The second part of conny-catching Contayning the discouery of certaine wondrous coosenages, either superficiallie past ouer, or vtterlie vntoucht in the first. ... R.G.

TO ALL YOONG GENTLEMEN, marchants, citizens, apprentices, yeomen, and plaine countrey farmers, Health.

WHen Sceuola, Gentlemen, saw his natiue citie besieged by Porsenna, and that Rome the mistresse of the world was readie to be maistred by a professed foe to the publicke estate: hee entred boldly into the enemies camp, and in the Tent of the king (taking him for the king) slew the kings Secretarie, whereupon condemned, brought to the fire, he thrust his right hand into the flame burning it off voluntarie, because it was so infortunat to misse the fatal stab he had intended to his coūtries enimies, and then with an honourable resolution, breathd out this. Mallem non esse quā non prodesse patriae. This instāce of Sceuola greatly hath emboldened mee to thinke no pains nor danger too great that groweth to the bene∣fit of my countrie, & though I cannot as he mannadge with my courtlax, nor attempt to vnleager Porsenna: yet with my pen I will indeuour to display the nature and secrets of diuers coosenages more preiudiciall to England then the inuasion of Porsenna was to Rome. For when that valiant king saw the resolutiō of Sceuola: as one dismaid at the honour of his thoughtes, he sor∣rowed so braue a man had so desperatly lost his hand, and thereupon grewe friends with the Romans. But gentlemen these Conny-catchers, these vultures, these fatall Harpies, that putrifie with their infections, this flourishing estate of England, as if they had their con∣sciences

sealed with a hot iron, & that as men deliue∣red vp into a reprobate sence, grace •…•…ere vtterly exild from their harts, so with the deafe Adder they not on∣ly stop their eares against the voice of the charmer, but dissolutely without any sparke of remorse stand vpon their brauados, and openly in words & actions main∣tain their palpa•…•…le and manifest coosenages, swearing by no lesse then their enemies bloud, euē by God him selfe, that they will make a massacre of his bones, and cut off my right hand for penning downe their abho∣minable practises: but alas for thē poore snakes, words are wind, & looks but glances: euery thunderclap hath not a bolt, nor euery Conny-catchers oath an •…•…xecu∣tion. I liue still, & I liue to display their villanies, which, gentlemen you shal see set down in most ample maner in this small treatise, but heere by the way, giue me leaue to answere an obiection, that some inferred a∣gainst me, which was, that I shewed no eloquent phra∣ses, nor fine figuratiue conueiance in my first booke as I had done in other of my workes, to which I reply that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a certaine decorum is to bee kept in eue∣rie thing, and not to applie a high stile in a base subiect beside the facultie is so odious, and the men so seruile and slauish minded, that I should dishonor that high misterie of eloquence, and derogate from the dignitie of our English toonge, eyther to employ any figure or bestow one choyce English word vpon such disdained rakehels as those Conny-catchers. Therefore humbly I craue pardon, and desire I may write basely of such base wretches, who liue onely to liue dishonestly. For they seeke the spoyle and ruine of all, and like droanes eate away what others labor for. I haue set downe di∣uers other laws vntoucht in the first, as their Vincents law, a notable coosenage at bowles, when certain idle companions stand and make bettes, being compacted

with the bowlers, who looke like honest minded citi∣zens, either to win or loose, as their watch-worde shall appoint, then the Prigger or Horsestealer, with all his ginnes belonging to his trade, and theyr subtill caw∣tels to amend the statute, next the curbing law, which some call but too basely hookers, who eyther diue in at windows, or else with a hook, which they call a curb doe fetch out whatsoeuer, either apparell, linnen, or wollen, that be left abroad. Beside I can set downe the subtiltie of the blacke Art, which is picking of lockes, a coosenage as preiudiciall as any of the rest, and the na∣ture of the Lift, which is he that stealeth any parcels, and stily taketh them away. This (Gentlemen) haue I searcht out for your commodities, that I might lay o∣pen to the world, the villanie of these coosening cater∣pillers, who are not onely abhorred of men, but hated of God, liuing idlely to themselues, & odiously to the worlde, they be those foolish children that Salomon speakes of, that feedes themselues fatte with iniquitie, those vntamed heifers, that will not breake the yoke of labor, but get their liuinges by the painfull thrift of o∣ther mens hands. I cannot better compare them, then vnto Vipers, who while they liue are hated & shunned of all men as most preiudiciall creatures, they feed vp∣on hemlocke and Aconiton, and such fatall & impoi∣soned herbs, but the learned apothecaries takes them, cuts off their heades, and after they be imbowelled of their flesh, they make the most pretious Mithridate: so these Conny-catchers, Foists, Nips, Priggars, & Lifts, while they liue are most improfitable members of the common-wealth: they glut themselues as Vipers vpon the most lothsome, and detestable sinnes, seeking after folly with greedinesse, neuer doing any thing that is good, till they be trust vp at Tiburn: and then is a most wholsome Mithridate made ofthē, for by their deaths

others are forewarned for falling into the like enormi∣ties. And as the Gangrena is a disease incurable by the censure of the Chirurgians, vnlesse the member where it is fixt be cut off: so this vntoward generation of loose Libertines, can by no wholsome counsailes, nor aduised perswasions be disswaded from their lothsom kind of life, till by death they be fatally, and finally cut off from the common-wealth, whereof spake Ouid well in his Metamorphosis.

Immedicabile vulnus, Ense resecandum est ne pars sincera trahatur.

Sith then this cursed crue, these Machauilians, that neither care for God nor deuill, but set with the Epi∣cures gaine, and ease, their summum bonum cannot be called to anie honest course of liuing: if the honorable and worshipfull of this land looke into their liues, and cut off such vpstarting suckars that consume the sap from the roote of the Tree: they shall neither loose their reward in heauen, nor passe ouer anie day where∣in there wil not be many faithful praiers of the poore, exhibited for their prosperous successe and welfare: so deepely are these monstrous cooseners hated in the common-wealth. Thus Gentlemen I haue discouered in briefe, what I meane to prosecute at large: though not eloquently, yet so effectually, that if you be not al∣together careleffe, it may redownd to your commo∣ditie: forewarned, forearmed: burnt children dread the fire, and such as neither counsaile, nor other mens harmes may make to beware, are worthie to liue long, and still by the losse. But hoping these secrets I haue set abroach, and my labours I haue taken in searching out those base villanies, shall not be onely taken with thankes, but applied with care: I take my leaue with this farewell. God either confound, or conuerr such base minded Cooseners.

Yours R. G.