You do need to be cautious about reading too much into it.
I recently pulled a copy of Milton's History out of the closet, and came
across a marginal note below Ethelwerd (p. 101) that I quickly dismissed.
http://www.johngeraghty.com/Literature/Texts/Milton/History_1671/100_4101.JP
G
-John
-----Original Message-----
From: Sidney-Spenser Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Roger Kuin
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 1:28 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Gomorrah
Many thanks for all the thought-provoking replies.
The consensus seems to be that 'after a Gomorrha fashion' suggests
untrustworthiness (Bale's false vows), with perhaps a sense of being
unjust to the underprivileged (angels vs maidens) and giving stones
for bread (the ashy apples). If nothing else, there are too many
people involved (Brown, Bruin and at least 7 or 8 captains) for gay
relationships. And I do suspect that Sidney is not thinking very
precisely, but just throwing out a fairly loose term. The gist is
that in their cozy relation to the officers B&B are betraying their
trust and depriving the soldiers of their due. (Given the army
structure of the time, it's not at all unlikely that the captains
pocketed -- or paid -- a bit of a commission on B&B's deliveries...)
Roger Kuin
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