George Gascoigne

Esta experiencia dio lugar a los relatos The Fruites of Warres (impresa en 1575) y Gascoigne's Voyage into Hollande.

IN haste, post haste, when first my wandering mind Beheld the glistring Court with gazing eye, Such deep delights I seemed therein to find, As might beguile a graver guest than I.

These and such like baits that blazed still Before mine eye, to feed my greedy will

Before mine eye, to feed my greedy will, ´Gan muster eke mine old acquainted mates, Who helped the dish (of vain delight) to fill My empty mouth with dainty delicates; And foolish boldness took the whip in hand To lash my life into this trustless trace, Till all in haste I leapt aloof from land And hoist up sail to catch a Courtly grace.

Not there content with common dignity, My wandering eye in haste (yea post post haste) Beheld the blazing badge of bravery, For want whereof I thought myself disgraced.

Then peevish pride puffed up my swelling heart, To further forth so hot an enterprise; And comely cost began to play his part In praising patterns of mine own devise.

To prink me up, and make me higher placed, All came too late that tarried any time; Piles of provision pleased not my taste, They made my heels too heavy for to climb.

Methought it best that boughs of boistrous oak Should first be shread to make my feathers gay, Till at the last a deadly dinting stroke Brought down the bulk with edgetools of decay.

Of every farm I then let fly a lease To feed the purse that paid for peevishness, Till rent and all were fallen in such disease, As scarce could serve to maintain cleanliness They bought the body, fine, farm, lease, and land, All were too little for the merchant’s hand

All were too little for the merchant's hand, And yet my bravery bigger than his book; But when this hot account was coldly scanned, I thought high time about me for to look.

The gains doth seldom quit the charge: And so say I by proof too dearly bought, My haste made waste; my brave and brainsick barge Did float too fast to catch a thing of naught.

With leisure, measure, mean, and many moe I mought have kept a chair of quiet state, But hasty heads cannot be settled so, Till crooked Fortune gave a crabbed mate.

Poco era todo para el mercader, y aún mi lujo a sus libros superaba; mas con frialdad la ardiente cuenta al ver, pensé en buscarme aquello que anhelaba.