The seconde booke

☞Vincent. IT is to me good vncle, no litle comfort[…] that as I came in here, I heard of your folke, that you haue hadde since my last being here (GOD be thanked) metely good rest, and your stomake somwhat more come to you. For verely, albeit I had heard before that in respect of ye great grief that for a moneth space had holdē you, you were a litle before my last cūming to you, somewhat eased and releued, for els woulde not I for no good, haue put you to the paine to talke so much as you than dyd: yet after my departyng from you, remembring howe longe we taryed together, and that we were all that while in talkinge, al the labour was yours, in talking so longe together without enterpausing betwene, and that of matter studiouse & displeasante, al of disease and sicknes, and other paine and tribulacion: I was in good fayth very sorye, and not a litle wrothe wyth my selfe for myne owne ouersight, that I had so lytle considered your payne, and very feared I was, till I heard other word, leste you should haue wexed weaker, and more sicke hereafter. But nowe I thanke god, that hath sent the cōtrarye, for els a lytle casting backe, were in this great age of yours, no lytle daunger and perell.

☞Antony. Naye nay good Cosin, to talke much (except some other payne let me) is to me litle grief. A fonde olde mā, is as often full of wordes as a woman. It is, you wote wel, as some Poetes paynt vs, al ye lust of an old fooles lyfe, to sit wel & warme wt a cuppe & a rosted crabbe, & driuel, and drinke and talke. But in earnest Cosyn, our talking was to me great coumforte, and nothing dysplesaunt at al. For though we cōmoned of sorowe and heauines, yet was ye thing yt we chiefely thoughte vpon, not the tribulacion it selfe, but the coumforte that may growe theron. And therfore am I nowe verye gladde, that you be come to finishe vp the remnante.

Vincent. Of truth my good vncle, it was comfortable to me, & hath been since to some other of your frendes, to whome as my poore witte and remēbraunce would serue me, I did, and not nedeles, reporte and rehearse your most comfortable coūsaile. And nowe come I for the remnante, and am very ioyfull that I finde you so well refresshed, and so ready therto. But this one thing good vncle, I bese[…]he you hartely, that if for delight to here you speake in ye matter, I forgeat my self and you both, and put you to to muche payne, remē bre you your owne ease, & then if you lust to leaue, cō maund me to goe my waye, & to seke some other time.

Antony. Forsouth Cosin, many wordes, if a mā were weake spoken, as you saied ryght nowe without enterp[…]using, would paraduenture at length somwhat weerye him. And therfore wyshed I ye last tyme after you were gone, when I left my selfe (to saye the trueth) euen a litle weery, that I had not so tolde you styll a long tale alone, but yt we had more oftē enterchaūged wordes, & parted ye talking betwene vs, wt ofter enterpausing vpō your part in such maner, as learned mē vse, betwene ye persōs whō they deuise, disputing in ther fained dialogues. But yet in yt point, I sone excused you, & laid ye lacke euen where I foūd it, & that was euen vpon myne owne necke. For I remembred that betwene you and me it fared, as it did once betwene a Nun and her brother: verye verteous was this Lady, & of a very verteous place in a close religion[…] and therin had bene long, in al whych time she had neuer seene her brother, whyche was in like wise very verteous, and hadde beene farre of at an vniuersitie. and had there taken the degre of doctor in diuinitie, Whē he was come home, he went to see his syster, as he that highlye reioysed in her vertue. So came she to the grate that they call (I trowe) the locutorye, and after theyr holy watche word spokē on both sides, after ye maner vsed in that place, one toke ye other by ye typ of ye finger, for hand woulde there be none wrongen throwe ye grate, & forthwyth began my Ladye to geue her brother a sermō, of the wretchednes of thys world, & the frayletie of the fleshe, & the subtil sleightes of the wycked fiend, and gaue him suerly good counsayle, sauing somewhat long, howe he shoulde be well ware in his liuing, and master well his bodye for sauing of his soule: and yet ere her owne tale came al at an ende, she began to finde a litle fault with him (and saied) in good faith brother, I doe somwhat maruaile that you yt haue bene at learning so long, & are doctor, and so learned in the lawe of god, doe not nowe at our meeting (seing we mete so seldom, to me that am your sister & a simple vnlearned soule) geue of your charitie some fruiteful exhortaciō. For I doubt not but you cā saye some good thing yourself. By my trouth good sister ꝙ her brother, I can not for you, for your tongue hath neuer ceased, but saied inough for vs both. And so Cosin I remēber, yt whē I was once fallē in, I left you litle space to saye ought betwene. But nowe wyll I therfore take an other waie with you: for I shal of our talking, driue you to the one half.

Vincent. Now forsoth vncle this was a mery tale. But now if you make me talke the one halfe, thā shal you be contented farre otherwyse, than there was of la[…]e a kynswomā of your own, but whiche wyll I not tell you, gesse her and you can: her husband had much pleasure in the maner and behaueour of an other honest mā, & kept him therefore muche company, by the reason wherof, he was at hys meale time more oftē from home. So happened it on a tyme, that his wife and he together, dyned or supped with that neighbour of theirs, and thā she made a mery quarel to him, for making her husband so good chere out a dore, yt she coulde not haue him at home. Forso[…]h maistres quoth he (as he was a dry mery mā) in my cō pany nothing kepeth him but one, serue you him with thesame, & he wil neuer be from you. What gaye thīg may yt be quoth our Cosin thā? Forsoth maistres ꝙ he, your husband loueth wel to talke, & whā he sitteth with me, I let him haue al the wordes. Al the wordes quoth she? mary yt am I content, he shall haue all the wordes with a good will, as he hath euer had. For I speake thē not al my selfe, but geue them al to hym, and for ought that I care for them, he shall haue them stil: but yet to saye that he shall haue them all, you shall then rather kepe him stil, thā he shal geat ye one half at my handes.

☞Anthony. Forso[…]h Cosin I can soone gesse whiche of our kinne she was: but yet the fewer of that kinde, the quieter is the many (for all her mery wordes) that thus woulde let her husbande to talke.

☞Vincent. Forsothe she is not so merye, but she is as good. But where you finde faulte vncle, that I speake not ynoughe, I was in good fayth ashamed, that I spake so much, and moued you such questyons, which I founde vpon your answere, might better haue been spared, they were so litle worth. But now sith I see you be so well contente that I shall not forbeare boldely to shewe my foly, I wilbe nomore so shamefaste, but aske you what me lust.