Penny Dreadfuls, 1602 · page 341 of 400
Penny Dreadful Cover — page 341: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Analysis This is a page of running prose poetry from *Albions England* (Chapter 77, Book 13), a historical narrative poem in early modern English. The text, written in archaic verse with period spelling and typography, discusses pagan religious practices—specifically how ancient nations used idols and oracles, and how priests gradually escalated demands from modest offerings (flowers, meal, oil) to elaborate temples, cattle sacrifices, and eventually human sacrifice of children and prisoners. The passage condemns these practices as instruments of tyranny and corruption.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
,) ay oY ,.% , 4 whe we * - ~ : 4’ ‘ — Buttobe guiltlefle did vatothefe Altars foules commend: 4 <* > "a hy may ; ae enh. eh Laon war - het } Rl as < E » ‘ > ws Obferuing which of Images,he hous'd himfelfe them in, 1 And, ftar-skil'd,opportunely theredid Oracles begin. Nor wonder we hereat,for why ? euen ftill Difcoueries finde ; Great Nations,by Elufions like,in all alike foule-blinde, i OF fuch like Stocks branch’tfuch like Gods: AC eptune, Apolloand The either Sexts Genealogie,for Turnes on SeaorLand, by. And wicked Spirts did poflefie their Images : whereby oe Eb’d true Religion in that Flood of Mans Idolatry. Hence that at De/phos,Cuma,and the Dodaw Okes did fpeake: g Howbeit hit-I-miffe-L,when was Speculationweake, SME) Yeat,howfoere thofe Oracles of men were vnderftood, Double Conftru@tion ever made their Prothean Problemes good. But, fhould yee heare what worfhipping thefe goodly Godsexa&, * Euen horror would from Tyrants,{hame fron harlots flowvnrack’t, When firft they did inhumaine heartsthemfeluesinfinuate, Not tedious Suffrages they ask’t nor Sacrifices ftrate : Defirous rather to beask’t,than dangerous to affoile : five’ For meane Oblations,euen for flowers, for white-meats,meale,or oile, But,fuperititioufly when they feduced had,by skill AR Obferued from the Stars(whereby they arted mens good-will) | They asked golden Deckings,and moit gorgious Temples had, aa And hethat moft their Treafurtes inriched moft was glad. * Whole droues of Cattle wafhed then their bloody Altars,and Peculiar Gods,with proper Rites,were wow’de of euverie land, : From pettite Bribes,and flaughtred Beafts, to humaine bloodit grew: ‘ We read,that one to Jupiter atoncethreehundredflew, | 4 Of Children tyth’de to them,yoongmen and Virgens facrifiz’d, 4) d ‘ _ Ofdiuers blooddy Trivutes forfome Crymes by them furmiz’d, What Expedition (if were they confulted)but begonne, _ _ And ended in fome guiltlefle blaood of daughter,or of Sonne. _ - Were neuer Tyrants but for Deaths fome collour would pretend: Yea, comichooks.conim