e
narrow prison, a prisoner of the broad world, and all the princes
of the world are prisoners there with him. And by that imprisonment
both they and he are in like danger of death, not by that strait
imprisonment that is commonly called imprisonment, but by that
imprisonment which, because of the large walk, men call
liberty--and which you therefore thought but a sophistical fancy to
prove it a prison at all!

But now may you, methinketh, very plainly perceive that this whole
earth is not only for all the whole of mankind a very plain prison
indeed, but also that all men without exception (even those that
are most at their liberty in it, and reckon themselves great lords
and possessors of very great pieces of it, and thereby wax with
wantonness so forgetful of their state that they think they stand
in great wealth) do stand for all that indeed, by reason of their
imprisonment in this large prison of the whole earth, in the
selfsame condition that the others do stand who, in the narrow
prisons which alone are called prisons, and which alone are reputed
prisons in the opinion of the common people, stand in the most
fearful and in the most odious case--that is, condemned already to
death.

And now, cousin, if this thing that I tell you seem but a
sophistical fancy of your mind, I would be glad to know what moveth
you so to think. For, in good faith, as I have told you twice, I am
no wiser but what I verily think that it is very plain truth indeed.

XX

VINCENT: In good faith, uncle, thus far I not only cannot make
resistance against it with any reason, but also I see very clearly
proved that it cannot be otherwise. For every man must be in this
world a very prisoner, since we are all put here into a sure hold
to be kept till we be put unto execution, as folk all already
condemned to death.

But yet, uncle, the strait-keeping, collaring, bolting, and
stocking, with lying on straw or on the cold ground (which manner
of hard handling is used in these special imprisonments that alone
are commonly called by that name) must needs make that imprisonment
much more odious and dreadful than the general imprisonment with
which we are every man universally imprisoned at large, walking
where we will round about the wide world. For in this broad prison,
outside of those narrow prisons, there is no such hard handling
used with the prisoners.

ANTHONY: I said, I think, cousin, that I purposed to prove to you
further that i