Who would not venture life in such a case? Who would not fight at countries whole request? Fight for life, prince, and country with the best? Now write my life, when thou hast leisure, and THE NINE * WORTHIES OF LONDON: Explaining the honourable Exercise of Armes, the Vertues of the Valiant, and the memorable Attempts of magnanimous Minds; pleasant for Gentlemen, not vnseemely for Magistrates, and most profitable for Prentises. Compiled by Richard Johnson. Imprinted at London, by Thomas Orwin, for Humfrey Lownes, and are to be sold at his Shop at the West Doore of Paúles. 1592. In Black Letter. Quarto, containing forty-eight Pages. To the Right Honourable Sir William Webbe, Knight, Lord Maior of the famous Citie of London, Richard Iohnson wisheth health, with increase of honour. BEING not altogether (Right Honorable) vnacquainted with the fame of this wel gouerned citie, the heade of our English florishing common wealth, I thought nothing, considering it somewhat touched my dutie, could be more acceptable to your honour, then such principles as first grounded the same, as well by domesticall policie of peace, as forraine excellence in resolution of warre. This caused me to collect, from our London gardens, such especiall flowers, that * Vide the 270th Article in the Catalogue of Pamphlets. sauoured as well in the wrath of winter, as in the pride of sommer, keeping one equiuolence at all kinde of seasons: Flowers of chiualrie, Right Honorable, I meane, some that haue sucked honie from the bee, sweetnesse from warre, and were possessed in that high place of prudence, wherof your lordship now partaketh. Other some that haue beene more inferiour members, and yet haue giuen especial ayde to the head, beene buckler to the best, and therby reached to the aspiring toppe of armes: If your lordship shall but like of it, proceeding from the barren braine of a poore apprentice, that dare not promise moulhils, much lesse mountaines, I shall thinke this by-exercise, which I vndertooke to expell idlenesse, a worke of worth, whosoeuer the gentle cauld kind, that are vrgently inkindled, shall with ostentation inueigh. These, Right Honorable, the Nine Worthies of London, now vnable to defend themselues, seeke their protection vnder your gracious fauour; and the authour pricked on by fame to be patronaged for his willing labour; whereof not misdoubting, I humbly commit your honour to the defence of heauen, and the guider of all iust equalitie. Your Lordships, in all humble dutie to be commaunded, RICHARD IOHNSON. To the Gentlemen Readers, as well Prentices as others. ALL is not gold, Gentlemen, that glisters, nor all drosse that makes but a darke shew; so should copper some time be currant, and pearles of no price. Æsope, for all his crutchback, bad a quick wit. Cleanthes, though in the night he caried the watertankard, yet in the day would dispute with philosophers. A meane man may look vpon a King, and a wren build her nest by an egle. In the games of Olym• · pus any man might trie his strength; and, when Apelles liued, others were not forbid to paint. So, Gentlemen, though now a dayes many great poets flourish, from whose eloquent workes you take both pleasure and profite: yet, I trust, inferiours, whose pens dare not comparewith Apollos, shall not be contemned, or put to silence. Euery weede hath his vertue, and studious trauaile, though without skill, may manifest good will. Vouchsafe then intertainment to this new come guest; his simple truth shewes he is without deceyte, and his plaine speech proues he flatters not. He can not boast of art, nor claime the priuiledge of scholasticall cunning; what he sayth is not curious, being without any great præmeditation, or practise, more then his necessarie affaires would permit. If his vnpollished discourses may merit the least motion of your good liking, let the enuious fret, and the captious malice melt themselues. Neither the obiection of mechanicall, by such as are themselues diabolicall, whose vicious basenesse in a selfe conceyte, presuming aboue the best, is in deede but the dregges and refuse of the worst, nor the reproch of prouerbiall scoffes (as, Ne sutor ultra crepidam') shall discorage me from proceeding to inuent how further to content you. And so, trusting to my fortune, and ending in my hap, neither dispairing of your censures, nor fearing what the maleuolent can inflict. Yours to commaund, as he may, RICHARD IOHNSON. A Catalogue, or briefe Table, declaring the Names of these worthie Men, and when they liued. First, Sir William Walworth, fishmonger, in the time of Richard Second, Sir Henrie Pitchard, vintener, in the time of Edward the Third, Sir William Seuenoake, grocer, in the time of Henrie the Fourth, Sir Thomas White, marchant tailer, in the time of Queene Fift, Sir John Bonham, mercer, in the time of Edward the First. the Third. Scuenth, Sir Iohn Haukwood, marchant-tailer, in the time of Eight, Sir Hugh Cauerley, silke-weauer, in the time of Edward Ninth, Sir Henrie Maleueret, grocer, in the time of Henrie the WHAT "HAT time Fame began to feather her selfe to flie, and was winged with the lasting memorie of martiall men, the oratours ceast perswasive orations, the poets neglected the pleasures of their poems, and Pallas her self would haue nothing painted vpon her shield but mottoes of Mars, and short emblemes in honour of noble atchiuements. Then the ashes of auncient victors, without scruple or disdaine, had sepulture in rich and golden monuments; and they, that reacht the height of honour by worthie deedes, had their former basenesse shadowed by deserts. Fame, then fearing that her honour would faint, and her armour rust (for, though she fauoured all professions, yet she chiefly dignified armes) on a sodaine, mounted into the ayre, and neuer stayed the swiftnesse of her flying course, vntill she pitched her feete upon Parnassus forked toppe, whose springing lawrels gaue shade and shelter to her wearinesse. This was the fruitfull place where she plotted her flowrie garlands, to crown the temples of vertuous followers, and wreathes of renowne to illustrate vndaunted courages. Here, likewise, remained her chiefe secretaries, the ix. Muses, as in a seate of most plea sure best befitting their diuine perfections, whose necessarie aydes she alwayes craued, when occasion ministred any thing worthy record; and, though the wholesome freshnesse of the ayre, the greeneness of the valleys, the comfortable odours of sundry sorts of flowers, the pride and bewtie of the trees, the harmonious layes of nightingales and other birds, the variable delights of artificiall bowers, and the musicall murmures of christall running fountains, might wel have inchaunted the roughest cynick, or crabbest malecontent, to cheare vp his spirits, and hanish melancholy passions; yet this goddesse, pretending businesse of importance, had such a care to effect it, as that she would not be quer come with pleasure, nor yeeld to ease (though, in reason, her laborious trauell did require rest) but painfully passing vp and downe, was not moued with the one. nor maistred with the other. At last, as her busie eye pried euery way, she espied a path of violets, whose tops were pressed downe with the steps of such as had lately passed that way; by this, she coniectured the nymphes were not farre off, and, therefore, following the tract their feete had made vpon the flowers, she was quickly brought to the head of Hellicon, where, in an arbour of eglantine, and damaske rose-trees, one twisted so cunningly within another, as hard it was to judge, whether nature or arte had bestowed most to the bewtifying of that bower. She found the Muses euery one seriously applying their seucrall exercises, whom, when they saw (hauing saluted her with a dutifull reuerence) stoode attentiue (being well assured her comming was not without cause) what charge shee would giue, or what shee would commaund to be registred. To whome Fame, to the intent they might not long bee in suspence about her sodaine approch, as well, for that her businesse was impatient of delay, as to resolue their earnest expectation, spake in this manner: 1 し You need not muse, gracious nurces of learning, at my presence in this place, because I vse not oftentimes to visit you, nor trouble your minds with ambiguous imaginations concerning my purpose, since I seldome craue your furtherance but for memorable accidents; notwithstanding, for the varietie of matter requires not alwayes one forme, and still, with process of time, as mens maners change, our method alters, you shall perceyue I am not now to begin, but to reuiue what ignorance in darknes seemes to shadow, and hatefull obliuion hath almost rubbed out of the booke of honour. It is not of Kinges and mightie potentates, but such whose vertues made them great, and whose renowne sprung not of the noblenes of their birth, but of the notable towardnesse of their well qualified mindes, aduaunced not with loftie titles, but praysed for the triall of their heroycal truthes. Of these must you indite, who, though their states were but meane, yet dooth their worthy prowesse match superiours, and therefore haue I named them Worthies. Nine were they in number, their countrie England, the citie they liued in famous London, famous in deede for such men, and yet forgetful to celebrate the remembrance of their names, and negligent, I may say, in performing the like attempts, hauing, for imitation, such goodly presidents as these to supplie them that want, with wisdome, and with better instruction. I am determined to discourse againe what I haue often bruted, thereby to stirre vp sluggards, and to giue secure worldlings to vnderstande (who extend no further then for wealth, and whose hearts suppose a heape of coine the greatest happines) that the censure of honour ought to increase, when as, by substance, they arise to authoritie, and none so abiect but may be made a subiect of glorie and magnanimitie, if so thereunto they will bend their endeuours. For performance hereof, I know my theame so large and copious, as all your wits might, in generall, be imployed to dilate and expresse the same, yet only Clio shall be sufficient, whome alone I make choise off, the rather, because it chiefly concernes hir. And, so beckning towards her with her head, made an end of her speach. She had no sooner sayd, but all the rest, as satisfied in that they desired to know, presently cast down their lookes, that were before the browes of Fame, and began to turne to their stedfastly fixed vpon labours, which, all this while, by reason of her talke, they had intermitted; onely Clio, clasping vp her booke of famous hystories, and, taking her golden pen in hand, rose from the seate where she sate, and, leauing her sisters with due reuerence, was readie to folow Fame where so euer she would conduct her. had At the doore of the enterance into the arbour, there stoode a silver chariout drawie by the force of Pegasus, which Fame, of purpose, prouided, because Clio therein might the better kecpe wing with her. Into the which she was no sooner mounted, but straightway, as swift as the burning dartes of Iupiter, they made their passage through the ́subtle ayr, vntill they soared over the hollow vault, through which the Icadeth down to the rule of vnder earth; there Clio pulled her way rayne, and, with a headlong fall, according to her guides direction, neuer staid vntill the steely houes of Pegasus did beate against the gates of Tartara, where, being receyved in, they left the crooked thornie way smoking with sulpher, and neuer ceasing contagious vapours, and kept directly on the other side, which delighted their eyes with so many glorious sights, that, before they knew it, they were arriued vnder the Elesian shades; where, when the goddes had remained a while, discoursing with her companion the seuerall habitations, as that of louers in sweete groues of muske she spide, at last, the place where Electrum growes, sweetned continually with burning baulme boughes, with which braue souldiours, and warlike cauilliers, cured their ranck scarres. There did she shake her bright immortall wings, and with the melodious noyse, and with the sweet breath was fanned from those phoenix feathers, she awaked nine comely knights, that, arme in arme, vpon a greene banke, strewed with rose buddes, had laid their conquering heads to rest in peace. This, quoth she, is the farthest end of our iourney! here must we take our stations for a while, and those whom thou seest elevating their bodies from the ground, from whose browes sparkle gleames of immortall glorie, are the nine worthy champions I told you of, whom, as by my power, I haue awaked; so will I cause to speake and declare their owne fortunes, onely be thou attentiue, and set down with thy pen what thou shalt heare them speake; and so comming to the first, which |