66

5

or hair brains, are called Abraham men. An Abraham man is afterwards described in this manner: "Of all the mad rascals (that are of this wing) the Abraham-man is the most fantastick. "The fellow (quoth this old Lady of the Lake unto me) that sate "half naked (at table to-day) from the girdle upward, is the best "Abraham-man that ever came to my house, and the notablest " villain: he swears he hath been in Bedlam, and will talk frantickly of purpose: you see pins stuck in sundry places of his "naked flesh, especially in his arms, which pain he gladly puts "himself to (being indeed no torment at all, his skin is either so "dead with some foul disease, or so hardened with weather, only "to make you believe he is out of his wits): he calls himself by "the name of Poor Tom, and coming near any body cries out, "Poor Tom is a cold. Of these Abraham-men, some be exceeding merry, and do nothing but sing songs, fashioned out of their own "brains, some will dance; others will do nothing but either laugh or weep; others are dogged, and are sullen both in look and speech, that, spying but a small company in a house, they boldly " and bluntly enter, compelling the servants through fear to give "them what they demand, which is commonly Bacon, or something "that will yield ready money."

Of this respectable fraternity Diccon seems to have been a member.

Massinger mentions them in A new way to pay old Debts, A. 2 S. 1.-"Are they padders, or Abraham-men, that are your consorts?'

PROLOGUE.

As Gammer Gurton, with manye a wyde styche,
Sat pesynge and patching of Hodg her man's briche
By chance or misfortune, as shee her geare tost,
In Hodge lether bryches her needle shee lost.
When Diccon the bedlam had hard by report,
That good Gammer Gurton was robde in thys sorte,
He quyetly perswaded with her in that stound,
Daine Chat her deare gossyp this needle had found.
Yet knew shee no more of this matter (alas)

Then knoeth Tom our clarke what the priest saith at

masse.

Hereof there ensued so fearfull a fraye,

Mas Doctor was sent for, these gossyps to staye;
Because he was curate, and estemed full wyse,
Who found that he sought not, by Diccon's device.
When all thinges were tombled and cleane out of fassion,
Whether it were by fortune, or some other constellacion,
Sodenlye the neele Hodge found by the prickynge,
And drew out of his bottocke, where he found it
stickynge.

Theyr hartes then at rest with perfect securytie,
With a pot of good nale they stroake up theyr plauditie.

GAMMER GURTON'S NEEDLE.

THE FYRST ACTE.

THE FYRST SCEANE.

Diccon. MANY a myle have I walked, divers and sundry waies,

And many a good man's house have I bin at in my dais. Many a gossip's cup in my tyme have I tasted,

And many a broche and spyt have I both turned and

basted,

Many a peece of bacon have I had out of thir balkes 3, In ronnyng over the countrey, with long and were

walkes.

Yet came my foote never within those doore cheekes, To seek flesh or fysh, garlyke, onyons or leekes, That ever I saw a sorte in such a plyght*,

As here within this house appereth to my syght,

3

-out of thir balkes,] The summer beam or dorman. Poles laid over a stable, or other building. Ray's Collection of English Words, p. 167.

4 That ever I saw a sorte in such a plyght,] A sort is a company. So, in Johnson's Every Man out of his Humour, A. 2. S. 3. "I speek it not gloriously, nor out of affectation, but there's he " and the count Frugale, signior Illustre, signior Luculento, and a "sort of them," &c.

Also, in Pierce Pennilesse's Supplication to the Devil, 1592, p. 6, "I know a great sort of good fellows that would venture," &c. Again, in the Vocacyon of Johan Bale, 1533: "-in parell of pyrates, robbers, and murthirors, and a great sort more.' And, in Skelton's Works, edit. 1736, p. 136.

"Another sorte of sluttes

"Some brought walnutes."

"

See also Dr. Johnson and Mr. Steevens's Notes on Shakspeare, vol. III. p. 69.

There is howlynge and schowlyng, all cast in a dumpe, With whewling and pewling, as though they had lost a trump.

Syghing and sobbing, they weepe and they wayle.
I marvel in my mynd, what the devil they ayle.
The olde trot syts groning, with alas, and alas3,
And Tib wringes her hands, and takes on in worse case.
With poore Cocke theyr boye, they be dryven in such
fyts

I feare mee the folkes be not well in theyr wyts.
Aske them what they ayle, or who brought them in
this staye?

They aunswer not at all, but alacke and welaway. When I saw it booted not, out at doores I hyed mee, And caught a slyp of bacon, when I saw none spyed

mee,

Which I intend not far hence, unles my purpose fayle, Shall serve for a shoing horne to draw on two pots of ale 6.

5 The olde trot syts groning, with alas, and alas,] An old trot, or trat, Dr. Gray says, signifies a decrepid old woman, or an old drab. In which sense it is used in Gawin Douglas' Virgil's Ænead, B. 4. p. 96, 97.

And p.

Out on the old trat agit wyffe or dame.
122.39.

Thus said Dido, and the tother with that,
Hyit or furth with slow pase like ane trot.

And Shakspeare:

66

Why give her gold enough, and marry him "to a puppet, an aglet baby, or an old trot with ne'er a tooth in her "head." Taming of the Shrew, A. 1. S. 5.

Shakspeare, vol. I. p. 118.

It is also used by Churchyard:

Critical Notes on

Away young Frie that gives leawd counsell nowe,
Awaie old trotts, that sets young flesh to sale, &c.

And by Gascoigne :

Challenge, 1593, p. 250.

Go! that gunpowder consume the old trot.

Supposes, A. 3. S. 5. Again, in Nashe's Lenten Stuff, 1599: “— a cage or pigeon house, roomsome enough to comprehend her, and the toothless trot her nurse, who was her only chat mate and chamber maid," &c. See also Mr. Steevens's Notes on Shakspeare, vol. II. 6 Shall serve for a shoing horne to draw on two pots of ale.] So, in Pierce Pennilesse's Supplication, p. 23. “ -wee have generall rules

P. 93.

THE FYRST ACTE.

THE SECOND SCEANE.

HODGE. DICCON.

Hodge. See so cham arayed with dablynge in the durt! She that set me to ditchinge, ich wold she had the squirt.

Was never poore soule that such a life had?

Gog's bones, thys vilthy glaye hase drest mee too bad. God's soule, see how this stuffe teares!

Iche were better to bee a bearward, and set to keepe beares.

By the masse, here is a gashe, a shamefull hole indeade, And one stytch teare furder, a man may thruste in his heade.

Diccon. By my father's soule, Hodge, if I shulde now be sworne,

I cannot chuse but say thy breech is foule betorne.
But the next remedye in such a case and hap,
Is to plaunche* on a piece as brode as thy cap.

Hodge. Gog's soule man, 'tis not yet two dayes fully ended,

Synce my dame Gurton (cham sure) these breches amended.

" and injunctions as good as printed precepts, or statutes set downe by acte of parliament, that goe from drunkard to drunkard as "still to keepe your first man, not to leave anie flockes in the bottom "of the cup, to knock the glasse on your thumbe when you have Idone, to have some shoring horne to pull on your wine, as a "rasher of the coles, or a redde herring." Again in Nash's Lenten Stuff, 1599," which being double roasted, and dried as it is, not only sucks up all the rheumatick "inundations, but is a shoeing horn for a pint of wine overplus." *Pluunche on a piece as brode as thy cap.] A plaunch is a plank of wood. To plaunch therefore is a verb formed from it. See Measure for Measure, vol. 2. edit. 1778, p. 106. S.

The above note but ill explains its meaning; the word will be better illustrated by the following description of the fortification of Ypres by Holinshed.

"It was fensed with a mighty rampire, and a thicke hedge, trimlie plashed, and woond with thornes, &c." Chron. 2.759. Ed. 1807. O. G.