A dialoge or communication of two persons

Ogy. They be so accustomed, that they thynk it well done. Many that were in the shyp lokede owt and sawe it also, in the bote were dyuerse Englyshe marchauntes, whiche grudged agaynst it, but all in vayne. The botemê as it had ben a tryflyng mater reiosed and were glade that they had so taken and handelyd the myserable Frenchman.

Me. I wold play and sporte with these see theues, & hange them vpon the gallowes.

Ogy. Yet of such both the shores swarme full. Here tell me, I pray the. What wyll great mê do, whê theues take vpõ them to enterpryse soch masterys. Therfore, herafter I had leuer go fourty myllys aboute, thê to go y

way, thoffe it be moche shorter. Morouer euyn as y

goynge downe to hell, is easy and leyght, but y

cõmynge frome thens of greate dyffyculty, so to take shyppynge of this syde the see, is not very easy, and the landynge very hard & dangeroufe. Ther was at London dyuerse maryners of Antwerpe, with them I purposed to take the see.

Me. Hathe that cûtre so holy maryners?

Ogy. As an ape is euer an ape, I graûte, so is a maryner euer a maryner: yet if thou compare them vnto these, y

lyfe by robbynge, and pyllynge and pollynge, they be angelles.

Me. I will remembre thy saynge, if at any tyme I be dysposed to go and se Englãde. But come agayne in to y

waye, frome whens I broght the owt.

Ogy. Then as we whent toward London not farre from Canterbury, we came in to a great hollow and strayt way, morouer bowyng so downe, with hyllys of eyther syde, that a man can not escape, nor it cannot be auoyed, but he must nedes ryde that way. Upõ the lefte hand of the way, ther is an almes howse for olde people, frome them runnyth on owt, as sone as they here a horseman commynge, he casteth holy water vpon hym, and anone he offereth hym the ouerlether of a shoo bownde abowte with an yerne whope, wherin is a glasse lyke a precyouse stone, they y

kysse it gyf a pece of monay.

Me. In soche a way I had leuer haue an almes howse of olde folkes, then a company of stronge theues.

Ogy. Gratian rode vpon my lefte hande nerer the almes howse, he caste holy water vpon hym, he toke it in worthe so so, when the shoo was proferred hym, he asked what he ment by it, saythe he, it is saynt Thomas shoo. There at he turned and was very angry, & turned toward me: what (saythe he) meane these bestes, that wold haue vs kysse y

shoes of euery good man? Why doo they not lyke wyse gyue vs to kysse the spottel, & other fylthe & dyrt of the body? I was sory for the old mã, & gaue hym a pece of money to cõforthe hym with all.

Me. In myn opynyõ Gratian was not all together angry with owt a good cause. If shoes and slyppers were kept for a tokê of sobre lyuynge, I wold not be moch dyscontent ther w

, but me thynks it is a shame full fashyon for shoes, slyppers, and breches to be offered to kysse to any man. If some wold do it by there owne fre wyll, of a certene affectyõ of holynes, I thynke they were whorthy of pardon.

Ogy. It were better not to thes thynges, if I may say as I thynke, yet owt of thes thynges that cannat forthwith be amended, it is my maner if ther be any goodnes thereyn, to take it out, and apply it to the best. In y

meanseson that contemplacyõ and light delited my mynde, that a good mã is lykened to a shepe, an euyll man to a benemouse best. The serpent after she is dede, cã stynge no more, not withstondyng with her euyll sauour and poyson she infecteth and corruptyth other. The shepe as lõge as she is a lyue norryseth with her mylke, clothet with her wolle, makyth riche with her lambes, when she is deade she gyueth vs good and profytable lether, and all her body is good meat. Euen so, cruell men, gyuen all to the world, so longe as they lyue be vnprofitable to all mê, when they be deade, what with ryngyng of bellys, and pompyouse funeralles they greue them that be on lyue, and often tymes vexe ther successours with new exactyones. Good men of the other syde at all assais be profytable to all men, and hurtfull to noo man. As thys holy man, whyle he was yet alyue, by hys good example, hys doctryne, his goodly exhortatyons prouokyd vs to vertuouse lyuynge, he dyd cõfort the cõforthlesse, he helped y

poure, ye and now that he is deade, he is in a maner more profytable. He hathe buylded thys costly & gorgeouse churche, he hath caused greate authoryte thorough out all Englande vnto the ordre and presthode. At y

last, thys pece of the show dothe susteyne a company of poure people.

Me. Thys is of my faythe a godely cõtemplacyõ, but I maruayll greatly, seyng you ar thus mynded, that ye neuer dyd vysyte saynt Patryckes purgatory in Yerlande, of the whiche the comyn people boost many wonderouse thynges, whiche seme to me not lyke to be true.

Ogy. Of a suerty ther is not so meruelouse talkynge of it here, but the thynge it selffe doth fare excede.

Me. Hast thou bene ther than, & gonne thorow saynt Patryckes purgatory?

Ogy. I haue saylede ouer a ryuer to hell, I went downe vnto the gates of hell, I saw what was dõe ther.

Me. Thou dost me a greate pleasure, if thou wyll wotsaue to tell me.

Ogy. Lett this be the prohemy or begynnynge of owr communycatyon, longe enough as I suppose. I wyll gett me home, & cause my souper to be made redy, for I am yet vndynede.

Me. Why haue you not yet dyned? is it bycause of holynes?

Ogy. Noo of a truthe, but it is bycause of enuy and euyll will.

Me. Owe y

euyll wyll to yowr bely?

Ogy. No, but to the couetyse tauerners euer catchynge and snatchynge the whiche when they wyll not sett afore a man that is mete & conuenyent, yet they are not afearde to take of straûgers that, whiche is bothe vnright and agaynst good consciens. Of thys fashyõ I am acustomed to be auengede vpon thê. If I thynke to fare well at souper other with myne acquayntauns, or with some host som what an honest man, at dyner tyme I am sycke in my stomacke, but if I chaunce to fare after myne appetyte at dyner, before souper also I begynne to be well at ease in my stomacke.

Me. Wre y

not ashamede to be taken for a couetouse fellow & a nygerde?

Ogy. Menedeme they that make cost of shame in soche thynges, beleue me, bestow theyr money euyll. I haue lerned to kepe my shame for other purposys.

Me. Now I longe for the rest of yowr comunycacyon, wherfore loke to haue me yowr geste at souper, where y

shall tell it more conuenyently.

Ogy. For sothe I thanke you, that y

offere yowr selfe to be my gest vndesyred, when many hertely prayed refuse it, but I wyll gyue yow double thankes, if y

wyll soupe to day at home. For I must passe that tyme in doynge my dewty to my howsehold. But I haue counsell to eyther of vs moche more profytable. To morrow vnto me and my wyfe, prepare our dyner at yowr howse, then and if it be to souper tyme, we will not leyue of talkynge, vntyll you say that ye are wery, and if y

wyll at souper also we wyll not forsake you. Why, claw you your hede? prepare for vs in good fayth we wyll come.

Me. I had leuer haue no tales at all. Well go to, you shall haue a dyner, but vnsauery, except you spyce it with good & mery tales.

Ogy. But here you, are y

not mouyd and styrrede in your mynde, to take vpon yow these pylgremages?

Me. Perauenture it wyll sett me a fyre, after ye haue told me the resydew, as I am now mynded, I haue enough to do with my statyons of Rome.

Ogy. Of Rome, that dyd neuer see Rome?.

Me. I wyll tell you, thus I go my statyons at home, I go in to the parler, and I se vnto the chast lyuynge of my doughters, agayne frome thense I go in to my shope, I beholde what my seruauntes, bothe men and women be doynge. Frome thense into the kytchyn, lokynge abowt, if ther nede any of my cownsell, frome thense hyther and thyther obseruynge howe my chylderne be occupyed, what my wyffe dothe, beynge carefull that euery thynge be in ordre, these be statyons of Rome.

Ogy. But these thynges saynt Iames wold dow

for yow. Mene. That I shuld se vn-