The Art of Iugling or Legerdemaine

Excerpt

The
Art of Iugling or
Legerdemaine.

Heretofore we haue runne ouer the two pestiferous carbuncles in the commonwealth, the Egyptians and common Canters: the poore Canters we haue canuased meetely well, it now remaines to proceede where I left, ond to goe forward with that before I promised: St. Quintane be my good speede, I know I haue runne thorow the hands of many, censured of diuers, & girded at not of a few: But humanity is euer willinger to loue then hate: curtesie much forwarder to commend then dispraise: clemency infinitely proner to absolue then to cõdemn. Is it not possible to find sauery hearbs amõg netles, roses among prickles, berries among bushes, marrow among bones, grain among stubble, and a little corne among a great deale of chaffe? In the rankest and strongest poysons, pure and sweet balmes may be distilled, and some matter or other worthy to be remembred may be embraced, whosoeuer is Author. There is nothing so exceeding foolish but hath bene defended by some wise man, nor any thing so passing wise, but hath bene confuted by some foole: Tut, St. Barnard saw not all things, and the best cart may eftsoones ouerthrow: That curld pate Rufus that goes about with Zoylus to carpe and finde fault, must bring the Standard of iudgement with him, and make wisedome the moderater of his wit, otherwise they may be like to purchase to themselues the worshipfull names of Dunces and Dottipoles. So much by the way.

These kinde of people about an hundred yeares agoe, about the twentith yeare of King Henry the eight, began to gather an head, at the first heere about the Southerne parts, and this (as I am informed) and as I can gather, was their beginning.

Certaine Egiptians banished their cuntry (belike not for their good conditions) ariued heere in England, who being excellent in quaint trickes and deuises, not known heere at that time among vs, were esteemed and had in great admiration, for what with strangenesse of their attire and garments, together with their sleights and legerdemaines, they were spoke of farre and neere, insomuch that many of our English loyterers ioyned with them, and in time learned their craft and cosening. The speach which they vsed was the right Egiptian language, with whome our Englishmen conuersing with, at last learned their language. These people continuing about the cuntry in this fashion, practising their cosening art of fast and loose, and legerdemaine, purchased to themselues great credit among the cuntry people, and got much by Palmistry, and telling of fortunes: insomuch they pittifully cosoned the poore cuntry girles, both of mony, siluer spoones, and the best of their apparrell, or any good thing they could make, onely to heare their fortunes.

This Giles Hather (for so was his name) together with his whore Kit Calot, in short space had following them a pretty traine, he tearming himselfe the King of Egiptians, and she the Queene, ryding about the cuntry at their pleasures vncontrolled: at last about forty yeres after, when their knauery began to be espied, and that their cosonages were apparant to the world, (for they had continued neere thirty yeares after this manner, pilling and polling, and cosening the cuntry) it pleased the Councell to looke more narrowly into their liues, and in a Parliament made in the first and second yeares of Phillip and Mary, there was a strict Statute made, that whosoeuer should transport any Egiptians into this Realme, should forfeit forty pounds: Moreouer, it was then enacted, that such fellowes as tooke vpon them the name of Egiptians, aboue the age of fourteene, or that shall come ouer and be transported into England, or any other persons, and shall be seene in the company of vagabonds, calling themselues Egiptians, or counterfeiting, transforming, or disguising themselues by their apparrell, speach, or other behauiours like vnto Egiptians, and so shall continue, either at one or seuerall times, by the space of a month, they should be adiudged fellons, not allowed their booke or Clergy....