“Fool. This cold night will turn us all to fools and madmen.

“Edgar. Take heed o’ the foul fiend:  obey thy parents; keep thy word justly; swear not; commit not with man’s sworn spouse;[1] set not thy sweet heart on proud array:  Tom’s a-cold.

“Lear. What hast thou been?

“Edgar. A serving-man, proud in heart and mind, that curled my hair, wore my gloves in my cap, served the lust of my mistress’ heart, and did the act of darkness with her;[2] swore as many oaths as I spake words, and broke them in the sweet face of heaven; one that slept in the contriving of lust, and waked to do it; wine loved I deeply; dice dearly; and in women out-paramoured the Turk:  false of heart, light of ear, bloody of hand; hog in sloth, fox in stealth, wolf in greediness, dog in madness, lion in prey.  Let not the creaking of shoes, nor the rustling of silks, betray thy poor heart to woman; keep thy foot out of brothels, thy hand out of plackets,[3] thy pen from lenders’ books, and defy the foul fiend."[4]

[Footnote 1:  Cf. sec. 70, and note.]

[Footnote 2:  Cf. sec. 70, and note.]

[Footnote 3:  Placket probably here means pockets; not, as usual, the slip in a petticoat.  Tom was possessed by Mahu, the prince of stealing.]

[Footnote 4:  l. 82, et seq.]

This must be read in conjunction with what Edgar says of himself subsequently:—­

“Five fiends have been in poor Tom at once; of lust, as Obidicut; Hobbididance, prince of dumbness; Mahu, of stealing; Modo, of murder; Flibbertigibbet, of mopping and mowing; who since possesses chamber-maids and waiting-women."[1]

[Footnote 1:  Act IV. i. 61.]

The following are the chief parts of the account given by Harsnet of the exorcism of Mainy by Weston—­a most extraordinary transaction,—­said to be taken from Weston’s own account of the matter.  He was supposed to be possessed by the devils who represented the seven deadly sins, and “by instigation of the first of the seven, began to set his hands into his side, curled his hair, and used such gestures as Maister Edmunds present affirmed that that spirit was Pride.[1] Heerewith he began to curse and to banne, saying, ’What a poxe do I heare?  I will stay no longer among a company of rascal priests, but goe to the court and brave it amongst my fellowes, the noblemen there assembled.’[2] ...  Then Maister Edmunds did proceede againe with his exorcismes, and suddenly the sences of Mainy were taken from him, his belly began to swell, and his eyes to stare, and suddainly he cried out, ‘Ten pounds in the hundred!’ he called for a scrivener to make a bond, swearing that he would not lend his money without a pawne....  There could be no other talke had with this spirit but money and usury, so as all the company deemed this devil to be the author of Covetousnesse....[3]

[Footnote 1:  “A serving-man, proud of heart and mind, that curled my hair,” etc.—­l. 87; cf. also l. 84.  Curling the hair as a sign of Mainy’s possession is mentioned again, Harsnet, p. 57.]