Wee
Citizens
neuer tru?
Ben Jonson - The Devil's Association
te, by Ma?
ter _Meere-craft_
To tru? t Ma? ter _Fitz-dottrel_, a good man: 10
I'haue inquir'd him, eighteene hundred a yeere,
(His name is currant) for a diamant ring
Of forty, ? hall not be worth thirty (thats gain'd)
And this is to make you a Gentleman!
PLV. O, but good father, you tru? t too much!
GVI. Boy, boy, 15
We liue, by finding fooles out, to be tru? ted.
Our ? hop-bookes are our pa? tures, our corn-grounds,
We lay 'hem op'n for them to come into:
And when wee haue 'hem there, wee driue 'hem vp
In t'one of our two Pounds, the _Compters_, ? treight, 20
And this is to make you a Gentleman!
Wee Citizens neuer tru? t, but wee doe coozen:
For, if our debtors pay, wee coozen them;
And if they doe not, then we coozen our ? elues.
But that's a hazard euery one mu? t runne, 25
That hopes to make his Sonne a Gentleman!
PLV. I doe not wi? h to be one, truely, Father.
In a de? cent, or two, wee come to be
Iu? t 'itheir ? tate, fit to be coozend, like 'hem.
And I had rather ha' tarryed i' your trade: 30
For, ? ince the _Gentry_ ? corne the Citty ? o much, [130]
Me thinkes we ?
To tru? t Ma? ter _Fitz-dottrel_, a good man: 10
I'haue inquir'd him, eighteene hundred a yeere,
(His name is currant) for a diamant ring
Of forty, ? hall not be worth thirty (thats gain'd)
And this is to make you a Gentleman!
PLV. O, but good father, you tru? t too much!
GVI. Boy, boy, 15
We liue, by finding fooles out, to be tru? ted.
Our ? hop-bookes are our pa? tures, our corn-grounds,
We lay 'hem op'n for them to come into:
And when wee haue 'hem there, wee driue 'hem vp
In t'one of our two Pounds, the _Compters_, ? treight, 20
And this is to make you a Gentleman!
Wee Citizens neuer tru? t, but wee doe coozen:
For, if our debtors pay, wee coozen them;
And if they doe not, then we coozen our ? elues.
But that's a hazard euery one mu? t runne, 25
That hopes to make his Sonne a Gentleman!
PLV. I doe not wi? h to be one, truely, Father.
In a de? cent, or two, wee come to be
Iu? t 'itheir ? tate, fit to be coozend, like 'hem.
And I had rather ha' tarryed i' your trade: 30
For, ? ince the _Gentry_ ? corne the Citty ? o much, [130]
Me thinkes we ?
