1. The moorish Brier, that only grows in rank and fen•e places, & is nourished with rotten mud, and such squalid putrefaction. There is a generation of men like these briars, given to drunkenness, whose affections are fed only with the moisture of the pot. They cannot live but in fenny and moorish places. Pliny saith, that adders & toads love and eat the fruits of these briars; and it is the food of serpents. The effects of drunkenness (in like sort) is a condiment for the devil. Augustine somewhat near our purpose, when he compares drunken places to the fens; where are bred snakes and serpents, and such vile noxious things, which every year must be burned. It were a good turn, if these moorish brambles were stocked up by the roots. If you ask how you should rid them; I will not point you to the Fen-men, who to make quick dispatch of their annoyances, set fire on their fens: but I will give you another precedent. When a king asked how he might be rid of certain noisome fowls, which came abundantly flying into his land; one answered him. Nidos eorum ubique destruendos: that the only means was to destroy their nests in every place. So if you would be shut of these moorish briers, the course is to destroy their ⟨p. 127⟩nests; their haunts, and rendezvous, as they term them; the common quagmires of all filthiness. The ale houses are their nests & cages, where they exhaust and lavish out their goods, and lay plots and devises how to get more. Hence they fall either to robbing, or cheating; open courses of violence, or secret mischiefs: till at last the Jail prepares them for the gibbet. For lightly they sing thorough a red lattice, before they cry through an iron grate. And when those briars are hampered, & put into prisons; it is said, that those places teach them more villainy then they knew before. That when a lewd fellow comes out of prison, he is furnished with such a pack of mischiefs, that he now sets up school, and teacheth others. It is wonderful, that places ordained for reformation, should be instructions of worse lewdness. I speak not against mercy: but experience & truth witnesseth that the mercy of some times is cruelty. And the pity to a notorious malefactor argues us of a hard heart, & of unmercifulness to the common-wealth.
1. The moorish Bryer, that onely growes in ranke and fen•e places, & is nourished with rotten mud, and such squalid putrefaction. There is a generatiō of men like these bryars, giuen to drunkennesse, whose affections are fed only with the moisture of the pot. They cannot liue but in fenny and moorish places. Pliny saith, that addars & toads loue and eat the fruits of these bryars; and it is the food of serpents. The effects of drunkennes (in like sort) is a condiment for the diuell. Augustine somewhat neare our purpose, when he compares drunken places to the fens; where are bred snakes and serpents, and such vile noxious things, which euery yeare must be burned. It were a good turne, if these morish brambles were stocked vp by the roots. If you ask how you should rid them; I will not point you to the Fen-men, who to make quick dispatch of their anoiances, set fire on their fens: but I wil giue you another precedent. When a king asked how he might be rid of certain noisome fowles, which came abundantly flying into his land; one answered him. Nidos eorum vbique destruendos: that the only means was to destroy their nests in euery place. So if you would be shut of these morish bryers, the course is to destroy their ⟨p. 127⟩nests; their haunts, and rendeuous, as they terme them; the common quagmires of all filthinesse. The ale houses are their nests & cages, where they exhaust and lauish out their goods, and lay plots and deuises how to get more. Hence they fal either to robbing, or cheating; open courses of violence, or secret mischiefs: till at last the Iayle prepares thē for the gibbet. For lightly they sing thorough a red lattice, before they cry through an irō grate. And when those bryars are hamperd, & put into prisons; it is said, that those places teach them more villanie then they knew before. That when a lewd fellow comes out of prison, he is furnished with such a pack of mischiefs, that he now sets vp schoole, and teacheth others. It is wonderfull, that places ordained for reformation, should bee instructions of worse lewdnes. I speak not against mercy: but experience & truth witnesseth that the mercy of some times is crueltie. And the pittie to a notorious malefactor argues vs of a hard heart, & of vnmercifulnes to the common-wealth.
