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    Not Peer Reviewed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.
    For iu stling armours: er'e the call was done,
    It was so ringd about with groues of pikes,
    That when they brake on both sides to giue way,
    2590The beating of the drum was thunders noise,
    Whil st coates of steele cla sht so on coates of steele,
    Helmets on helmets that they strucke out fire,
    Which shewd like lightning, or those flames that flie
    From the huge Cyclops-hammer, when they sweate
    2595To forge Ioues thunder: And in such a heate
    With quicknes ru sh they armed forth, captaines swore,
    Harne s s e was sure the cloathes they daily wore.
    Men fa ster came to fight then to a fea st.
    Fid. Nay, women sued to vs they might be pre st.
    2600 Parth. Old grandams that on crutches beare vp age,
    Full nimbly buckled Armours on their sonnes,
    And when twas on, she clapt him on his backe,
    And spake thus, runne my boye, fight till th'art dead,
    Thy bloud can neuer be more brauely shed.
    2605 Tita. How are the numbers you haue leuied?
    Fid. What your sea-forces are, this briefe doth speak.
    Elf. We haue rais'd double walls to fence your land.
    The one the bodie of a standing Camp,
    Whose tents by this are pitcht in Beria,
    2610On the shores point, to barre the foe from footing.
    Tita. Ouer that Camp at Beria* we create
    *Tilbury.
    Your Florimell Lieuetenant Generall;
    Elf: The other is to guarde your royall person.
    Tita: Whose charge is yours: the sea Fideli, yours.
    2615 Elf: The standing camp of horsemen and of foore,
    These numbers fill. Launces 253. Horsemen 769.
    Footemen 22000. The mouing Army, which attends on you,
    Is thus made vp: of horsmen & of foote, Launcers 481.
    Light horse-men 1421. Footemen 34050.
    2620 Tita. We do not raise our hopes on points of speares.
    A handfull is an ho st, in a good fight,
    Lambes may beate Lions in a warre not right.
    The Generall of all armies be our leader,
    Bee