Penny Dreadfuls, 1602 · page 72 of 400
Penny Dreadful Cover — page 72: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains running prose poetry from *Albions England*, Chapter 18, Book 2. A character addresses another named Cacus, offering philosophical counsel about accepting one's circumstances and the will of the gods. The passage includes an embedded narrative—an "Epitaph"—about a hermaphrodite born of Phoebus, Mars, and Juno, who dies by sword and drowning in a river. The text concerns themes of fortune, patience, divine will, and fate, written in early modern English verse with italicized classical references. This appears to be from a historical reprint or facsimile rather than an actual Victorian penny dreadful.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
| iad oii: . ALBI ON S ‘3 'N GL " Ye Fe-fifters fiuenally. haute tolde how foes in sie did Fall ‘2 And age with youth,but I doe fay that Loue can all with all. 2 aE r errs we,whom Loue hath brought from Court to liue in Caue, ’ And werethere neede of further proofe,athoufand proofesIhane, Could Latmus fpeake, it might accufe euen Phebe of akis : f ofa Votaric of tierstot peake my purpofeis. 2 _ But firft fhe cheared thus herfriend ( for Cacws fadly fits)... ‘Be merrie man,thy penfiueneffe our paftimes badly fits: Beas thou art,notas thou would{t,it will be as itis: Riksrnc then to lacke,and learne to live for crofles neuer mis. ‘Thinke Fortune newly hatchtis flidge, and wageeth wing to flye: “All foffteth chan ge: our felues, new borne,cuen then begin to dye, -R een, not defperate: the Gods that made thee poore, vanisif they will(doe waite their will(thy former {tate reftoore. At leatt let patience profit thee, for patienceisa thing Whereby a begger gaineth of adifcontented King, Cnow Deftinie is Deftinie. This Epitaph | rede, | Though ommon-booked Poetrie,yeat not vnworthie heede: © Vaborne to knowe what I fhould be to Gods my mother praide: Y Male,quoth Phebus,Female Mars,and Juno neither fayde: An Hermaphrodite was [borne.My death then askt fhe after : £ ad {word quoth Juno, Tree quoth Mars,and Phebus faid by water. A River (hadowing tree I climbd,out flipt my fword,] flidd, ?P By feete I hun 9 ftabd with my (wordmy head in water hidd: M: ale, Female neither,hanging,Sword,and drowning I abidd Thus,Cacws,howfoeuer things from likelihoods difcent, birth ‘life,death, the Gods are firft,the iniddell,and Euent: And not what they can doe they will but what they will they can, And that they doe,or doe it not, behoouies not vs to skan : And aying {o,and hose too sher tale ine thus began. im 4 : - { aT. : . 7 , t3 r , . : wd . - , ¥ - : ; © . . . é © te «If : ‘ - ‘ . ’ ” “ . : Y 7" — : ‘ l 1 ‘ a _ . ‘ es ee abe ’ - ‘ ‘ @ « = > 7 " a « * - 3 f | : 1 4 k . 7 Comichooks:-con =H A