Nashe described Pierce Penilesse as “most saleable”, boasting in 1596 that it had gone through six editions “at the least” (3: 35). It appears that Nashe was, characteristically, exaggerating, since only five early editions are extant (Nashe 1: 140), but the remark testifies both to his pride in being a professional author and to the text’s popularity.
Summary
Pierce, the evidently educated narrator, complains, in prose and verse, of his poverty and misery, before bemoaning the neglect of learning in general. Then, hearing of “a certaine blind Retayler called the Divell”, who “would lette one for a neede have a thousand poundes uppon a Statute Merchant of his soule” (Nashe 1: 161), he decides to d…
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Citation: Roberts, Peter Brynmor. "Piers Penniless his Supplication to the Devil". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 July 2012 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=2807, accessed 21 November 2024.]
