author
Parson Haben
Known from a rare surviving tract in a collection of Elizabethan rogue literature, this writer is linked with a sharp, satirical piece about thieves and vagabonds. Very little seems to be recorded about the person behind the name, which only adds to the mystery.
1 Audiobook
Awdeley's Fraternitye of Vacabondes, Harman's Caueat, Haben's Sermon, &c.
by active 1559-1577 John Awdelay, Parson Haben, active 1567 Thomas Harman
About the author
Parson Haben is an obscure early writer associated with Awdeley’s Fraternitye of Vacabondes, Harman’s Caueat, Haben’s Sermon, &c., a collection of 16th-century texts about rogues, beggars, and criminal life in England. Modern catalogues and editions consistently credit him as one of the contributors to that volume.
The work tied to his name is usually described as "Haben’s Sermon", sometimes listed as "A sermon in praise of thieves and thievery." It sits alongside writings by John Awdeley and Thomas Harman, and is valued today less as conventional authorship than as part of a vivid record of Elizabethan social attitudes, street culture, and satire.
Reliable biographical detail about Parson Haben himself appears to be extremely scarce. Some catalogues also connect the name with the form "Hyberdyne" or "Haberdyne," but beyond that, the historical record is thin, so it is safest to remember him as a shadowy figure preserved mainly through one unusual and influential compilation.