A Dialogue betvvixt a Cittizen and a poore Countrey-man and his Wife in the Countrey where the Citizen remaineth now in this time of sicknesse Written by him in the Countrey who sent the coppy to a friend in London Being both pittifull and pleasant London Printed by R. Oulton for H. Gosson and are to be sold at his shop upon London Bridge neere the Gate 1636. A Dialogue betwixt a Cittizen and a Countrey-man Cittizen GOod Even good frend inhabite you nere hand Countrey-man Chy dwell not varre hence what would you I pray Cit. No harme I would but kindly understand Where I might lodge and eate and frankly pay Coun. Why sir whence come you masse chiveare you come From London where the Plague is parlous hote And it be so no further words but mumme No meate nor drinke nor lodging wil be got Cit. Alas why so are you a Christian And suffer any die for lacke of foode I am not sicke beleeve me honest man I would not doe thee hurt for any good Coun. Yea zo zay all that know not where to goe When as the Plague doth drive them from the Cittie But many a one doth worke himselfe great woe With foolish shewing of another pitty Cit. Why here is gold and silver for thy pains I le richly pay for whatsoere I take Coun. You le pay the Plague O these are pretty trains Which makes the simple woefull bargaines make Cit. Why search and see if I be not as sound As any creature in your Countrey here Coun. Oh sir th' infection is not so soone found For Cloathes will keepe the Plague in halfe a yeare Cit. Yet let me lodge but in your barne or stable Some cote or out-house that you best may spare I le be content to take a simple table Nor shall you finde me dainty of my fare Coun. Sir hold your rest they zay a horse a hog And cats and mise will die of that disease I promise you I would not lose my dog Not for a strike of the best beanes and pease Cit. But doe you make of cattell more then men That were unchristian Heathens doe not so Coun. Why let us want our cattell horse and then How dogged some men we shall finde I know Cit. What men are they that in extremity Will not in conscience christian pitty shew Coun. Even you rich Land-lords that have heard our cry Yet racke your rents how ere our sorrowes grow Fruit blasted cattell die be ne're so poore Pay rent at day or turne us out of doore Cit. Why we are thousands that no rent receive But subject are to Landlords and their wils It is the Devill doth the world deceive Which town and countrey with his veno me fills Be pittifull and thinke not on the worse Beleeve me I am free from this infection The kinde are blessed and the cruell curst Beasts in their kinde will shew their kinde affection Coun. Indeed I heare an Ape will lime himself With putting on a paire of painted breeches But I will not so play the foolish elfe To kill my selfe with listening to your speeches There came this other day into our town A handsome fine old man for flesh and bloud And as you doe went plodding up and down And was zome za a man of much worlds good Met a poore man as you doe me and quired Where he might come by lodging meat and drink The man with money being poore was hierd To get him lodging and where doe you think But in a cottage of his own here by Where well he had not rested full three daies But he was dead and buried by and by Whose purse the poore man to much wealth did raise But long the riches did not with him bide For in a weeke his wife and children di'd Save onely two which yet are in good health But as for me I seeke for no such wealth Cit. Why trust me of my word you need not fear Both you and yours shall better fare by me I am not sicke in faith and truth I swear My clothes are fresh and not infected be Coun. I pray stand further zome will zay the wind Will bring it through ones nose into their brain Cit. Alas their faith is of a fearfull kinde Whose idle heads doe beate on such a vaine Coun. Why i st not fectious and doth kill so many Why cats and dogs will beare it to and fro Cit. Yea cats and dogs but Christians few if any That take it in the time they pitty show Coun. Oh you are fine it is and t is not well You fear it and flie from it where it is And yet you zeeme an idle tale to tell How zome t will hit and other zome t wil misse But be what twill our Iustices of Peace Have chargde our parish upon paine of galie To take in none untill the sicknesse cease And thinke you such Precepts of none availe Cit. Alas should so our Cittie keepe you out How would you sell your corne to pay your rent It may be ere the yeare doth goe about You may this lacke of charity repent For God can shew his mercy where he will And plague all those that will not pitty show The Cittie well the Countrey may be ill But yet I pray the Lord it be not so You are not free from sinne no more than we Nor yet free from deserved punishment Let us then now in you your pitty see And by our plague learne you amendement Be not afraide man do not stoppey our nose Me thinkes your age should bid you fear no death Coun. Yet I am loath good sir my life to lose By an infection of a plaguy breath But what will all my neighbours thinke on me If they should know that you from London came There would be worke enough ywis for me To shut up me my houshold and my dame Cit. That were but if some in your house doe die Of the infection and not other wise Coun. I tell you no they are so jealous They are almost afraid of London flies A Londoner is lookt on like a sprite The Citi 's thought a Sepulchre or grave Cit. Oh faithles soules whose hearts are so affright All civill rites and government they have But for your selfe let me intreate you yet Some little roome and vittaile what you will I le pay you well and one day thinke on it And for your kindenesse not requite you ill Coun. What shall I danger all my house for you The losse will be farre greater then my gaine If that your passe the Constable allow The best I can I will you entertain Cit. Then need I not your Courtesie intreat But say I have none shall I starve for food Coun. No God forbid I le helpe you to some meat Which you may eate upon that piece of wood Many a good time have I upon that blocke Fed hungerly on such as God hath sent Though now the Lord increased hath our stocke On Easter daies we doe not make
at their comming in But withall put them in minde of one thing to doe some good to the poore in the Country though now they do none here and all shall be well And you in the Countrey whose Barnes are full of Corne and whose fieldes are crow'nd with blessings You into whose Nostrilles the breath of Heaven suffers his wholesome ayre to passe to and fro to give you health and to make long lusty old age waite upon you at your Tables To you I speake your eies doe I wish to bée opened To looke backe at your hard and unkinde dealings with Cittizens in the two last great Sicknesses Remember how your Infidelity then hath beene punished since And therefore welcome the Sonnes and Daughters of London comming to you now as if they were your owne This Sicknesse call'd the Plague hath a quick foot and a stirring hand Yet blessed be the sender of this dreadfull Pursivant he has not béene too busie with us as yet Let your eyes but looke beyond Seas into other Citties and you will acknowledge the Almighties Mercy wonderously extended to us For those thrée punishments Sword Pestilence and Famine of which Davids Prophet bid him from an Angels mouth make his choyce of one doe at this instant hotly lay about them in some part of Italy In so much that for 4. Moneths Now in this Summer there have dyed of the Plague in Millan 30000. In Mantua 36000. In Parma 20000. And so in other Citties great number besides The soft wings of compassion all this while Cover us not that wée deserve to be spared but that out of his love God does spare us For in this last blow which hée gives us bée fights not with many old men he gives them time yet to repent nor with many young men hée winkes at their faults a while hoping they will bée wiser But looke over all your wéekely Bils ever since there dyed at first but one and you shall finde of Infants and young Children twenty for one snatched out of their Cradles because God will bée sure to increase his Saints in Heaven The king of kings when hée sées his time shorten and end these miseries and powre downe his wonted blessings on this Land This Citty us all AMEN Death NOw whither a Gods name run you 〈…〉 Why ride you here why trudge you there As though for fear you were agast come stay your iourney strait For doe you not know in field or town That I am a captain of high renowne So when I list I can beate you downe for still I lay in wait Consider then I pray you men What moves you thus to flie Come home again for I tell you plaine That here I could make you die Life What art thou every where to finde Fearefully thus thou comest to us With crueltie thou art inclinde for to pursue men still Thou wast in London when we came out Throwing thy deadly darts about And now in the Countrey thou art as stout to follow thy froward will What needest thou to make us bow The ayre is pleasant here The grasse doth spring the birds doe sing For Gods sake come not neare Death Oh weak of faith I see you are Consider and know what David doth show In the sixt Psalme his sayings are as thus it doth begin Good Lord in rage rebuke me not When thy displeasure is waxen hot For then we must needs go to the pot as herbs that be put in Crie mercie then you fillie men For wonderous weake you bee You are perplexed your bones are vexed As far as I can see Life O Lord our Soules are troubled sore Release our grief and send reliefe Have mercy as thou hadst before forgive our sinnes and save our lives Or else it little doth availe For death doth follow us at the tayle O let thy mercy still prevaile saue us like Bees in hives And thus we knowe it needes must go That thou maist have thy will Thou hast met us heere as doth appeere Which thought to have lived still Death Is not Iehova your chiefe defence For under his wings he keepes all things Then what have you need to run from hence if that your faith were strong Though the ayre be fresh and fields be greene And goodly fruites which you esteeme Yet I can come when least you deeme and lay you all along On Christ be bolde to take your holde Your anchour-holde is hee None other may this pestilence stay But all must come to mee Life Alas our flesh is fraile to see When Christ did grone and make such mone Besides the mount of Calvarie when thou approched'st neere And there did sweate both water and bloud And suffered death to do us good These things of thee are understood t was seene that thou wa'st there At last did hee both sinne and thee Tread downe and conquer too Which faith of his if we should misse Alas what should we doe Death I come not everie way a like Three darts in band I hold in hand The first is warre when I do strike in other Countries farre And I thinke all Belgia quakes at mee And Spaine you know hath not gone free 'T is much to speake of each Countrey for I turne them all to dust And here the rest shall be exprest Of two darts more in store Of Famins power which doth devoure Whole regions more and more Life Then the dart of Pestilence at the last Takes all in store were left before Oh spare us Lord wee le pray and fast and all our sinnes repent Vouchsafe to stay sweet Christ thy hand Vpon this sinfull English land And give us grace to understand these dangers to prevent 'T is time to pray that he away His indignation take Lord grant us grace in everie place Petitions for to make FINIS
With this good man and wife to fall in talke And where before I went in heart full grieved I could not in my sorrow be relieved Each sullen slowch and slut would so disdaine me As if they scornd or feard to entertaine me Scarce bread and drinke for mony I could get Which from the house upon the ground was set As if that one should cast a dogge a bone And thus I wandred up and down alone Vntill I met these honest people here Who for my money made me hearty cheere And kindely carefull of me every way With good content I here was glad to stay Where I beheld a number passing by That as I heard did in the high-wayes die Some harbourlesse and some through want of food While faithlesse hearts did fear to doe men good Oh heavy time how many hearts are broken With helpelesse grief it is not to be spoken But God almighty look upon the Citie And in his mercy shew his glorious pitie To cease this plague or killing pestilence Forgive us all the ill of our offence Preserve his people and our health restore That we may love and praise him evermore Preserve the Court and Country every where Our King and Queene their royall progeny Their Counsell friends and all that true harts beare Vnto their gratious worthy Maiestie And blesse both Court Citty and Country so That none may to another stranger be But passage free for every man to goe And friend his friend in friendly love may see And all to gether may record in one To give all glory unto God alone Amen London Trumpet Sounding into the Countrey When Death drives the Grave thrives SInne calls downe Punishment Punishment should bring forth Amendment of life Amendment ever méets with mercy and mercy stops Sicknesse when 't is in the highest speede So that if we still goe on in wickednesse wée must every wéeke looke to have the bill of Terror strike us more and more The visitation and rightly may it carry that Name hath now foure times in a few yeares Rode circuite through the whole Kingdome and kept a dreadfull Sessions within London and round about it Death does at this houre Scout up and downe the Suburbes and shewes his Ghastly face in some Parrishes of the Citty Those houses which are shut up Charity opens and most liberally feedes them Those houses of poore Handy-crafts-men that stand open are for want of worke pinch'd with hunger and the people ready to goe a begging Yet there is one comfort there is no man bée he never so poore but méetes in every corner one poorer than himselfe So that what Adversities soever are layd upon us wée are bound to prayse God in that wée are not cast downe to the lowest Misfortunes in the World for wée heare of ten thousands in forteine places in fatte worse estate then wée are Now as Men and Women have a particular cause to send their Devotions up to Heaven when they compare their present beings how wretched soever with others more wretched So many Townes Cittyes and Kingdomes may in generall lift up their eyes with joy when albeit the Divine vengeance hath smote them with a Mace of Iron Yet if they looke on their Neighbours miserably torne in pieces They behold those over-whelmed with more raging billows then they féele or sée comming néere themselves As for example this goodly and beautifull City of London hath now but a few faynt spots set in her flesh A few pestilentiall sores sticking on her body But a few Tokens are sent her to bid her Remember who sées her doings She heares no great Number of Bels Tolling No terrible number of Graves are opened in her sight Not whole stréets of houses are now shut up with Redde Crosses on the doores And Lord have Mercy upon us over those doores to fright Beholders There are not such Fines and Incomes to bée payd for Tenements of the dead Heaven be blessed as there were either at the comming of King Iames to his Crowne or of King Charles our Soveraigne to his Alas these markes Printed London upon thée now are but Flea-bitinges to the stripes which drew blood from thy very Heart in those dayes of Desolation And yet how art thou Frighted How pale are thy Chéekes How does this one fit of a burning Feaâ—er inflame all thy body How doest thou shake the Head and complaine that doings are cold that Trading lies dead and that money keepes her bedde and is not stirring How doe thy Coaches and Caroaches runne thorow thy stréets and so out at thy Gates full of brave rich people to live safe as they hope in the Countrey Not caring how sorrowfull a life thou leadest here in their absence How little doe they regard the poore which they leave behinde them What is it to them if some poore wretches drop downe in the streetes This touches not them It wounds not them Gallants and Cittizens take leave of them with much complement at the Coaches side the Coachman with his Hart off asking if hee shall â—et forward On on they then all cry and away in a Hurry thunder they O London out of thy Reach Yet cast thine eye on this Picture above they cannot bee out of his reach who is ready to follow them with Times Glasse in one hand and his owne blacke darts in the other This Rawbone Foot-man can runne by the side of the Coach-horses and smite the officious Coachman in the midst of his journey When in heapes people stand gazing on a dead Corpes suddenly strucken downe in the fields This cunning dart-caster can stand before them looke at them threaten them and tell them when hee 's bidden but to shoote They shall féele the strength of his leane arme as well as the others And yet albeit so many Waggons laden with Houshold-stuffe are every day drawn from thee Albeit so many doores are lockt up and so many take their heeles and fly in this day of Battaile Yet their flight is for the most part into the mouth of danger For the Countrey lookes with a more pale and sickly Colour then London thou doest Rejoyce not that thy Neighbours are so ill but clappe thy hands for joy then thy selfe art no worse Pray for thy distressed friends neighbouring Townes and Citties And releive them to thy power if they want As thou hast with a Noble Frée and bountifull hand done to some of late already It is warrantable by the Lawes of God to shunne infection and to fly persecution Divines and best men dos the one And the Martyrs when they lived did the other But now blessed be the white hand of mercy there are no such Tyrannicall Enemies beating at thy gates If they that are in the fulnesse of Riches and the fatnesse of the Land have Mannors and Lordshipps to ride to And Countrey houses to repaire to for pleasure to avoyde infection In Gods name let them goe wish them well at their setting foorth welcome them with Embraces