Digital Renaissance Editions

About this text

  • 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    Not Peer Reviewed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.
    That counterfets thy voyce, and calles forth men
    To their de struction.
    1805 Plain. How full of the small poxe shee is, what ayles shee to
    stamp thus? is the whore mad? how now? Yea do you rise before
    Doomes day; father Time, what conduit-pipes are these, that
    breake out of the earth thus?
    Time. The conduit-heads of treason, which conuey
    1810Conspiracies, scandals, & ciuill discord,
    Ma s s acres, poysonings, wrackes of faith and fealtie
    Through Fairies hearts, to turne them into elues:
    See Truth, see sonne, the snake slips off his skinne,
    A scholler makes a ruffian.
    1815 Plain. Now mu st that ruffian cuffe the scholler, if I were as he.
    Time. And see, that snape which ear st shew'd reuerend,
    And wore, the outward badge of sanctitie,
    Is cloath'd in garments of hypocri sie.
    Plaine. See, see, father, he ha's a iacke in a boxe: whats that?
    1820 Time. A wild bea st, a mad bull, a bull that roares,
    To fright allegiance from true subiects bosoms;
    That Bull mu st bellow, at the Flamins gate:
    His gate, that tends the flockes of all those sheep,
    That graze in the fat st pa sture of the land,
    1825Beeing all inclos'd: that bull will on his backe
    Beare all.
    Plain. Whither? whither?
    Time. To hell: tis said to heauen
    That will but sit him, till with hoofe or horne,
    1830He goare the annointed Fairie.
    Plain. Such Bulls haue I seene sent out of Babylon, to runne at
    people: I should once haue rid vpon one of thē, but he that beg'd
    my office, broke his necke by the bargaine, and sau'd me a la-
    bour: whats he with the sword, a ma ster of the noble Science?
    1835 Truth. A noble villaine: see, he pulls down heauen
    With imprecations, if that blade he sheath not,
    In our sweet mi stre s s e brea st.
    Plain. O rogue! what good cloathes hee weares, and yet is a (villaine?
    Time. I, doe: clap hands vpon't, that poysoned gloue,
    1840Shall strike thee dead to death, with the strong sent
    Of thy discouered treason.
    Plain
    G3