THE EARLY POTTERIES OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 35 



Ben Jonson, among other allusions, says : 



" Whose, at the best, some round grown thing, a jug 

 Faced with a beard, that fills out to the guests." 



Again, in his " Gipsies metamorphosed," he gives the fol- 

 lowing, which is a somewhat different and more amusing 

 version of the origin of these vessels : 



" Gaze upon this brave spark struck out of Flintshire upon Justice 

 Jug's daughter, then sheriff of the county, who, running away with 

 a kinsman of our captain's, and her father pursuing her to the 

 Marches, he great with justice, she great with jugling, they were 

 both for the time turned into stone upon sight of each other here in 

 Chester; till at last (see the wonder!) a jug of the town ale recon- 

 ciling them,- the memorial of both their gravities his in beard, and 

 hers in belly hath remained ever since preserved in picture upon 

 the most stone jugs of the kingdom." 



In another play is the following : 



" Thou thing, 



Thy belly looks like to some strutting hill, 

 O'ershadowed by thy rough beard like a wood ; 

 Or like a larger jug that some men call 

 A Bellarmine, but we a Conscience ; 

 Whereon the lewder hand of pagan workman 

 Over the proud ambitious head hath carved 

 An idol large, with beard episcopal, 

 Making the vessel look like tyrant Eglon." 



In the curious play of " Epsom Wells," one of the cha- 

 racters, while busy with ale, says : " Uds bud, my head 

 begins to turn round ; but let's into the house. 'Tis dark, 

 we'll have one Bellarmine there, and then Bonus nocius" 



Numberless other allusions might be quoted,but these are 

 sufficient to illustrate the name of the Bellarmine, and to 

 show its common use, and that the ale-pots, by being 

 formed somewhat on the model of his corpulent figure, and 

 with his "hard-mouthed" features impressed in front, be- 

 came a popular and biting burlesque upon the cardinal after 

 whom they were named.* 



* The vulgar name of " mug " for the human face is most probably 

 derived from this source the face on the " oks-mug" or (t ale-pot." 



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