Saint Albones is a goodly Towne,The descrip­tion of that goodly Town St. Albons, with the di­stance thereof from London. scituate in the County of Hertford; and of di­stance from London (according to the compute of the ablest Carriers of that Roade) some twenty miles. This Town is very ancient, or as I may so say, a Borough Town, sending Burgomasters to the Parliament. It is like­wise [Page 2]a Corporation,The Maior. having yearly a Maior of Wor­ship elected for the better administration of Ju­stice.The Church. The Church belonging to this Towne is of a curious structure, and very large, famous for the Tombe of Humphrey, Tombe of Duke Hum­phrey. called the good Duke of Glocester, sonne of King Henry the fourth, brother to King Henry the fifth, and uncle to King Henry the sixth,See Hollen­shead, Martin, Stow, Speed, and Shakspeare in the second part of Henry the sixth. in whose raigne the said good Duke was murthered, and was buried in this Church of Saint Albons. This Duke leaving behind him the best monument, a good name, had his memory much reverenced, insomuch, that many (those being su­perstitious times) held him for a Saint.The Duke a Saint. Now it for­tuned that an old man, having been long impotent in his feet,Here begins the story of the old man, Shakspeare, ut supra. could not be cured; but after he had spent all he had on Chirurgions and Doctors, was at last faine to be content with this unreasonable salve, You are past cure. This old man I say, after all this, yet dispaired not, but calling to minde this good Duke of Glocester, hre resolved to make him his particular Saint, and imposing unto himselfe a confidence,He makes the Duke his par­ticular Saint. that by going to this good Dukes tombe, and invoking him for help, that thereup­on he should be cured.

This poore soule went unto the Tombe, rejoyce­ing as he went,He goes to his Tombe. with a conceit of being made whole; but (a thing not to be spoken) the old man no soon­er offered up his hands in Orrisons to the Duke,Infandum but the Duke sent downe such an Almes into his legs, that the old man went away frisking and skip­ping like a young colt.

But now Reader, from the Tombe of Saint [Page 3] Humphrey, turne thee to the Bull at Saint Albons, Here begins the Devils story. which Inne is as famous as the Tombe wee spoke of; only Reader I pray thee observe, that these two memorable accidents should happen in the two most memorable places of the Towne;Note Reader. for who hast not heard of the Tombe of Saint Humphrey, and how the old man was cured? And who hath not heard of the Bull at Saint Albons? but how the Devill appeared there in the likenesse of a Ramme, I shall now relate.

This Inne called the Bull at Saint Albons, Description of the Bull at Saint Albons, with the com­modities thereof. hath not only good victuals of all sorts, as flesh, fish, and fowle, to entertaine travellers withall, but al­so good store of refreshing wine, viz. Sack, Claret, and white wine. This wine lieth in a large Cellar that is cut under ground, a great way from the house,Description of the Cellar, where the De­vill was seen. and having no cealing but the earth, out of which it is taken. Now it fortuned that an old acquain­tance of the Hoasts travelling that way, came to lodge with his good friend the Hoast on mun­day night last, being the 27. of November last past; the good joviall Inne-keeper was very glad to see his ancient acquaintance, and as a testimony thereof, he commands one of his Drawers to goe downe, and pierce a fresh But of Sack that stood at the furthermost end of all the Cellar.

The Drawer takes a candle in his hand,The Drawer goes downe into the Cel­lar. and very nimbly slirs downe the staires, goes to the appoint­ed vessell, and pierces it but whiles the wine vvas running into the pot, he casts his eyes aside, and savv a huge black thing like a Ramme,He sees the Devill having glas­sie eyes, shag haire, wreathed hornes, and (which [Page 4]assured him it was the Devill) cloven feet.Hereafter for shame, let none deny that the Devill hath cloven feet. The Dravver stood so long amazed at this horrid appa­rition, that the pot overslowd even to the ground, at least a gallon, and the Drawer being so wise, as to take care for himself in the first place,Note the poli­cy of this Drawer in the extremity of his feare. for his bet­ter lightnesse, flings wine and pot away, and leaving the vessell running, with a strange alacrity mounts the staires, appearing to his Master and Mistris, and many other beholders, very pale, and distracted with some strange chance that had happened. At last his feare burst out into these words, Oh Master! the Devill is in the Cellar, and appeared to me, and I was so frighted, that I left the vessell running, and came up as you see; the Hoast answers him with a box on the eare, which he felt, calling him faint-hearted rogue, and that it was nothing but feare which made him conceit such a thing:The Hoast de­scends the staires, and af­ter he had seen the Devill, sommersets them up again. But the Hoasts wife saying, husband, though you venture your selfe with the Devill, yet, let us not lose our wine; the Hoast obeyes his wife, and taking a can­dle, he valiantly descends the staires, running vvith all hast towards the further end of the Cel­lar, to stop the vessell, the Devill with his hornes meets him full butt in the midst of the way, the Hoast not being used to see the Devil,Note that to Somerset, is to tosse heels over head, and to light on heeles again, the word is frequent a­mongst tum­blers at this day. knew not how to look on him, but casting himselfe backward, like an activetumbler, never left playing the Sommer­set, till he mounted the staires: and shaking and qua­king, swore that he had seen the fearfullest, ugliest Devill that ever he saw in his life, and that he should have all his wine, before he would venture to stop a drop of it. These outcries bring all the neighbors [Page 5]into the Inn; & amongst the rest a Butcher, worthi­ly deemed, and taken to be the stoutest man,The Butcher with his in­dowments described. both of heart and hands, within the jurisdiction of the Maioraltie, he had broke two armes the last foot­ball playing, and woud knock down an Oxe with an Axe 7 pound lighter at the helme then any other could; briefly,Note that the Sack run all this while of it own accord. he was the very George of Green of St Albons. The said Butcher manfully looking on these affrighted ones, couragiously asked what was the matter, or what could make them so fear­full; the Hoast replys that the devill was in the Cel­lar, and had appeared to him and his man in the likenesse of a black Ram, telling him withall, how they had left a But of Sack running, and promising the Butcher, that if he would venter down and stop the vessel,The Butcher goes down in­to the Cellar-Note that non went downe without a can­dle. he would give him a gallon of the best Sack he had; the Butcher looking somewhat surly, as being angry they should make a doubt of his prowesse; snatches up a candle, and swears that he would fetch up the devill Ram, stick him, and quar­ter him, to make amends for the black Ram he had lately lost.He stopt the vessell. Armed with this resolution, down he goes, and nothing regarding the devill, he goes first and stops the vessell,He vanquish­eth and bring­eth up the De­vill. & suddenly turning himself a­bout, he cast his angry eye upon the devill, and af­ter he had looked so long, as to perceive how his hornes grew, he steps to the devill, and seiseth on his hornes with his approved hands. The cunning devil, knowing by instinct, that he could not prevaile a­gainst true valour, meek as a sheep, suffers himself to be dragged up the staires, the noise whereof makes all retire to their ground, at the furthermost [Page 6]end of the roome,The Butchers speech after he had brought up the Devill. but the Butcher no sooner come up with his infernall captive, but thus he speakes, Loe here is that fiend of darknesse, which shall dearly pay for frighting you, for I vow to manacle his feet,Some incre­dulous people seeking to de­ceive the truth, impudently give it our, that the earth falling into the Cellar, a black Ram fell in there­with, which Ram the Butcher had lost the day before, sed benigne lector utere sa­pientia tua. and carry him to my slaughter house, cut his throat, flea off his skin, & sell his flesh, & this by Lu­cifer his Prince, I sweare to performe. Allapplaud­ed the Butcher, & the Hoast thanked him for saving his Sack: But the butcher intending to prosecute his revenge against the now silly quiet devill, hales him to his slaughter house, cuts his throat, fleas off his skin, sells all of him but a hinde quarter he had reserved for his owne supper, to which supper he invites many of his friends, who eate heartily of his flesh, and pickt his bones, whilst the Butchers story of this his atcheivement, together with his hoasts wine, made excellent sauce to this hellish foode, so that merrily downe it went the Devill and all,That the Devill may, and hath often appear­ed, Read Frier Rush, Dr. Faustus, Dr. Lambe and that man of men, and glo­rie of the black art, the famous Lilly now living. at which mirth I leave them.

Claudite jam Rivos, pueri sat prata biberunt.

I might have inlarged this discourse with a querie, whether cuckolds go to hell or no, since as it appears by this story, the devill himself hath hornes, but I affect brevity, especially when the question depends not on the thing related.

Curteous Reader, I thought good according to Brittanicus custom, to add a Comment to this my concise relation, this being (as most of the learned wil avouch) of equall validitie with any thing he ever writ.