But I am affraide, that over many of our travelers into Italie, do not eschewe the way to Circes Court: but go, and ryde, and runne, and flie thether, they make great hast to cum to her: they make great sute to serve her: yea, I could point out some with my finger, that never had gone out of England, but onelie to serve Circes in Italie. Vanitie and vice, and any licence to ill living in England was counted stale and rude unto them. And so, beying Mules and Horses before they went, returned verie Swyne and Asses home agayne: yet every where verie Foxes with subtle and busie heades: and where they may, verie wolves, with cruell malicious hartes. A mervelous monster, which, for filthines of livyng, for dulnes to learning him selfe, for wilinesse in dealing with others, for malice in hurting without cause, should carie at once in one bodie, the belie of a Swyne, the head of an Asse, the brayne of a Foxe, the wombe of a wolfe. If you thinke, we judge amisse, and write too sore against you, heare, what the Italian sayth of the English man, what the master reporteth of the scholer: who uttereth playnlie, what is taught by him, and what is learned by you, saying, Englese Italianato, e un diabolo incarnato, that is to say, you remaine men in shape and facion, but becum devils in life and condition....
I was once in Italie my selfe: but I thanke God, my abode there, was but ix. dayes: And yet I sawe in that litle tyme, in one Citie, more libertie to sinne, than ever I hard tell of in our noble Citie of London in ix. yeare. I sawe, it was there as free to sinne, not onelie without all punishment, but also without any mans marking, as it is free in the Citie of London, to chose, without all blame, whether a man lust to weare Shoo or pantocle.[74]
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Novels and Romances.
These be the inchantementes of Circes, brought out of Italie, to marre mens maners in England: much, by example of ill life, but more by preceptes of fonde bookes, of late translated out of Italian into English, sold in every shop in London, commended by honest titles the soner to corrupt honest maners: dedicated over boldlie to vertuous and honorable personages, the easielier to beguile simple and innocent wittes. It is pitie, that those which have authoritie and charge to allow and disalow bookes to be printed, be no more circumspect herein than they are. Ten Sermons at Paules Crosse do not so moch good for movying men to trewe doctrine, as one of those bookes do harme with inticing men to ill living. Yea, I say farder, those bookes tend not so much to corrupt honest livyng, as they do to subvert trewe Religion. Mo Papistes be made, by your mery bookes of Italie, than by your earnest bookes of Lovain....
In our forefathers tyme, when Papistrie, as a standyng poole, covered and overflowed all England, fewe bookes were read in our tong, savyng certaine bookes of Chevalrie, as they sayd, for pastime and pleasure, which, as some say, were made in Monasteries, by idle Monkes, or wanton Canons: as one for example, Morte Arthure: the whole pleasure of which booke standeth in two speciall poyntes, in open mans slaughter, and bold bawdrye: In which booke those be counted the noblest Knightes, that do kill most men without any quarell, and commit fowlest advoulteres[75] by sutlest shiftes.... This is good stuffe for wise men to laughe at or honest men to take pleasure at. Yet I know, when Gods Bible was banished the Court, and Morte Arthure received into the Princes chamber. What toyes, the dayly readyng of such a booke may worke in the will of a yong gentleman, or a yong mayde, that liveth welthelie and idlelie, wise men can judge, and honest men do pitie. And yet ten Morte Arthures do not the tenth part of so much harme, as one of these bookes made in Italie, and translated in England....
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New-fangled Dress.
If some Smithfeild ruffian take up some strange going, some new mowing with the mouth: some wrenchyng with the shoulder, some brave proverbe: some fresh new othe, that is not stale but will run round in the mouth: some new disguised garment, or desperate hat, fond in facion, or garish in colour, what soever it cost, how small soever his living be, by what shift soever it be gotten, gotten must it be, and used with the first, or els the grace of it is stale and gone.
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