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  • Title: The Whore of Babylon (Quarto, 1607)
  • Editors: Frances E. Dolan, Anna Pruitt

  • Copyright Digital Renaissance Editions. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: Thomas Dekker
    Editors: Frances E. Dolan, Anna Pruitt
    Not Peer Reviewed

    The Whore of Babylon (Quarto, 1607)

    The Whore of Babylon.
    2. Card. How (reuerend Como) then?
    1. Card. Thus---let's consult---nay you shal heare.
    230You know that all the springs in Fairie land
    Ran once to one head: from that head, to vs:
    The mountaine and the valley paid vs fruit;
    The field her corne, the countrey felt no heat
    But from our fires: Plenty still spread our boards,
    235And Charitie tooke away. We stept not forth
    But with a god like adoration
    All knees bowed low vnto vs: why was this?
    Why were our gardens Eden? why our bowers
    Built like to those in Paradise? I shall tell you,
    240It was because the Law mo st my sticall,
    Was not made common: therefore was not vile;
    It was because in the great Prophets Phanes
    And hallowed Temples, we were Chori sters:
    It was because (wise Pylots) we from rockes,
    245And gulfes infernall, safely set on shore
    Mens soules at yonder hauen: or (beeing shipwrackt)
    Strong lines forth ca st we, suffering none to sinke
    To that Abi s s e, which some hold bottomle s s e.
    But now our very graues
    250Cannot saue dead mens bones from shame and bruzes:
    The monumentall marble Vrnes of bodies
    (Laid to re st long agoe) vnreuerently
    Are turned to troughes of water now for jades:
    Va st Charnel-houses, where our fathers heads
    255Slept on the cold hard pillowes of the earth,
    Are emptied now, and chang'd to drinking roomes,
    Or vaults for baser office.
    2. Card. What's therefore to be done?
    1. Card. This mu st be done:
    260This shall be done: They hunted vs like wolues,
    Out of their Fairie forre sts, whipt vs away
    (As vagabonds) mockt vs, and said our fall
    Could not be dangerous, because we bore
    Our gods vpon our backes: now mu st we whip them,
    But