the suter it is for no harme Then you may tell it openlye sayde the Iudge if it bée for good the matter sayde the suter is suche that it may not bée tolde openlye Wyll you sayde the Iudge promise me by your credite and fidelitie that it toucheth nothing this matter nowe dependyng before me and that it requireth such spéede that my hearing of it maye not be delayed Bée well aduised what you doe for I assure you if you shall lye vnto mée you shall haue the law executed on you according to the lie you tell Wherwith the suter stayed and sayde nothyng To whome the Iudge sayd is it not strange that he is now become dumbe that euen now was so desirous to speake If youre matter appertayne not to this I will heare you priuilye if you haue oughte to saye in this your Friends cause speake it openlye At whyche woordes hée would saye nothyng To whome the Iudge sayde then I muste néedes nowe thynke that you meante to offer mée a bribe secretely which you were afrayde to giue openlye and therefore nowe bycause you are like to incurre a mischief whether you speake a lye priuilye or the trueth openlye for that you sée I am not bente to shoote in youre Bowe therefore wiselye as you thinke you holde your peace But euery wise manne maye consider youre sodayne silence doeth shewe youre naughtie and subtile sute And if you will haue me and all the rest here to thinke the better of you vtter here openlye what you woulde haue spoken so priuily to mée Then the Suter sayde Good my Lorde iudge better of mée for my meanyng was not so euill as you make it Then tell oute your tale that I maye take it better Forsooth my Lorde sayd the Suter my wordes to you in secrete should onelye haue bene to desire you to be good vnto this Lord my friend Then sayde the Iudge was not that as muche to saye as to be euill to this poore manne that he misused as hys foe Forsoothe a preatie sute as thoughe thys poore manne had not wrong ynoughe but I that onelye am appoynted by GOD and my kyng to doe hym righte shoulde for your sake doe hym more wrong but truelye if these were the woordes that you meante to speake to mée it had béene better both for my credite if I would haue béene allured and for your honestie if you had meante to seduce mée to haue spoken these woordes openlye rather than secretelye for the secrete talke betwéene vs among all thys company mighte haue bredde a suspition where none was whereas the open telling thereof coulde neuer haue done it Mary I will not say but that I and manye other haue the worse opinion in you in speakyng for your friende in so euill a cause Well here is neuer a witnesse that can tell whether these were the very woordes that you meant to speake to mée in priuitie or not but onely GOD whiche is witnesse good inough and wyll be founde true in hys witnessing when all other shall be founde lyars and though you may now escape the worldlye punishement for lying bicause wée haue no worldly witnesses against you yet assure you you cannot escape the punishement in Hell without repentaunce for lying if GOD bée a witnesse agaynst you who sayeth that Lyars shall haue their portion in the Lake that burnes with fire and Brimstone Well suppose that these were the wordes that you meant to tell mée in secrete which I can hardly beléeue doe you thinke that I woulde doe more at youre requeste for thys Gentlemanne in an euill matter than I woulde at Gods request for this poore man in a good and righteous cause Doe you thinke that you are able to doe mée as muche good for doing of wrong as GOD caâ—ne and will for dooyng of righte beléeue it that list for I will not GOD my heauenlye Father and of all beléeuers that hath made me that protectes me that féedes mée that hath saued mée and hathe prepared for me hys Kyngdome of Heauen after my death the lyke pleasure none other hathe or can doe for me doth saye vnto me and all other Iudges Audite parnos ita vt magnos Heare the small as well as the greate and sayth also Iuste iudicate Iudge iustly or vprightly and you come to me and say which stande as much in néede of Gods helpe as I I praye you to be good vnto this my friende neuer a whit regarding the matter but the man Might not I be thought wise to loose the fauour of GOD for the friendship of you to refuse his good request to performe your euill desire and to loose Heauen for displeasing of GOD to winne Hell for pleasing of you Therefore content your selfe I meane not to goe vnto Hell for the dearest friend I haue in the worlde Therefore you haue offered mée greate losse to endaunger my selfe so for the plasuring of youre frinde as I woulde not wishe to my moste mortall foe What if our worthye and Uertuous Kyng were here nowe and dyd bidde mée himselfe to do iustelye and truelye in thys case doe you thinke that I woulde not doe righte at hys request before I woulde doe wrong at yours Nowe séeyng I woulde doe equitie and righte at an Earthlye Kings desire whiche is mortall and subiecte to deathe you may be sure vnlesse I were more than madde that I will iudge instelye and maintaine Equitie at my Gods request the King of all Kings who is immortall and doth liue raigne and rule for euer But if our king were here at this present and dydde commaunde me to fauoure this wicked Gentlemannes cause shoulde I doe it no I will rather doe righte at GOD my Heauenlye Kynges desire than I will doe wrong at my Earthly Kynges requeste Then séeyng I will doe no wrong at my Kynges requeste whyche may kill mée for disobeying him if hée liste then assure your selfe I will fauour no falshoode nor doe vniustely at your desire which are not able to hurte me if you would Therfore goe your waye and trouble me no more herein your friend shall finde suche fauour as be hath deserued And if you vse me agayne as you haue done I wil vse you then as I haue not done And the sayde Suter wente sorrowfullye awaye and as soone as hée was gone there came in an other with a letter verye hastilye and deliuered it straightwaye to the Iudge whiche the Iudge receyuyng perceyued it weighed very heauye It is verye like to bée a verye heauy matter saide the Iudge for the letter is verie heauy and saide moreouer to theÌ„ fellow that brought it who sent this letter to me Forsooth sayd the fellowe that dyd my Maister and named him goe thy way quickely sayde the Iudge to thy Maister and giue him moste hartie thankes for his louing letter the contents whereof I knowe well ynough therefore bid him in any wise come to me with spéed and tell him like wise
so much more at the laste And for as much as you haue made before mée two manifest hurtefull lyes which might haue done much harme to your poore Creditor if I woulde haue beléeued you therefore my iudgement is that you shall not speake one worde to any body for the space of sixe moneths that is for eyther lye thrée monethes and you shall weare so long H. and L. on your Sléeue for a Hâ—rfefull Lyar. And bicause you haue maymed this poore man wrongfully and violently he shall haue forthwith half of all your goodes giuen him and he shall receiue likewise the one halfe of the rentes of all your landes for his better maintenaunce during your lyfe And this is my full iudgement irrâ—uocable and by that time you haue performed all this that I haue enioyned you you will not onely I hope vse your Creditors better hereafter but also will be an example for other to take héed by And the Iudge turning him towardes the other Gentleman sayde Nowe sir I am at leysure to looke on your letter but I feare the date of your desâ—â—s therein â—s â—nt I doubte I haue done as a certaine Iudge did that receyued a letter from his friende for the sauing of a théefe who first hanged the théefe and after read the letter And nowe when the Iudge had opened thys letter he founde in the same twenty péeces of Golde the effect of which letter was that the Gentlemanne required the Iudge of his lawfull fauour towardes the Gentleman his friende and though it was nâ— sufficient rewarde yet he had sent him as a pledge of his good wil tweÌ„ty simple péeces of Golde Yea marry sayde the Iudge suche letters thus lyned do make many a crooked matter straight many a false matter 〈…〉 many a poore 〈…〉 perish many a Widow to be wronged many a 〈…〉 and fatherlesse to fast and many a true litle falsely to be tryed O thou vile man thou hast learned that Munera peruertunt Iusticiam Gyftes do peuert Iustice. Yea with wicked and corrupt Iudges with such as haue their foules to sell for money and wyth them that more fauour the Féend than they fear God You had a verye good opinion iâ—â—ne that thought I loued Golde better thaÌ„ God goods more than goodnesse and mony more than equitie You will say I beleeue that this is the worste gifte that euer you gaue in all your life this golde is myne by the law for whosoeuer giueth any bribe or gifte to any Iudge or to any other on the part and behalf of any whose matter or cause doeth depende or after to depend before the saide Iudge the same bribe or gifte is lawfully his y â— firste reueales it And now bicause I haue first reuealed it therefore it is mine own But bicause you shal not say that I am gréedie of your giftes I will not haue it to mine owne vse And for that you haue giuen this Golde to the hurting of the poore I will God willing giue it to helpe the poore For as soone as I am gone from this seat I wil deliuer these xx péeces of golde to xx of the poorest and néedye housholders next to this place the better to reléeue them their children family And now bicause you haue giueÌ„ me here a manifest bribe therfore my IudgemeÌ„t is according to the law in that case prouided against bribe-giuers that the one halfe of all you goods moueable vnmoueable shal be sold the money wherof shal be deuided into iiij equal parts one part wherof shal be to the vse of the kings Maiestie another part therof shal be to the vse of this poore maymed maÌ„ for whose hinderance or harme this bribe was giuen and the third parte shall be equally distributed among the poorest inhabitantes of the Towne or Parishe where you that gaue the bribe do dwel and the fourth part is due to me the reuealer thereof whiche I will not haue to my vse but it shall be equallye distributed among my poorest neighboures And further my iudgement is according to the lawe made for suche Bribe-giuers that you shall suffer impâ—â—â—onment one whole yeare without any baile And now as you like this giue bribes in your friends behalf another time sée that all these my iudgements be presentlye performed And then the Iudge sayde to the Gayler take this GentlemaÌ„ Bribegiuer with you sée that you kéep him in prison a twelue month this righteous vertuous Iudge rose vp went his way w 〈…〉 whose â—inistring of equity iustice euery one did reioyce This worthy true iustice of this good vertuous Iudge did so muche good y â— neuer since any of our superiours haue misused theyr inferiors nor any hath since that time spokeÌ„ written or giuen any giftes in the behalfe of their friend or of any other SIVQILA No more I thinke they woulde doe with vs if we had such lawes and so strictly executed with vs. Surely your Iudges are to be extolled your Superiors to be reuerenced and al your Countrey to be commended You haue the best Iudges that euer I hearde of I praye you sir are there many Lawyers with you OMEN No truely but those fewe that we haue are both learned and verye Godly It is a wonder to sée if a poore maÌ„ without mony do come into the Court of any Iudge how y â— Attorneys and Lawyers will flocke about him and striue as it were among themselues to be the poore mans Attorney or Lawyer saying if you haue no money I pray you bée my Client for they are more glad to be a poore mans Attorny or Lawyer without mony than to to deale in a rich maÌ„s cause for money why bycause they firmly beléeue that god wil giue them greater fées than the rich man wil or can SIVQILA The moste of our Attorneys and Lawyers I thinke are not of that opinion for if they were the riche shoulde not haue so manye and the poore so fewe The poore man may go vp and downe long ynoughe ere the Attorneys or Lawyers will flocke aboute him or once aske him such a question Mary some godly Lawyers there be with vs that counsel the poore without money but if those that haue their counsels fréely giuen haue not money besides to go thorowe withall and to paye the fées of the Courtes whereof some are so greate and the delayes so long that riche men thereby many times are made pore they may go home and whistle for any matter that shal be tryed on their side OMEN We haue such orders with vs y â— whether a poore maÌ„ haue mony or not his Attorny shal procéede as orderly equally and spéedily as the rich mans shal and shall haue his cause ended as iustly and truly as though he had mony SIVQILA That is another maner of matter that is the chuse that there are so fowe oppressors with you OMEN Nay we haue neuer an oppressor with vs. It may
gréeuous infirmitie who thinkes it was harder to be cured than yours and when I knewe that he was a Surgeon I desired him earnestly to sée you who is come hither more at my entreating than at his own desiring To whom the Gentleman saide Syr you are welcome and to make fewe wordes and be plaine with you if you can helpe me of this my intollerable griefe and of thys infirmitie in my legge I will giue you for your labour an hundreth pound and twentie markes yearely during youre life Sir said the Surgeon it is a greate deale too muche it is more than I shall deserue Well content thy selfe said the Gentleman if thou cure me thou shalte haue no lesse And the said Surgeon séeing his legge and perceyuing the cause of his griefe and pain was content to take him â—n cure And so to conclude brieflye he helped the Gentleman with in a shorte space who according to his promise gaue to y â— Surgeon for his labour an hundreth pound and twentie markes yearely as long as he liued Nowe who is it that wyll not beléeue but that it was onely God that ledde as it were by a line this good and charitable Surgeon to this riche man in paine and did not onelye prosper him in curing of hym so spéedily but also opened his hearte to giue him therefore so liberally by cause he was so diligent and willing to go to helpe the poore without mony and refused the rich for much money SIVQ. It was the Lords doings I am sure there are manne richemen with vs that in their paine and gréefe would haue promised as muche more but when they had bin wel they woulde haue giuen a great deale lesse Well I wil tel you another example whiche was with vs. A rich and a poore man chaunced both at one time to sende for a Surgeon which Surgeon preferring goodes before God money before mercie and the riche mans gifte before Gods rewarde without any long pawsing of the matter went to the riche man and refused to goe to the poore man who when he came to the rich man he tooke him in hande and with muche adoe he cured him at the last who gaue the Surgeon a great rewarde for his labour and as the sayde Surgeon was comming homewarde certain théeues met with him who did not onely spoyle him of al the money he had but also wounded him very sore who with very much a doe got home and falling into a consideration with himselfe saide God hath worthily plagued me bicause I refused the poore and went to the riche bycause I trusted to my selfe and mistrusted God and bycause I thought the riche mans payment was better than Gods payment OMEN Here we maye sée the greate difference of the godlye whome God doth blrsse and the vngodly that God doth not prosper The godly Surgeon that refused the rich and went to the poore for Gods sake did inioy great ryches that he neuer looked for and the other SurgeoÌ„ that refused the poore and went to the riche for moneys sake had no good of his money that he was sure of nay it was the cause that he was so hurt and wounded SIVQILA And though this Surgeon was robbed of his money wounded of his body yet I beléeue al that cannot make our Surgeons to go to the poore where they shal haue no mony refuse y â— rich wher they are sure of gret rewards OMEN It is pitie that there are not appointed throughout al your Countrey sufficient skilful and learned Surgeons with necessary yearly stipends allowed them for the only helping and curing of the pore that haue no money to help themselues withal SIVQILA It were very wel if it were so but I feare in haste it wil not be so yet commonly in our Hospitals there are suche stipendarie Surgeons for the helping of the pore and miserable wretches there But I praye God that they that can make the best friends and fées be not better attended gently or handled and soâ—er cuâ—ed than the other that are friendlesse and monilesse OMEN Surely if there be any such with you it is pitie they liue SIVQILA Wel I feare there haue bin suche with vs and yet haue lyued without trouble or harme OMEN If suche a fellow were with vs and shoulde vse himself so we should learne him such a lesson that he should not dare doe the like as long as he liued SIVQILA And I dare vndertake for him whatsoeuer he is he would not do it after his death OMEN I wil tel you how suche a spitefull Surgeon a very mony man was handled long since with vs. He was a stipendary Surgeon in an hospital in which hospital was a verye pore man both monilesse and friendlesse that had a great wound on his arme which pore man was committed to this same Surgeon to be cured And thoughe the wound was but a gréene wounde whiche mighte haue béene helped more spéedily and with lesse paine than if it had bin an old sore yet this harde hearted Surgeon applyed vnto hys wound such pinching plaisters both euening morning y â— almost night and day the pore man was in perpetual pain who then with greate griefe of minde said to the Surgeon Oh sir for Gods sake haue some compassion on me heale me with more ease for I am neuer able to abide this Then said y e surgeon you must giue me some mony to buy milder medicines for the house allowes me none other than these to whome the pore patient sayde I hardly beléeue y â— for the chiefe Rulers of the house are so godly that they will allow rather suche things as you thinke méete which haue knowledge than suche as they thinke méete that haue no knowledge Truely if euerye one in this house be cured in thys order as I am they wil rather go out of the house vnhealed than tarry here stil in hope to be healed What said y e Surgeon haue you founde your tong I wil punishe you a little better for your prating then saide the pore man I beséeche you sir vse me rather better than worse and I woulde if I hadde a messenger sende for some money for you Mary said the Surgeon you shal not want for a messenger I will get one that shal doe so much for you and forthwith the sayde Surgeon brought one vnto him how much wil serue youre turne said the patient to the Surgeon a Noble said y e Surgeon muste be the leaste I woulde giue a thousand Nobles sayde the Patient if I had them rather than I would be in these torments and paines I pray you said he to the messenger go to my mother dwelling in such a stréete of this Citie and desire hir if euer she wil doe anye thyng for me to sende mée a Noble presently to gyue to my Surgeon for vntill he hathe it I shal be in such torments that during the same I would gladly
shall haue a sufficiente liuing if he be maymed when hée commeth home Well there is a hundreth tymes more spent in vaine in oure Countrey in a yeare I had almost said in a day than woulde frame sufficient houses there for that purpose Is there any maintenance in your Colledges and Frée-schooles for the bringing vp of pore mens children in Learning OMEN Yea truly and that through the whole realme for there is neuer a Colledge nor Frée schoole in al our country but there is sufficient landes belonging to them for the educating onely of poore mens children SIVQILA What onely for poore mens children maye not one rich mans son créepe in and not be espyed maye not the Maister of the Colledge or the chiefe doers for the Frée-schooles help now and then their friends childe in and kéepe the pore mans childe out for it is an euil Cooke that cannot licke his owne fingers OMEN I tel you truelye there is none can nor maye bée admitted there but pore mens children whose friendes are not able to maintaine them to learning For the Father of euerye suche childe or the mother of the child if the father be deade or the child himself if both his father and mother be dead before the same childe be admitted shal sit at the same Colledge or Schoolehouse gate in verye pore attyre for the space of thrée days from morning to euening hauing a writing fixed on his or hir bosome with these wordes following in it This is the poore man or poore woman that throughe great pouertie is enforst to haue his or hir childe brought vp as a poore Scholler in this Colledge or Schoole and the same partie shal holde a boxe and receiue therein the money and almes of suche wel disposed persons as shal passe by them SIVQILA Truely this is an excellent way that the rich mens sonnes shall not take vp pore Schollers roomes for the rich disdaine to be called poore and be muche more ashamed to beg as do the pore but the pore man is double glad hereof for he is not onely sure thereby his childe shall haue foode rayment and learning for nothing but also that they themselues shall haue some reléefe during the saide thrée dayes of good and charitable persons that shall sée them sitâ—e there Hereby you are sure that the greate and riche mens combes are cutte from being suters in anye of these places for their sonnes If the same pollicie were vsed with vs so many rich mens sons would not be brought vp in Colledges with the liuings appointed for the poore schollers I feare y â— a great sorte of rich men haue do dayly with their heauye powches eyther thrust them oute or kéepe them oute of the Colledges and Schooles wher they ought to be placed well if they that giue suche rewardes and bribes knewe what it is to rob the poore and they that take the rewards or bribes knewe what it is to defraude the pore the one woulde not be halfe so ready in giuing nor the other so gréedye in taking Wel I am sure as godly men as they haue not done it as wise men as they cannot fynde in their heartes to doe it and as honest men as they wyll neuer doe it But what if some shamelesse gréedie or niggardly rich man or woman for other I am sure woulde neuer doe it shoulde by fraude or crafte notwithstanding this pollicie place his or hir son or any other in any suche College or Schoole in the roomth of a pore Scholler OMEN Truely he or she shall forfaite to the first reuealer thereof the fourth part of all his or hir goodes and further he or she shall forfaite the one halfe of all the rest of his or hir goodes whych presently shall be to the vse of the pore childe that shoulde haue bene admitted by course into that Colledge or Schoole where anye suche is admitted thus fraudulently for euerye poore Scholler with vs is placed in the Colledges and Schooles by an excellent good order course and likewise shall forfaite the one halfe of all his or hir landes whyche the same poore Scholler shall haue to him and to his heyres for euer immediately after his or hir death SIVQILA Some perhappes will thinke that this is a verye harde and straighte lawe that for suche a faulte shoulde make one lose both halfe of his landes and goods OMEN Then belike they thinke it is but a small faulte for a riche man to robbe a poore childe Well lette them thinke what they will none in oure Countrey thinke so and the wise will thinke whatsoeuer they thinke that this lawe is not made to make any lose their lands or goods but to make manye take héede that they doe not loose their landes and goodes And thoughe some perhaps will thinke there is no cause why the pore childe shoulde haue halfe the landes and goodes of the riche man the lawe that willeth it is cause good ynough Besides it is a greate reason that the pore childe shoulde haue halfe the landes and goodes of the riche man that hathe done hym wrong as the rich mans sonne to haue all the poore childes liuing that neuer did him harme SIVQILA But shall the Maysters of the Colledges and the doers for the Schooles escape frée if they admitte anye ryche mennes sonnes into the pore Schollers roumes contrary to thys well meante order or if by their sufferance or negligence anye is admitted thus fraudulentlye or craftilye OMEN Then you mighte well thincke that wée were partiall and not the men that wée are Naye euerye suche Maister of a Colledge and chiefe doer for the Schooles that doe so offende shal quite be put out of their roumes or office and the firste reuealer or complayner thereof shall haue the fourthe parte of all theyr goodes and the one halfe of the reste of all theyr goodes shall equallye be distributed and gyuen among all the poore Schollers of the same Colledge or Schoole whereof such an offendour was Maister or chiefe doer and also they shall be emprisoned therefore one halfe yeare SIVQILA I woulde suche as doe so were vsed so and then they that doe so I thinke sure woulde not doe so Well I wyl nowe trouble you with an other matter If a simple man not knowen to any of the higher powers or Magistrates pore in comparison and meanely apparelled shoulde inuente and drawe out some thing that were good honest reasonable necessarie commendable profitable and possible onely for a common wealth and not for his owne priuate gaine woulde they receyue it thankefully and peruse it willingly OMEN Yea that they woulde I warrant you and if it were suche a sute as you say they would authorize it spéedilye besides their curteous countenaunces and their preferring of him that it would not a little encorage other to employ their wits to such good deuises for we consider and respect the matter not the man the goodnesse not the garment the witte not
that they haue won nothing then may not we thinke them wisâ— that hazarded themselues into thrée great mischiefes for nothing whiche mischiefes are killing hanging and Hell fire For are not many that fight killed and they haue gotteÌ„ their own death for fighting for nothing And haue not they that haue killed bin hanged therfore and so they haue bene hanged for their fighting for nothing and if they haue dyed in enuy and malice as I feare many haue done theÌ„ they haue gotteÌ„ damnation in Hell fire for euer for their fighting for nothing And therfore are not they worthy to be called wise meÌ„ that make such wise matches are such fierce furious fighters OMEN Such fighters know not well what they do for if they did they wold be twentie times aduised ere they did fight once SIVQILA Yea and if they knewe the gaine that they shall haue for fighting in Christes quarrell they would rather fight euery day as long as they liuein his cause than one day in their owne But the fighting of Christs Champions is contrarie to their fighting For they that suffer most are Christs chiefest fighters but they that suffer least they count the best fighters OMEN Yea but they shal neuer get so much good by their reuenging and fighting as Christs souldiours shal gain by their patience and suffering For whereas manye of these stoute worldly fighters gets double death I feare that is this worldly death and the most dolefull death in Hel they that fight for Christes cause are sure for a short death here to haue euerlasting life in heaueÌ„ therfore is a gret differeÌ„ce in euery wise maÌ„s eies betwéen these two kinds of fighters SIVQILA Yea and as greate a difference in that that coÌ„mes of their fighting therfore they that are wise wil take héede how they fight Is it not a straunge thing to consider how preposterouslye manye vse themselues as well in their talke as in their déedes for Christ the son of God the chiefe of al goodnes said to one why calst thou me good meaning of his manhood ther is none good but God TheÌ„ if Christ y â— Sonne of God that was sinlesse most peaceable quiet and louing of all other refused to be called good how dare these sinfull brauling quarelling disquiet hatefull and furious fighters take vpon them to be called good men And what witlesse woodcocks are they that cals theÌ„ good men bicause they fight lustily sticke to it stoutely and would mayme kil desperatly neuer regarding their cause nor their quarel OMEN Are they called good men with you that are stout fighters and will not shrinke SIVQILA In déede they are commonly so called OMEN TheÌ„ surely they nickname them vnlesse euil be good and then must néeds follow that peaceable patiente quiet louing and good men are euil But I thinke there is neuer a good man in déede that wil call them good men Wo be to them sayeth the Prophet Esay that call euil good and good euil theÌ„ woe is to these men that call fierce furious fighters good men for one contrarie is knowne by another For if Christ call the peacemakers blessed and happy then I may safely call the peace breakers vnhappye And suche brawlers and fighters are peace breakers Ergo the fighters are vnhappy and vnhappy men cannot be good men then they must be euill men And thus these lustie cutters and stoute fighters are sufficiently proued to be euill meÌ„ Therfore they haue had a wrong name a great while I pray you sir what law haue you for Drunkards OMEN We haue a very good and straite law for Drunkards but there is neuer a Drunkard with vs to execute the law on For saint Paule sayth That drunkards shall not inherit the kingdome of Heauen SIVQILA It séemes that you do more for Saint Pauls words than many with vs wil do for Christs his Apostles and all the Prophets words OMEN Wel what for the loue of Christ and what for the feare of the law euery one liues very soberly with vs. SIVQILA If there were neither law of God nor law of man that did forbid drunkennesse yet me thinks the reasonable lawe of nature and the temperate drincking of brute beastes without reason were ynough to make vs refrayne excesse drunkennesse Why should not nature with reason teach vs as wel as nature without reasoÌ„ doth teach beasts birds and other sensitiue cretures Beastes birds or other sensitiue creatures wil neuer eate more at that time thaÌ„ is sufficient for them vnlesse sometime through gret hunger who as soone as they féele their stomacks ouercharged they neuer rest vntil they haue auoided al y e which superfluously they haue eaten but Man that God hath created to be now not much inferiour to Angels maketh himself far worse thaÌ„ Beasts For he when he hath eaten more than he is able to disgest he goes not about to â—oyd the superfluitie thereof as beasts do but by by he heaps more vpon more going from baÌ„ket to baÌ„ket which bréeds fore diseases shortneth his life and perhaps brings present death But who euer heard that birdes or beastes do willingly drinke such drinke so much therof at one time y â— they are depriued of their natural seÌ„ses or y â— their wonted vse of their legs lims or body to serue our turne or theirs is taken from theÌ„ consider y e diligent dog or spaniel that waits on his Master most louingly y e horse that serues him so necessarily the cow y â— â—éedes him so plentifully the oxe that labors for him so painfully y e shéep y â— clothes him with his own cote so warmly y e birds that delight him with their singing so merily many other dumb creatures whose néed he hath dayly whether they drinke theÌ„selues so drunk at any tyme y e they caÌ„ neither serue maÌ„ their Maister nor go on their féet no I am sure But many a man y â— are their rulers in whoÌ„ most wit reasoÌ„ shold be fouÌ„d are many times so stark staring drunke yea some almost euery day y â— they can neither stand go speak sée heare nor vnderstande farre more senselesse thaÌ„ y e senselest or brutest beast in the world OMEN Is there with you any that will be so drunke SIVQILA Is there quoth you yea that there are that not a few But if they loued God his word or the health of their own soule as they fauour y e fiend doe diuelish déedos are desirers of their own dreadful daÌ„natioÌ„ they would not drink so déepe as they do Oh if Satan would suffer theÌ„ to coÌ„sider déepely with theÌ„selues when they are sober what gain is got by drunkeÌ„nesse I beléeue the veriest drunkard of al they y â— haue most delight in such detestable drinking would quickly abhorre it spéedily refrain it and neuer after vse it For drunkennesse brings this gain it spends the time vainly it
swearers were brydeled wyth oure Bytte and were punished without pardon as they in oure Countrey are if they doe-chaâ—â—ice to offende their greate othes woulde be turned into Yea and Nay SIVQILA I haue suche good lyking to your law that I wishe it or suche like were executed with vs as a Law But sir I pray you what if anye be troubled sewed or imprisoned by false reporte or wrong information wyth you OMEN What if Fire be turned into Water Byrdes into Fishes Tabers and Belles into Buckets I tel you there are none with vs that wil once tel a lye or will giue any wrong information against any SIVQILA You dwell in suche a Countrey as I neuer hearde of you haue not so fewe suche but we haue as many such OMEN Yea but if you did vse suche I durst laye a wager that shortly you shoulde haue none suche SIVQILA Howe woulde you vse suche if you had any such OMEN If anye with vs should falsely suggest or molest or giue any wrong information againste any the party that hath wrongfully suggested or informed shal incur the like danger penaltie and punishmeÌ„t as the partie against whoÌ„ the information was made shoulde haue done if the suggestion or information against him had bin true As if the partie complained of should haue lost his eies eares hands or tong if the information had bin true then the false suggester or wrong informer shal lose his eies eares handes or tong And if the partie complained of should haue loste hys life if the information had bin true then the informer or suggester shal lose his life if his information be false And so of losse of landes goodes prisonment or anye other punishement A rare example I wil tel you of one wyth vs how hée was vsed that gaue wrong and wicked information against one onelye of malice and spite and the rather bycause hée thought to haue begged his liuing SIVQILA Tel it for I wil heare you attentiuely OMEN There was once in oure Countrey a very wicked fellowe that dwelled nighe vnto a very godly and honest man who as the Diuel doeth not loue God so thys diuelishe fellowe coulde not abide his godly neighbor as he hated him so he hasted to worke his destruction And bycause he soughte no more but his lyfe he deuised wordes of high treason that he should speake against the King and he enformed y â— Ruler there of his own deuised wordes saying that he himself heard him speake theÌ„ And to make the thing more cock sure he hyred two witnesses to affyrme that they hearde him likewise speake the same words of treason whiche when the Ruler heard he sent for the party that was coÌ„playned of to whom wheÌ„ he was come the ruler and Iudge said Sirra here is one of thy neighbors as I vnderstande hath enformed that thou hast spoken words of high treason against the kyng he hath not only heard thée speak them but here are also two witnesses that didde heare thée also Which wheÌ„ this goodman heard he was so astonied that he could scantly speake one word to whome the Ruler saide Sirra you were beste speake your selfe and to excuse youre selfe for here are thrée come to accuse you And then y â— man remembring himselfe knéeled downe and saide O my God and heauenly father thou knowest whether I am guilty in this that is layde to my charge or not as thou deliueredst Daniel out of the Lyons denne the thrée children out of the â—ierie fornace and chast Susanna from the two wicked Iudges Deliuer me Lord for thy mercies sake at this present from these raâ—enors that séeke guiltlesse my spoile destruction and with that he rose vp and saide to the Ruler as foloweth I beséeche you to examine them seuerally by themselues what were the wordes I spake where I spake them and when I spake them and the Iudge didde so Whyche when he had done he found euery one of them agrée in one tale And then the Ruler said to the accused man these men doe all agrée that in such a place and in such a day and how thou didst speake such words against the King therfore as farre as I séé I muste be constrained to giue iudgement against thée according to the lawe At whose wordes the accused man knéeled downe again and said with wéeping teares Oh Lord as I am guiltlesse so let me not be helplesse in thée is al my hope thou neuer deceiuest them that putte their trust in thée thou art able to pleade in my cause TheÌ„ the Ruler had him arise and saide vnto him I perceiue thou hast a seruent trust in God Wel I wil charge these thy aduersaries a little straighter Wel Maisters thys good man whom you haue accused here of high treason is iudged of al that knowe him to be as faithful to God as obedient to his Prince and as louing to his neighbors as curteous to straÌ„gers as liberall to the pore and as commodious to his couÌ„try as any of vs al and a great deale more than any of you thrée that haue accused him But for that we are to doe Iustice we meane not but according to your accusations to procéede against him Notwithstanding I wil say to you by the way that if he die guiltlesse through your false accusatioÌ„s God wil not only plague you as long as you liue with a troubled tormented conscience but also with desperate minds at your deaths whiche is the verye line that leades you to hel Let Iudas be a pattern to you that falsely betraid Christ his Maister for as soone as he had taken the money y â— he betrayd him for did he not straitways dispaire whereby he neuer asked pardon of God for his fault so desperatly hanged himself and his vowels gushed out so he is become the child of perdition whereby he hath lost heauen for Hel pleasure for pain gladnesse for sadnesse and God for y â— Diuel Is not this a proper gain that his mony hath broughte him Therfore you that are witnesses if you haue takeÌ„ mony for the betraying of this accused man your mony wil bryng you Iudas gaine vnlesse you repent you otherwayes than Iudas did whiche gaine is to be for euer in the torments of Hel fire with the Diuel and his Angels and to be expulsed from the presence of God And thereat the accused man knéeled downe and sayde Oh Lorde defende me and pleade now my cause And as soone as the accused man had spoken these words there came one man in great hast and preased to come before the Iudge saying as foloweth Oh worthy Iudge you sit here in the place of God the most high and greatest Iudge the Iudge of al Iudges to heare the truth without any partialitie and to iudge according to right and equitie whose faith is so firme whose godlinesse is so greate and whose trueth is so tryed that I am assured that nothing
wisely but I praye you Syr what if a pore manne shoulde come as a suter to anye of them will they be contente to talke wyth them presently heare their tale gladly and helpe their sute spéedily OMEN For talking with them presentelye and hearing their tale gladly I am sure they will and if they can conueniently they wil likewise performe their requeste for they thinke it is the most dishonor to them that can be that a suter should go sad from them SIVQILA But what if any of their seruantes throughe disdainefulnesse or spite doe not tell their Lorde Ladye or Maister that suche a suter woulde speake with them being required thereto OMEN Forsooth euery such seruant shall be emprisoned one moneth after and al that while whatsoeuer he sues for shall be denyed him SIVQILA Truely a very good Lawe and order for all stoute and stubborne seruantes againste néedie and simple Suters Then I perceiue séeing they are wyllyng to helpe their Suters in that that is no gaine to themselues then I doe beléeue they wyll not denye to helpe theyr poore Suters in that that hathe béene profyte vnto themselues OMEN You maye bée sure of that for if anye noble manne Lady Knight or Gentleman with vs doe take or borrowe any thyng of any vppon their trust or credite they wyl eyther sende them theyr money at their day or else if they requyre to haue it before their daye standing in greate néede they will make verye harde shifte but they wyll helpe them to it not onely then moste willingly and gently thanking them for the good turn they haue done them in the forbearing of it so long but also will doe them some manifest pleasure therefore if they can and neuer after wil be vnmindful thereof SIVQILA Our Merchauntes and Artificers with vs would giue a good deale that al with vs were such as wold vse their creditors so curteously performe their promise so surely and accept a good turne so thankfully But that was neuer nor neuer wil be yet there are many suche wyth vs I dare boldly affirme Many will speake faire to bring themselues in credite and promise much vntill they cā get it but neyther pay nor kéepe promise when they haue gote it OMEN There was one with vs long since that of a base parentage came to great wealth and promotion who as he encreased in prosperitie decayed in honesty as he augmented in goods so he decreased in goodnes as he abounded in wealth so he abandoned wisedom and therby he became so proud that he had forgot al his old friends and no maruel for he had quite forgot himselfe He was more bold to borrowe than hastie to pay and bicause he was of great welth and lyuing many didde willinglye lend him for that they knew he was able to pay them but his abilitie and fidelitie were farre vnlike he neuer kept touch with his Creditors and he loued them so well that he woulde neuer haue his name out of their Bookes If Promise were paymente hée payde as well as any man for all his paymentes consisted in promises but his Creditors had rather had fewe promises and good payment than many promises and slacke payment So that his credite at first was turned into discredit at last for none would trust him of the value of a groat and why bicause he woulde not only if one asked it threat thē but also many times beat them SIVQILA That was but a homely kind of paymēt the creditors were scantable to liue on it He was a bountifull Gentlemā I warrant you of his owne goodes that was so gréedie of other mens goods belike he kept a good house for the pore He that woulde beate men for asking for theyr owne belike he would beate the pore if they craued oughte of his The common wealth no doubt had a greate commoditie of him Procéede nowe in your tale for I wil aduisedly heare you OMEN Many of his creditors had bin so ofte with hym for asking their owne whō he so threatned and misused that they were so wearie thereof that they let him alone wythal but one among the rest more stout thā the rest more pincht for want of his money than the rest and to whome he ought more than to any of the rest watcht his time and met wyth him thoughe he had rather haue shunned him thā séen him to whome he saide very gently and mildely Sir it is not vnknowne vnto you that you haue ought me a greate deale of money so long that I am muche endebted and endamaged throughe the want thereof If I could as wel spare it as you may wel pay it I woulde be content to suffer you so long againe to kéepe it in youre handes as you haue done But for that you knowe my case doth compell me necessitie doth enforce me and very pouertie doth procure me therfore I aske and craue of you for Gods sake that summe of mony which you owe me And though it be a little to you yet it is a great deale to me whiche small summe if you paye me wil make me to swim but if you withholde it it wil cause me to sinck Therfore my swimming or sinking lyes in your handes trusting that whereas with lending and forbearing of my mony I haue helped you you wil not by withholding of it hinder or hurt me To whom the welthy debter said both frowningly frettingly and furiously away thou varlet haue I nothing else to do than to waite to pay thée money Call you it wayting said the pore man you were verye wol content to waite to receiue my wares why can you not as well bée cōtent to wait to pay me my money Away thou knaue said the gentleman or my fist shal waite on your eare to whom the pore creditor said It were muche against reason to fight with him with youre fiste in whome you haue founde suche friendship and fauour to threate him so furiously that hathe lent you his wares so louingly and to offer to beat him so rashly that hath forborne the money you owe him so long Which vngentle gentlemā before the mā had ful ended his wordes did so hurt and beate him that therby he was lame euer after of one of hys armes And so he went away in a great rage giuing his friendly creditor strokes for siluer euil for good punishement for payment And thys was al that he coulde get on him for that tyme. And then the manne that was thus hurte or beaten as wel as he coulde wente to the nexte Iudge or Ruler to whome he declared all the whole cause and howe he was vsed for asking of his money whyche when the Ruler hearde hée sente for the sayde Gentlemanne immediatelye who came to him presentlye for he durste doe none other to whome he sayd with very great griefe If Gentlemen whose life oughte to be a Lanterne to lighten their inferiours whose lowlinesse ought to