hath said nor can say any thing for himselfe nor this fellow hyred by him as it séemes hath saide any thing to the purpose Then the man that was accused said to the Iudge oh my Lord consider y t truth the innocēts cause as I stand here before God you so I wil not lye neither to God nor you the truth is when I was presented to come before you I knew not the cause thereof whiche being true as God knowes y ◠is here presēt the time is very short as your Lordship al the rest here may veri wel iudge to premeditate procure or practise any such pollicy And as for this mā which y ◠lord I am sure hath sēt on my side I neuer saw him or spake with him in all my life to my remembraunce Therfore my Lord think that I am here as guiltlesse Susan and this man God hathe raised vp instead of Daniel which I doubt not at length but wil be able to counteruaile againste these two false witnesses that are in stead of two wicked Iudges And GOD that is here my perpetual patrone is sufficient and able to counteruaile this my wicked accuser And then as soone as this honest accused man had said these words to the Iudge an other straunge manne came in hastilye and preaced verye muche to speake to the Iudge and saide oh my Lord I feare that here are thrée Wolues determined to deuoure a simple and innocent Lamb. How knowest thou that said the Iudge truly then said the man I was going euen now within this houre thrée or four miles from home about certaine vrgent busines and as I was going I met by chance nay rather by Gods prouidence with one that asked me if I knew suche a man to whome I answered and said that I knew him not but I haue hearde a good report of him to bée both honest godly charitable Wel then said he againe to me he is like to be cast away this daye for hyghe treason against the King What is the cause and who is his accuser saide I and then he declared vnto me the words of treason that he should speake named this man that stands here to be his accuser therein which when I hearde hearing so much good of the man accused and knowing so much euil of the accuser I cut off my néedeful iorney came hither with great spéede to tel a truth and to saue an innocent if by any meanes I may Then saide the Iudge to him thinkest thou that this man that is accused of treason is guiltlesse therin Yea that I do said the fellow or else this his accuser wold neuer haue hyred me to beare false witnesse againste him therin Is this true that thou sayst saide the Iudge yea my Lorde that it is saide the fellowe he cannot well denye it for I am sure halfe a dozen times at the leaste he was very importunate on me to beare witnesse againste hym in thus same matter that he hathe accused him of and offered mée mony therefore largely and vnderstanding partly my néed he thought I coulde no more refuse his mony than he could resist the Diuel when he moued him to mischiefe For if I would haue consented to him herein this good man had not bin so long vnaccused as he is therfore I beséeche your lordshippe to consider wel of it for I am neither desired hyred brybed nor procured to come hither nowe to speake this that I haue saide Tel me truelye saide the Iudge doest thou knowe the man that is accused no sir said the fellow I neuer sawe him in al my lyfe that I wote of but I haue hearde of his good name and honest fame but I knowe his accuser very wel for he offered me money to be a false witnesse against him half a dozen times at the least as I sayde before Did not I tel you saide the Iudge that after thys fume fire woulde followe and then the accused knéeled downe vpon his knées with wéeping teares saying O Lord nowe I perceiue thou hast heard my prayer and performed my petitiō in stead of my accusers two false witnesses thou hast sent me two true witnesses by which two witnesses al throughe thée my truth shall be tryed and their falsenesse shall be founde And then the Iudge saide to the accuser how say you to this sirra here are two witnesses stirred vp by God against your two witnesses procured by the Diuel I perceiue thou lokedst for nothing lesse thā that these two shold haue come hither to declare the truth as they do Wel it is the Lorde our God that hath sent them and none else What canst thou say to this Then said the accuser oh my Lord both these are hyred for mony for the deliuery of this Traytour and for my destruction A vaine excuse saide the Iudge for this mā hath protested before God that he knew not the cause he was sente for when I did sende for him Whiche if it be so it is verye vnlikely that since I layde the matter to his charge he should procure this practise and finde suche friends that he neuer knewe before in so short a time especially séeing he neuer spake nor once whispered to any since his comming hyther but séeing saide the Iudge the trueth of euerye matter oughte to be tryed by the oths of the informers or witnesses therefore I will haue euery one of you in this case deposed And first wil you two that came of your owne motion or rather by God procured as I thinke sweare nowe before the Lorde without malice affection enuie spite hatred or without anye other sinister meanes onelye for truthes sake that this accuser of thys man of high treason againste the King woulde haue hyred you for money to be false witnesses against this accused mā in this same case whereof he nowe is accused Then sayde the same two men to the Iudge yea my Lorde that we wil with all our heartes for as the Lorde knowes the secretes of all our heartes we haue saide nothing nor will saye any thing but onely the trueth Then saide the Iudge to them nowe take youre othes thereof and so they were deposed and sworne then the Iudge bidde them stand aside and commaunded the accuser and his two witnesses to take their othes afore him that the accused man did speake such words of treason wherof they accused him And as they wer taking their othes the one of y ◠witnesses coulde not speake for the Lord did make his tong to swell in his mouth that it was horrible to sée The other witnesse immediatelye fell downe before them stark lame and the wicked accuser was then stroken blind At which sodaine change and righteous stroke of God y e Iudge al the rest wer amazed Then said the Iudge oh wicked wretches did not I warne you of this before do you thinke that God that is all truth wil wincke at wickednesse
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
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
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
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