English Travellers of the Renaissance

d pick-tooths, were highly offensive to the plain Englishman. One was always sure of an appreciative audience if he railed at the " disguised garments and desperate hats " of the "affectate traveller " how; his attire spoke French or Italian, and his gait cried " behold me! " how he spoke his own language with shame and loathing.1 " You shall see a dapper Jacke, that hath beene but over at Deepe, wring his face round about, as a man would stir up a mustard-pot, and talke English through the teeth, like . . . Monsieur Mingo de Moustrap." 3 Nash was one of the best at describing some who had lived in France for half-a-dozen years, " and when they came home, they have hyd a littleweerish leane face under a broad French hat, kept a terrible coyle with the dust in the streete in their long cloaks of gray paper, and spoke English strangely. Naught else have they profited by their travell, save learnt to distinguish of the true Burdeaux Grape, and know a cup of neate Gascoygne wine from wine of Orleance; yea, and peradventure this also, to esteeme of the poxe as a pimple, to weare a velvet patch on their face, and walke melancholy with their armes folded."1 1 Sir Thomas Overbury, An Affectate Traveller, in Characters. 2 Dieppe. 3 Thomas Nash, Pierce Pennilesse, in Works, ed. Grosart, vol. ii.1 Nash, The Unfortunate Traveller, in Works'. Grosart, v. 145. The Frenchified traveller came in for a good share of satire, but darker things were said of the Italian...