“I should have been in London, not this Essex midden swirling with pigeon-chest men and their gossiping dry-venus wives. I was no fighter, could not read nor write; but by Christ I had the smooth tongue to fool any man. And so I dreamed of becoming a merchant-gentleman by the power of my own wit, but London was forbidden me. Now it was but a fading memory, of dazzling lights, the broad river bristling with sails, of laughter and scented wealth.”

Extract from ‘The Bitter Trade of Columny Spinks’ – included in the showcase