Penny Dreadfuls, 1602 · page 204 of 400
Penny Dreadful Cover — page 204: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Victorian Penny Dreadful Page Analysis This is a page of running prose—specifically verse or poetic dialogue—from Chapter 37 of a work titled "Albions England." The text presents a conversation in which a character named Moole (described as "reverent") warns a cousin named Cofen against trusting Fortune and friends, cautioning that their "lofty flight" will inevitably result in a fall. Moole explains his own retreat from worldly wealth and temptation, having taken religious vows and lived underground to avoid corruption. The passage then philosophizes about envy, greed, and human nature, suggesting that excessive wealth beyond what nature requires breeds conflict and moral decay among soldiers, lawyers, thieves, and other classes. The tone is moralistic and cautionary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
x a Ms 2 2 ‘ | ‘ALBIONS: TE NOHERD: Into an higher roome, wheare her to be mine Eamell fee. did my dutie and my ‘heart was lightned when mine ete # Be ountered a friend whereas I made accotintto die. | Before me fets Shee Viands,and my ftomacke feru’d me well : 0 _ And ,hauing fed,my Grandfiers and my Fathers ends I tell, BixFo: the enquires for them, ere I acquaint her what befell y ‘ _ The reverent Moole,then ighing ,faide : ah,let no vermine thinke _ That Fortune ever fauors, or that friends will neuer fhrinke: _ Idid fore-fmell their loftic flight would coft them once a fall, _ And therefore,Cofen, fee thou be forewarned therewithall. _ Heere feeft thou me([ tell thee,though I prifenot Gentry now, _ Thine Eame and of the elder honfe)thac long agoe did vow _ My felfe a Reclufe from the world,and,celled vnder ground, ‘f -Leatt that the gould,the precious {tones and pleafureshere be found — _ Might happen to corruvt my minde,forblindnes did I pray, _ Andfo contemplatiuely hecre E with contentment ftay. — Adinitte the Weafell £ aceth thee,the more he doth the more _ The other Vernien will maligne, and enuy thee therefore: _ Himfelfe,perhaps,will liftentochyruinefor thy ftore: ~ Orthouthy felfe,to mount thy felfe maieft runne thy felfe a fhore, _ That Vermen that hath reafor sand his owne defects efpies,. : Voth feeme to havea foule,atleaft doth thriue by ft uch furmies, ~ For what is it but reafon that humaine from bruuth tries? ~ But man,or beaft neither hath troti that this for true denies, ~ Hehathenough that hath wherewith pure Nature to fuffies: Inouerplus an ouercharge for foule and body lies, For Souldiors,Lawyets,Carrions, Theeues,or Cafualties.a Prize, . — His comber-minde that lives with itand leaues it when he dies, ; - From whom to catch it fcarce his heire ftaies clofing of his eies : ~ O wretched wealth,which who fo wantsno Fortune him enuies, - _ Here maieft thou featt thee with a Mad, & here no Pickethanke prices. Ino thy life,nor words well {poke to ill vnmeantapplies: : a 3 ety. : Pas ' oJ \ s > ; - « ” #7 aN ew we EN 7cONn