le better, for yf
it were my chauce to mete such one and knewe
him not upon seeborde, and he loked so lyke a
knaue and a ruffya as thou dost I wolde take hym
for a pirate or a rouer upon the see/ and if I met
such one in the wood for an arrante thefe, and a
man murderer. Poli. yea good syr but the gospell
teache vs this same lesson, that we shuld not
iudge any person by his loke or by his externall &
outwarde apparaunce. For lyke wyse as many tymes
vnder a graye freers coote a tyrannous mynde lyeth
secretly hyd, eue so a polled heed, a crispe or a
twyrled berde, a frowninge, a ferse, or a dogged
loke, a cappe, or a hat with an oystrich fether, a
soldyers cassocke, a payre of hoose all to cut and
manglyd, may co||uer an euangelycall mynde.
Cannius. why not, mary God forbyd elles, yea &
many tymes a symple shepe lyeth hyd in a wolfes
skynne, and yf a man maye credite and beleue the
fables of Aesope, an asse maye lye secretely
unknowen by cause he is in a lyons skynne.
Poliphe. Naye I knowe hym whiche bereth a shepe
vpon his heed, and a sore in his brest, to whome I
wold wysshe with al my hart that he had as whyte
and as fauorable frendes as he hathe blacke eyes.
And I wolde wisshe also that he were as well guylt
ouer and ouer as he hathe a colour mete to take
guyltynge. Canni. Yf ye take hym to were a shepe
vpon his heed, that weareth a cappe of woll, howe
greuously than art thou lodyn, or what an
excedynge heuy burde bearest thou then I praye the
whiche bearest a hoole shepe and an ostryche to
vpon thy heed? But what saye ye to hi doth not
he more folyssly which beareth a byrd vpon his
heed, and an asse in his ||brest. Poliphemus.
There ye nypped & taunted me in dede. Cannius. But
I wolde saye this geere dyd wonderous wel yf this
gospel boke dyd so adourne the with vertue as thou
hast adourned lymmed, and gorgiously garnysshed it
with many gay goodly glystryng ornamentes. Mary
syr thou hast set it forth in his ryght colours in
dede, wolde to god it might so adourne the with
good codicios that thou myghtest ones lerne to be
an honest man. Poli. There shall be no defaute in
me, I tell you I wyll do my diligence. Can. Naye
there is no doute of that, there shall be no more
faute in you now I dare say then was wonte to be.
Poli. Yea but (youre tarte tauntes, and youre
churlysshe checkes, and raylynges set asyde) tell