TARLTONS

NEWES OUT OF PURGATORY.

Sorrowing, as most men doo, for the death of Richard Tarlton, in that his particular losse was a generall lament to all that coveted either to satisfie their eies with his clownish gesture, or their ears with his witty jestes. The woonted desire to see plaies left me in that although I saw as rare showes, and heard as lofty verse, yet I injoyed not those wonted sports that flowed from him, as from a fountaine of pleasing and merry conceits. For although he was only superficially seene in learning, having no more but a bare insight into the Latin tung, yet he had such a prompt wit, that he seemed to have that salem ingenij, which Tullie so highly commends in his Oratorie.1 Well, howsoever, either naturall or artificiall, or both, he was a mad merry companion, desired and loved of all, amongst the rest of whose wel wishers myselfe, being not the least, after his death I mourned in conceite, and absented myselfe from all plaies, as wanting that merrye Roscius of plaiers, that famosed2 all comedies so with his pleasant and extemporall invention ; yet at last, as the longest sommers day hath his night, so

1 Lib. i., c. 25.

2 Made celebrated.

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this dumpe had an end: and forsooth upon Whitson monday last I would needs to the Theatre' to a play, where when I came, I founde such concourse of unrulye people, that I thought it better solitary to walk in the fields, then to intermeddle myselfe amongst such a great presse. Feeding mine humour with this fancie I stept by dame Anne of Cleeres well, and went by the backside of Hogsdon, where, finding the sun to be hotte, and seeing a faire tree that had a coole shade, I sat me downe to take the aire, where after I had rested me a while, I fell asleepe. As thus I lay in a slumber, me thought I sawe one attired in russet, with a buttond cap on his head, a great bag by his side, and a strong bat in his hand, so artificially attired for a clowne as I began to call Tarltons woonted shape to remembrance, as he drew more neere and he came within the compasse of mine eie, to judge it was no other but the verye ghoast of Richard Tarlton, which pale and wan, sat him down by me on the grasse. I that knew him to be dead, at this sodaine sight fell into a great feare, in somuch that I sweat in my sleep; which he perceiving, with his woonted countenance full of smiles, began to comfort me thus: What, olde acquaintance, a man or a mouse? Hast thou not heard me verefie, that a souldier is a souldier if he have but a blew hose on his head?

3

1 A playhouse so called, situated in Shoreditch. See Collier's Hist. Dram. Poet., vol. iii., p. 263; and Northbroke's Treatise, repr., p. 85. In Nash's Pierce Penilesse, p. 44, Tarlton is mentioned as playing there.

2 “And lette Tarleton intreate the yoong people of the cittie either to abstaine altogether from playes, or, at their comming thither to use themselves after a more quiet order. In a place so civill as this cittie is esteemed, it is more than barbarously rude to see the shamefull disorder and routes that sometime in such publike meetings are used."—KindHarts Dreame, 1592.

3 This very nearly agrees with the description given by Chettle:-"the next, by his sute of russet, his buttond cap, his taber, his standing on the toe, and other tricks, I knew to be either the body or resemblaunce of Tarlton, who living, for his pleasant conceits was of all men liked, and dying, for mirth left not his like."-Kind-Harts Dreame, 1592.

feare not me, man, I am but Dick Tarlton, that could quaint it in the court, and clowne it on the stage; that had a quarte of✓ wine for my freend, and a swoord for my foe, who hurt none being alive, and will not prejudice any being dead for although thou see me heere in likenes of a spirite, yet thinke me to bee one of those Familiares Lares that were rather pleasantly disposed then endued with any hurtfull influence, as Hob Thrust, Robin Goodfellow and such like spirites, as they tearme them of the buttry, famozed in every olde wives chronicle for their mad merrye prankes. Therefore sith my appearance to thee is in a resemblance of a spirite, think that I am as pleasant a goblin as the rest, and will make thee as merry before I part, as ever Robin Goodfellow made the cuntry wenches at their Creamboules. With this he drewe more neere me, and I, starting backe, cried out :- In nomine Jesu, avoid Sathan, for ghost thou art none, but a very divell, for the soules of them which are departed, if the sacred principles of theologie be true, never returne into the world againe till the generall resurrection, for either are they plast2 in heaven, from whence they come not to intangle themselues with other cares, but sit continuallye before the seat of the Lambe, singing Alleluia3 to the highest; or else they are in hell. And this is a profound and certain aphorisme, Ab inferis nulla est redemptio. Upon these conclusive premises, depart from me, Sathan, the resemblance of whomsoever thou doost carrye. At this, pitching his staffe downe on the end, and crossing one leg over another, he answered thus-why you horson dunce, think you to set Dick Tarlton C non plus with your aphorismes? no, I have yet left one chapter

1 "If he be no Hob-thrust nor no Robin Goodfellow, I could finde with all my heart to sip up a sillybub with him."-The Two Lancashire Lovers, 1640, p. 222. I need only refer to A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the notes of the commentators upon that play. The passage in the text has been often quoted.

2 Placed.

3 Revelation, c. xix.

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of choplodgick' to tewslite you withall, that were you as good as George à Greene I would not take the foile at your hands, and that is this, I perceive by your arguments your inward opinion, and by your wise discretion what pottage you love: I see no sooner a rispe1 at the house end or a maipole before the doore, but I cry there is a paltry alehouse: and as soon as I heare the principles of your religion, I can saye, Oh, there is a Calvinist; what doo you make heaven and hell contraria immediataso contrarie, that there is no meane betwixt them, but that either a mans soule must in post haste goe presently to God, or else with a whirlewind and a vengeance goe to the divell! yes, yes, my good brother, there is quoddam tertium, a third place that all our great grandmothers have talkt of, that Dant hath so learnedlye writ of, and that is purgatorie. What, sir, are we wiser then all our forefathers? and they not onlye feared that place in life, but found it after their death: or els was there much land and annuall pensions given in vaine to morrowe-masse priests for dirges, trentals and such like decretals of devotion, whereby the soules in purgatorie were the sooner advanced into the quiet estate of heaven? Nay, more, how many popes and holy bishops of Rome whose cannons cannot erre, have taught us what this purgatory is: and yet if thou wert so incredulous that thou wouldest neither beleeve our olde beldames, nor the good Bishops: yet take Dick

1 66 Will you chop with me? voulez vous troquer avec moi? or thus, in a burlesk sense, as to chop logick with one, disputer avec quécun.”— Miege.

2 To perplex.

3 An allusion to the old play of "George a Greene, the Pinner of Wakefield," 1599, ascribed by some to Robert Greene; or the old prose history which that play is founded. Of the latter there is an early copy in MS. in the library of Sion College, which has escaped the notice of the editors of these two pieces.

upon

4 A branch.

5 The ale-stake, frequently explained a may-pole in the old glossaries.

Tarlton once for thine authour, who is now come from purgatory, and if any upstart Protestant deny, if thou hast no place of Scripture ready to confirme it, say as Pithagoras schollers did (ipse dixit) and to all bon companions it shall stand for a principle. I could not but smile at the madde merrye doctrine of my freend Richard, and therefore taking hart at grasse,' drawing more neere him, I praied him to tell me what Purgatory is, and what they be that are resident there; as one willing to doo me such a favour, he sat him downe, and began thus:

1 That is, being resolute. The phrase is still used in Warwickshire, as I find from a MS. list of provincial words kindly sent me by Mr. W. Reader.