moued me to be publickly thankfull for I ever hated ingratitude and desirous at so farre a distance not to bee forgotten so long as you shall have this little Booke the pledge of my affection lying by you Little it is indeede but of little Bookes let mee say as Virgil sayd of little Bees Ingentes animos in parvâ— corpore versant Whaâ—â—â—ever it is accept I pray you who can both judge and understand and I am sure will take in good part whatsoever shall proceed from the Pen of him who truely and affectionatly Wil bee ever ready to do you any friendly service Henry Peacham To the Reader IT fareth with mee now honest Reader as with a Travailer in Winter who having foolishly ventured over some dangerous River or Passage quite frozen with Iyce stands on the other side pointing with his Finger and shewing his following friends where it Crack'd In the same manner I have ventured before tried the coldnes of these Frozen and hard times together with the slippery waies of this deceitefull and trustles world standing I hope now at the last safe on this other side I shewe those that are to follow mee where the danger is I have seene and knowne much as well in England as some where else abroad and have had much acquaintance and which hath beene my Happinesse if it bee an happinesse with the most famous men of our time in all excellent professions whence I am not altogether ignorant in the noble Sciences aswel the Theorique as Practique but to say the truth I have ever found multiplicity of Knowledge in many things to havâ— beene rather an hinderance then ever any Way-tending to advancement Having hereby found much imployment to no purpose but as we see a Carriers horse when hee is heavily loaden hath Bels hung about his necke to give him some content on the way and to allay the paine of his burthen So have I taken paines and deserved well at the hands of many of good ranke yet got I never any thing hereby save the Horse-bels of Praise Thankes and fruitlesse promises which like the Carriers they can put on and take off at their â—leasure Vix vivitur graâ—â—â—s saith Plautus The Peacocke as Mantuan hath it was admired for his Plumes which every beholder would be ready to snatch off but in the meantime there was none of them all would give him so much as a graine to â—ill his belly In a word the maine and most materiall of my observations and which the neerest concerned my selfe Reader I present thee withall the lesse will fall in of themselves and are obvious but fearing thou shouldst give me such a jeere as Diogenes did unto those of Mindum I make my Gate but little least the whole Citty should runne out thus leaving what I have known by mine owne experience to bee certaine untâ— thy friendly Censure I rest thine H.P. Imprimatur Tho. Weekes R. P. Episc. Londi Cappel Domest The Truth of our Times revealed out of one Mans experience by way of Essay Of Gods Providence I Will begin my first Observation which from a childe I have seriously considered with the contemplation of Gods Providence which is never wanting to the protection of them and their posterity who in singlenesse of heart have sought and sincerely served him all their lives averring with David that I never saw the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging their bread When on the contrary Oppressors Atheists cruell men idle and lewd livers have with the curse of Ruben beene as water spilt upon the ground they have either sunke into the earth or ran without consistence every one his severall way so farre that their place of Birth or Being in a second or third generation hath beene quite lost and utterly forgotten I have seene the ungodly flourish c. I never knew any sacrilegious Vultur digest that which hee snatched from the Altar or any demolisher of Churches or such as had converted them to prophane uses as turning them into Stables Sheep-coats after the depopulation of the whole Town thrive in their estates and many of them have I knowne to have come to infamous and desperate ends yea being their owne executioners I have againe observed the especiall providence and Goodnesse of God extended toward the meanest poorest whom the world hath contemnedâ— as a poore man in the country who by his onely hand-labour earning a groat or six pence by the day to have brought up a charge of sixe or seven Children who poore things get seldome their bellies full of bread and their drinke is many times as I have seene it but a roasted Crab crush'd into a dish of faire water and for the greatest part of the yeere goe bare-footed and bare-legged yet commonly like Daniel with his pulse are they as fresh-coloured healthy cheerefull as free from diseases as the best mens children in the Counâ—rey who usually are pampred cramm'd with the greatest dainties that may be gotten many times till their bellies are ready to burst And though the Parishes where they are born commonly aâ—â—ounâ— of them no better than beggers bâ—ats not worth the looâ—ing after and caring not how soone they were rid of them to avoyde charge yet by the blessing of God attayning as many of them have done to the most eminent places of dignity as well in Church as CoÌ„mon-wealth they have obliged their native places to them by erecting Schools Hospitalls Alms-houses and doing other charitable workes which of it selfe the whole Parish had never been able to have performed I might fill a whole Volume if I should reckon up all such great and eminent personages the Cottage hath afforded as principall pillars to the support of our Common-wealth or tell you what magnificent workes have beene done by Bishops Lord Majors and Citizens of London whose Parents have beene extreame poore and obscure and which is more not a sonne but sonnes of one poore man have participated and shared in honorable advancement Chicheley a very poore man of Higham Ferrers in Northampton-shire about the time of Henry 5. had two sonnes
minde then apparell I never knew a solid or wise man to affect this popular vanity which cauâ—ed Henry the 4. of France to say usually of his Counsellors and learneder sort of his Courtiers that they had so much within them that they never cared to beg regard from feathers and gold lace and himselfe would commonly goe as plaine as an ordinary Gentleman or Citizen onely in blacke sometime in a suit no better then buckram The Emperour Charles the 5. seldome or never ware any gold or silver about him save his Order of the Fleece And the plainnesse of our English Kings in former times hath beene very remarkable King Henry the 8. was the first that ever ware a band about his neck and that very plaine without lace and about an inch or two in depth Wee may see how the case is altered hee is not a Gentleman nor in the fashion whose â—and of Italian cut-work now standeth him not at the least in three or foure pounds Yea a Semster in Holborne told mee that there are of threescore pound price a piece and shoo-tyes that goe under the name of Roses from thirty shillings to three foure and five pounds the paire Yea a Gallant of the time not long since payd thirty pound for a paire I would have had him by him selfe to have eaten that â—ish of buttered Egges prepared with Muske and Ambergreece which cost thirty and five pounds and when his belly had beene full to have laid him to sleep upon my Lady N. bed whose furniture cost her Ladiship five hundred and threescore pounds I never knew any wholly affected to follow fashions to have beene any way usefull or profitable to the common wealth except that way Aristotle affirmeth the prodigall man to be by scattering his money about to the benefit of many Tailors Semsters Silkmen c. Neither ever knew I any man esteemed the better or the wiser for his braverie but among â—imple people Now this thing we call the Fashion so much hunted and pursued after like a thiefe with an Hue and Cry that our â—aylors dog it into France even to the very doore It reignes commonly like an Epidemicall disease first infecting the Court then the City after the Country from the Countesse to the Chambriere who rather than shee will want her curled lockes will turne them up with a hot paire of tongs in stead of the irons The Fashion like an higheâ— Orbe hath the revolution commonly every hundred yeare when the same comes into request againe which I saw once in Antwerpe handsomly described by an hee and shee foole turning a wheele about with hats hose and doublets in the fashion fastned round about it which when they were below began to mount up againe as we see them For example in the time of King Henry the 7. the slashed doubleâ—s now used were in request only the coats of the Kings Guard keepe the same form they did since they were first given them by the said King who was the first king of England that had a guard about his person and that by the advice of Sir William Stanley who was shortly after beheaded for treason albeit he set the Crowne found throwne in a hawthorne bush upon the kings head in the field After that the Flemish fashion in the time of King Henry the 8. came in request of strait doublets huge breches let out with puffes and cod pieces In Queene Maries time the Spanish was much in use In Queene Elizabeths time were the great bellied doublets wide sawcy sleeves that would be in every dish before their master and buttons as big as Tablemen or the lesser sort of Sandwich Turnips with huge râ—ffes that â—tood like Cart wheeles about their neckes and round breeches not much unlike Saint Omers onions whereto the long stocking without garters was joyned which then was the Earle of Leicesters fashion and theirs who had the handsomest legge The women wore strait bodyed gowns with narrow sleeves â—rawne out wiâ—h Lawne or fine Câ—mbricke in puffe with high bolstered wings little ruffes edged with gold or blacke â—ilke and maides wore cawles of gold now quite out of use Chaines of gold were then of Lords Knights and Gentlemen commonly worne but a chaine of Gold now to so high a rate Gold is raised is as much as some of them are worth The like variety hath been in Hats which have beene but of late yeares Henry the 4. is commonly pourtrayed with a hood on his head such as the Liveries of the City weare on their shoulders Henry the 6. the 7. and 8. wore onely Caps King Philip in England wore commonly a somwhat high velvet Cap with a white feather After came in hats of aâ—l fashions some with crowns so high that beholding them farre off you would have thought you had discovered the Tenariffe those close to the head like Barbers basons with narrow brimmes wee were at that time beholden to Cadiz in Spaine for After them came up those with square crownes and brimmes almost as broad as a Brewers mash-fat or a reasonable upper stone of a Mustard querne which among my other Epigrammes gave me occasion of this Soranzo's broad brimd hat I oft compare To the vast compasse of the heavenly sphaere His head the Earths globe fixed under it Whose Center is his wondrous little wit No lesse variety hath bin in hat-bands the Cipresse being now quite out of use save among some few of the graver sort Wherefore the Spaniard and Dutch are much to bee commended who for some hundreds of yeares never altered their fâ—shion but have kept alwayes one and the same The Switzers ever since that fatall and finall overthrow which they gave to the Duke of Burgundy at Nancy in Lorrain have worn their party coloured doublets breeches and cod pieces drawne out with huge puffes of Taffata or Linen and their â—tockings like the knaves of our Cards party coloured of red and yellow or other colours I remember at the taking in of the towne of Râ—es in Cleveland betweene Wesel Embrick upon the river of Rhine I being there at the same time when a part of the Swisse quarter being before the towne was by accident burned I demanded of a Swisse Captaine the reason of their so much affecting colors above other nations he told me the occasion was honourable which was this At what time the Duke of Burgundy received his overthrow and the Swisses recovering their liberty he entred the field in all the state and pompe hee could possible devise hee brought with him all his Plate and Iewels all his Tents were of silke of severall colours which the battaile being ended being torne all to pieces by the Swisse souldiers of a part of one colour they made them doublets of the rest of other colours breechesâ— stockings and caps returning home in that habit so ever since in remembrance of that famous victory by them atchieved and their liberty recovered even to this day they goe
lesser bodies finde them rather for burthen than use Now if wee looke into the cause and true reason hereof wee shall finde first the world declining and like a mother in her age to bring forth but weake and short-lived children neither is this all but we living in the last age of the world wherein all iniquity and vice doth abound men shorten their lives by over-eating and drinking ease and want of exercise luxury and incontinence Temperance and Continencie being the maine and onely supporters of our health as in comparable Ferâ—elius affirmeth there are two things more as these to our health which conduce to our happinesse in this world which are Liberty and tranquillity or quiet of minde these I confesse fall not to every mans share most men living being involved in so many affaires variety of cares and buâ—inesse which attend us in this our earthly pilgrimage that this quiet of minde is as rare as Homers Nepeâ—the many men not out of necessity but of selfe-wilfulnesse vexing and disquieting themselves without cause or reason As how many rich and men of great estates bee there in this Kingdome of whose care of getting purchasing there is no end they never in all their lives like the Asse that carried Venison Pheasants Capons bottles of Wine and other dainties upon his backe tasting the sweetnes of what they had about them but fedde upon the Thornes and Thistles of Vexation griefe and needlesse carefulnesse to enrich some unthrifty sonne or kinse-man or scrape up thousands for some dainty thing troubled with the green sicknesse who within a year or two is stolen and marryed by a Tailor or Hoâ—teler Others againe are by nature cholericke fretfull quarrelsome and evermore enemies to their owne rest delighting to be meddlers and brokers in other mens businesse as Eeles in troubled waters and mudde Some out of curiosity or the search of some deepe and uncuoth invention as firing shippes under water making traps for the monstrous Beare of Nova Zemla c. or secret in Nature as â—etting the Load-stone and â—et at enmity about Iron and strawes Others draw misery and vexation as with cords unto them through weaknesse of judgment when they marry disadvanâ—agiouâ—ly to themselves either for estate oâ— their owne dispositions I meane when themselves being gentle and addicted to peacâ— mâ—tch with errant scolds honest of life meete with whoores and the like So since we cannot make our selves Master of this so sweete a benefit Tranqâ—illity of minde let us which is in our own power looke unto oâ—r health whereof the most men are carelesse and negligent To the conservation whereof let us first consider the quality of the aire in that place where we live which is not only an Element but an Aliment for by it if it be pure and good our spirits are clarified and quickned our blood rarified and our hearts reâ—omforted for the whole body fareth the better for the goodnes of a pure sweet aire so that we find by experience that men are more sprightly lively and merry in an upland perfumed and fanned with the flower-sented aire of Countrey and of better complexions than in close lanes and noysome allies about the City where the aire in such places is not good but raw and cold you may better it especialâ—y in infectious dangerous times by burning of severall sorts of sweete Wood as Cipres Iuniper Bay Rosemarie Pine the Turpentine and Rosin-tree if it bee too hot open your windowes and place your bedde toward the North strewing the flowre with rushes water-Lillies Nenuphar Lettuce Endive Sorrell and ever and anon spriâ—kle cold water with a little vinegar of Rosesâ— If any in Rome were troubled with Vlcers of the the Lungs or fell into consumpâ—ions Galen would prâ—senâ—ly send them to mount Tabian a most sweet Aire neare unto Naples where through the drynes of â—he place and drinking the milke of goates kine which fâ—d upon many medicinable hearbes and proper to those diseases growing in that place they recovered in a short time having perhaps learned out of Hippocrites that iâ— long languishing diseases there is nothing better then Aire and place of our dwelling The next thing for our health we must have especiall care of our eating and drinking our meatâ— wherewith our bodies are nourished proceedeth either from living creatures or vegetables that is plants of these there must bee a choyse had that of Plants nourisheth farre lesse than the flesh of living creatures excepting that grain whereof wee make our bread as Wheat Rie Barly Oates c. Wheat being the chieâ—e fruits nourish very little of fruits Cheries and Grapes are the best Melon Cowcumbers and Citrulls are good for cholericke stomackes they breed grosse blood are very cold and hard of digestion Platina tels us in the life of Pope Paul the second how the said Pope two houâ—es before night was taken suddenly with an Apoplexie being a little beâ—ore very well and complaining of no disease or paine which came through eating of 2 whole Muskmellons An. 1471. And how many in these our times kill themselves with overmuch drinking the cause of many long and deadly diseases as Apoplexies Dropsies Palsies the Gout many other and I know not whether any of the colder Northern Nation herein excell us drunkennesse now a dayes being growne into that request that it is almost esteemed a vertue at least a gentleman like quality to carouse sit up whole dayes nights at it Donec vertigine tectuÌ„ Ambulet geminis exurgat mensa lucernis Keeping neither Method nor measure in their eating and drinking which the ancient Grecians and other nations were so precise in it England formerly having beene accâ—â—nted the most â—ober and temperate nation in the world neither were we ever noted for this vice till as Mr. Camdenâ—aith â—aith wee had to do with the Netherlands in their warres Also being from all antiquity our English drinke Britanni saith Pliny habent potus genus quod Alicam vocant which doâ—btlesse was our Ale Beere and â—ase viols came into England in one yeare in the time of King Henry the seaventh But thaâ— I may conclude concerning those things wheron ours doth principallâ—y depend which are the Aireâ— eating drinkingâ— sleepe waking mooving and exercise rest evacuation of excrements venerall recreation and passions of the minde that wee may live to serve God to doe our King and Country service to bee a comfort to our friends and helpfull to our Children and others that depend upon us let us follow Sobriety and Temperance and have as Tully saith a diligent care of our health which we shall bee sure to doe if we will observe and keepe that one short but true rule of Hippocritas All things moderately and in measure FINIS Psa. 37.25 Gen. 49.4 Ps. 37.35 Esay 58.7 Wisd. 1â—1â— Mantâ—an * â—arle of Corke Daniel 12 Gen. 9. 25 Angli rustici Voscones sunt omnium in humanisimi Iohn 14. Rev. 3. â—6◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉