Rastell, John · published 1525 · first performed or written 1527 [c.1527-1530] (Annals) not in BritDrama unassigned nearest T37 Riches, poverty and covetousness · 502 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T37: wealth, riches, money, god, rich, poverty, men, learning, poor, ic.
Thou spekyst lyk a clerk that hath little wit when a case is put if he can not soil it By no manner reason that he can lay Then will he answer him this wise & say Beware what ye say sir now I advise you for it is treason or herysy that ye speak now To thintent to rebuke him openly Before the unlearned people that stand thereby And if he can no colour of such thing find Then will he vex and chafe in his mind And cast out some lewd words of quarreling To torn the hole matter to chiding & fighting And so dost thou now like one that were mad Nay I would thou knewest thou foolish lad I am neither mad nor drunken yet For mine opinion I have well proved it By substantial reason and argument That inheritance is not convenient And showed better reasons than thou canst do Nay thy reasons may soon be answered unto For god defend that estates of inheritance Should be destroyed for by that good ordinance gentlemen of lands undoubtedly Bring up their children full honourably Some put to the school to learn cunning To instruct the people in virtuous living Some made to be actyfe in marcyall dedꝭ Able to defend the land when need is And the rustical people that have no land Such things be not able to take in hand wherefore if we should destroy inheritance we should destroy all good rule and ordinance But such men as haue gret rentꝭ and landꝭ And no estate but term of their lives And every thing thereon will nourish and save For the great zeal & love that they only have To the common wealth of their country And for god sake lo these people be they That be worthy to have possessions And such people of virtuous conditions And no nother should be chosen governors they should have landꝭ to maintain their honour's Term of their lives as long as they take pain For the common wealth this is good reason plain So that noman ought to have any land But such as be apt and have charge in hand For the common wealth as princes and rulers Bysshoppis curatis preachers and teachers judges ministers and other officers That of the common wealth be executors And valiant men of the chivalry That be bound to defend the people daily Such men as be apt to all such things Should have lands to maintain their lyffyngꝭ So inheritance is not dreaming To let them have lands that can do no such thing Nor I think it not reasonable neither One man to life by labour of another For each man is borne to labour truly As a bird is to flee naturally Nor a man ought not to have such liberty To lief lands to his child where by that he Shall lust for to life in sloth & gluttony compelled to do nought but life voluptuously
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)
Thow spekyst lyk a clerk that hath lyttyll wyt when a case is put yf he can not soyle it By no maner reason that he can ley Then wyll he answere hym thys wyse & sey Beware what ye sey syr now I aduyse you for it is treason or herysy that ye spek now To thentent to rebuke hym opynly Before the vnlernyd people that stand therby And if he can no colour of such thyng fynd Then wyll he vex and chafe in hys mynd And cast owt some lewd wordꝭ of quarelyng To torn the hole matter to chydyng & fyghtyng And so dost thou now lyke one that were mad Nay I wold thou knewist thou folysh lad I am nother mad nor dronken yet For myn oppynyon I haue well ꝓuyd it By substancyall reason and argument That enherytaunce is not conuenyent And shewyd better reasons than thou canst doo Nay thy reasons may soone be answered vnto For god defende that estates of enherytaunce Shuld be dystroyed for by that good ordynaunce Gentylmen of landes vndoutydly Brynge vp theyr chyldren full honourably Some put to the scole to lerne cōnynge To instruct the people in vertuous lyuynge Some made to be actyfe in marcyall dedꝭ Able to defend the land when nede is And the rustycall people that haue no land Such thyngꝭ be not able to take in hand wherfore yf we shuld dystroy enherytaunce we shulde destroy all good rule and ordynaunce But such men as haue gret rentꝭ and landꝭ And no estate but terme of theyr lyuys And euery thyng theron wyll norysh and saue For the grete zele & loue that they only haue To the cōmyn welth of theyr contrey And for god sake lo these people be they That be worthy to haue possessyons And such people of vertuouse condycyons And no nother shuld be chosyn gouernours & thei shuld haue lādꝭ to maintain their honours Terme of theyr lyuys as long as they take payn For the cōmyn welth thys is good reason playn So that noman owght to haue any land But such as be apt and haue charge in hand For the cōmyn welth as pryncys and rulers Bysshoppꝭ curatꝭ prechers and techers Iugges mynysters and other offycers That of the cōmyn welth be executers And valyant men of the chyualry That be bounde to defende the people dayly Such men as be apt to all such thyngꝭ Shuld haue landꝭ to mayntayne theyr lyffyngꝭ So enherytaunce is not besemynge To let them haue landꝭ that cā do no such thing Nor I thynk it not resonable nother One man to lyf by labour of an nother For ych man is borne to labour truly As a byrde is to fle naturally Nor a man ought not to haue such lyberte To lefe landꝭ to hys chyld wher by that he Shall lust for to lyfe in slouth & gloteny Compellyd to do nought but lyfe voluptuously