Digital Renaissance Editions

Toolbox




Jump to line
Through Line Number
Help on texts
About this text
Print this page

About this text

  • Title: An Humorous Day's Mirth (Quarto 1, 1599)
  • Editor: Eleanor Lowe
  • Coordinating editor: Brett Greatley-Hirsch
  • General textual editor: Helen Ostovich

    • ISBN: 978-1-55058-513-1

    Copyright Digital Renaissance Editions. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: George Chapman
    Editor: Eleanor Lowe
    Peer Reviewed

    An Humorous Day's Mirth (Quarto 1, 1599)

    dayes mirth.
    ere the day bird sung to haue a troope of clyents at thy
    gates, armed with religious suplicatiōs, such as wold make
    sterne Minos laugh to reade: look on our lawyers billes, not
    850one containes virtue or honest drifts; but he cares, he cares,
    he cares; for acorns now are in request, but the okes poore
    fruite did nourish men, men were like okes of body, tough,
    and strong men were like Gyants then, but Pigmies now,
    yet full of villanies as their skinne can hold.
    855Le. How like you this humor my liege?
    King. This is no humour, this is but perfit iudgement.
    Coun. Is this a frensie?
    Mar. O were al men such, men were no men but gods:
    this earth a heauen.
    860Do. See see the shamelesse world, that dares present her
    mortall enemie with these grose ensignes of her lenity, yron
    and steele, vncharitable stuffe, good spittle-founders, ene-
    mies to whole skinnes, as if there were not waies enow to
    die by natural and casuall accidents, diseases, surfeits, braue
    865carowses, old aquavitae, and too base wiues, and thousands
    more hence with this art of murder. But here is goodly
    geare, the soule of man, for tis his better part, take away
    this, and take away their merites, and their spirites, scarce
    dare they come in any publike view, without this counte-
    870nance giuer, and some dares not come, because they haue it
    too, for they may sing, in written books they find it, what is
    it then the fashion, or the cost, the cost doth match, but yet
    the fashion more, for let it be but meane, so in the fashion,
    & tis most gentleman like, is it so? make a hand in the mar-
    875gent, and burne the booke, a large house and a codpeece
    makes a man a codpece, nay indeed but house must down:
    well for your gentle forgers of men, and for you come to
    rest me into fashion, Ile weare you thus, and sit vpon the
    matter.
    880La. And he doth despise our purposes.
    Ca. Beare with him yet my Lorde, hee is not resol-
    ued.
    D 2 La. I
    About
    Contact us
    Content quality
    Site guide
    © Digital Renaissance Editions
    Published by the ISE
    Copyright details
    Privacy policy
    This site is supported by:
    University of Victoria
    University of Western Australia
    Friends of the ISE