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SOCIETY    WOMEN    OF    SHAKESPEARE'S    TIME

and  decorum,  till  sedate  folk,  who  could  remember  how
different  Queen  Elizabeth's  Court  had  been,  were  aghast
at  what  they  saw  and  heard.  Sir  John  Harington,1
the  late  Queen's  godson,  wrote  to  tell  a  friend  what
changes  had  taken  place:

"I  have  much  marvelled  at  these  strange  pageantries,
and  they  do  bring  to  my  remembrance  what  passed  of
this  sort  in  our  Queen's  days;  of  which  I  was  sometimes
an  humble  presenter  and  assistant:  but  I  did  ne'er  see
such  lack  of  good  order,  discretion,  and  sobriety,  as  I
have  now  done.  I  have  passed  much  time  in  seeing  the
royal  sports  of  hunting  and  hawking,  where  the  manners
were  such  as  made  me  devise  the  beasts  were  pursuing
the  sober  creation,  and  not  man  in  quest  of  exercise  or
food.  I  will  now  in  good  sooth  declare  to  you,  who  will
not  blab,  that  the  gunpowder  fight  is  got  out  of  all
our  heads,  and  we  are  going  on  hereabouts  as  if  the
devil  was  contriving  every  man  should  blow  up  him-
self, by  wild  riot,  excess,  and  devastation  of  time  and
temperance.
"The  great  ladies  go  well  masked,  and  indeed  it  be
the  only  show  of  their  modesty  to  conceal  their  counten-
ance; but,  alack,  they  meet  with  such  countenance  to
uphold  their  strange  doings,  that  I  marvel  not  at  ought
that  happens.  .  ..
"If  you  would  wish  to  see  how  folly  doth  grow,  come
up  quickly;  otherwise  stay  where  you  are,  and  meditate  on

1  Sir  J.  Harington,  1561-1612;  translated  Orlando  Furioso
and  author  of  several  original  works.
