210 ARTISTIC REPRESENTATIONS 



" Here Lent and Shrovetyde claime their "proper right, 

 Are both resolved, and prepar'd to fight. 

 Lent, armed at all points, from the foot to the head, 

 A fishing-net hath for his banner spread. 

 An angling-rod he in his hand doth beare 

 To show that lakes, and ponds, and rivers cleare \ 

 Are at his command j eels, carpe, pike, tench, 

 Or lobster, which the brinish sea doth drench, 

 Are by his hook or crooke, his powers will get, 

 And make all fish that comes into his net ; 

 A boyling kettle in his helmet fit, 

 (For Lent has small use for a roasting spit) 

 Thus mounted on a horse that ne'er eat hay, 

 Lent meets with Shrovetyde, and begins to say : 

 I now am come to mundifie and cleare, 

 The base abuses of this lost past yeare ; 

 Thou puff-paunch'd monster (Shrovetyde), thou art he, 

 That were ordain'd the latter end to be 

 Of forty-five weekes gluttony now past, 

 Which I in seven weekes come to cleanse at last ; 

 Your feasting I will turn to fasting dyet, 

 Your cookea shall have some leisure to be quiet ; 

 Your mosques, pomps, playes, and all your vain expence, 

 I'll change to sorrow and to penitence 5 

 I will reforme you, and I hither came 

 To keep flesh with you. Your proud flesh to tame ; 

 Let butchers cleave their cleavers and their knives, 

 Hang up their axes, let their men or wives 

 Make things for future uses if they please ; 

 I come to give them all a writ of ease ; 

 To calves, lambs, pigs, hens, capons, all I give 

 Froe leave to multiply, increase and live ; 



