A strange horse-race at the end of which, comes in the catch-poles masque. And after that the bankrouts banquet: vvhich done, the Diuell, falling sicke, makes his last will and testament, this present yeare. 1613. VVritten by Thomas Dekker.
About this Item
- Title
- A strange horse-race at the end of which, comes in the catch-poles masque. And after that the bankrouts banquet: vvhich done, the Diuell, falling sicke, makes his last will and testament, this present yeare. 1613. VVritten by Thomas Dekker.
- Author
- Dekker, Thomas, ca. 1572-1632.
- Publication
- London :: Printed [by Nicholas Okes] for Ioseph Hunt, and are to bee sold at his shop in Bedlem, neere Moore-field Gate,
- 1613.
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To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
- Subject terms
- London (England) -- Social life and customs -- Early works to 1800.
- Link to this Item
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http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A20087.0001.001
- Cite this Item
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"A strange horse-race at the end of which, comes in the catch-poles masque. And after that the bankrouts banquet: vvhich done, the Diuell, falling sicke, makes his last will and testament, this present yeare. 1613. VVritten by Thomas Dekker." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A20087.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 23, 2025.
Pages
Page [unnumbered]
TO THE VERY WORTHY, IVDITIOVS AND VNDERSTANDING Gentleman, THOMAS VVAL∣••HAL Esquire.
IF I put into your hands a homely peice of Worke (nei∣ther so good as you deserue, nor so rich as I do wish it) I must entreat you to blame the vanitie of our times which are so phantasticall, that they co∣uet Stuffes, rather slight, to feede the eye with shew, then Substantiall for en∣during. Let the Fashion be French it is no matter what the Cloth be. I haue therefo•• ••ot (with the Sturgeon) swomme against the streame; But fol∣lowed the Humorous Tides of this Age, and (like Democritus) haue falne a Laughing at the world, sithence it does nothing but mocke it selfe. But seeing no creature is so wise as man, nor any so foolish, my Wits haue heere beene at charges to feast either sort. A mixt Banquet of Sweete and Sowre, Fulsome, and VVholesome, Seria cum Io∣cis,
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stands furnished before them. In this Horse-Race there is no cheating, my Building (as many Rich mens great houses) is not onely to keepe Rats, and Spiders in it, but euery Roome (though all be but meane) hath some picture to delight you. The Plat-forme being narrow, I could raise no lofty Stories; for when the Ditty is light, the Aire must not be Graue; A Crow is not to build so high as an Eagle: as the Face of my Inuention was drawne, such I could not chose but proporti∣on out the Body. Yet the Picture hath lost some of the Cullors I gaue it.
I know you loue to Reade, because you know to Censure; Reade, this I pray as I writ it — (wil∣lingly,) and Censure, as I send it — (in Loue) Beare with the hard-fauourdnesse of the Title. The value of a Diamond is not lessened by the roughnesse when it is Vncut. It can bee no shame to gather a Violet, growing close to the ground. Had I better you should enioy it; such as it is if you entertaine, I shall rest.
Most affectionately deuoted Yours, THOMAS DEKKER.