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<DATE>2014-03-25</DATE>
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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
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<P>Looke on me London: I am an Hone&s;t Engli&s;h-man, rip|ping vp the Bowels of Mi&s;chiefe, <HI>lurking in thy Sub-vrbs and Precincts.</HI></P>
<LG>
<HEAD>TAKE HEED</HEAD>
<L>The Hangmans Halter, and the Beadles Whip,</L>
<L>Will make the Foole dance, and the Knaue to skip.</L>
</LG>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>N. O.</HI> for <HI>Thomas Archer,</HI> and are to bee &s;old at his &s;hop in Popes-head Palace neere the Royall Exchange. 1613.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE, SIR THO|MAS MIDDLETON, KNIGHT, Lord Maior of the mo&s;t famous <HI>Citty of London.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>_RIGHT HONORABLE,</HI> as to the faire&s;t Ornament of this glorious Citty, doe I mo&s;t humbly dedicate this my &s;mall di&s;couery of abu&s;es; wherein is declared &s;ome of the hidden euils harboured in the bo|wels of <HI>London,</HI> for the which I know your Honour is as ready to finde reformation, as you are willing to heare them re|ported: for in the fir&s;t yeare of the <HI>Kings Maie&s;ties</HI> Reigne (your <HI>Lord&s;hip</HI> being then Shriefe of this Cit|ty) you made your Vi&s;itations in the <HI>Sub-vrbs,</HI> and out|places of the Precincts of <HI>London,</HI> to enquire after euil liuers, and by Iu&s;tice &s;troue to root out iniquity, which good beginning will eternize your glory, and e&s;tabli&s;h pro&s;perity in this worthy Citty.</P>
<P>And no dnubt but your <HI>Honours</HI> fore-pa&s;&s;ed care, in comforting the good, and bridling the wicked, hath im|pre&s;&s;ed an inward loue in the hearts of the Commons,
<PB REF="3">and bred an a&s;&s;urance in your happy proceeding, for it concerneth the pro&s;perity of all our children and kin&s;|folkes, and a benefite to the whole e&s;tate of the youth of this Citty.</P>
<P>I (onely) of zeale in the&s;e few &s;heets of paper, haue di&s;couered vn&s;ufferable faults, but not &s;poke of the faul|ty men, whom I referre to your wi&s;edome to be con&s;ide|red of. To your <HI>Honours</HI> cen&s;ure do I pre&s;ent this my trauell, and at your commandment my &s;elfe; vowing in the action of a poore Free-man of <HI>London,</HI> to &s;eeke the good of this famous <HI>Citty,</HI> and &s;hew my &s;elfe wil|ling for your <HI>Honours</HI> imploiment.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Honours poore well-wi&s;her, R. I.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="3">
<HEAD>To the yong Men of <HI>London,</HI> as <HI>well Gentlemen as others.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_I Am per&s;waded, that in this De|dication, I doe &s;alute the mo&s;t part of all the yong Gentlemen of <HI>England,</HI> in that they either dwell, or haue beene in this worthy Citty of <HI>London,</HI> where they haue &s;eene many wanton alectiues to vnthriftines, which like to inchanting Adamant rockes, drawes gold and &s;iluer as fa&s;t as Iron and &s;teele.</P>
<P>Therefore (yong men) you mu&s;t bee armed with more experience then the capacity of yong yeares, or el&s;e, a&s;&s;ure your &s;elues, repentance will vn-loo&s;e your fetters: For truely, I cannot &s;ee, how yong men of the be&s;t education can &s;cape vntangled, when vice is &s;o conuer&s;ant with elder yeares. O how happy were it for your po&s;terity, if all Dicing-hou&s;es, and allies of gaming were &s;uppre&s;&s;ed in, and about this Citty: From which, if you cannot bee drawne, this little booke will guide you &s;afe, and giue you faire warnings of many of your Compa|nions falles: I be&s;eech you bee adui&s;ed, and learne to &s;hun the&s;e mi&s;chiefes by other mens harmes,
<PB REF="4">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB REF="4">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB REF="5">that the reward of this my writing may proue for|tunate, and my &s;elfe happy to &s;ee you thriue and flouri&s;h.</P>
<P>I dedicate this Booke to the <HI>Honourable Magi|&s;trate,</HI> to whom appertaineth the correction of euill liuers, your wor&s;t enemies; I meane the &s;ucking &s;hifters now &s;ecretly lurking in the circuits of this famous Citty, of whom his good Honour, I hope, will ea&s;e you, and make you pro&s;perous by the re|formation. So leauing to trouble you with a tedi|ous Induction, I end at this time, but in no time will leaue to be</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your wel-wi&s;hing friend. <HI>R. I.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="5">
<HEAD>A Countrey-mans Councell.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub"><HI>Giuen to his Sonne, at his going vp to</HI> dwell at <HI>London,</HI> being a true Touch-&s;tone for this Age, found out by Time and Experience.</HEAD>
<P><HI>_LONDON,</HI> where thou intende&s;t to goe (&s;onne <HI>William</HI>) and &s;et vp thy liues re&s;ting place, is at this day (as thou knowe&s;t) the capitall Citty of our Coun|trey, and the Paragon of Chri&s;tendome, a place of much honour and reputation, as well in re&s;pect of reuetent Gouerne|ment, as &s;umptuous Building and Riches: <HI>London</HI> (I &s;ay) is the &s;trength and ornament of this wel-gouerned Land; vnto which place euery Gentleman, and almo&s;t e|uery Yeoman of ability, &s;endeth the ripe&s;t witted of his Children, either to &s;tuddy the common Lawes of <HI>England,</HI> or become Merchants to enrich their Countrey, wherein the loue of a father to his &s;onne is di&s;charged, and the duty of a friend to his Countrey performed.</P>
<P>But yet take this admonition from me thy father: In this good Citty are many alectiues to vnthriftine&s;&s;e, by which meanes, where the Father hath b&eacute;ene at charge to make his &s;onne a Lawyer, to doe his Countrey &s;eruice, or a Merchant or Trade&s;man to become a good member to this flouri&s;hing Citty, his afore&s;aid &s;onne (for want of gouern|ment) many times &s;pends his whole &s;ub&s;tance, to the vt|ter vndoing of his po&s;terity, and great &s;hame of his kin|dred. Therefore take h&eacute;ed my &s;onne, one &s;cabbed &s;heepe
<PB REF="6">infecteth a whole flocke; and one wa&s;tfull prodigall makes a &s;warme of vnthrifts: of which many there be now, that liue in, and about the Citty of <HI>London,</HI> that will quickly &s;eize vpon thee, and &s;uch fond yong men as thou art, and by their lewd conditions draw th&eacute;e from &s;tudy, or from thy other bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and bring th&eacute;e acquainted with their wic|ked Conforts and Companions; and where mu&s;t it be but in Ordinaries, Dicing-hou&s;es, Bowling-allies, Brothel-hou&s;es, and &s;uch like, where their brauery, reuelling, and merry company, is able to bring a &s;taid man into their fel|low&s;hip; but much more ea&s;ter a light-headed yong man, as thou art, and &s;uch as comes vnexperienced out of the Countrey, as now thou doe&s;t.</P>
<P>But now being intangled in their fellow&s;hip, fir&s;t pride infecteth thee with a de&s;ire to be as braue as the be&s;t; where if thou ha&s;t liuing, either in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, or po&s;&s;ibility, thou &s;halt finde &s;w&eacute;et baits among&s;t them to thoake thee with|all: for many of the&s;e places afore&s;aid nouri&s;h mo&s;t dange|rous and wicked gue&s;ts, which will quickly clo&s;e with the vn-experienced yong man, and of his abiltiy maintaine them&s;elues cunningly like Gentlemen, which bee gallant &s;hifters, cunning Pandors, and couetous Brokers.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the gallant &s;hifter, like a cunning companion, in apparrell, countenance &amp; holdne&s;&s;e, will checke mate with men of right good wor&s;hip, when he him&s;elfs (perhaps) in a gr&eacute;ene thicket by the high-way &s;ide, with a ma&s;ked face, a pi&s;toll, and a whip-cord, gets his whole inheritance.</P>
<P>But the manner of &s;uch cunning &s;hifts I thinke nece&s;|&s;ary to conceale, le&s;t the reports proue more hurtfull to the euill inclined, then the admonition profitable to the well-di&s;po&s;ed: But this I a&s;&s;ure th&eacute;e of, (as many a Gentle|mans vndoing witne&s;&s;eth) that the&s;e expert &s;hifters, by fal&s;e dice, &s;lippery ca&s;ting, and other like &s;lights, dally with yong noui&s;&s;es &s;o long, till they make their Pur&s;es a poore penyle&s;&s;e banquet.</P>
<P>And (my &s;onne) bee thou thus conceited, that the man
<PB REF="6">that is enticed to bee a Dicer, of his owne accord will be|come a Whore-mai&s;ter, where a few of ordinary dinners in that kinde, will wa&s;te a great deale of his &s;ub&s;tance.</P>
<P>But &s;ome will &s;ay, the want of acquaintance will k&eacute;eps him cha&s;te: but I conclude with the Prouerbe: <HI>Mony will hire a guide to goe to the Diuell.</HI> And &s;urely at &s;uch ordi|nary m&eacute;etings as be in Bowling-allies, and Dicing-hou|&s;es, a man may finde many of the&s;e neat Pandors, &s;uch as onely liue vpon Brokage of loue, fellowes that will pro|cure a womans acquaintance for a dumbe man; the&s;e bee no ba&s;hfull companions, but &s;uch as glory in their ba&s;e fa|culty, their common talke will bee of ribaldry, and matter of like purpo&s;e. And to conclude, hee will take aduantage of time and place, and cunningly blow a meeting of faire women into my yong mai&s;ters eares, and then his compa|ny needeth not to bee reque&s;ted: for pre&s;ently de&s;ire ma|keth him mad for their m&eacute;eting. Where? hee cryes, come let vs goe; and &s;o, with more ha&s;te then good &s;peede, hies to &s;ome blinde Brothell-hou&s;e about the <HI>Sub-vrbs,</HI> or &s;kirts of the Citty, where (peraduenture) for a Pottle or two of wine, the embracement of a painted &s;trumpet, and the French welcome for a reckoning, the yong nouice pay|ethforty &s;hillings, or better.</P>
<P>Yet for all this, my braue <HI>Shifter</HI> hath a more co&s;tly rec|koning to giue him, for being thus growne into acquain|tance, hee will in a familiar kinde of curte&s;ie, accompany him vp and downe the Citty, and in the end will come vn|to a Mercers or Gold-&s;miths Shoppe, of whom the yong Gentleman is well knowne, there will he cheapen Veluet, Satten, Iewels, or what him liketh, and offer his new friends credit for the payment, he will with &s;o bold a coun|tenance a&s;ke this friend&s;hip, that the Gentleman &s;hall bee to &s;&eacute;eke of excu&s;e to deny him: Well, although the peuy|worths of the one bee not very good, yet the payment of the other is &s;ure to bee currant.</P>
<P>Thus by prodigall ryots, vaine company, and ra&s;h
<PB REF="7">&s;ureti&s;hip, many of our <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> yong Gentlemen, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> learned to &s;ay
<Q><L><HI>I wealthy was of late,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Though needy now be;</HI></L>
<L><HI>Three things haue chang'd my &s;tate,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Dice, Wine, and Venerie.</HI></L></Q></P>
<P>But to our purpo&s;e. The delights of the&s;e Tabling-hou&s;es are &s;o plea&s;ant and tempting, that a man when hee hath there lo&s;t all his money, will be mo&s;t willing, euen in the place of his vndoing, to &s;tand money-le&s;&s;e, and bee an Idle looker on, of other mens vnthri&s;tine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>After all this, there &s;eizeth vpon the n&eacute;edy Gentleman thus con&s;umed, another <HI>Deuouring Caterpiller,</HI> which is the <HI>Broker</HI> for money: one that is either an old Banker-out Citizen, or &s;ome &s;mooth-conditioned vnthrifty Gen|tleman farre in debt, &s;ome one of the&s;e will helpe him to credit with &s;ome of their late Creditors, with a &s;ingle pro|te&s;tation of meere curte&s;ie. But by your fauour, they will herein deale mo&s;t cunningly: For the Citizen <HI>Broker,</HI> (af|ter money taken out for his paines, con&s;ideration for the time giuen, and lo&s;&s;e in &s;elling of the wares put together) will bring the yong Gentleman fifty pounds currant mo|ney for a hundred pounds good debt.</P>
<P>Mary the Gentleman broker will deale more gallanter, for he will be bound with his fellow Gentleman for a hun|dred pound, &s;haring the money equally betweene them, not without &s;olemns promi&s;e to di&s;charge his owne fifty, and if need be, the whole hundred pounds a&s;&s;urance.</P>
<P>But let all the&s;e mi&s;chiefes goe: Here is want &s;upplled, which breakes brazen walles, &amp; money receiued, which be|trayeth kingdoms, &amp; for the &s;ame, nothing but Inke, War and Parchment deliuered, which is a merry exchange, if a man &s;hould be alwayes thus bu&s;ied in receiuing, and neuer finde lea&s;ure for the repaiment.</P>
<PB REF="7">
<P> But oh thou vn-happy yong Gentleman, what&s;oeuer thou be, that art thus matched, heere mu&s;t I breathe a|while, and admoni&s;h thee with a few notes of my councell of experience: for I know thy couetous de&s;ire of money is &s;uch, and &s;o great, that thou had&s;t rather become debter for forty pounds, then to &s;pare forty &s;hillings out of thy Pur&s;e: therefore take this Le&s;&s;on from a tongus of expe|rience. Thou wert better giue one of the&s;e Fellowes ten pound, then to bee bound for fifteene, for what &s;o remai|neth thou &s;aue&s;t, when all that thou vantre&s;t, thou loo&s;e&s;t: And be thou a&s;&s;ure, though thou wilt finde he time to &s;ati&s;|fie thy couenant, yet will thy Creditor worke thee an Ar|re&s;t, which (vntill hee bee fully contented and payd) will giue them little ea&s;e, and le&s;&s;e liberty. But I feare me, all in vaine doe I giue this Councell to a Prodigall, that is tied to couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e with &s;iluer linkes, for <HI>Prodigality</HI> and <HI>Couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e</HI> chained together, are two extreme Pa&s;&s;i|ons, &amp; &s;o violent, that no Phy&s;icke can cure, but Beggary &amp; Death: Beggary is the end of Prodigality, &amp; Death the end of Couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e: yet in my minde of them both the couetous man is the wor&s;er: for with his riches he doth no man good, no not &s;o much as him&s;elfe, when the Prodi|gall by the vndoing of him&s;elfe enricheth many: therefore the be&s;t that may be &s;aid of the prodigall, concludeth an vn|doing of him&s;elfe and his po&s;terity.</P>
<P>I haue read in the Workes of a famous Phylo&s;opher, which &s;aith, The Prodigall man neuer ob&s;erueth time, be|ginning nor end, vntill ryot hath con&s;umed him and his pa|trimony. And where is it con&s;umed, but in Ordinaries, Dicing-hou&s;es, Bowling-allies, and &s;uch like a&s;&s;emblies, which if they were &s;uppre&s;&s;ed, many a mans land would be kept from &s;elling, many a mans necke from the halter, and the Common-wealth (perhaps) from further mi&s;chiefes. And from my heart I wi&s;h, that vpon the gate or dore of euery Tabling-hou&s;e, and Bowling-alley, might bee &s;et a <HI>Whip and a Halter</HI> for a &s;inge, then &s;urely all vnthrifts and
<PB REF="8">their a&s;&s;ociates would be a&s;hamed to come to tho&s;e places, vnle&s;&s;e &s;hame had vtterly for&s;ooke them.</P>
<P>I haue but yet begun to anatomize the head of the&s;e Sanctuaries of Iniquity, there are heapes and whole bo|dies of euils follow: The deceite of Dice, the charge of Strumpets, the &s;leight of Con&s;enage, and the cunning of Brokage, is all that I haue yet layd vpon our wilde-headed yong Gentlemen, which (like Carrions) onely prey vpon Gold, Siluer, and &s;uch like Carriage, the&s;e bee but &s;ucking Flyes, the biting Scorpions come af|ter; euen as a Bird that hath but one feather limed, by &s;triuing fettereth her whole body: So the vnfortunate yong Gentleman, which is brought behinde hand by the hazard of Dice, through a vaine hope to redeeme him|&s;elfe, followeth his mi&s;chiefe, to the &s;pending of the la&s;t payment of all his E&s;tate; and thou (to helpe him forward) &s;ome one Spy of the Lawe, or other: namely, a Petty-&s;ogger (the reuerence done vnto the Laws, and good Lawyers reuerenced) is euermore &s;neaking into the Company of rich Heires, and &s;till keepes an Alpha|bet of all &s;uch Gentlemens names that frequenteth the&s;e common Gaming-hou&s;es; his eyes are &s;etled vp|on their Di&s;po&s;itions, and his exerci&s;e is daily to &s;earch the Rolles, and the Office of the Statutes, to learne what Recognizances, Morgages, and Statutes do charge their lands.</P>
<P>This is the pernitious <HI>Broker,</HI> the other helped the n&eacute;e|dy Gentleman to money, at fifty in the hundred lo&s;&s;e, but hee helpeth him to &s;ell land at fiue yeares purcha&s;e.</P>
<P>I mu&s;t heere digre&s;&s;e from the Prodigality of the Gen|tleman, vnto the Couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e and V&s;ury (I cannot well &s;ay) of the Citizen, although he dwelleth in the Citty, for the true Cittizen, (whereof <HI>London</HI> hath plenty) liueth vpon his Calling, bee hee a Merchant, venturing abroad, or Trade&s;-man liuing at home: But the&s;e <HI>Shames</HI> of good Cittizens, I meane &s;uch as tradeth but only to a <HI>Gaming-hou&s;e,</HI>
<PB REF="8">or at the furthe&s;t, trauelleth but to a <HI>Bowling-alley,</HI> a <HI>Hor&s;e-rifling,</HI> the meeting of Gentlemen at an <HI>Ordina|ry,</HI> and &s;uch like.</P>
<P>There with ea&s;e and &s;afety doe the&s;e fellowes gather wealth and riches as fa&s;t as the good Cittizen with much hazard, and farre trauels.</P>
<P>The&s;e <HI>Caterpillers</HI> come not thither to play the vn|thrifts, but to prey vpon vn-thrifts, and yet for compa|ny, and to auoyde &s;u&s;pition, they will &s;ometimes play the Good-fellowes, and now and then &s;port a pound or two.</P>
<P>The&s;e men n&eacute;ed not too greedily &s;eeke for purcha&s;es, for the nece&s;&s;ity of decaying Gentlemen, and yong Cittizens, will make them faire offers, and their Spyes (as I &s;ayd before) will giue them knowledge where there is &s;ound dealing.</P>
<P>Now among&s;t the&s;e fellowes, there is &s;uch deceite co|loured with cleanly &s;hifts, as many gentlemen are for a tri|fle &s;hifted out of their liuings without hope of recouery for it is well knowne, that the extremity and hard dealing of &s;uch men, hath impre&s;&s;ed a naturall mallice in the hearts of Gentlemen again&s;t Cittizens, in &s;o much that if a Gentleman purpo&s;e to &s;coffe a Cittizen, hee will call him, <HI>A trimme Merchant.</HI> Likewi&s;e the Cittizen &s;coffing the Gentleman, will call euery common fellow, <HI>A Iolly Gen|tleman.</HI></P>
<P>Truly, truly, in my minde, this mortal enuy betw&eacute;ene the&s;e two worthy E&s;tates, was fir&s;t begotten by the cruell v&s;age of couetous Merchants in former ages, by hard bargaines gotten of Gentlemen; and &s;till neuri&s;hed as re|uenges taken of both parties.</P>
<P>Thus one mi&s;chiefe drawes on another, and in my opi|nion gaming hou&s;es are the chiefe Fountaines thereof: which wicked places fir&s;t nouri&s;heth our yong men of <HI>England</HI> in pride, then acquainteth them with &s;undry &s;hif|ting companions, whereof one &s;ort cozeneth them at dice
<PB REF="9">and cardes, another &s;ort con&s;ume them with riotous mee|tings, another &s;ort by Brokage bringeth them in debt, and out of credite, and then awaiteth Couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e and V|&s;ury to &s;ea&s;e vpon their liuings, and the officious Sergiant vpon their liberties: and all this (as I &s;aid before) princi|pally proceeds by the frequenting of gaining hou&s;es.</P>
<P>But let vs now &s;earch deeper into the&s;e wounds of a Common-wealth, for if w&eacute;e con&s;ider all things aright, there is more fouler matter behind, and &s;uch things as makes my heart bl&eacute;ed to thinke of; w&eacute;e haue but yet &s;poken of tho&s;e gaming hou&s;es, which are chiefly for the inter|tainement of <HI>Courtiers</HI> and <HI>Gentlemen,</HI> the others b&eacute;e of a more prinate &s;tanding, which be called Common-hou&s;es, where the vulgar and inferiour &s;ort of people re&s;ort, &s;uch as haue poore wiues and children, and Families to care for, &s;urely, the inconuenience cannot chu&s;e but bee great, when a poore man leaueth his hou&s;e, and the company of his wife and family, and dineth abroad among&s;t Gaime|&s;ters, who&s;e wits bee &s;till labouring which way to deceiue him.</P>
<P>This order me thinkes is a bad order, and a breach of credite, to &s;&eacute;e a Trade&s;-man, or one that gets his liuing by the &s;weate of his browes, to eate and drinke abroad; vn|le&s;&s;e one neighbour inuite another, but &s;ufferance hath brought this di&s;order to &s;uch a cu&s;tome, that it is now made a daily practi&s;e among&s;ts our poorer &s;ort of Cittizens. Marry, the Mai&s;ters of the&s;e gaining hou&s;es want no Gue&s;ts, for where Carion is, Crowes will be plenty, and where mony is &s;tirring Cheaters will not be idle.</P>
<P>Yong <HI>Cittizenes,</HI> for the mo&s;t part, depend vpon their Credite, and therefore are loath that there &s;hould be an open knowledge of their vnthri&s;tine&s;&s;e: all the better (I &s;ay) for the biting Cheater, for clo&s;e in a chamber one of the&s;e <HI>Cogging Knaues</HI> getteth more money in an howre, then many an <HI>Hone&s;t Man</HI> &s;pendeth in one yeare.</P>
<P>But aboue others, this one thing is much to be lamen|ted,
<PB REF="9">by this <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> delight, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 span"> Cittizens con&s;unne other mens goods, who (perhaps) laboured painefully to get them, when Gentlemen, although that they vndoe their po&s;terity, &s;pend but their owne goods and lands.</P>
<P>The eares of the <HI>Magi&s;trates</HI> are daily full of the brea|king of <HI>Yong Marchants,</HI> and here I lay before their eyes, the cau&s;es thereof; euen the&s;e wicked meeting places, they b&eacute;e places vnto which <HI>Magi&s;trates</HI> come not, and there|fore the abu&s;es vnknowns vnto them, but I thinke it a worke of much hone&s;ty to reueale them, and in the <HI>Ma|gi&s;trate</HI> a worke of more iu&s;tice to reforme them, and al|though this be true that I write, and the euils more then I will &s;peake of, yet I finde my con&s;cience frye from their &s;hifts, as I pre&s;ume that no man, (as &s;aulty) will or can reprehend <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> for tho&s;e kind of cour&s;es, and to k&eacute;epe my &s;elfe more cl&eacute;ere from them, I will pa&s;&s;e by the&s;e &s;tr&eacute;etes, where the&s;e one hou&s;es are planted, and ble&s;&s;e mee from the iuticements of them, which indeed are many and more dangerous, in that they plea&s;e with a vaine hope of gaine.</P>
<P>There now comes into my mind, a pretty &s;aying of a di&s;temperate Direr, which &s;olemnly <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;weare, that he be|l&eacute;eued, that Dice were fir&s;t made of the bones of a <HI>Witch,</HI> and Cardes of her skin, in which there hath euer &s;ince re|mained a kinde of Inchantment, that who&s;oeuer once ta|keth delight in either, &s;hall neuer haue power vtterly to leaue them: for, quoth hee, a hundred times haue I vowd to leaue both, yet haue I not the grace to for&s;ake either: But now againe to the po&s;&s;ibility of Reformation to ouer|come this inticing mi&s;chiefe.</P>
<P>If the <HI>Magi&s;trates</HI> &s;urnai'd but the&s;e vile hou&s;es by ho|ne&s;t Con&s;eruators, you &s;hould finde the painefull trauels of Capitall <HI>Magi&s;trates</HI> much ea&s;ed, many mens liues &s;hall b&eacute;e &s;aued, Gentlemen haue more land, and Cittizens grea|ter &s;tore of money, which mettle is the greate&s;t &s;trength of a Citty, for where money is not &s;carce, Trafficke is
<PB REF="10">plenty, which &s;upporteth all Citties: but to my purpo&s;e, the&s;e deuili&s;h hou&s;es are cau&s;es, that Marchants haue &s;o much land, and Gentlemen &s;o little gouernement.</P>
<P>I haue alredy &s;howne, to what exetremity the better &s;ort of the&s;e hou&s;es bring a number of our flori&s;hing yong Gentlemen; to what mi&s;ery the &s;econd &s;ort, (called Ordi|naries for Cittizens) bring a great number of yong Mar|chants.</P>
<P>Now remaineth the di&s;couery of the third &s;ort of the&s;e haunts, which are placed in the Sub-vrbs of the Citty, in Allies, Gardanes, and other ob&s;cure corners, out of the common walkes of the Magi&s;trates. The daily Gue&s;tes of the&s;e priuy hou&s;es, are mai&s;ter-le&s;&s;e men, n&eacute;edy Shif|ters, Th&eacute;eues, Cut-pur&s;es, vnthrifty &s;eruants, both Ser|uing-men and Prenti&s;es: Here a man may picke out mates for all purpo&s;es &s;aue &s;uch as are good: Here a man may find out fellowes, that for a pottle of wine, will make no more con&s;cience to kill a man, then a Butcher a bea&s;t: Here clo&s;ely lie Saint <HI>Nicholas Clearkes,</HI> that with a good Northerne Gelding, will gaine more by a Halter, then an hone&s;t Yeoman will with a teame of good hor&s;es: Here are they that will not let to deceiue their father, to rob their brother, and fire their neighbours hou&s;e for an aduantage. The&s;e braue Companions will not &s;ticke to &s;pend frankly though they haue neither lands nor goods by the dead, nor hone&s;ty by nature: But how will this hold out? Fire will con&s;ume wood without maintenance, and Ryor make a weake pur&s;&s;e without &s;upply.</P>
<P>Gentlemen (for the mo&s;t part) haue lands to make mo|ney, and the yong Cittizens way to get credite; but the&s;e idle fellowes haue neither lands nor credite, nor will liue by any hone&s;t meanes or Occupation: yet haue they hands to filtch, heads to deceiue, and friends to receiue, and by the&s;e helpes, mo&s;t commonly, &s;hift they badly well.</P>
<P>The other vpon currant a&s;&s;urance, perhaps, get money for twenty Markes, or twenty pounds in the hundred, but
<PB REF="10">the&s;e that wor&s;t may hold the Candle; they vpon their owne, or vpon their Mai&s;ters Apparell, Bra&s;&s;e, Pewter, Linnen, Wollen, or &s;uch like, will find <HI>Brokers</HI> or <HI>Fripe|rers,</HI> that for eight pence in the pound for euery monthes v&s;e, will boldly for halfe the valew take the&s;e pawnes.</P>
<P>Surely, it &s;&eacute;emeth that this famous Citty is fore char|ged with the&s;e <HI>Make-&s;hiftes,</HI> con&s;idering that &s;o many Str&eacute;etes and Laines are filler with the&s;e netty Brokers, or <HI>Cheri&s;h-theeues,</HI> I pray God that in the principall pla|ces and Str&eacute;ets of the Citty there b&eacute;e not of this Faculty, that will make fifty or thr&eacute;e-&s;core pound profite in the hun|dred, which is &s;w&eacute;ete gaine: I haue heard &s;ome &s;ay, that a double pawne taketh away the feare of the Statute, which is a Iewi&s;h V&s;ury, and high time to bee rooted out of our Chri&s;tian Gouernment.</P>
<P>Some of the&s;e kind of couetous V&s;erers, are &s;o hard-hearted that I doubt they neither feare God, nor reuerence man, neither will they pardon father, nor acknowledge mother, but will make marchandi&s;e of their owne children, they will neither regard brother or kindred, nor yet k&eacute;epe faith with their friends; but beare fal&s;e witne&s;&s;e, offend the Widdow, and oppre&s;&s;e the Orphant, oh how great is this folly of theirs, to loo&s;e life, to &s;eeke death, and to ba|ni&s;h them&s;elues from heauen eternally.</P>
<P>I haue heard &s;ome of that profe&s;&s;ion &s;ay, that V&s;ury (I meane Brokage) is turn'd from a &s;in to an Occupation, be|cau&s;e being e&s;t&eacute;emed as a Trade, they would be accounted hone&s;t men, but rather in my minde they b&eacute;e termed Th&eacute;eues, for the Broker agr&eacute;eeth before, with the Bor|rower, to receiue more then was borrowed, becau&s;e before hee &s;teale, hee tels the party how much h&eacute;e will &s;teale, as though h&eacute;e &s;tole by law; nay, I may &s;ay without law, for like a mi&s;tery the&s;e Brokers haue deui&s;ed more &s;orts of lending vpon pawnes then there b&eacute;e trickes at Cardes, but I am affraid to &s;hew you them, le&s;t I &s;hould teach you to b&eacute;e of that kind; but yet &s;ome few examples will I h&eacute;ece
<PB REF="11">venture on, as hereafter followeth, the parties I do know now re&s;ident in <HI>London.</HI></P>
<P>I know a <HI>Broker</HI> that will take no Intere&s;t for his mo|ney, but will haue the Lea&s;e of your hou&s;e, or your land, in v&s;e, receiuing rent for the &s;ame till you pay your principall againe, which will come to a greater gaine then thr&eacute;e-&s;core in the hundred.</P>
<P>I know another that will take no intere&s;t money, but will haue Pewter, Bra&s;&s;e, Sh&eacute;etes, Plate, Table-clothes, Napkins, and &s;uch like things, to v&s;e in his hou&s;e, till his money come home, which will loo&s;e more in the wearing then the Intere&s;t of the money will come to.</P>
<P>I know another that will take a pawne twice worth the money that h&eacute;e lends, and agr&eacute;e with the Borrower to re|d&eacute;eme it at a day, or loo&s;e it, by which meanes the poore bor|rower is forced &s;ometimes for want of money to loo&s;e his pawne for halfe the valew.</P>
<P>I knew another that will not lend, but buy at &s;mall pri|ces, and couenant with the borrower to buy the &s;ame againe, at &s;uch a price, at &s;uch a day, or loo&s;e it this is a fel|low that &s;&eacute;ekes to cozen the Law, but let him take h&eacute;ed lea&s;t the deuill his good mai&s;ter to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> nothing, and at the la&s;t carry him po&s;t into hell.</P>
<P>I know another that will land out his money to men of Occupations, as to Butchers, Bakers, and &s;uch like, vpon condition to b&eacute;e partners in their gaines but not in their lo&s;&s;es, by which meanes, h&eacute;e that takes <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word">, and dentures all, is forced to giue the Broker halfe the profits for his money.</P>
<P>I know another, for his money lending to a Carpenter, a Bricke-layer, or a Plai&s;terer, will agr&eacute;e with them for &s;o many daies worke, or &s;o many w&eacute;ekes, for the loane of his money, which if all reckonings b&eacute;e ca&s;t will come to a deere intere&s;t.</P>
<P>I know many about this Citty that will not bee &s;eene to be Brokers them&s;elues, but &s;uffer their wines to deale
<PB REF="11">with their money, as to lend a &s;hilling for a peny a weeke to Fi&s;h-wiues, Differ-women, Dringe-wenches and &s;uth like: the&s;e be they that looke about the Citty like Rats and Wea&s;els, to gnaw poore people aliue, and yet go in|ui&s;ible.</P>
<P>This if it be well con&s;idered of is a Iewi&s;h Brokage, for in deed the Iewes fir&s;t brought v&s;ury &amp; brokage into <HI>Eng|land,</HI> which now by long &s;ufferance haue much blemi&s;hed the ancient vertues of this Kingdome: let vs but remem|ber this one example, how that in the time of King <HI>Henry</HI> the third, the good Cittizens of <HI>London,</HI> in one night &s;lew fiue hundred <HI>Iewes,</HI> for that a <HI>Iew</HI> tooke of a <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> a penny in the &s;hilling V&s;ury, and euer after got them bani|&s;hed the Citty; but truely the&s;e <HI>Brokers</HI> afore-&s;aid de&s;erue wor&s;e then <HI>Iewes,</HI> for the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> like vnto Strumpets, for they receiue all mens money, as well the Beggars as the Gentlemans; nay, they will them&s;elues take money vpon Brokage, to bring their Trade into a better cu&s;tome, which in my minde is a wicked cu&s;tome to liue onely by &s;inne.</P>
<P>The good <HI>Magi&s;trates</HI> I hope will ouer-looke the&s;e euils, lea&s;t the&s;e euils ouer-rule their po&s;terity, but e&s;pecially the&s;e Tabling hou&s;es, wherein &s;o many hundred Shifters maintaine them&s;elues gallantly, to the vndoing of a num|ber of good Gentlemen, Cittizens, Trade&s;-men and &s;uch like; for if the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 span"> leuel of <HI>Lon|don,</HI> were truely <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ay they would amaze a good <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 span"> were di&s;|couered, and then no <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 span"> find their faults, or Repentance &s;hew their amendment.</P>
<P>To conclude, it is euery mans ca&s;e in this land that hath care of his Po&s;terity, to be &s;uitors for reformation, the euill hereof euen peri&s;heth the marrow and &s;trength of this happy Realme, I meane the ability of the Gentry is much weakened, and many good Cittizens almo&s;t wa&s;ted by haunting of the&s;e vngracious hou&s;es: if this my di&s;co|uery
<PB REF="12">bee con&s;idered of by wi&s;edome, I pre&s;ume it will prous beneficiall to this glorious Monument of the Land, <HI>London</HI> I meane, which the Lord ble&s;&s;e and keepe in this her wonted pro&s;|perity, <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="12">
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</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
