Heywood, John · published 1544 · first performed or written 1520 [c.1520-1522] (Annals) not in BritDrama unassigned nearest T6 Money, debt and credit · 501 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T6: money, master, pound, law, lawyer, chain, gentleman, gold, pay, pray.
For it doth me as much good when I sell it As all the buyers that taste it or smell it Now sins my medicines be so special And in operation so general And ready to work when so ever they shall So that in riches I am principal If any reward may entreat ye I beseech your mastership be good to me And ye shall have a box of marmelade So fine that ye may dig it with a spade. Sir I thank you but your reward Is not the thing that I regard I must and will be indifferent Wherefore proceed in your intent. Now if I wist this wish no sin I would to god I might begin. I am content that thou lie first Even so am I and say thy worst Now let us here of all thy lies The greatest lie thou mayst devise And in the fewyst words thou can Forsooth ye be an honest man. There said ye much but yet no lie. Now lie ye both by our lady Thou liest in boast of his honesty And he hath lied in affirming thee If we both lie and ye say true Then of these lies your part adieu And if ye win make none avaunt For ye are sure of one ill servant Ye may perceive by the words he gave He taketh your mastership but for a knave But who told true or lied in deed That will I know or we proceed Sir after that I first began To praise you for an honest man When ye affirmed it for no lie Now by our faith speak even truly Thought ye your affirmation true. Ye marry I for I would ye knew I think myself an honest man. What thought ye in the contrary than. In that I said the contrary I think from troth I did not vary. And what of my words. I thought ye lied. And so thought I by god that died Now have you twain each for himself laid That none hath lied out but both revelayd And of us twain none hath denied But both affirmed that I have lied Now sins both your troth confess And that we both my lie so witness That twain of us three in one agree And that the liar the winner must be Who could provide such evidences As I have done in this pretense Me thinketh this matter sufficient To cause you to give judgement And to give me the mastery For ye perceive these knaves can not lie Though neither of us as yet had lied Yet what we can do is untried For yet we have devised nothing But answered you and given hiring Therefore I have devised one way Whereby all three your minds may say For each of you one tale shall tell And which of you telleth most marvel And most unlike to be true Shall most prevail what ever ensue.
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)
For it doth me as muche good when I ſell it As all the byers that taſte it or ſmell it Now ſyns my medycyns be ſo ſpecyall And in operacion ſo generall And redy to worke when ſo euer they ſhall So that in ryches I am principall Yf any rewarde may entreat ye I beſech your maſhyp be good to me And ye ſhall haue a boxe of marmelade So fyne that ye may dyg it with a ſpade. ¶Syr I thanke you but your rewarde Is nat the thynge that I regarde I muſte and wyll be indifferent Wherfore procede in your intente. ¶Nowe yf I wyſt thys wyſh no ſynne I wolde to god I myght begynne. ¶I am content that thou lye fyrſte ⚜Euen ſo am I and ſay thy worſte Now let vs here of all thy lyes The greateſt lye thou mayſt deuyſe And in the fewyſt wordes thou can ¶Forſoth ye be an honeſt man. ⚜There ſayde ye muche but yet no lye. ❧Now lye ye bothe by our lady Thou lyeſt in boſt of hys honeſtie And he hath lyed in affyrmynge the ¶Yf we both lye and ye ſay true Then of theſe lyes your parte adew And yf ye wyn make none auaunt For ye are ſure of one yll ſeruaunte Ye may perceyue by the wordes he gaue He taketh your maſhyp but for a knaue But who tolde true or lyed in dede That wyll I knowe or we procede Syr after that I fyrſte began To prayſe you for an honeſt man When ye affyrmed it for no lye Now by our fayth ſpeke euen truely Thought ye your affyrmacion true. ⚜Ye mary I for I wolde ye knewe I thynke my ſelfe an honeſt man. ¶What thought ye in the contrary than. ⚜In that I ſayde the contrary I thynke from trouth I dyd nat vary. ¶And what of my wordes. ¶I thought ye lyed. ¶And ſo thought I by god that dyed Nowe haue you twayne eche for hym ſelfe layde That none hath lyed out but both reuelayd And of vs twayne none hath denyed But both affyrmed that I haue lyed Now ſyns both your trouth confes And that we both my lye ſo witnes That twayne of vs thre in one agree And that the lyer the wynner muſt be Who coulde prouyde ſuche euydens As I haue done in this pretens Me thynketh this mater ſufficient To cauſe you to gyue iudgement And to gyue me the maſtrye For ye perceyue theſe knaues can nat lye ¶Though nother of vs as yet had lyed Yet what we can do is vntryed For yet we haue deuyſed nothynge But anſwered you and geuen hyrynge ¶Therfore I haue deuyſed one waye Wherby all thre your myndes may ſaye For eche of you one tale ſhall tell And whiche of you telleth moſt meruell And moſt vnlyke to be true Shall moſt preuayle what euer enſew.