The Vnfortunate Traveller, or The Life Of Jack Wilton

by Thomas Nash

whosehelmet was crowned with nothing but cipresse and willow garlands, ouerhis armor he had on _Himens_ nuptiall robe died in a duskie yelow, andall to be defaced and discoloured with spots & staines. The enigma,_Nosquoque floritnus_, as who shuld saie, we haue bin in fashion, hisstead was adorned with orenge tawnie eies, such as those haue that hauethe yellowe iandies, that make all things yellow they looke vpon, withthis briefe, _Qui inuident egent_. Those that enuie are hungrie. Thesixth was the knight of the stormes, whose helmet was round moulded likethe Moone, and all his armour like waues, whereon the shine of the Moonesleightly siluerd, perfectly represented Mooneshine in the water, hisbases were the banks or shores that bounded in the streames. The spokewas this, _Frustra picus_, as much to say, as fruitles seruice. On hisshield he set forth a lion driuen from his praie by a dunghill cocke.The worde, _Non vi sed voce_, not by violence but by his voice.

  The seuenth had lyke the gyants that sought to scale heauen in despightof Jupiter, a mount ouerwhelming his head and whole bodie. His basesoutlayde with armes and legges which the skirts of that mountain leftvncouered. Under this did hee characterise a man desirous to climbeto the heauen of honour, kept vnder with the mountaine of his princescommand, and yet had hee armes and legges exempted from the suppressionof the mountaine. The word, _Tu mihi criminis author_ (alluding to hisPrinces commaund) thou art the occasion of my imputed cowardise. Hishorse was trapt in the earthie stringes of tree rootes, which thoughtheir increase was stubbed downe to the grounde, yet were they notvtterly deaded, but hop'd for an after resurrection. The worde, _Spealor_, I hope for a spring. Uppon his shield hee bare a ball strikendowne with a mans hand that it might mount The worde, _Ferior vtefferar_, I suffer my selfe to bee contemned because I will climbe. Theeighth had all his armour throughout engrayled lyke a crabbed brieriehawthorne bush, out of which notwithstanding sprung (as a good Childeof an ill Father) fragraunt Blossomes of delightfull Maye Flowers, thatmade (according to the nature of Maye) a most odoriferous smell. Inmiddest of this his snowie curled top, rounde wrapped together, on theascending of his creast sate a solitarie nightingale close encaged witha thorne at her breast, hauing this mot in her mouth, _Luctus monumentamanebunt_. At the foote of this bush represented on his bases, lay anumber of blacke swolne Toades gasping for winde, and Summer liu'degrashoppers gaping after deaw, both which were choakt with excessiuedrouth, and for want of shade. The word, _Nan sine vulnere viresco_, Ispring not without impediments, alluding to the Toades and such lyke,that earst laye sucking at his rootes, but nowe were turnd out, andneere choakt with drought His horse was suited in blacke sandie earth(as adiacent to this bush) which was here and there patched with shortburnt grasse, and as thicke inke dropped with toyling ants & emetsas euer it might crall, who in the full of the summer moone, (ruddiegarnished on his horses forehead) hoorded vp theyr prouision of grainagaynst winter. The word _Victrix fortuno sapientia_, prouidencepreuents misfortune. On his shield he set forth the picture of deathdoing almes deeds to a number of poore desolate children. The word,_Nemo alius explicate_ No other man takes pittie vpon vs. What hismeaning was heerein I cannot imagine, except death had done him and hisbrethren some greate good turne in ridding them of some vntoward parentor kinsman that woulde haue beene their confusion, for else I cannot seehowe death shoulde haue beene sayde to doe almes deedes, except hehad depriued them sodainly of their liues, to deliuer them out of somefurther miserie, which coulde not in anie wise bee because they were yetliuing.

  The ninth was the infant knight, who on his armour had ennameld a pooreyoung infant, put into a shippe without tackling, masts, furniture, orany thing. This weather beaten and ill apparelled shippe was shaddowedon his bases, and the slender compasse of his body set forth the rightpicture of an infant The waues wherein the ship was tossed were frettedon his steads trappings so mouingly, that euer as he offered to boundeor stirre, they seemed to bounse, and tosse, and sparkle brine out oftheyr hoarie siluer billowes. Theyr mot, _Inopem me copia fecit_, asmuch to saie, as the rich praye makes the theefe.

  On his shielde hee expressed an olde Goate that made a young tree towither onely with biting it. The worde thereto _Primo extinguor in ouo_,I am frostbitten ere I come out of the blade.

  It were here too tedious to manifest all the discontented or amorousdeuises yt were vsed in that turnament. The shieldes onely of some fewI wil touch to make short worke. One bare for his impresse the eies ofyong swallowes comming againe after they were pluckt out, with this mot,_Et addit et addimit_, your beautie both bereaues and restores my sight.Another a siren smiling when the sea rageth and ships are ouerwhelmed,including a cruell woman, that laughs, singes and scornes at her louerstears, and the tempests of his despaire, the word _Cuncta pereunt_,all my labor is ill imploid. A third being troubled with a curst, atrecherous and wanton wanton wife, vsed this similitude. On his shild hecaused to be limmed _Pompeies_ ordinance for paracides, as namely a manput into a sack with a cocke, a serpent and an ape, interpreting thathis wife was a cocke for her crowing, a serpent for her stinging, and anape for her vnconstant wantonnesse, with which ill qualities hee wasso beset, that thereby hee was throwen into a sea of grief. The worde_Extremum malorum mulier_, The vtmost of euils is a woman. A fourth,who being a person of suspected religion, was continually hanted withintelligencers and spies that thought to praie vppon him for that heehad, he could not deuise which waie to shape them off, but by makingaway that he had. To obscure this, hee vsed no other fansie but a numberof blinde flies, whose eies the colde had closed, the word _Aurum redditacutissimum_, Gold is the onely phisicke for the eiesight A fifth, whosemistres was fallen into a consumption, and yet would condiscend to notreatie of loue, emblazond for his complaint, grapes that witherd forwant of pressing. The dittie to the mot, _Quid regna sine vsu_. I willrehearse no more, but I haue an hundred other, let this be the vpshotof these shewes, they were the admirablest that euer Florence yelded. Toparticularize their maner of encounter, were to describe the whol art oftilting. Some had like to haue falle ouer their horse neck and so breaketheir neckes in breaking their staues. Others ranne at a buckle in steadof a button, & peraduenture whetted their spears pointes, idlely glidingon their enemies sides, but did no other harme. Others ranne a crosse attheyr aduersaries left elbow, yea, and by your leaue sometimes let notthe lists scape scot-free they were so eager. Others because theywould be sure not to be vnsadled with the shocke, when they came to thespeares vtmost proofe, they threw it ouer the right shoulder, and sotilted backward, for forwarde they durst not Another had a monstrousspite at the pommell of his riuals saddle, and thought to haue thrusthis speare twixt his legges without rasing anie skinne, and carriedhim cleane awaie on it as a coolestaffe. Another held his speare tohis nose, or his nose to his speare, as though he had ben discharging acaliuer, and ranne at the right foote of his fellowes stead. Onely theearle of Surry my master obserued y true measures of honor, and made allhis encounterers new scoure their armor in the dust. So great was hisglorie y daie, as _Geraldine_ was therby etemally glorifide. Neuersucha bountifull master came amongst the heralds (not that he did inrich thewith anie plentifull purse largesse) but that by his sterne assaulteshee tithed them more rich offals of bases, of helmets, of armour, thanthe rent of their offices came to in ten yeres before. What would youhaue more, the trumpets proclaimed him master of the field, the trumpetsproclaimed _Geraldine_ the exceptionlesse fayrest of women. Euerie onestriued to magnifie him more than other. The Duke of Florence, whosename (as my memorie serueth me) was _Paschal de Medices_, offered himsuch large proffers to staie with him as it were vncredible to reportHe would not, his desire was as hee had done in Florence, so to proceedethroughout all the chiefe cities in Italy. If you aske why he began notthis at Venice first. It was because he would let Florence his mistresnatiue citie haue the maidenhead of his chiualrie. As hee came backeagaine hee thought to haue enacted something there worthie the Annalsof posteritie, but he was debard both of that and all his otherdeterminations, for continuing in feasting and banketting with the Dukeof Fl
orence and the Princes of Italy there assembled, posthast letterscame to him from the king his master, to returne as speedily as he couldpossible into England, wherby his fame was quite cut off by the shins,and there was no repriue but _Bazelus manus_, hee must into England, andI with my curtizan trauelled forward in Italy.

  What aduentures happened him after we parted, I am ignorant, butFlorence we both forsooke, and I hauing a wonderful ardent inclinationto see Rome the Queen of the world, & metrapolitane mistres of all othercities, made thether with my bag and baggage as fast as I could.

  Attained thether, I was lodged at the house of one _Iohannes de Imola_ aRoman caualiero. Who being acquainted with my curtisans deceased dotinghusband, for his sake vsd vs with all the familiaritie that might be. Heshewed vs all the monuments that were to be seene, which are as manyas ther haue beene Emperours, Consuls, Orators, Conquerours, famouspainters or plaiers in Rome. Till this