A M A R V E L O V SHy
tory intitulede , Beware the Cat. Conteynyng diuer
e wounder-full and incredible matters.
Uery plea
ant and mery to read.
A M A R V E L O V Story intitulede , Beware the e wounder-ant and mery to read.
etetrete at the igne of the
old at his hoptons Church=
[ p.2 ]
[ p.3 ]
|
¶ To the Right wor
ter hips pleaure one of the tories which maiter Streamer tolde the lat Chritmas, and which you o faine wold haue heard reported by mater Feres him elfe. And although I be vnable to penne or peake it o pleaantly as he could, yet haue I o nerely ved both the order and wordes of him that pake them, which is not the leat vertue of a reporter that I doubt not but that he and maiter VVillot hal in the reading thinke they heare mater Streamer peake, and he him elfe in the like action hall doubt whether he peaketh or readeth. I haue deuided his oration into three partes, and put the argument before them, and an intruction after them with uch notes as might be gathered therof : o making it bookelike, and intituled. Beware the Cat. But becaue I doubt whether mater Streamer wilbe contented that other men plowe with his oxen, I meane penne uch thinges as he peaketh , which perhaps hee
|
|
would rather do him elfe to haue (as he deerueth) the glory of both therfore I beech you to learne his mind herein. And if he agree it pae in uch orte, yet that he perue it before the Printing, and amend it if in any poynt I haue mitaken him. I pray you likewie to ake mater Ferres his iudgement herein, and hewe him that the cure of the great plague of mater Sreamers tranlation out of the Arabicke, which hee ent me from Margets, halbe Imprinted aone as I may conueniently. And it I hall perceaue by your tryall, that mater Streamer allowe my endeuours in this kinde, I will hereafter as Plato did by Socrates penne uch things out of the ret of our Chritmas communications, as halbe to his great glorie, and no lee pleaure to all them that deire uch kinds of knowledge. In the meaneech you accept my good will, and learne to beware the Cat. So halyou not only performe that I ekebut al o pleae the Almightiewho alwayes pre erueyou: Amen. |
[ p.5 ]
 tmas lat I was at the Court with mater Ferres then mater of the Kyngs maieties patimes about the etting forth of certaine enterludes, which for the kynges recreation we had deuied and were in learning. In which time among many other exercies among our elues we ved nightly at our lodging to talke of undry thinges for the furtheraunce of uch offices wherin ech man as than erued. For which purpoe it pleaed mater Ferres to make me his bedfellowe, and vpon a pallet cat vpon the ruhes in his owne chamber to lodge mater Willot and. M. Streamer, the one his Atronimor the other his diuine. And among many other thinges to long to rehere , it hapned’ on a night which I thinke was the.xxviij. of December after that M. Ferres was come from the court and in bead, there fell a controuerie betwene M. Streamer who with M. Willot had already lept his firt lepe, and I that was newly come to bead the effect wherof was whether birdes and beates had reaon, the occaion wherof was this. I had heard that the kings players were learning a play of Eops Crow, wherin the mot parte of the actors were birdes, the deuice wherof I dicommended, aying it was not commicall to make eyther pechles things to peake, or brutih things to common reaonably. And although in a tale it were uffreable to Imagine and tel of omthing by them poken or reaonably done, which kind Eop laudably ved, yet it was vncomly ayd I and without example of any author to bring them in liuely peironages to peake, do, reaon, and alaege authoritiees out of authours. M. Streamer my Lords diuine, being more diuine in this poynt than I was ware of, held the contrary parte, affirming that beates and foules had reaon, and that as much as men, yea and in ome poyntes more. mater Ferres him elfe and his Atronimer
|
|
wakened with our talke harkened to vs, but would take parte on neither ide. And whan M. Streamer had for profe of his aercion declared many thinges of Oliphants that walked vppon cordes, Hedgehogges that knewe alwayes what weather would come, Foxes and Dogges that aft er they had bene all night abrode killing Geee and Sheepe would come home in the morning & put their neckes into their collers, Parates that bewayled their kepers death, Swallowes that with Selandine open their young ones eyes, and an hundred things more which I denied to come of reaon, and to be but naturall kindly actions, alleging for my profe authority of mot graue and learned Philoophers, well quod mater Streamer I know what I know, and I peake not onely what by hearay of ome Philoophers I knowe, but what I my elfe haue proued. Why (quod I then) haue you profe of beates and fowles reaon? yea (quod he) I haue heard them & vndertand them both peake and reaon awel as I here & vndertand you: at this M. Ferres laughed. But I remembring what I had read in Albertes workes, thought there might be omwhat more than I knew, wherfore I aked him what beates or fowles he had heard, and where and whan ? At this he pawed a while, & at lat ayd: If I thought you could be content to heare me, and without any interruption till I haue done to marke what I ay, I would tel you uch a tory of one piece of my owne experimenting, as hould both make you wonder, & put you out of doubt concerning this matter. But this I promie you afore if I do tell it, that as one as any man curiouly interrupteth me, I will leaue of and not peake one word more. Whan we had promied quietly to heare, he turning him elfe o in his bead as we might bet heare him, ayd: |
[ p.7 ]
ter
e of mine, which more rowmih within than garih without, tandeth at Saiunt Martins lane end, and hangeth partly vpon the towne Wal that is called Aldersgate, eyther of one Aldricke, or els of Elders, that is to ay auncient men of the Citie which among them builded it, as Bihops did Bihopgate: or els of Eldern trées, which perchaunce as they do in the gardens now ther about, o while the cõmon there was vacaunt grue aboundantly in the ame place where the gate was after builded, and called therof Elderngate: as Moregate toke the name of the féeld without it, which hath bene a very Moore. Or els becaue it is the mot auncient gate of the Citie, was therof in repect of the other, as Newgate, called the eldergate. Or els as Ludgate taketh the name of Lud, who builded it , o mote parte of Haroldes (I know) will onet aent that Aluredus builded this. But they are deceiued. For he and his wife Algay
|
Why Al= dersgate was o na=med. Bishops builded Bi= hopsgate.
Why more gate. Why New gate. Why Lud= gate. Why Al= gate. |
|
Why Cry= ple gate. Powles weather cocke was iluer.
Agayn tyong mens negligence. Agayn tvnlawefull games. |
builded Algate which therof taketh the name, as Criplegate doth of a Criple who begged o much money in his life as put to the iluer Wethercocke which he tole from Poules teple, after his death builded it. But wherof o euer this gate Aldergate tooke the name, which longeth chiefly to Hitoryes to know, at my frendes houe which as I ayd tandeth o nere it that it is ouer it, I lay often times, and that for undry caues. Somtime for lacke of other lodging , & ometime as while my Gréeks Alphabets were in printing to e that they might be truly corrected. And ure it is a hame for all young men that they be no more tudious in the tounges, but the world is now come to that pae, that if he can prate a litle Latine, & handle a Racket and a payre of ixe quare bowles, he hall oner obteine any liuing than the bet learned in a whole Citie : which is caue that learning is dipied, and bagagical things o much aduaunced.While I lay at the for ayd houe for the caues aforeayd, I was lodged in a Chamber harde by the Printing houe, which had a fayre Bay window openinginto
|
ter Iohn Yong , Grace