lands, goods, liberties, and their posterities against rauening strangers, wilfull destroyers of their natiue countrey, and monstrous traytours. 6. And lastly, to withstand and prouide speedy remedy against other fraudulent attempts of the seminaries, Iesuits, and traitors, without the which (as it appeareth) the forces should not be now vsed, the same being wrought onely by falsehoode, by hypocrisie, and by vnderminings of our good subiectes vnder a false colour and face of holinesse, to make breaches in mens and womens consciences, and so traine them to their treasons, and that with such a secrecie by the harboring of the saide traiterous messengers in obscure places, as without very diligent and continuall search to be made, and seuere orders executed, the same will remaine and spred it selfe as a secret infection of treasons in the bowels of our realme, most daungerous, yea, most reprochfull to be suffered in any well ordered common weale: therefore wee haue determined, by aduise of our counsel, to haue speedily certaine commissioners, men of honesty, fidelitie, and good reputation, to be appointed in euery shire, citie, and port townes within our realme, to inquire by al good meanes, what persons are by their behauiours or otherwise worthy to be suspected to be any such persons, as haue bene sent, or that are imployed in any such perswading of our people, or of any residing within our realme, to treason, or to moue any to relinquish their allegeance to vs, or to acknowledge any kind of obedience to the Pope, or to the King of Spaine, and also of other persons that haue bene thereto induced, and that haue thereto yeelded. And further to proceede in the execution of such their commission, as they shall bee more particularlie directed by instructions annexed to their saide commission. 7. And furthermore, because it is certainelie knowen and prooued by common experience, vpon the apprehension of sundry of the sayde traiterous persons sent into the realme, that they doe come into the same by secret creekes, and landing places, disguised, both in their names and persons: some in apparell, as souldiers, mariners, or merchants, pretending that they haue bene heretofore taken prisoners, and put into gallies, and deliuered: some come in as gentlemen with contrarie names, in comely apparell, as though they had trauelled into forreine countries for knowledge: and generally al, or the most part, as soone as they are crept in, are cloathed like gentlemen in apparell, and many as gallants, yea in all colours, and wyth feathers, and such like disguising themselues, and many of them in their behaviour as ruffians, farre off to be thought, or suspected to be friars, priestès, Iesuits, or Popish schollers. And of these many do attempt to resorte into the vniversities and houses of lawe, from whence in former times they departed; many into seruices of noblemen, ladies, and gentlemen, with such like fraudulent deuises to cover themselues from all apprehension, or suspicion; and yet, in processe of time, they doc at length so insinuate to get themselues credite wyth hypocrisies, as they infect both the masters and families, and consequentlie aduenture also, yea secretly to vse their offices of priesthoode and reconcilements; whereby all such 214 DECLARATION OF GREAT TROUBLES, &c." as doe retaine them are woorthie to bee suspected, and by lawe to their great daunger. may bee charged 8. For auoyding whereof, and eyther to discouer these venemous vipers, or to chase them awaie out of the realme from the infecting of many more, we do order and straightly charge and commaund al maner of persons of what degree soeuer they bee without any exception, spirituall, or temporall, nobleman, gentleman, lorde, lady, master or mistresse, or owner whatsoeuer of any house, familie, lodging, yea the officers of our owne housholde, and gouernours of any societies, very to make a present, due, and particular inquisition of all maner of persons that have bene admitted, or suffered to haue vsual resort, diet, lodging, residence in their houses, or in any place by their appointment, at any time within the space of one whole yeere now past, and ended at Michaelmas last or that from thencefoorth haue, or shall be admitted, or suffered so to resort, eate, lodge, reside or attend: and, by such inquisition and examination, to bee duely and particularly informed of what condition and countrey any such person is, and by what kind of meanes he hath heretofore liued, and where he hath spent his time for the space of one whole yeere before. And likewise to know whether he hath ysed, and doth vse to repaire to the church at vsuall times to diuine service, according to the lawes of the realme. And to cause those inquisitions, with their answeres, to be put into writing particularly, and the same to keepe in a maner of a register or kalender to be shewed when they shall be demaunded, that, vpon such person, the same may bee further tried any cause of suspition of by the commissioners of those places, whether the same persons so exAnd if any such shal be found unamined bee loyall subiectes or no. willing to answere to such inquisition, or shal be found by his doubtful answere not likely to be an obedient subiect, the same person shal be stayed by the housholder, or him that ought to haue examined him, and shal be sent to any of the commissioners aboue mentioned next adioyning. And if any person hauing governement or commaundement ouer anie such seruaunt, or resiant, shal be founde not to haue performed the pointes of the foresaide inquisition as is aboue shal limitted, the same shall be called to appeare before the saide commissioners, or before our priuic counsell, if the qualitie of the person so require, and shal be further vsed and ordered for such default, as the saide commissioners, or our counsell, shal haue iust cause to deale And finally, wee doe admonishe and straightly with such a person. charge and commaund al persons that haue had anie intelligence, with any such so sent or come from beyond the seas to such purposes, to detect them to the commissioners in that behalfe to bee assigned as aforesaide, within twentie days after the publication hereof, in the shire, towne, or citic, or porte, wythin the precinctes of the same commission, ypon paine that the offenders therein shall be punished as abettours and mainteiners of traytours. Wherein wee are resolutely determined to suffer no fauour to bee vsed for anie respect of any persons, qualities, or degrees, nor shal allowe, or suffer to be allowed any excuse of negli gence for not detection, or for not due examination of the qualities of such dangerous persons according to the order here afore pre scribed, being no wise contrary, but agreeable to the most ancient lawes and good vsages of our realme, deuised for the good order of al maner of subiects in euery precinct of any leete to be foorth comming to answere for their behauior towards the dignitie of our crowne, and the common peace of our realme. Given at our Mannour of Richmond the xviii. day of October, 1591, in this xxxiii. yeere of our raigne. A QVIP FOR AN VPSTART COVRTIER; o R, A QUAINT DISPUTE BETWEEN VELUET-BREECHES AND CLOTH-BREECHES. Wherein is plainely set downe the Disorders in all Estates and Trades. London: Imprinted by Iohn Wolfe, and are to bee sold at his Shop, at Poules Chayne, 1592. In black Letter, Quarto, containing forty-eight Pages. To the Right Worshipful Thomas Burnabie, Esquier, Robert Greene wisheth Hartes Ease and Heauens Blisse. SIR, AFTER I had ended this Quippe for an vpstart Courtier, contayning a quaint dispute betweene Cloth-breeches and Veluet-breeches; wherein, vnder a dreame, I shadowed the abuses that pride had bred in Englande: how it had infected the court with aspiring enuie, the citie with griping couetousnesse, and the countrye with contempte and disdaine: how, since men placed their delights in proud lookes and braue atyre, hospitality was left off, neighbourhood was exciled, conscience was skoft at, and charitie lay frozen in the streets: how vpstart gentlemen, for the maintainance of that. their fathers neuer lookt after, raised rents, rackte their tenants, and imposed great fines; I stoode in a muse to whome I shoulde dedicate my labours, knowing I shoulde bee bitten by many, sithens I had toucht many, and therefore neede some woorthye patrone, vnder whose winges I might shroud my selfe from Goodman Findefault. At last I cald to mind your worship, and thought you the fittest of all my frends, both for the duetie that I owe, and the worshipfull qualities you are indued withall; as also for Your duetifull, adopted sonne, your fauour ROBERT GREENE. To the Gentlemen Readers, Health. GENTLE GENTLEMEN, I HOPE, Cloth-breeches shall find you gentle censors of this homely apologie of his auntient prerogatiues, sith, though he speakes against Veluet-breeches, which you weare, yet he twits not the weede, but the vice; not the apparell when tis worthily worn, but the vnworthie person that weares it, who, sprang of a pesant, will vse any sinister meanes to clime to preferment, being then so proude, as the foppe forgets, like the mule, that an asse was his father. For auntient gentility and yeomanrie Cloth-breeches attempteth this quarrell, and hopes of their fauour; for vpstarts he is halfe careles; and the more, bicause he knowes, whatsoeuer some thincke priuately, they will bee no publike carpers, least, by kicking where they are toucht, they bewray their gald backs to the world, and, by starting vp to find fault, proue themselues vpstarts and fooles. So, then, poore Cloth-breenches sets downe his rest on the courtesie of gentle gentlemen and bold yeomen, that they will suffer him to take no wrong. But suppose the worst, that hee should bee fround at, and that such occupations, as hee hath vppon conscience discarded from the iury, should commence an action of vnkindnesse against him, heele proue it not to hold plea, bicause all the debate was but a dreame. And so, hoping all men will merrilie take it, he stands sollemnlie leaning on his pike staffe, till he heare what you conceaue of him for being so peremptorie: If well, he sweares to crack his hose at the knees to quite your courtesie: If hardly, he hath vowed, that whatsoeuer he dreames, neuer to blab it again; and so he wisheth me humbly to bid you farewell. IT 'T was iust at that time, when the cuckould's quirrester began to bewray Aprill gentlemen, with his neuer chaunged notes, that I, damped with a melancholy humor, went into ye fields to cheere vp my wits with the fresh aire; where solitarie seeking to solace my selfe, I fell in a dreame, and in that drowsie slomber I wandered into a vale, all tapistred with sweet and choice flowres; there grew many simples, whose vertues taught men to be subtil, and to think nature, by her weeds, warnd men to be wary, and, by their secret properties, to check wanton and sensuall imperfections. Amongst the rest, there was the yellow daffadil, a flowre fit for gelous dottrels, who, through the bewty of their honest wiues, grow suspitious, and so proue themselves, in the end, cuckould heretikes; there buded out the checkerd (paunsie) or party coloured harts ease, an herbe sildome seene, either of such men as are wedded to shrewes, or of such women that haue hasty husbands; yet ther it grew, and, as I stept to gather it, it slipt from me like Tantalus fruit, that failes their maister. At last, woondring at this secret qualitie, I learned that none can weare it, be they Kinges, but such as desire no more then they are borne to, nor haue their wishes aboue their fortunes. Vppon a banke bordring by, grewe womens weedes, fenell I meane for flatterers, fit generally for that sexe, sith while they are maidens, they wishe wantonly; while they are wiues, they will wilfully; while they are widowes, they would willingly; and yet all these proud desires are but close dissemblinges, Neere adioyning, sprouted out the courtiers comfort, time: an herb that many stumble on, and yet ouerslip, whose rancke sauor, and thick leaues, haue this peculiar property, to make a snaile, if she tast of the sappe, as swift as a swallow, yet ioyned with this preiudice, that if she clime too hastily, she falls too suddenly. Mee thought I saw diuers yong courtiers tread vppon it with high disdain, but as they past away, an adder, lurking there, bit them by the heeles that they wept; and then I might perceiue certaine clownes in clowted shoone gather it, and eat of it with greedinesse; which no sooner was sunke into their mawes, but they were metamorphosed, and lookt as proudlye, though pesants, as if they had been borne to be princes companions. Amongst the rest of these changlings whome the tast of time had thus altered, there was some that lifted their heades so hie, as if they had berne bred to look no lower then stars; they thought noli altum sapere was rather the saying of a foole, then the censure of a philosopher, and therefore stretcht themselues on their tiptoes, as if they had beene a kindred to the Lord Tiptoft, and began to disdain their equals, scorne their inferiours, and euen their betters, forgetting now that time had taught them to say masse, how before they had playde the clarks part to say Amen to the priest. Tush, then they were not so little as gentlemen, and their owne conceipt was the herralde to blason their descente from an olde house, whose great grandfathers would have bin glad of a new cottage to hide their heades in. Yet, as the peacocke wrapt in the pride of his beautious feathers is knowne to be but a dunghill birde by his foule feete; so, though the high lookes, and costly suts, argue to the eies of the world they were caualiers of great worship, yet the churlish illiberalitie of their minds bewraide their fathers were not aboue three poundes in the Kinges bookes at a subsidie; but, as these vpstart changelings went strouting, like Philopolimarchides the bragart in Plautus, they lookte so proudlye at the same, that they stumbled on a bed of rue that grewe at the bottome of the banke where the time was planted, which, falln vpon the dew of so bitter an herbe, taught |