Penny Dreadfuls, 1602 · page 196 of 400
Penny Dreadful Cover — page 196: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a page of running prose poetry from *Albions England* (Chapter 26, Book 7), not a Victorian penny dreadful as the prompt suggests—the typography and language indicate this is an early modern text, likely from the 16th or 17th century. The passage appears to be a dramatic monologue in which a character (possibly a lovelorn speaker) invokes various classical deities and celestial bodies, lamenting their fate and expressing passionate devotion. The speaker catalogs punishments they would endure and references mythological figures (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Diana, Endymion) while describing vows of eternal love and devotion to an unnamed beloved.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“ALBI ONS” ENC SLAN he Spanifh Robber Geron fhould by me to death i eh ry niin of Spighti in Hefperal golden fruit would pull: OF ota 5 E Three-headed Cerberus in chaynes fhould make the Lury full: R ‘Bea Snake, Bore,Stag,Birds,Bealr, Plankes, Bull, Theefe, Fruit, Dog, Diomead, Chokt,fear d spaunch d,conght,pearft, priz’d,wafht,thrown,flaine,puld, chaned,horFfead, Were labours lefie than I would act,might I of her be fpead.. 4 ‘Dull mal-contented Sarurne rulde the houre when I was borne: ‘Had Jupiter then ftarr’d [ had not lived now forlorne: | Or Mars had fteel'd my milky heart with manlier moodes than thees: | ‘ Or Mercurie had apted me to plead for Louers fees: | Or Sofinfufed fenfe to fearch what better me behou'd : Or Venus made me louely, fo for loue to be belou'd: 4 Or Luna (oppofite to Loue) had bettered the beft: 2 Ah,could feauen Planets and twelue Signes conttell one fuch vnreft > - Then lou’d that Sier of Gods when he had vow'd his childrens death: That Sonne of his made wanton {capes with Laffes on the earth : Dirwsaske Vulcan and his Arte if thou didft loue or noe: And Hermes that he Her/e low d will not difclaime I troe : _ Nor weart thou Phebus chafte,although thou wor'fta willow withe: — Thou, cirherea,hadtt a leath of Loues befides the Smith: _ Endimion gaynft Diana could vouch farther than the eye: ~ Thuslou’d yeall,ye churlith Starres,yeat let ye Louers dy C. Ag his {aid he,arid for this he faid,I for the ruth of this ~ Did vow,that whofo once were mine I would be onely his. _ Why ? thefe his words did fauior wit,not one diftraught(quoth he:) — Nay heare the reft of his vnreft, it followeth thus (quoth the. ) | _ Oft would hekiffe a fenceles Tree and fay weet Miftrefle mine, I -was,l am,and will be {till the fame and euer thine : Beleeue me,or if fo you doubt, Anatomize my braine, And ore my Senfes fee your felfe the Soufrenteffe to raigne: - Belecue me,or if fo you doubt,rip out my heart,and fee Your felfc in it,in it you are,and evermore willbee: : EL Pelecue me,or iffo you doubs,commannd Iforthwith dye, in Pf | t ; i GDOOKSIGO! . h i ~~ 7 4 ; ¢ A . | Se,