he wolde haue ben so honest as to haue payed it
and yf he had had wherwith. Boni. Naye that
is not so for he was able inoughe, but as he thought
it better neuer to paye his dettes. Bea.
And what call you this in englyshe, is it not playne
lyenge? Boni. Yes as playne as Dunstable
way, there can not be a lowder lye then this is.
Bea. Durste you be so bolde to pulle one
of these good detters of yours by the sleue and saye
thus to hym, why hast thou dysceyued me so many
tymes and broken promyse with me, or to talke to
hym in playne englyshe, why doest thou make me so
many lyes? Boni. Why no syr by my trouthe durst
I not, excepte I were mynded before to chauge halfe
a dosen drye blowes with hym. Bea. Dothe not
masons Brekelayers, Carpenters, Smy||thes, Goldsmithes,
Taylours, disceyue and disapoynt vs after the lyke
maner daylye promysynge to do youre worke suche
a daye and suche a daye without any fayle, or further
delaye, and yet for all that they parforme not theyr
promesse althoughe it stande the neuer somoche vpon
hande, or that thou shuldest take neuer so moche
profyte by it. Boni. This is a wonderous
and strange vnshamefast knauerye of all that euer
I hard of. But and ye speake of breakers of
promyse then ye maye reken amongest them lawyers
and atturneys at the lawe, which wyl not stycke
to promyse or beare you in hande that they wyll
be diligent and ernest in the furtherauce and spedie
expedicion of your sute. Bea. Reken quod
he, naye ye maye reken fyve hundreth mennes names
besyde these of sundrye faculties and occupacions
whiche wyll promyse more by an ynch of a candle
then they wyll performe by a whole pounde. Boni.
Why ||and ye call this lyenge all the worlde is
full of suche lyenge. Bea. Ye se also lykewyse
that no man can abyde to be called thefe, and yet
all men do not abhorre the thynge so greatly. Boni.
I wolde gladly haue you to declare your mynde in
this more playnlye & at large. Bea. What
difference is there betwene hym whiche stealeth
thy money forthe of thy cofer, and hym whiche forsweareth
and falsely denyeth that whiche thou comytted to
his custodie to be reserued and safely kept for
thy vse only, or to suche tyme as thou arte mynded
to call for it agayne. Boni. There is as
they say neyther barrell better hearing, but that
in my iudgement he is the falser knaue of the twayne
whiche robbes a man that puttes his confidence and
trust in hym. Bea. yea but howe fewe men
are there nowe adayes lyuynge whiche are contente
to restore agayne that whiche they were put in truste
to kepe, or yf they deluer it agayne it is ||so
dymynysshed, gelded, nypped, and pynched, that it
is not delyuered whollye, but some thinge cleues
in theyr fyngers, that the prouerbe may haue place
where the horse walloweth there lyeth some heares.
Boni. I thynke but a fewe that dothe otherwyse.
Bea. And yet for all that there is none of
al these that ca abyde it ones to be called thefe,