Anon Twelve Ingenious Characters 1686

“He throws away his wealth as heartily as young heirs, or old philosophers, and is so eager of a goal, or a mumper’s wallet, that he will not wait fortune’s leisure to undo him, but rides post to beggar’s bush, and then takes more pains to spend money than day-labourers to get it.”

A “mumper’s wallet” was a beggars bag, another symbol commonly associated with beggars. Thomas Blount (1656) Glossographia or a Dictionary has “To Dun, is a word lately taken up by fancy, and signifies to demand earnestly, or press a man to pay for commodities taken up on trust, or other debt”. The usage is typical of the standard literary usage. Specifically it refers to being brought to poverty by one’s own folly. It also refers to heirs throwing away their inheritances, as did Jane Anger almost one hundred years earlier.

Text

The original work is Twelve ingenious characters, or, Pleasant descriptions of the properties of sundry persons & things : viz. an importunate-dunn, a serjeant or bailiff, a paun-broker, a prison, a tavern, a scold, a bad husband, a town-fop, a bawd, a fair and happy milk-maid, the quacks directory, a young enamourist. London : Printed for S. Norris, and are to be sold by most booksellers, 1686.

This seems to be a standard humourous/improving work describing stock characters and their flaws. Such works were popular giving short portraits of archetypes that fitted the popular prejudices of the times. They are an extension of the humour of Londons Ordinarie, and Thomas Heywood.

This text is mentioned in Nares, Halliwell-Phillips & Wright. This anthology says “BEGGARS BUSH, to go by. One of the numerous proverbial sayings which depended on a punning allusion to the name of a place . . . It means to go on the road to ruin”.

Sources

There is a full text at EEBO for those with access.

Farmer, J.S. & Henley, W.E. (eds) (1890, rev. 1909) Slang and it’s Analogues Past and Present : A Dictionary Historical and Comparative of the Heterodox Speech of all Classes of Sociey, London, Private Subscription

Nares, R, Halliwell-Phillips, J.O., & Wright, T.(eds)  A glossary; or, Collection of words, phrases, names, and allusions to customs, proverbs, etc., which have been thought to require illustration in the works of English authors, particularly Shakespeare and his contemporaries. A new ed., with considerable additions both of words and examples, Reeves & Turner, London, 1888

Posted: April 7th, 2011 | Filed under: Writers | Tags: Jane Anger, Literary, Londons Ordinary, Thomas Heywood, Twelve Ingenious Characters | No Comments »