University of Virginia Library

The marchaunt
O what a gret welth and prosperyte
It is to any reme where marchauntes be
Hauing fre lyberte and entercours also
All marchaundyse to coūey to and fro
Whych thyng I haue vsed and the verey fet found
And thereby gotton many a thousand pownd
Wherfore now be cause of my grete ryches
Thoroughowt this land in euery place doubtles
I am magnyfyed and gretly regardyd
And for a wyse and noble man estemyd

The knyght
Maister marchaunt I here you ryght well
But now in presumpsion me thynk ye excell
To call yourself noble in presence here
I wys men know what your auncestours were
And of what grete stock descendid ye be
Your fadyr was but a blacke smyth perde

March.
Why syr what than what be you I pray you

Knyght
Mary I am a gentylman I wold ye know
And may dispend yerely v. C. mark land
And I am sure all that ye haue in hand
Of yerely rent is not worth v. markys

M
But I wold thou knewist for all thy krakkys
I am able to bye now all the land
That thou hast and pay for it out of hand
Whych I haue got by myn own labour and wit

K
Yet art thou but a chorle and I haue a skorn
Thou shuldist cōpare with me a gentylman born

M
Why what callyst thou a gentylman tel me

K
Mary I call them gentylmen that be
Born to grete landys by inherytaunce
As myn auncestours by cōtynuaunce
Haue had this v. C. yere of whom now I
Am desendid and commyn lynyally
Beryng the same name and armys also
That they bare this v. C. yere agoo
Myn auncestours also haue euer be
Lordys Knyghtes and in grete auctoryte
Capteyns in the warr and gouerners
And also in tyme of pease gret rulers
And thyn were neuer but artyfycers
As smythes masones carpentars or weuars

M
All that is trewth I wyl not denye now
Yet I am more gentylman born than thou
For I call hym a gentylman that gentilly
Doth gyf unto other men louyngly
Such thing as he hath of hys own pper
But he that takith ought away from a nother
And doth gyf hym no thyng agayn therfore
Owght to be callyd a chorle euermore
But myn auncestours haue giffyn alwey
To thyn auncestours such thyng as they
By their labours did trewly get and wyn
For myn auncestours bildid howsis wherein
Thyne auncestours haue had their dwellyng place
Also myn auncestours haue made tolis
To all maner crafti men belongyng
Wherby clothis and euery other thyng
Where of thyn auncestours nede haue had
With the same tolys haue euer be made
So myn auncestours haue gyffin their labours
Euer to cōfort and help thyn auncestours

K
I deny that euer thauncestours of thyne
Did euer gif to the auncestours of myne
At any tyme any thyng except that they
Gafe some what therfor other ware or money

M
Mary god a mercy Iohn for that now
That is euyn a pyg of our own sow
How can lordys & estatis haue ought in store
Except thartyfycers do get it before
For all metalls be dyggyd furst by myners
And after wrought by the artyfycers
woll fell and euery other thyng
That is necessary to mannys coueryng
And all other thyngis that men vse & were
Is al wey made by the artyfycer

K
I graunt that the artyfycers do make it
But be cause comenly they haue lytell wyt
Gentylmen that haue landys & domynyon
Of all such ryches haue most possessyon
For reason wyll euer it shuld so be
wyse men to haue folys in captyuyte

M
Mary as for wyt & subtell inuencyou
Myne auncestours wyth thine may make cō∥ison
For though my fader were a smyth what than
yet was he a meruelous quyk wyttyd man
And coud work as well for hys ∥t
As any in this land vsyng that art
And deuyse new fassyons in thynges that he made
That euery man to bye hys ware was glad
And carue & graue in yron & stele
Both Image & letters meruelously wele
And ther on ley gold & gylt it also
Fyne & pure as any gold smyth coud do
My grauntfader also was a mason
Of grete wyt as any in thys regyon
And coud byld a castell & tour ryght well
In whych some of thy kynnysmen now do dwell
where in aper yth ryght good masonry
wyth Immagys & armys wrought curyously
My grete graundfadyr lo was a weuer
Of wollyn yarn & of other gere
And made meruelous pleasaunt workis to be hold
Lynyn dyaper sylk & cloth of gold
All such subtell thyngis as I haue rehersyd lo
Myne auncestours by theyr wyttis coud work & do
And as for thyne auncestours I know no thyng
Thei coud do bi their wittis worth of praisyng
But vse occupi & wast euer more
Such thyngis as myn auncestours made before
And thou & thie auncestours hauīg thoccupacion
Of such thingis wrought bi the operacion
Of other men oughtist not be praysed therfore
But the prayse ought to be gyuen euer more
To the artyfycer whych by hys wyt
It deuysyd and so cōnyngly wrought it
wherefore yf thou sey that wyt & polesy
Be the thynges perteynyng to gentry
Thyn auncestours may neuer cōpare wyth mine
For theyr actes proue them wyser than thyne
For thyn dyd neuer no thyng in theyr days
Concernyng quyk wyt that was worthy prays

K
yes I wis lewd Iauell I wold thou knewist it
Myn auncestours haue had more wysedome & wyt
Than thyne haue had & coud do also
Many thynges that thyne coud neuer do
For in the contrey at sessyons and syse
They haue be electe to be Iustyce
And for theyer wyt and grete dyscressyon
They haue Iuggyd and donne correccyon
Uppon thyne auncestours artyfycers
That haue made false warys & ben dysseyuers
And holpe for to maynteyn euery thynge
That ys to the comyn welth perteynyng
They haue ben also in tyme of warr
Both in thys land & other coutreys farr
Dukys & leders of the hole army
And by theire wyttis & warly polycy
Study forecast & dilygent trauayle
Haue won many a grete fyld & batayle
And thyne auncestours that were there
were neuer able to bere shyld nor spere
And were neuer but soldyars & pyoners
Nor neuer had wysdome to be rulers
But because myn auncestours haue euer be
Dyscrete & wyse they haue had auctoryte

M
Nay nay thyne auncestours cam neuer all
To auctoryte for wysdome p̄ncypall
For though sōe were wise yet some of thē agayn
Had small discression lytyll wyt or brayn
But because of the long cōtynuaunce
Of theyr grete possessions by enherytaunce
By the folysh maner of the worlde we see
For that cause euer they haue had auctorite

K
And I say that good reason agreth to it
For though the fader haue no grete wyt
The sone that is wyse shuld neuer the more
Lose hys land or auctoryte therfore
For he that by study dylygens & payn
Grete landys or possessyons doth attayn
Hys owne lyfe is to shorte & to lyte
For to take the frute of his meryte
Reason wolde therfore that after hys lyfe
Hys heyrs before straungers haue p̄rogatyfe
And the cōtynuaunce of such possessyons
Makyth noble men & gentyll condycyons
And they whos blode hath long contynued
As gentylmen so they shuld be honoured
And so myn auncestours long tyme haue be
Grete possyssyoners and in auctoryte
Therefore consyderyng my grete lynage
My blode my noble byrth and parentage
Thou art not able to compare wt me
Nother in gentylnes nor in nobylyte
Here the plouman cōmith in with a short
whyp in hys hand & spekyth as folowith

Plow.
Nowhere is bybbyll babbyll clytter clatter
I hard neuer of so folysh a matter
But by goddys body to speke the troth
I am better than other of you bothe

K
Auaunt kankerde chorle fro whens cōmyst thou

P
Mary folysh peuysh daw euen fro my plow
How sayst woldyst any thyng therewtall

M
ye mary thou lewyd vyllayn & rud raskall
It is for the full yll besemyng
To perturb any gentylmens talkyng

P
Gentylmen ye gentyl men Iak heryng
Put your shone in your bosome for weryng
I accompt my self by goddys body
Better than you bothe and more worthy

K
Auaunt knaue get the out of the gate
Or I shall lay my sworde on thy pate

P
That shall I proue I make god auow
Neuer in better tyme haue at the now

Et verberat eos
M
Now holde thy hand felow I the pray
And harkyn what I shall to the say

P
Sey knaue say what canst sey

M
Holde thy hand I pray the & com no narr
I am a marchaunt & no man of warr
Thou art not honest I tell the playnly
To make any quarrel here so sodaynly
To perturb our cōmunycacyon

P
Here ye may se syrs by goddys passyon
Two proude folys make a crakkyng
And when it cōmyth to poynt dare do no thyng

M
Our cōmyng hyder & our entent
ys not to fyght but by way of argument
Euery man to shew hys oppinyon
To see who coude shew the best reason
To proue hym self noble & most gentylman

P
By god all the reasons syth ye began
That ye haue made therof be not worth a fly

K
No syr I pray the than tell me why

P
Furst as touchyng noblenes I say
Ther is nother of you both dyd proue or lay
Ony of your actys wherby that ye
Shulde in reason proue you noble to be
Or therby deserue any maner praysyng
But all the effect of your arguyng
To proue your noblenes was but only
Of the deddys & actes of your auncestry
And of the actes that your auncestours did before
ye ar the nobler neuer the more

K
As touchyng my self I dare make com∥ison
Of as noble dedys as he hath any done
For I am & haue ben one of the cheualry
At the cōmaundement of my prynce euer redy
And euery tyme of warr haue be captayn
And leder of a .M. men or twayne
And wt hors & harnes spere and sheld
Haue Io∥dyd my body in euery felde
The rentes of my landys haue spende lyberally
And kept a grete house contynually
And holp to ponyssh theuys & brybers alwey
To the grete tranquylyte of my contray
And you maister marchaūt wyl neuer take labour
Except it befor your proffet and lucoure

Plow.
Go to go to now master marchaunt
There is a reason that gyuyth you a taunt
I trow more than you can answere well

M
Nay I wys pyuysh & rude Iak Iauell
I can make an answere so substancyally
wher to nother of you is able to reply

K
If thou canst answere my reason do

M
That can I well doo.

P.
Then go to fole go to

M
I say the comyn well of euery land
In fete of marchauntdyse doth pryncypally stand
For if oure cōmoditees be vtteryd for nought
In to strange landis and no ryches brought
Hydyr therfore / we shuld come to beggary
And all men dryffyn to lyf in mysery
Thē we noble marchauntis that in this reame be
what a grete welth to thys land do we
we vtter our warys & by theyrs good chepe
And bryng them hyder that grete proffet
And pleasure dayly cōmyth to this regyon
Too all maner people that here do won
Forthermore ye see well wt youre eyes
That of straynge landis the cōmodytees
we haue such nede of them that be there
That in no wyse we may them forbere
As oyle sylkis frutis & spyces also
Golde syluer yryn & other metallis moo
All drāmys & druggys longyng to physyke
whych men must nedes haue when they be seke
whych in thys reame can not well grow
Our cōtrey is to colde & not hote I now
wt out whych thyngis we shulde lyfe in mysery
And oft tymes for lak of them we shulde dye
And I spende my studi & labour contynually
And cause such thyngis to come hyder dayly
For the comfort of thys land & cōmen welth
And to all the people grete proffet & helth
And for such noble dedys reason wyll than
That I ought to be callyd a noble man
And nother of you both that here now be
In noblenes may accompare wt me

P
Now well hit by goddes body well hit
Of one that hath but lyttyll wyt
Answere me one worde furst I pray the
what is the noblest thynge that can be

K
what saist thou therto thi self let see

P
Is not yt the noblyst thyng in dede
That of all other thyngis hath lest nede
As god which reynith etern in blysse
Is not he the noblest thyng yt is

K
yes mary no man in reason can that deny

P
well than there is no reason therof why
But because he is the thyng omnipotent
And is in him self so suffycyent
And nedyth the helpe of no nothyr thyng
To the helpe of hys gloryous beyng
But euery other thyng hath nede of his ayde

M
Mary that is very trough & well sayde

P
And lykwyse yt thynge that hath most nede
Is the thyng that is most wreched
So suffycyency is euer noblenes
And necessyte is euer wrechydnes
And he that hath more nede of that thyng
For the p̄seruacyon of hys lyuyng
Then his felow hath his felow must nedes be
By thys same reason more noble than he

K
what than.

P.
by the same reason it prouith lo
ye be but caytyfies & wrechis both two
And by the same reason proue I shall
That I am the noblyst man of vs all
For I haue nede of no maner thyng
That ye can do to help of my lyffyng
For euery thyng whereby ye do lyf
I noryssh it & to you both do gyf
I plow I tyll & I ster the ground
wherby I make the corn to habounde
whereof ther is made both drynk & bred
wyth the which dayly ye must nedis be fed
I noryssh the catell & fowlys also
Fyssh & herbis & other thyngis mo
Fell herr & woll whych the bestis do bere
I noryssh & preserue which ye do were
which yf ye had not no dowt ye shuld
Starue for lak of clothis because of colde
So both you shulde die or lyue in necessite
If ye had not cōfort & help of me
And as for your fyne cloth & costly aray
I cannot see whi ye ought or mai
Call your self noble because ye were it
which was made bi other menis labour & wit
And also your dilicate drinkis & viand
Bi other menis labours be made so pleasand
Therefore mayster marchaunt now to you I sei
I can not see but I am able & mai
Lyf wythout you or your purueaunce
Lyue wythout you or your purueyaunce
For of fode & cloth I haue suffisaunce
Of my self for lyffing necessary
And now sir knyght to you I sey playnly
I see not that ye can any thyng do
For the cōmyn well or ought longyng therto
But ech man beyng in auctoryte
Hauyng wit may do it as well as ye
Therfore to spek now of necessyte
Ther is nother of you both but ye be
In more nede than I therfore I sey playn
I am more noble than other of you twayn


Now that is a folysh reason so god me saue
For by the same reason thou woldyst haue
Eueri best fyssh & other foule than
To be more noble of birth than a man
For man hath more nede of bodely coueryng
Than they haue for they nede no thinge
The bestes haue herr & also a thik skin
The fissh skalis or shells to kepe theyr bodyes in
The foulis fethirs & so eueri thing
Bi nature hath his proper couering
Saue man him self which is born all nakyd
And therfore he shuld be than most wrechyd

P

M
That is a verey good & pregnant reason
yet me thynkith thou makist a degression
From the argument that we furst began
which was to proue who was most gentylman
whych we disputyd I wold thou haddist hard it

P
Tussh I hard what ye seyd eueri whit

K
Then shew thy reason therin or thou go

P
Nay be god I haue some what ells to do
I must go by me a halporth of gresse
The spokes of my cart therwith to dresse
Trow ye that I wyll leue my bysynes
For your babelyng pomp & folysshnes
Nay by sent mary I wyll not do so
For I can now to the merket goo
And for an halpeny as much gresse by
As shall cost me in our town a peny
And I tell the playnly wt out any bost
A halpeny is as well sauid as lost

M
Straw for an halpeny therin is no wast
Tary with vs a while perhapps thou mast
By our acquayntaunce now here get more
Than thou gatist with thy cart this monyth before

P
Straw for thi councell torde a fart
Trowist I wyll gyf up my plow or cart
And folow thy folish appityte and mynde
Nay I am not yet so mad nor so blynd
For when I am at my cart or plow
I am more meryer than other of you
I wold not chaunge my lyf nor my lyffyng
For to be made a grete lorde or a kyng
There is no ioy nor pleasure in this world here
But hyll bely fyll and make good chere
Be it prynce lorde gentilman or knaue
Hit is all the ioy that here he can haue
But these couetous and ambicious wretches
They set there myndys in honoure and ryches
So much that they be neuer content
So they lyf euer in payn and torment
But a man that can this meanys fynd
To haue fode and cloth and a mery mynde
And to desyre no more than is nedefull
That is in this worlde the lyf most ioyfull
Which lyfe in this worlde no man shall acquire
Till he subdew his insaciat desyre

M
I see well thou has a curst apysh wit
Then yf thou wylt depart I pray the yet
Come agayn when thy bisines is doo

P
For what intent now shuld I do so

M
For we will in owre olde argument prosede
Who shulde be callyd a gentylman in dede
And we wolde be glade to here thy reason

P
I wyll come agayn uppon a condicion
That ye wyll wayt uppon me both twayn
And be not out of the way when I come agayn

K
We wyll not be farr hens

P.
then I wil not fayle

M
Then I pray the let not thi pmise quaile

P
Lo here is my fynger now trust me well
I will come agayn yf I haue my hele
For by god I promyse you one thyng
I am as trew of my worde as the Kyng
But if I fynde you not here then by my trough
I shall call you oppenly false knauys both

M
Thou shalt fynde us trew in euery thyng

P
I thynk so / except lyeng and stelyng

K
Then far well for a season a dew
Then fare ye well both I dare say as trew
As some that be tyede in newgate

M
well now he is gone god speed well his gate
But what shall we do now the meane season

K
Let us take now some recreacyon
And come agayn here and keep our poyntment

M
Now therto I am ryght well content
And in the meayn wyle good lord of thy grace
Preserue all the people here in this place