The present state of England expressed in this paradox, our fathers were very rich with little, and wee poore with much. Written by Walter Cary.

Of the excessiue abuse in apparrell.

THere are professors of a rare and strange art or science, who are named Proportionaries; but seldome set to worke. If you deliuer one of these a bone of your Grand-fathers little finger, hee will by that finde the proportion of all his bones, and tell you to an inch how tall a man your Grand-father was: So I herein mind to vse some of their skill; for seeing it is an infinite mat∣ter, sigillatim to write of all the peeuish, childish, and more than foolish costly ornaments now v∣sed (especially being obiect to euery mans sight) I will onely take the head with the neck, and by these, tell you what proportion all the rest of the body holdeth, downe to the lowest part of the foote. I saw a complete Gentleman of late, whose Beuer-hat cost xxxvii.s. a feather xx.s. the hatband iij.li. and his ten double Ruffe iiij.li. thus the head and necke onely were furnished, and that but of one suite, for ix.li.xvii.s. Now taking the proportion of the brauery for the rest of the body; the cloak lined with veluet, daubed ouer with gold lace two fingers broad, the sattin doublet and hose in like sort decked, the silke stockings, with costly garters hanging downe to the small of the legge, the Spanish shooes with glittering roses, the girdell and Steletto; I leaue it to those that herein know more than I, and can speake of greater brauery than this, to cast vp the totall summe: wherein also (as an appurtenant)

they may remember his Mistris suted at his charge, and cast vp both summes in one. But on the contrary, I obserued but 60. yeares since, ge∣nerally a man full as good or better in ability than this complete, lusty looking lad, whose hat and band cost but v.s. and his ruffe but xii d. at the most. So you see the difference of these summes; the one ix.li.xvii.s. the other vi.s. Then after this proportion, the whole attire of the one, cost aboue 30. times as much as the attire of the other: forget not also that the one lasteth three times as long as the other; subiect to change, as fashions change. There is another appurtenant to this guilded folly; for if his Mistris say it doth not become him, or if the fashion change, that suit is presently left off, and another bought. I will not forget, but touch a little the foolish and costly fashion of changing fashions, noted espe∣cially, and obiected against our English nation; and in one onely thing (I meane the hat) I will expresse our prodigious folly in all the rest. Of late the broad brimmd hat came suddainely in fa∣shion, and put all other out of countenance and request; and happy were they that could get them soonest, and be first seene in that fashion: so that a computation being made, there is at the least 300000. li. or much more, in England one∣ly bestowed in broad brimmd hats, within one yeare and an halfe. As for others, either Beuer or Felts, they were on the suddaine of no recko∣ning at all: in so much, that my selfe (still conti∣nuing one fashion) I bought a Beuer hat for v.s.

which the yeare before could not bee had vnder 30. s. The like, or more may be said of the change from plain to double ruffes: But if you wil see the effect of these follies, & what lamentable estate it bringeth many vnto; go to the Kings bench-pri∣son, to the Fleet, to the Counters, and like places; where you shall finde many that in golden glitte∣ring brauery haue shined like the Sunne, but now (their patrimonies and all being spent, and they in debt) their Sun is eclipsed, and they rest there in very miserable case, be wailing their vaine, and more than childish course of life; and some of them call to minde how they haue heard, that their fore-fathers (on that liuing, which they haue in lewd sort spent, and disinherited their fa∣mily of for euer) liued bountifully, quietly, plea∣santly, and (as I may truly say) like Kings in their little kingdomes: They seldome or neuer went to London, they did not striue for greatnesse, they did not long for their neighbours land, neither sold of their owne, but (keeping good hospitali∣tie, and plainely euer attired were very rich. Well, if the hat alone, and in so short a time hath put England to that charge, by change of fashion onely: what hath Lawnes, Cambrickes, Silkes, Sattins, Veluets, and the rest done, and change of fashion in them? I will deliuer you my opinion (out of my loue to my Countrey, and desire of reformation) and leaue it to the cor∣rection of the wiser. The money which is most superfluously bestowed in apparrell in this little Iland, is thought able to maintaine a Nauy to

command the sea-forces of all our neighbours bordering on the narrow seas, of Spain, & of the Pirats, & all others in the mediterranean sea. How far they further may shew their force in the sea leading to Constantinople, I will not take vpon me to iudge. Yet one other effect these Peacockes feathers (in this guilded, not golden age) wor∣keth: The most part of the Gentry of this king∣dome, are so farre in the Vsurers bookes, by their ouerreaching heads to climb to greatnesse, and they and their wiues to exceed their neighbours in brauery and place, that they liue in continuall care, and like fishes in nets, the more they striue to get out, the faster they hang. I could bring ma∣nie sentences of the wise & learned against these vaine, peeuish, childish, thriftlesse, and painted fooles, as I did against drunkards; but I will on∣ly tell you an old tale, and so conclude this part. A Kinght named Young, a man of an excel∣lent mother wit, verie pleasant, and full of de∣lightfull and merry speech, was commended to our late Soueraign, Queen Elizabeth, who caused him to be brought to her, tooke great pleasure to talke with him, and amongst other things she as∣ked him how he liked a company of braue La∣dies that were in her presence? He answered, as I like my siluer haired conies at home; the cases are farre better than the bodies. These our named Gallants are well compared to such conies, and are deceiued much, to thinke they better their re∣putation by their brauery: for many, euen ordi∣nary Tailors in London, are in their Silkes, Sat∣tins,

& Veluets, as well as they: And in Italy eue∣ry base ordinary black-smith doth exceed on the Sabbath day and other holy daies, or equall the brauest of them. I wish them therefore to com∣pare the sweet Country with the vnsauoury Lon∣don, wherein they are most resident, which is the cause of great expence, in brauery, in gaming, drinking, resorting to plaies, brothell houses, and many other great follies: and I dare say, they shall finde more true pleasure in one yeare, liuing like their fore-fathers in the Countrey, than in twenty liuing in London.