Pierce Penilesse His Supplication to the Divell

work by Nashe

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July 1, 2026

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Pierce Penilesse His Supplication to the Divell (1592) is a satire by Thomas Nashe that critiques the seven deadly sins. Nashe employs a free, colloquial prose style, characterized by invented words and unique phrasing, to engage the reader. The work also satirizes Gabriel Harvey and his brothers, stemming from Nashe's involvement in a feud with his friend Robert Greene. This publication was Nashe's first distinctive work and was part of a larger controversy involving pamphlets and exchanges with Harvey. The archbishop of Canterbury eventually ordered that Nashe's and Harvey's books be removed from circulation.1

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Thomas Nashe
Pierce Penilesse His Supplication to the Divell (1592), a satire focused on the seven deadly sins, was Nashe’s first distinctive work. Using a free and extemporaneous prose style, full of colloquialisms, newly coined words, and fantastic idiosyncrasies, Nashe buttonholes the reader with a story in…
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Pierce Penilesse His Supplication to the Divell (1592), a satire focused on the seven deadly sins, was Nashe’s first distinctive work. Using a free and extemporaneous prose style, full of colloquialisms, newly coined words, and fantastic idiosyncrasies, Nashe buttonholes the reader with a story in…
Read More