Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	good_a	read_v	word_n	3,211	5	4.1636	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08255	The scourge of corruption. Or A crafty knaue needs no broker. Written by Anthony Nixon	Nixon, Anthony.	1615 (1615)	STC 18590; ESTC S110169	26,216	42

he perceiued that he mist his purse and could not deuise how or where hee had lost it skewed himselfe very sorry for his mishappe and said in the morning hee would send the veluet home to his house knew where to spéed of better then any he had in the sheps home goes the Taylor very sadly where hée was entertained with a greater mischance For there was the Ladies seruingman swearing and stamping that he had not séene their master since the morning they parted neither had hee sent for the Satten and Lace But when the seruants iustified their innocency beguilded both with the true token rehersed and their masters seale ring it excéedeth my cunning to set downe words answerable to the excéeding griefe and amazement on either part but most of all the honest Taylor who sped the best by the Brokers wilfulnesse as afte●wards it hapned which made him the better brooke the losse of his purse That night all meanes were vsed that could bee both to the Mercers Brokers Goldsmiths Gol●finers and such like where happily such things doe come to be sold But all was in vaine the only help came by the inuenter of this villany who scant sléeping al night in regard of the Brokers extreame gaining both by him those that he knew practised the like kn●ueries The next morning he ca●e by the Taylors house at what time hee espied him with the Ladies Seruing-man co●ming foorth of the doores and into the Tauerne hee went to report what a mishap he had upon the sending of him thither the day before As he was but newly entred his sad discourse in coms the party offended wihh the Broker and hauing heard all whereof none could make better report of then himselfe he takes the Taylor and seruingman aside and pretending great griefe for both their causes demaundes what they would thinke him worthy of that could help them to their goods againe On condition to méete with such a friend offer was made of fiue pounds and after sundry spéeches passing betwéene them alone hee séeming that hée would worke the recouery of them by Art and they promising not to disclose the man that did them good he drew foorth a little booke out of his bosome whether it were lattin or English it skils not for he could not read a word on it then desiring them to spare him alone a while they should perceiue w●at he could doe for them Their hearts enco●raged with some good hope kept all his words secret to themselues and not long had they sitten absent out of the roome but he called them in againe and seeming as though he had béen a Scholler in déed said he found by his Figure that a Broker in such a place had their goods lost and in such a place of the house they should finde it bidding them g●r thither with all speede and as they found his words so with reseruing to themselues how they came to knowledge thereof to meet him there againe in the Euening and reward him as hee had deserued Away in hast goes the Taylor and the Seruingman entring the house with the Constable found them in the place where hee that reuealed it knew the Broker alwaies laid such gotten goods Of their ioy again I leaue you to coniecture and thinke you sée the Broker with a good paire of bolts on his héeles ready when time shall serue to take his turne in a halter The cunning crafty knaue went thus far beyond the Broker and as I haue heard was paid his fiue pounds that night And thus you may sée the old saying ver●fied That a crafty knaue needs no Broker One crafty knaue hauing thus beguilded an other that he brought h●m in danger of the Gallows And heere Conscience brings in an other iest that hapned during the time of his imprisonment wherein Corruption plaied the chiefe part How a Iaylor was corrupted to giue certain prisoners leaue to goe abroad without Keepers BEing as I tould you before arrested and clapt vp in the Iayle from whence you baild mee I saw and obserued many strange and almost incredible practises of our Kéeper a good com●y proportioned man and fit for all companies but good mens to whom he was a mortal enemy Cut purses and men of that qu●ll●ty that wanted no money were debarred of no liberty the Orchard to walke in the Gardain to shoot or vowle in Prouided their fellows abroade now and then visited them and forgot not the Keeper they had al things at command Amongst man of these to a well knowne yet wi●ckt at I obserued one notable peece of villany and that was this Our Kéeper as I said being a b●●n Companion as they terme it and one that would rather take two purses then loose one was in leagued with all the night wanderers of the Countrey And it hapned a couple of rancke riders that liued onely vpon Mooneshine Euenings and misty mornings for bidding a gentleman stand instéed of good-morrow were apprehended and committed to prison where hauing store of Crownes the Kéeper and they were haile fellow well met which continued till their gold fell to an ebbe well liue they must and fare of the best they will and money they haue none Now marke how ready this crafty Arch-uillaine Corruption is to take hold vpon the least occasion that makes for his benefit They seeing the condition of their Keeper to bee as most men are couetous of Crownes and on ●hat thought the sauour of gain sweet though gathered from the smoke of Chimneys One day trayning him into the Garden began to breake with him to this purpose Sir so 〈◊〉 we are Gentlemen and hold you a man of so good an● wel t●mper'd constitution that wee intend to trust not onely our hope of life but very heart and soule of our secrets into your bosome and will you but obserue one course that we haue plotted in our thoughts you shall not onely highly pleasure vs but without any noted preiudice much aduantage your self The Kéeper ready of ●referment tooke hold of the last word vantage and his gréedy thougts like a woman with child longed till they saw their déere begotten babe Commodity borne Therefore in a resolue not onely to conceale but with the vtmost strength of his indeauours to assist and furth●r their procéedings of what condition so●uer After a pottle of wine sent for into the Arbor hée desired them to unpart their secr●ts which briefely tended to this effect Sir quoth one of these goodfellows you sée our meanes begi● to grow shor● and by reason of our restrained liberty we canno● get abroade to increase it would it lay in my power quoth the Kéeper to helpe it why so it doth quoth the other and that 's the very end of our suit I know you haue a couple of good geldings in your stable l●nd vs them for a day or two and to colour our absence giue it out that we are sicke and kéep our chambers and let vs

generall and equally imbraced of the most onely those true temperd spirits of Nobility excepted who from time to time since his first discouery haue made it their chiefe labour to spend their vtmost indeuours in rooting of him out But hee hauing so many heads that as fast as one is cut off there springs vppe more in the roome The onely way that I can prescribe for his finall remoue is that euery man should take adaduice of Conscience and put themselues to the true taste of his touch and finding how far he has drawn them from the end of their Creation vtterly Casshire and for euer abiure his hellish society This is the easiest and neerest course and thus much I deuine that whosoeuer either vpon hope of priuate payn or presumtion of friends conceale or harbour that Arch Caterpiller of England will by the carefull industry of vigilent Arethe be found out and either hang with his welthy hopes about his necke or like a vagrant wander into his owne Land with him for company where all good mindes hope they shall meet entertainement fitting such inconstant fugitiues You may sée quoth Feedewell the longer a man liues the more hee may learne I might haue liued till all my friends h●d been weary of mee ere I should haue found out this but some reason there was that the cat winckt when both her eies were out I blame not our Landlords to kéepe such racket i th Countrey when this vile Italian varlet hath his agents in the City For I knew a man of good worship my selfe giue away as much Velvet in gownes and fore parts about an office as would haue made a Stéeple a nightcappe But quoth Nemo cutting him off whom doe you blame for that the begger or the Patron Marry quoth Feedewell the Patron for I will count him a foole that will not bestow twenty or thirty pounds in guists to get an Office worth thirty pounds a yéere You speake out of all discretion answered Nemo and such grosse and vnsensible parts as yours cast scandall reproach without respect or difference as a curre hauing béen cast into a puddle shakes himselfe and casts his filth vpon all that stand within his reach so you hauing your Asse eares filled with maddy and scandaling reports cast them foorth commonly as the blind man shoots at the Crow Thus much let mee not for feare but out of reuerent modesty and equity speake in the behalfe of wronged Patrons Suppose your selfe or any other belong or follow some worthy Gentleman an Office vnder his guift stands voide which he neither knows nor respects hauing receiued some kindnesse from him before presumes if you can make som friends to the Patron you may obtaine i● In this resolue you out of your frée will and rich hope of their assistance giue a Lady veluet for a gowne silke stockings or so they receiue it and work meanes for the obtaining of your suite You are possest of it where before perhaps it was an hundred pounds a yeere you raise it to two hundred pounds whose fault is this Or say you had two or thrée Offices before yet your petition is that you are a poor Attendant of his Fortunes wanting meanes such a péece of wast ground or so to such or such a value lies void and would stand you in some stéed you get it he giues it with a frée heart and to a good intent ●ut you contrary to his intent and all honest proceedings inuert his meaning and abuse his bounty But knew such Patrons or giuers of Off●ces what inconueniences they bred they would kéepe their credits from your scandall and your gréedy auarice from such preferment Indeed answered Conscience there are a number of this condition that walking in the shade of some great man like Aesops Storke care not how many poore men they eate vp and deuoure But to quittance your fale of Corruptions first arriuall I le tell you one ma● prancke a Follower of his did in our Countrey A fine peece of knauery done by a Churchwarden in shew of piety and religion THere was a man of good credit and no-small honesty reputed for wee now a daies value mens honesties by the Kings booke so much in the pound so that if he bée weighty in the purse he must néeds be honest He shall be namelesse in this place and yet for a groate matter you shall finde him registred in Bulles Kallender amongst the ranke of his best Benefactors This Francklin I scorne to doe the attribute of gentility so much wrong as to lay it vpon him being one of the head men of the parish and hauing past thorough many vnder Offices of Sir Reuerendshippe as Scauenger Sideman cum multis alijs hée was by the generall consent of the Towneshippe elected Church-warden and to win the name of a Benefactor to the Church and haue his name writ vp in Roman letters ouer one of the glasse windowes The boyes playing at stooleball by chaunce broke a quarry of the glasse whereupon he complayned to the Towneship and tither had or did his vtmost to haue the poor boy whipt and vnder shew of zeale which had a little afore schorcht him he tooke mee down the whole window and at his owne proper costs charges built vp an other in the place But by report of the workemen the new was too foote euery way lesse then the old And the same Church-warden two months after built him a new window in his Parlor with the same glas he tooke downe at the Church yet stands his name in villanous Roman letters ouer the window for a good Benefactor The same yéere the foresaid Founder continuing his auncient care of maintaining the Church one part of the Leades being faulty and a droppe or two of raine falling through lookt vp and spied the Church well leaded presently had a knauiske Crochet in his head a note beyond Ela and with a zealous verily broke into these words Haue we a care to cloath our pampered bodies and sée the Church v●apparrelled this must and shall be remedied whereupon wtthout any more words hee sent for workemen and the next day set them a worke to vnlead the Church cleane That day he set Thatchers a work and in stéed of the Leade coate clapt on a ierkin of straw according to that of Dionisius who comming into a Church he saw many Idolls richly cloathed some in gold and some in siluer he disroabed them all and made them good hansome suits of Linsey-wolsey Being askt the reson Oh quoth he these golden coates in winter were so could that the Saints wer fain to blow their fingers ends to catch them a heate and in sommer so heauy they could not walke abroade for heate priuily checking the vaine superstition of those that were prodigall in bestowing such bounty vpon a stone but quoth he I out of a tender respect of their healths haue made them good Linsey-woolsey cassocks good warm for winter