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The dolefull Lamentation of Cheap-side Crosse, which was basely abused and wronged.
I, Iasper Crosse, scituated in Cheap-side, London, upon Munday night, being the 24 of Ianuarie, the signe being in the head and face, which made me the more suffer; and in the yeare one thousand sixe hundred forty and one, when almost everie man is to seek a new Religion; and being then high water at London Bridge, as their braines and heads were full of malice and envy: I the foresaid Iasper Crosse was assaulted and battered in the Kings high way, by many violent and insolent minded people, or rather ill-affected Brethren; and whether they were in the heighth of zeale, or else overcome with passion, or new wine lately come from New-England, I cannot be yet resolved; but this I am sure, and it may bee plainly seen by all that passe by me, that I was much abused and defaced, by a sort of people which I cannot terme better than a mad and giddy headed multitude, who were gathered together from all parts, to wrong my antiquity, and ancient renowned name, so much spoken of in forraine parts. Had I ever done these my Brethren the least offence, I should be sorrie, and am still willing to submit and referre my selfe to the grave and most just Senators now assembled.
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Love and charity, those my brethren had none at all; for what benefit or credite did it bring to them to come by night like theeves, to steale from me here a leg, there a head, here an arm, and there a nose; they did all goe away from mee the Crosse with profit: they have not done me so much dishonor as they have done themselves, and the honourable City, whose civill government is a patterne to all Nations: But I will tell you, my croste1 brethren, you both at that time wanted wit and money: wit to govern your hot and over-boyling zeale, and crosse2 money to pay your Land-lords rent: that is a crosse3 to you, not I: and so wanting such crosses4 as those, would bee revenged of me, to satisfie your malitious crosse5 humours; I am but your stocking horse,6 and colour for your future malice, your rage will not cease though you should pull mee downe, and make me levill with the ground: And when so done, then you wil cry out that there be crosses7 in the goldsmithes shops; which is plate and jewels, standing upon crosse8 shelves, those be the crosses you intend, though your pretence be otherwais: Next the Mercers shops whose Satten and Velvet lie a crosse,9 and whose Counters are acrosse their shops: Then the next crosses which you will finde fault withall; will bee with those rich monied men, whose bags lye crose10 in their chests; then with their wives if they bee handsome which you will make to be crosses11 too, in a short space: I say deare brethren, if you be suffered to pull downe all things that are acrosse[,]12 you will dare to pull a Magistrate of his horse, because he rides acrosse his horseback, and pull his chaine to peices because it hangs acroste his shoulders, and if a millers horse comes to market with a sack of corn acrosse his horseback, and if you say it is a crosse, you then violently wil run and pul it down, and share it as you have done part of me the crosse: And at length then our Churches will prove crosses to you, specially if they have bin builded in popish times, & so in processe of time every thing wil be a crosse to you that you either love or hate: But I will conclude with this caution that as long as we have such cross people; crosse every way, especially to Majestrates and men of Authority, and still go unpunished, we shall alwayes have such crosse doings, and so I poore Ieffrey Crosse leave you to your crosse wives, and your own crosse opinions.
FINIS.

Notes

  1. I.e., crossed. Several possible meanings, including bearing or wearing a cross (OED crossed adj.1.), thwarted (OED crossed adj.3.a.), and having a cross to bear (OED crossed adj.3.b.). (JJ)↑
  2. Of the English coins in circulation, many had a cross stamped on the reverse. They were legal tender as long as the cross had not been clipped. (JJ)↑
  3. I.e., burden. (JJ)↑
  4. I.e., coins. The cross marked on many coins came to stand synecdochically for the coin itself. With puns on other meanings (Fischer 62–63). (JJ)↑
  5. Given to opposition (OED cross adj.5.a.) and/or ill-tempered, peevish, petulant (OED cross adj.5.b.). (JJ)↑
  6. I.e., stalking horse. An underhand means or expedient for making an attack or attaining some sinister object; usually, a pretext put forward for this purpose (OED stalking-horse n.2.b.). The speaker’s point is that the rabble attacks the Cheapside Cross only to justify the theft of other kinds of crosses. (JJ)↑
  7. I.e., Jewellery in the shape of a cross, or church plate; possibly coins, given that goldsmiths were known for exchanging gold for silver and vice versa, and, by 1641, for taking deposits of coin and issuing promissory notes. (JJ)↑
  8. Having a traverse direction (OED cross-comb.1.b.(a)(i).) (JJ)↑
  9. Possibly with sense of cut on the bias. (JJ)↑
  10. Possibly a compositorial misreading of close. (JJ)↑
  11. Possibly A trial or affliction (OED cross n.10.a or 10.b.), if the implication is that the addressees, by finding fault with the wives of rich men, will turn the husbands into cuckolds. (JJ)↑
  12. Comma added for clarity. (JJ)↑

References

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MLA citation

Anonymous. Excerpt from The Doleful Lamentation of Cheapside Cross. The Map of Early Modern London, Edition 7.0, edited by Janelle Jenstad, U of Victoria, 05 May 2022, mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/7.0/DOLE2.htm.

Chicago citation

Anonymous. Excerpt from The Doleful Lamentation of Cheapside Cross. The Map of Early Modern London, Edition 7.0. Ed. Janelle Jenstad. Victoria: University of Victoria. Accessed May 05, 2022. mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/7.0/DOLE2.htm.

APA citation

Anonymous. 2022. Excerpt from The Doleful Lamentation of Cheapside Cross. In J. Jenstad (Ed), The Map of Early Modern London (Edition 7.0). Victoria: University of Victoria. Retrieved from https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/editions/7.0/DOLE2.htm.

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Provider: University of Victoria
Database: The Map of Early Modern London
Content: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

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PY  - 2022
DA  - 2022/05/05
CY  - Victoria
PB  - University of Victoria
LA  - English
UR  - https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/7.0/DOLE2.htm
UR  - https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/7.0/xml/standalone/DOLE2.xml
ER  -

TEI citation

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