Who gives anything to Poor Tom?

Of the Abram, his description.

The Abram Cove, is a lustie strong Roague, who walketh with a Slade about his Quarrons (a sheete about his body) Trining, hanging to his hammes, bandeliere-wise, for all the world as Cut-purses and Thieves weare their sheetes to the Gallowes, in which their Truls are to bury them: oftentimes (because hee scornes to follow any fashions of Hose,) hee goes without breeches, a cut Jerkin with hanging sleeves (in imitation of our Gallants,) but no Sattin or Chamblet elbowes, for both his legges and armes are bare, having no Commission to cover his body, that is to say, no shirt: A face staring like a Sarasin, his hayre long and filthily knotted, for hee keepes no Barber: a good Filch (or Staffe) of growne Ash, or else Hazell, in his Famble (in his Hand) and sometimes a sharpe sticke, on which hee hangeth Ruffe-pecke (Bacon.) These, walking up and downe the Countrey, are more terribly to women and Children, then the name of Raw-head and Bloody-bones, Robbin Good-fellow, or any other Hobgobling. Crackers tyed to a Dogges tayle, make not the poore Curre run faster, then these Abram Ninnies do the silly Villages of the Countrey, so that when they come to any dore a begging, nothing is denyed them.

Their Markes

Some of these Abrams have the Letters E. and R. upon their armes: some have Crosses, and some other marke[s], all of them carrying a blew colour: some weare an iron ring, &c. which markes are printed upon their flesh, by tying their arme hard with two strings three or foure inches asunder, and then with a sharpe Awle pricking or raizing the skinne, to such a figure or print as they best fancy, they rub that place with burnt paper, pisse and Gunpowder, which being hard rubd in, and suffered to dry, stickes in the flesh a long time after, when these markes faile, they renew them at pleasure. If you examine them how these Letters or Figures are printed upon their armes, they will tell you it is the Marke of Bedlam, but the truth is, they are made as I have reported.

And to colour their villanie the better, every one of these Abrams hath a severall gesture in playing his part: some make an horrid noyse, hollowly sounding: some whoope, some hollow, some shew onely a kinde of wilde distracted ugly looke, uttering a simple kinde of Mawnding,* with these addition of words (Well and Wisely.) Some daunce, (but keepe no measure) others leape up and downe, and fetch Gambals, all their actions shew them to be as drunke as Beggers: for not to belye them, what are they but drunken Beggers? All that they begge being eyther Loure or Bouse, (money or drinke.)

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*begging


Thomas Dekker (c. 1572–1632)

from O per se O. Or A new cryer of Lanthorne and candle-light (1612)


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