of is but the child of sorrow, bred by
discontentments, and nourisht vp with misfortunes, to whosc help
melancholly Saturne gaue his iudgement, the night-bird her inuention, and
the ominous rauen brought a quill taken from his owne wing, dipt in the
inke of misery, as chiefe ayders in this architect of sorrow."

"CHARACTER OF A PRISONER.

A prisoner is an impatient patient, lingring vnder the rough hands of a
cruell phisitian: his creditor hauing cast his water knowes his disease,
and hath power to cure him, but takes more pleasure to kill him. He is
like Tantalus, who hath freedome running by his doore, yet cannot enioy
the least benefit thereof. His greatest griefe is that his credit was so
good and now no better. His land is drawne within the compasse of a
sheepe's skin, and his owne hand the fortification that barres him of
entrance: hee is fortunes tossing-bal, an obiect that would make mirth
melancholy: to his friends an abiect, and a subiect of nine dayes' wonder
in euery barber's shop, and a mouthfull of pitty (that he had no better
fortune) to midwiues and talkatiue gossips; and all the content that this
transitory life can giue him seemes but to flout him, in respect the
restraint of liberty barres the true vse. To his familiars hee is like a
plague, whom they dare scarce come nigh for feare of infection, he is a
monument ruined by those which raysed him, he spends the day with a _hei
mihi! ve miserum_! and the night with a _nullis est medicabilis herbis_."

FOOTNOTES:

[CY] In the church of St. Mary, at Nantwich, in that county, is a monument
erected by Geofry Minshull, of Stoke, Esq. to the memory of his ancestors.
_Historical Account of Nantwich_, 8vo. 1774, page 33. King, in his _Vale
Royal of England_, folio, _Lond._ 1656, page 74, speaks of Minshall-hall,
"a very ancient seat, which hath continued the successions of a
worshipfull race in its own name"--&c.

[CZ] This place of residence was omitted in the second edition.

[DA] The Mainwarings were an old family of repute, being mentioned as
residing near Nantwich, by Leland, _Itin._ vol. 7. pt. i. fol. 43. See
also the list of escheators of Cheshire, in Leycester's _Historical
Antiquities_, folio, Lond. 1673, p. 186.

viii. _Cvres for the Itch. Characters. Epigrams. Epitaphs. By H. P.
Scalpat qui tangitur. London, Printed for Thomas Iones, at the signs of
the Blacke Rauen in the Strand._ 1626. [8vo. containing pp. 142, not
numbered.]

I