Two Wise Men and All the Rest Fools · chunk 41 of 68
Anonymous · published 1619 · first performed or written 1619 [1613-1619] (Annals) satire; dialogue T6 Money, debt and credit typicality 0.78 · 526 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T6: money, master, pound, law, lawyer, chain, gentleman, gold, pay, pray.
Will you have my oath? No. Will you refer it to friends? No. To your own brother? No. I protest upon my faith no penny of this money is due. And yet to save my surety I offered a fine mewed Goshawk, which before good witness you did accept, and caused me to keep a whole Michaelmas term in London: but at the end of that very term unknown to me, you sneaked out of town leaving order to have my surety arrested, and so followed, that now he is in execution upon that only suit. I say no more, but demand judgement in this case. Proberio, I have done thee the grace to hear thee to the full. And it joys me much, that either he shall die in prison, or I shall have that money. Was there ever any so hard hearted? twenty years past, when I was in prosperity, and he at point of death, by rigour of Law, I took many costly journey to Court, labouring for his pardon. I did him all the good offices that a true friend could do for another. And I left nothing undone that might do him good. Besides, I lent him 50l. gratis in those times, myself paying interest for that money. At which time what vows and promises he made me, I let pass, as ingrateful to my heart in repeating, and serve to no other purpose but for a warning, and a wonder that so much ingratitude should harbour in an English man. And now you are all witnesses of my reward. Now Granato, if you be content to yield the victory unto Master Malingua this Lawyer, and confess to have wronged us merchants with the petulancy of your prating; you may perhaps have your punishment extenuated if we be your judges, and so quietly shut up all among ourselves. I am so far from any such confession and submission, that I offer to maintain every word spoken in our last contention. And for judgement I appeal from you both; and know that I am your ancient from the time that Adam digged the earth for his living. Then purge yourself Granato from the crimes we charged you withal: and the end will try if you had not done better to take penance for your faults at our hands. For the high prices of corn (which falsely and absurdly you impute unto husbandmen) if you had either wit or honesty you would soon grant that there are two main reasons for it which lie not in our power to redress, but in the state's wisdom to help. One is, the uncontrolled and improvident liberty for all sorts & degrees to marry, so that many are grandmothers at 30 years old. The other is the multitude of Enclosures and decay of tillage. And if we cornmen did not till all the ground we can get; how dear (think you) would corn be shortly? Many other Reasons for brevity's sake I omit, but these will hold argument against you for term of both your lives, and after your decease to your heirs males lawfully begotten.
nodes 464–476 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 41 of 68 in this edition
Length
526 words · 645 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T6 — Money, debt and creditcross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.784 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T9 · seed 44: T10 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Will you haue my oath? No. Will you referre it to friends? No. To your owne brother? No. I protest vpon my faith no pennie of this monie is due. And yet to saue my suretie I offred a fine mewed Gosseauk, which before good witnesse you did accept, and caused me to keepe a whole Michaelmasse eame in London: but at the end of that verie teatme vnknowne to mee, you sneak'd out of towne leaving order to haue my suretie arrested, and so followed, that now hee is execution vpon that onelie suite. I say no more, but demand iudgment in this case. Proberio, I haue done thee the grace to heare thee to the full. And it ioies me much, that either he shall die in prison, or I shall haue that monie. Was there euer any so hard harted? Twentie yeares past, when I was in prosperitie, and he at point of death, by rigour of Law, I tooke many costly iourney to Court, labouring for his pardon. I did him all the good offices that a true friend could doe for another. And I left nothing vndone that might doe him good. Besides, I lent him 50. gratis in those times, my selfe paying interest for that money. At which time what vowes and promises he made me, I let passe, as ingratefull to my heart in repeating, and serue to no other purpose but for a warning, and a wō der that so much ingratitude should harbour in an English man. And now you are all witnesses of my reward. Now Granato, if you be content to yeeld the victorie vno Master Malingua this Lawyer, and confesse to haue wronged vs merchants with the petulancie of your prating; you may perhaps haue your punishment extenuated if wee be your Iudges, and so quietly shut vp all among our selues. I am so farre from any such confession and submission, that I offer to maintaine euery word spoken in our last contention. And for iudgement I appeale from you both; and know that I am your ancient from the time that Adam digged the earth for his liuing. Then purge your selfe Granato from the crimes we charg'd you withall: and the end will trye if you had not done better to take penan for your faults at our hands. For the high prices of corne (which falsely and absurdly you impute vnto husbandmen) if you had either wit or honestie you would soone graunt that there are two maine reasons for it which lye not in our power to redresse, but in the States wisdome to helpe. One is, the vncontrolled and improvident libertie for all sorts & degrees to marrie, so that many are grand-mothers at 30 yeares old. The other is the multitude of Inclosures and decay of tillage. And if we corne-men did not till all the ground we can get; how deare (thinke you) would corne bee shortly? Many other Reasons for brevity sake I omit, but these will hold argument against you for tearme of both your liues, and after your decease to your heires males lawfully begotten.