Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T35: fool, wit, aristippus, achilles, wise, fools, patroclus, thersites, master, men.
Else wert thou unwise, yea and a very fool, Thou learnedst none otherwise, I trow in my school. I am a schoolmaster for you three most fit, Who endued you with courage, instead of great wit. To be our master wilt thou take in hand, Why we are as good as thou, thou shalt understand. Alas poor knaves, what could you three do, If you have not courage belonging thereto. And what can courage do without help, As much as a Kitling or suckling whelp. And by hurtful help, what am I the better, Being holp to a hurt, I am no great getter. It is folly with thee thus to contend, We are as good as thou, and so I do end. Since that by words I can no mastery have, I would prove what my manhood will do sir knave. Why art thou blind, mayest thou not see, That again thee one, we are here three. And what can three do against one, I having courage, and they having none. Therefore courage will claw you or you go hence, Now defend yourselves I will see your fence. What Courage I say thy hand now stay. Will you then consent to that which I say. There is no remedy but we must consent, Sometimes it is good a fools mind to content: Therefore I am content to be thine inferior, And I will from henceforth take thee for superior. And so will the residue I trow also. If you say I sir, we will not say no. Well sirs, than I will show you my mind, But first I will describe you, each one in his kind. Thou help art a broker, between man and man. Whereby much deceit thou usest now and than, Profit is one, who by service in sight, Doth cause his master to think him most right. A profitable servant, he thinketh him to be, Because he is profitable, while he doth him see. And feigned Furtherance, doth feign him to further, His master and others, whom fain he would murder. Thus in seeking wealth you all do agree, And yet you profess others friends for to be. Ne quisque sapit, qui sibi non sapit, This saying I red, whenas I went to school, One not wise for himself, is but a very fool. By my troth, and of that opinion am I, And in that opinion I mean for to die. Tush why spend you time in speaking of that, While thereon you talk, in vain is your chat. For who helps not himself, before any other, I count him a fool, if he were my brother. And as I count him, all people do so, Therefore cease this talk, and hence let us go. For some of us may chance to meet with a chiding, Because that so long from home we are biding.
nodes 226–280 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 4 of 30 in this edition
Length
481 words · 608 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T35 — Fools, wit and railingcross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.840 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
¶Else werte thou vnwise, yea and a very foole, Thou learnedst none otherwise, I trow in my schoole. I am a schoolemayster for you thrée most fytte, Who indued you with courage, instead of great wytte. ¶To be our mayster wilt thou take in hand, Why we are as good as thou, thou shalt vnderstand. ¶Alas pore knaues, what could you thrée doe, If you haue not courage belonging thereto. ¶And what can courage doe without helpe, As much as a Kitling or suckling whelpe. ¶And by hurtfull helpe, what am I the better, Being holpe to a hurt, I am no great getter. ¶It is folly with thée thus to contend, We are as good as thou, and so I doe ende. ¶Since that by wordes I can no maystry haue, I would prooue what my manhood wyll doe syr knaue. ¶Why arte thou blind, mayest thou not sée, That agayne thee one, we are here thrée. ¶And what can thrée doe agaynst one, I hauing courage, and they hauing none. Therefore courage will claw you or you goe hence, Now defend your selues I will sée your fence. ¶What Corage I say thy hand now stay. ¶Will you then consent to that which I say. ¶There is no remedy but we must consent, Sometimes it is good a fooles minde to content: Therefore I am content to be thine inferiour, And I will from henceforth take thée for superiour. ¶And so will the residue I trow also. ¶If you say I syr, we will not say no. ¶Well syrs, then I will shew you my minde, But fyrse I will discribe you, ech one in his kinde. Thou helpe arte a broker, betwéene man and man. Whereby much deceyte thou vsest now and than, Profite is one, who by seruice in sight, Doth cause his mayster to thinke him most right. A profytable seruaunt, he thinketh him to be, Because he is profytable, while he doth him see. And fayned Furtheraunce, doth fayne him to further, His mayster and others, whome fayne he would murther. Thus in séeking welth you all doe agrée, And yet you professe others friendes for to bée. ¶Ne quisque sapit, qui sibi non sapit, This saying I redde, when as I went to schoole, One not wise for himselfe, is but a very foole. ¶By my troth, and of that opinyon am I, And in that opinyon I meane for to dye. ¶Tush why spend you tyme in speaking of that, While thereon you talke, in vayne is your chat. For who helpes not himselfe, before any other, I coumpt him a foole, if he were my brother. And as I count him, all people doe so, Therefore cease this talke, and hence let vs go. For some of vs may chaunce to meete with a chiding, Because that so long from home we are biding.