Middleton, Thomas / Rowley, William · published 1620 · first performed or written 1620 (Annals) masque · Prince Charles's Men (first) unassigned nearest T35 Fools, wit and railing · 512 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of the nearest topic T35: fool, wit, aristippus, achilles, wise, fools, patroclus, thersites, master, men.
Faith, the Latins have no proper word for it, that ever I read; Homo, I take it, is the best, Because it is a common name to all men. You're mad fellows you Scholars; I am persuaded, Were I a Scholar now, I could not want. Every man's most capable of his own grief. A Scholar said you? why there are none nowadays: Were you a Scholar, you'd be a singular fellow. How no Scholars! What's become of 'em all? I'll make it proof from your experience: A Commander's a Commander, Captain, Captain; But, having no Soldiers, where's the command? Such are we, all Doctors, no Disciples now; Every man's his own teacher, none learns of others: You have not heard of our Mechanic rabbis, That shall dispute in their own tongues backward and forward, With all the learned Fathers of the Jews? Mechanic rabbis! what might those be! I'll show you sir, (and they are men are daily to be scene) There's Rabbi Iob, a venerable Silk-weaver, Iehu, a Throester, dwelling i'th' Spittle fields; There's Rabbi Abimelech, a learned Cobbler, Rabbi Lazarus, a superstitious tailor: These shall hold up their shuttles, Needles, Awls, Against the gravest Levite of the Land, And give no ground neither. That I believe, They have no ground for any thing they do. You understand right: and these men by practic Have got the Theory of all the Arts At their fingers ends, and in that they'll live; howe'er they'll die, I know not: for they change daily. This is strange, How come they to attain this knowledge? As Boys learn Arithmetic, practise with Counters To reckon sums of silver: so with their Tools They come to Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric And all the Sciences; as for example, The devout Weaver sits within his Loom, And thus he makes a learned Syllogism: His Woof the major, and his Warp the Minor. His Shuttle then the brain, and firm conclusion, Makes him a piece of Stuff, that Aristotle, Ramus, nor all the Logicians can take a pieces. This has some likelihood. So likewise by His deep instructive and his mystic tools, The tailor comes to be Rhetorical, First, on the spred Velvet, Satin, Stuff, or Cloth, He chalks out a circumferent Paraphrase, That goes about the bush where the Thief stands. Then comes his shears in shape of an eclipsis, And takes away the tother's too long tail: By his Needle he understands Ironia, That with one eye looks two ways at once: Metonymia ever at his finger's ends. Some call his piccadill, Synecdoche: But I think rather that should be his Yard Being but Pars pro toto, and by Metaphor All know, the cellarage under the shopboard, He calls his Hell, not that it is a place Of Spirits abode, but that from that Abyss Is no recovery or redemption To any owner's hand whatever falls. I could run further, were't not tedious, And place the stiff-toed Cobbler in his form: But let them mend themselves, for yet all's nought: They now learn only never to be taught.
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)
Faith, the Latines haue no proper word for it, that euer I read; Homo, I take it, is the best, Because it is a common name to all men. Y'are mad fellowes you Schollers; I am perswaded, Were I a Scholler now, I could not want. Euery man's most capable of his owne griefe. A Scholler said you? why there are none now a dayes: Were you ā Scholler, you'd bee a singular fellow. How no Schollers! What's become of vm all? Ile make it proofe from your experience: A Commander's a Commander, Captaine, Captaine; But, hauing no Soldiers, where's the command? Such are wee, all Doctors, no Disciples now; Euery man's his owne teacher, none learnes of others: You haue not heard of our Mechanick Rabbies, That shall dispute in their owne tongues backward and forward, With all the learned Fathers of the Iewes? Mechanick Rabbies! what might those be! Ile shew you sir, (and they are men are daily to be scene) There's Rabbi Iob, a venerable Silkeweauer, Iehu, a Throester, dwellingith Spittle fields; Theres Rabbi Abimelech, a learned Cobler, Rabbi Lazarus, a superstichious Taylor: These shall hold vp their Shittles, Needles, Awles, Against the grauest Leuite of the Land, And giue no ground neither. That I beleeue, They haue no ground for any thing they doe. You vnderstand right: and these men by practique Haue got the Theorie of all the Arts At their fingers ends, and in that they'le liue; How ere they'le dye, I know not: for they change dayly. This is strange, How come they to attaine this knowledge? As Boyes learne Arithmetique, practise with Counters▪ To reckon summes of siluer: so with their Tooles▪ They come to Grammar, Logick, Rhetorique And all the Sciences; as for example, The deuout Weauer sits within his Loome, And thus hee makes a learned Syllogisme: His Woofe the Maior, and his Warpe the Minor. His Shittle then the braine, and firme conclusion, Makes him a piece of Stuffe, that Aristotle, Ramus, nor all the Logicians can take a pieces. This has some likelihood. So likewise by His deepe instructiue and his mistick tooles, The Taylor comes to be Rhetoricall, First, on the spred Veluet, Sattin, Stuffe, or Cloth, He chalkes out a circumferent Paraphrase, That goes about the bush where the Thiefe stands. Then comes his Sheeres in shape of an Eclypsis, And takes away the t'others too long tayle: By his Needle he vnderstands Ironia, That with one eye lookes two wayes at once: Metonymia euer at his fingers ends. Some call his Pickadell, Synecdoche: But I thinke rather that should be his Yard Being but Pars pro toto, and by Metaphor All know, the Selleridge vnder the shop-boord, He cals his Hell, not that it is a place Of Spirits abode, but that from that Abysse Is no recouery or redemption To any owners hand what euer falls. I could runne further, wer't not tedious, And place the stiffe-toed Cobler in his forme: But let them mend themselues, for yet all's naught: They now learne onely neuer to be taught.