Penny Dreadfuls, 1602 · page 104 of 400
Penny Dreadful Cover — page 104: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Analysis This is a page of running prose poetry from *Albion's England*, a narrative poem by William Warner. The visible text consists of two sections: an introductory passage about Roman Britain (mentioning Cassivelaunus and the Earl of London), followed by a complete fable about an old man, a boy, and a donkey who travel through a city. The fable illustrates the impossibility of pleasing everyone—as the three try different arrangements (boy riding, old man riding, both riding, both walking), the townspeople criticize each configuration until, in despair, the old man drowns the donkey. The moral concludes that if Caesar had lacked something, he would have been worthily blamed.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
% ~* es BUY ae ae E ALBIONS ENGLAND, | | Perfwading this,diflwading that,controuling flight and feare, | That,after many Romaines {laine,the Bratons tooke their Aight, ? _ To Southerne Shores: whereas to proofe Ca@uelan did fi ght, | With oft Eruptions out of Woods, vntil the traitrous Knight,) _ The Earle of Londox.yeelds his Charge and Citie tothe Foe, — M4 A | _ Through which difloyall prefidentdid other Citiesfoe: are - Ad then with hard-won Tribute hence the Conquerour did p0¢, ( < 7 7 * = Be ‘ co = 4 ° SS .* "ae + * it . fe ud = " i oS Vehe,that wonne in euery Watre,at Rome in ciuill Robe Was ftab’d to death : no certaintie is vnderneath this Globe, - . : _ The good are enuied of the bad, and glorie finds difdaine, 2 ~ And people are in conftancie as Aprill is in raine : ~ Whereof,amidft our ferious penne,this Fable intertaine. § _ _ An Affe,an Old-man,and a Boye,did through a Citie pafle, _ And whil'ft the wanton Boye did ride the Old-man led the Affe: _ see yonder doting foole,faid Folke,that crauleth fcarce for age, ~ Doth fet the Boye vpon his Affe and makes himfelfe his Page. ~ Anonthe blamed Boy alights,and lets the Old-man ride, _ And,as the Old-man did before the Boye the Affe did gide: - But,pafling fo,the people then did much the Old-nsan blame, i _ And told him,Churle,thy limbs be tough, let ride the Boy, forfhame, - The fault thus found, both Man and Boye did backe the Affe and ride, Then thatthe Affe was ouer-charg’d each.man that met then cride, - Nowbotha light,and goe one foote,and lead the empty Beaft, - Butthen the people laugh,and fay,that one might ride atleaft, — ~ With it they both did vnderthore the Affe on either fide, © ~ Butthen the wondring people did thatwitles pranke deride. _ The Old-man feeing by no waies hecould the people pleafe, ~ Norblameles then did driue the Affe and drowne him in the Seas. - Thus whil'ft we be, it will not be,that any pleafeth all: - ~ Elshad bin wanting,worthely,the noble Cefars fall. |