never able to weare out, for they weare out him. The University of Iowa Libraries A Creditour Sa fellow that torments men for their good conditions. He is one of Deuca lions sons begotten of a stone. The marble images in the Temple Church, that lye crossclegg'd, doe much resemble him, saving that this is a little more crosse. Hee weares a forfeited bond under that part of his girdle where his thumb stickes, with as much pride as a Welchman does a leek on S. Davids day, and quarrels more and longer about it. He is a catchpoles mornings draught: for the newes that such a gallant's come yesternight to towne, drawes out of him both muscadel and mony too. He saies the Lords praier backwards, or (to speake better of him) he hath a pater noster by himselfe, and that particle, Forgive us our debts, as we forgive others, &c. he either quite leaves out, or els leaps over it. It is a dangerous rub in the alley of his conscience. He is the bloud-hound of the law, and hunts counter, very swiftly and with great judgement. He hath a quicke sent to smell out his game, and a good deepe mouth to pursue it, yet, never opens till he bites, and bites not till hee killes, or at least drawes bloud, and then hee pincheth most doggedly. Hee is a lawyers moyle, and the onely beast upon which he ambles so often to Westminster. And a lawyer is his God Almighty, in him only he trusts, to him he flyes in all his troubles, from him he seckes succour; to him he prayes, that hee may by his meanes overcome his enemies: him does hee worship both in the temple and abroad, and hopes by him and good Angels to prosper in all his actions. A scrivener is his farriar, and helps to recover all his diseased and maimed obligations. Every tearme he sets up a tenters in Westminster Hall, upon which herackes and stretches gentlemen like English broadcloth, beyond the staple of the wooll, till the threds cracke, and that causeth them with the least wet to shrink, and presently to weare bare: marrie hee handles a citizen (at least if himselfe be one) like a peece of Spanish cloth, gives him onely a touch, and straines him not too hard, knowing how apt he is to break of himselfe, and then he can cut nothing out of him but shreds. To the one, he comes like Tamberlaine, with his blacke and bloudy flag. But to the other, his white one hangs out, and (upon the parley) rather then faile, he takes ten groats i'th' pound for his ransom, and so lets him march away with bag and baggage. From the beginning of Hilary to th' end of Michaelmas, his purse is full of quicksilver, and that sets him running from sun-rise to sun-set up Fleet street, and so to the Chancery, from thence to Westminster, then back to one court, after that to another; then to The University of tuwa Lilianes atturney, then to a consellour, and in every of these hatched. A Sargeant AS once taken (when he bare office in his parish) for an honest man. The spawn of a decaied shop-keeper begets this fry, out of that dunghill is this serpents egge It is a divell made somtimes out of one of the twelve companies, and does but study the part and rehearse on earth, to be perfect when he comes to act it in hell: that is his stage. The hangman and he are twinnes; onely the hangman is the elder brother, and hee dying without issue (as commonly hee does, for none but a rope-makers widdow will marry him) this then inherites. His habit is a long gowne, and made at first to cover his 1 knavery, but that growing too monstrous, hee now goes in buffe: his conscience and that, being both cut out of one hide, and are of one toughnesse. The countergate is his kennell, the whole city his Paris garden, the misery of poore men (but especially of bad livers) are the offalles on which he feeds. The devill cals him his white sonne; he is so like him, that hee is the worse for it, and hee takes after his father; for the one torments bodies, as fast as the other tortures soules. Money is the crust he leaps at: crie, a ducke, a ducke, and hee plunges not in so eagerly as at this. The dogs chaps water to fetch nothing else he hath his name for the same quality; for sergeant, is quasi see argent, looke you rogues here is mony. He goes muffled like a theefe, and carries still the marks of one, for he steales upon a man cowardly, plucks him by the throat, makes him stand, and fleeces him. In this they differ, the theefe is more valiant and more honest. His walkes in terme time are up Fleet-street, at the end of terme up Holeborne, and so to Tyburne, the gallowes are his purlues, in which the hang-man and hee are the quarter rangers, the one turnes off, and the other cuts downe. All the vacation hee lies imboag'de behinde the lattice of some blinde, drunken, bawdy ale-house, and if he spie his prey, out he leapes, like a free-booter, and rifles; or like a ban-dog worries. No officer to the citie, keepes |