Selected quad for the lemma: land_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	good_a	lease_n	rent_n	1,458	5	9.8141	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16760	A merrie dialogue betvvixt the taker and mistaker	Breton, Nicholas, 1545?-1626?	1603 (1603)	STC 3667; ESTC S104778	20,223	38

of my loue-taking or my taking louer I began to bethink me what course I were best to take for my comfort when finding many malitious people that could not liue quietly with their neighbours spend much mony to litle purpose and so feed the Lawyers with fees that they left their purses without money I began to thinke that a litle studie in the law would gaine much good in a commonwealth Wherupon without much circumstance I got me into the formall outside of a iolly fellow and for the better countenance to my credite furnished my studie with more bookes then I had either time to reade or wit to vnderstand When hauing gotten acquaintance with some setters for clients rubbing ouer my poore French hauing Litl●ton before me and a booke of notes I know not of whose writing I would set on such a counselling countenance as if I had bin at the barre before I know the hall when what with the multitude of clients and golden fees I made such a gaine of my dissembling that nere a Lawyer of my standing but I caried it cleane from him man and matter and all In which pretie thriuing course I had not continued long but that being found by my learning vnsit to pleade for a blacke pudding I was taken for a p●tti-fogger and not so good as a poore Clarke so that my condition being found to be but a practiser with cunning to trouble the quiet of honest people for feare of being turned ouer the barre I was faine to turne my compasse to another course But to tell you during the time of my profession how honest a man I was taken among knaues and how contrarie among honest men I would be loth to haue notice taken for indeed I was rather a bench-whistler then a bencher and more meete for my good conscience to be arraigned at the barre then to pleade at a barre But as I said before lest I should be taken for that I truly was I left that course and tooke another inuention by the back I got me into a countrie where I was vnknown and there hoping that men that sought to win heauen by their good deedes would surely enrich me with their charitie I began to connterfeit a diseased creature and seeming with the ruefull countenance that I could frame for the purpose I would so moue the hearts and picke the purses of kind people that I doubted not in time to grow a wealthy begger And with this inuention I went forward till after that I had so long followed my profession that my benefactors grew wearie of their liberalitie it fell out by good or ill hap rather that I chaunced to beg of a very neat and handsome man who seemed by his mild eye to haue a heart pitifull to the distressed But he more cunning to prie into the knauery of my dissembling then to cure me of my disease if I had had any asked me of my paine and how long I had bene diseased Which when I had vntruly told him he willed me to come home to him and he would vndertake to heale me Oh how glad I seemed of his kindnesse and promised to waite vpon him with many humble thanks But fearing this my vndertaker should so ouertake me in taking me napping in my knauerie I fairely tooke my way out of the towne and neuer came within the gates after Thus was I almost ouertaken with a water before I had made my fire burne halfe kindly To be short if I should tell you all the courses that I haue taken and how I haue bene taken in euery of them I should make you thinke all your mistaking but a trisle in comparison of many a miserable taking that I haue bene in Dor. Why man so long as you neuer tooke any course so farre out of compasse but you could guesse whereabouts you were nor euer went so farre any way but you could find the way home againe let vs take hands together like good friends and take all well that hath hit well and warning by that hath falne amisse to follow such a follie any further Lor. You say well but yet ere I make a full end I will tell you how kindly I was entertained in a place that by chaunce I tooke vp for my lodging where being taken as indeed I was a man of more honestie then wit and kindnesse then wealth after good cheare and welcome the good man of the house taking me aside beganne to reade me this honest lesson My friend quoth he for that I take you for a man of that good disposition that will take any thing well that is well meant let me tell you there be many men in the world that with mistaking the right course of discretion ●unne such wild courses as bring many of them into many pitifull takings Some no sooner come to their land but they take vp their rentes afore the day so long that they are readie to make a newe taking for an old matter other take money for leases ere they knowe the value of their landes other take money for their landes ere they well knowe the Summarie of their rentes All these are commonly taken prisoners either with the heart-ach for want of money or the heade-ach for want of witte And for many of them they are taken either with the begger the theefe the cheater or the foole Some when they haue nothing to take to will take a wife to helpe forward a mischiefe or mend an ill matter but such a one may hap to take a wrong sow by the eare that may bite him by the fingers for his labor another perhaps takes vpon him to be a Phisitian or a Surgeon and with a pill and a plaister makes profession of great wonders Now he with taking vpon him much skill takes much money and though for want of knowledge or through crafty villany he is determined to make a gaine of his patient he will one day giue him ease and another day torment as he finds the nature of his purse in stead of his pulses Now is it not pitty but that such a horse-leech were taken and hanged that to make a gaine of griefe will bring any Christian into such a taking Lor. O Lord is it possible that there is any such creature in the world that by so diuelish a nature will shew himselfe such a dog Dor. Too many but giue me leaue a litle Some take vpon them to be Diuines which only make the name of God a cloake for their knauerie but those may rather be called lurch men then Church-men who is they are not troubled with much learning so they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more honest● then they may well away withall But these who take eleuen for tenths and yet can scarce reade any other names then are written in their Easter bookes is it not pitty but their places were taken from them and giuen to them that could and would take more carefull paines in them Lor. I take it so but

nothing more fitting the humour of my fortune at that time I intreated him most heartily to make me in this first to be beholding to him Whereupon with a very litle preamble he fell into this plaine trot I will tel you quoth he when I was yong as you are and had as litle to care for as you haue being broght vp at home with ease and plentie and wearie of welfare would faine haue I know not what when hauing the world more at will then wit to gouerne my affections and a desire to see more then I could well carie away thinking my mothers best creame but bare milke and others thinnest milke as good creame as might make butter taking leaue of no friend and flattering my thoughts with fortune I would to sea forsooth with a sight of such spirits as but that they looked like men would haue made poore people affraid of them yet these were the men with whom in more hast then good speed I must go lose abroade what I had gotten at home When hoping to haue light on some good prize I was taken prisoner with the enemie of whom being stript of that I had with a few old ragges on my backe among a few of my fellow sailers that were set on shore in a poore taking I found how I began to be mistaken to leaue the land for the sea and a safe home for a straunge harbour But now on shore with my good fellowes in fortune euery man shifting for himselfe and I trying so many waies to the wood that I lost my selfe in the plaine wearie of doing nothing began to look about me for my better profit but such were my crosses in all my courses that I could neuer thriue till I got home againe For to make an abridgement of a long tale I will tel you In courting I found more cost then comfort in warre more danger then ease in learning more studie then profit in trafficke more gaine then conscience in seruice more paine then honour in mariage more care then quiet and in loue more pleasure then vertue so that in all my courses being so mistaken that I found a crosse to my comfort in euery of them I fairely left the Courtier to his curtesies the souldier to his marches the scholer to his studies the merchaut to his trafficke the maried man to his purgatorie and the louer to his vanity and home returned to my poore cottage that my parents left me and as my wife tels me my sonnes shall possesse after me Here I liue in a meane course content and glad of Gods blessings neuer in daunger to be mistaken because I trust only to experience while doing honour to God and following my businesse with the sweate of my browes I gaine the foode of my senses with my necessarie appurtenances O my friend beleeue me he that is contented is rich while he that is rich is not contented a litle sufficeth nature and excesse is but hurtfull beautie but the inchaunter of wit ambition but the ouerthrow of vertue couetousnesse the corrupter of conscience authoritie the charge of care pride the hate of nature enuie the nurse of malice and wrath the inuenter of murther sloth the losse of time drunkennesse the shame of nature gluttonie the ground of sicknesse and locherie the fire of sinne These notes when I had taken by the light of Gods grace and obseruation of times leauing all extremities I tooke this meane course where though home be homely yet liuing quietly and contentedly I find it true That he who serueth God hartily liueth happily and dieth ioyfully Now my good friend if I might aduise you for your good I would wish you to take a stayed course and lay away all running humours looke home loue home liue at home a small assurance is better then a great hope and a litle possession then a great possibilitie and when a man hath of his owne he neede not borrow of his neighbours Trauell may be pleasing and seruice hopefull trafficke gainefull and wealth powerfull but a conuenient house an honest patrimonie a kind wife obedient children faithfull seruants and louing neighbors make such a commonwealth of contentment in the true conceipt of a carefull vnderstanding that a king of a mole-hill were better then a lord of a great hutch Oh to see in a faire morning or a Sunnie euening the lambes and rabbets runne at bace the birds billing the fishes playing and the flowers budding who would not leaue the drinking in an ale-house the wrangling in a dicing house the lying in a market and the cheating in a faire and thinke that the brightnesse of a faire day doth put downe all the beauties of the world But I doubt I grow tedious and therefore being so neare home I will intreat your patience till we haue supped and only assure you of a good welcom to supply the want of better cheare With this breaking off his talke he tooke me by the hand and led me into his house the doore open as vnfearefull of theeues or vnprouided for strangers where we were at the entry saluted with a modest smile of a kind wife humble courtesies of most sweet children due reuerence of comely seruants and a table furnished for both the host a good guest Here though no inne yet I tooke vp my lodging where with the entertainment of much kindnesse hauing fed both bodie and mind with sufficient comforts with due thankes for al curtesies I tooke leaue of the whole familie of whom in generall I receiued kindnesse In the morning not too early receiuing an extraordinarie golden fauour for a friendly farewell calling to mind his discourses of mistaking and noting mine owne crosses in my courses I tooke his counsell for my comfort and with as much speed as I could leauing my trauell turned euen faire home again And thus much for this time of my trauell Now what say you of yours for I am sure you haue not liued alwaies at home Lor. Oh fine tale you were the best mistaken in that man of all other for where you hoped well of other you found the contrarie but of him you thought but litle and found much good But it is no rare thing for a man may looke like an owle that hath more wit then ten asses and a woman may bride it like a maide that hath bene the mother of many children A king in a play may be a begger from the stage a clowted shoo may haue a pate beyond all the parish Oh take heed of a wolfe in a lambes skinne and talke not of hawking till you haue bene a Faulconer for if a man haue not his fiue wits he may be a foole in foure of them But lest you take my words for a lecture which may be more tedious then pleasing I will a litle tell you of my trauel and how I was taken in euery corner Dor. Yea Sir now you speake somewhat to the matter If your taking were like my