Sorgheloos

Poor old Sorgheloos. He just loved doing things that he enjoyed but, as we all know, you can have too much of a good thing and pay for it with either gout or penury. And it all started off so well…

Sorgheloos set off one day with his good friends Luxury and Ease for a spot of hunting. Luxury was a gorgeous lady and Ease the perfect manservant. Sorgheloos assumed they would keep all of the bad things of the world away from him and allow him to have a great day’s hunting.

Having enjoyed a fantastic day together, the three of them settled down in an inn to gorge themselves over a bit of a banquet. At the inn, there were servants for everything their hearts desired or his money could buy. There was even a young boy to blow on the pie when it was too hot. They were careless with Sorgheloos’ fortune, throwing it about and satisfying their bottomless gluttony.

After the meal, Sorgheloos grabbed hold of Luxury and they indulged in a spot of dancing. Of course, anyone seeing this sort of thing would have been appalled because we all know that dancing is the work of the devil. It stirs up immodesty and lewdness. It also welcomes in the Fool and he’s never fun at parties.

For most people, this would have been enough but not for Sorgheloos. Oh dear me, no. Sorgheloos announced that they would go gambling. This was greeted with a loud cheer.

At first, things are going well for Sorgheloos but then he was joined at the gaming table by two beggars Poverty and Want. They were quickly followed by the one person a gambler never wants to see – old Fickle Fortune himself, peddling his doughnuts. Sorgheloos started to lose heavily. He tried to keep the gorgeous Luxury with him but, after he showed her his empty purse, she showed him her highest nose and strode away. Ease, likewise, without the promise of money, left poor Sorgheloos.

Sorgheloos shrugged and returned to his gambling, determined to change his luck around. But, of course, just like any morality tale, it doesn’t. Sorgheloos was soon reduced to only the shirt on his back. To make matters worse, while Luxury and Ease have left him, Want now threatened him with a pair of tongs and Poverty spent a lot of time gnawing on his shoulder.

In despair, Sorgheloos visited a rich man and his wife but he was given short shrift and turned away. He wound up in a poor kitchen, carrying straw and living on very small fish which tasted horrid and had far too many bones. Want and Poverty continued to provide him with company.

Sorgheloos in poverty with Want outside, collecting fire wood.

The Story of Sorgheloos is a Dutch version of the morality tale about the Prodigal Son. It’s also like the Rake’s Progress…and numerous other stories invented by the scheming bible authors to make everyone poorer than the ruling classes. The image above is a stained glass version of the final scene of the tale. It dates from around 1520 and was in a church somewhere in Northern Holland where the winters are long and cold. It’s now nicely lit and warm, on a wall, in the V&A.