Two Wise Men and All the Rest Fools · chunk 42 of 68
Anonymous · published 1619 · first performed or written 1619 [1613-1619] (Annals) satire; dialogue T6 Money, debt and credit typicality 0.74 · 503 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T6: money, master, pound, law, lawyer, chain, gentleman, gold, pay, pray.
Believe me Master Mureto, this Farmer hath made for himself a reasonable good Apology, and put us a hard case. It seems he hath studied well since our last parley. But what say you Granato to your evil words lavished out against Lawyers? therefore you must yet crave pardon. Not I truly. For I gave you no worse speeches than you give one another at the bar, nor so evil. For there you fall out like any scolds: but the worst is, you willbe friends at dinner, yet never in charity I think. And I see no reason I should stoop to either of you, considering the goodness of my cause. For I willbe judged by any indifferent man, if I, and such as I am, be not honester and better than both your factions. Since thou hast offered it, thou shalt not escape until that be tried, Here sit a couple that seem very wise by their silence, we'll be judged by them. What say you Mureto? With all my heart. For we can not be worse than we are howsoever we speed. A match. I'll refuse no man's opinion that is not of your ranks. Gentlemen. We need not report the causes of our reference unto you. All our jars, and wrangles you have heard. We entreat you to finish them with your doom. To deal plainly with you all, mine opinion is, that the world is generally more wronged and abused by the Lawyer and merchant, then by the Farmer, who though he have faults, yet gets he his living more honestly, and is of necessity to be harboured. But Sir Hermito I must refer the full decision of their cause to your censure. That one of them is better than the other, I do not see; therefore methinks the question should rather be which is the worst. The Farmer that deceives so far as his capacity will carry him, is condemned by his intention to do worse if his skill did enable him. The Lawyer is a necessary member of the commonwealth to find and determine every man's right. But if willingly he oppugn right, and be enemy to peace, he is the devils agent, and Christ's enemy. Likewise a merchant which causeth commerce and amity between severed nations is a man commendable. But if he use fraud, then is he pestiferous, and deserveth banishment where no society is. I told you Master Malingua, we could not lose by the bargain. Now the Farmer is as bad as we. What say you Granato to this gear? I say little. Why? I can be content to be as dishonest as you. I am not proud of my honesty, nor do I love to be singular. But now thou seest we may be as honest as you, if we will ourselves. Who denies that? I stand not much upon that neither. But hath this hermits preaching done thee no good? canst thou be content to mend if we do so too?
nodes 477–491 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 42 of 68 in this edition
Length
503 words · 622 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T6 — Money, debt and creditcross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.742 (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)
Beleeue me Master Mureto, this Farmer hath made for himselfe a reasonable good Apologie, and put vs a hard case. It seemes he hath studied well since our last parle. But what say you Granato to your euill words lauish'd out against Lawyers? therefore you must yet craue pardon. Not I truly. For I gaue you no worse speeches then you giue one another at the barre, nor so euill. For there you fall out like any skoulds: but the worst is, you wilbe friends at dinner, yet neuer in charity I thinke. And I see no reason I should stoope to either of you, considering the goodnes of my cause. For I wilbe iudg'd by any indifferent man, if I, and such as I am, be not honester and better then both your factions. Since thou hast offred it, thou shalt not escape vntill that be tryed, Heere sit a couple that seeme very wise by their silence, weele bee iudg'd by them. What say you Mureto? With all my heart. For wee can not bee worse then we are howsoeuer we speede. A match. Ile refuse no mans opinion that is not of your rankes. Gentlemen. We need not report the causes of our reference vnto you. All our jarres, and wrangles you haue heard. We intreate you to finish them with your doome. To deale plainely with you all, mine opinion is, that the world is generally more wronged and abused by the Lawyer and merchant, then by the Farmer, who though he haue faults, yet gets he his liuing more honestly, and is of necessitie to be harboured. But Sir Hermito I must referre the full decision of their cause to your censure. That one of them is better then the other, I doe not see; therefore me thinkes the question should rather be which is the worst. The Farmer that deceiues so farre as his capacity will carry him, is condemned by his intention to doe worse if his skill did enable him. The Lawyer is a necessary member of the commonwelth to finde and determine everie mans right. But if willingly he oppugne right, and be enemie to peace, he is the Diuels agent, and Christs enemie. Likewise a merchant which causeth commerce and amitie betweene severed nations is a man commendable. But if he vse fraud, then is he pestiferous, and deserueth banishment where no societie is. I told you Master Malingua, we could not lose by the bargaine. Now the Farmer is as bad as we. What say you Granato to this geare? I say litle. Why? I can be content to bee as dishonest as you. I am not proud of my honestie, nor doe I loue to be singular. But now thou seest we may be as honest as you, if we will our selues. Who denies that? I stand not much vpon that neither. But hath this Hermites preaching done thee no good? canst thou be content to mend if we doe so too?