Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE FIRST PART. Chapter I. ! F mine acquaintance a certaine young (Being a resorter to me now and than) Resorted lately, shewing himselfe to be Desirous to talke at length alone with me And as we for this a meete place had won, With this olde proverbe, this young man begon: Whoso that knew what would be deare, Should neede be a marchant but one yeare. Though it, (quoth he), thing impossible bee, The full sequele of present things to foresee, Yet doth this proverbe provoke every man, Politikely, (as man possibly can), In things to come after, to cast eye before, To cast out, or keepe in, things for fore store, As the provision may seeme most profitable, And the commoditie most commendable. Into this consideration I am wrought By two things, which fortune to hands hath brought. Two women I know, of which twaine the tone Is a mayde of flowring age, a goodly one; Th’ other a widow, who so many yeares beares, That all her whitenes lyeth in her white heares. This mayde hath friends rich, but riches she hath none, Nor none can her hands get to live upon. This widow is very rich and her friends bare, And both these for love to wed with me fond are. And both would I wed, the better and the wurse, The tone for her person, the tother for her purse: They wooe not my substance, but my selfe they wooe, Goods have I none and small good can I dooe. On this poore maide, her rich friends, I cleerly know, (So she wedde where they will), great gifts wil bestow, But with them all I am so far from faver, That she shall sure have no grote, if I have her; And I shall have as little all my friends sweare, Except I follow them to wedde elswhere. The poore friends of this rich widow beare no sway, But wed her and win wealth, …