Good Lord (quoth she) haue you no wit in such a case to make shift? Ile tell you what you shall do: Be not known that you bargain for your own selfe, but tell him that you do it in the behalf of one of the chief aldermen in the city; but beware in any case, that you leaue with him your own name in writing; he being a Grecian cannot read English: and you haue no need at all to shew Iohn the Frenchman, nor if you should, it were no great matter, for you can tell well enough that he can neither write nor read.

I perceiue wife (quoth he) thou wouldest fain be a lady, and worthy thou art to be one, that dost thus imploy thy wits to bring thy husband profit: but tell me, if he should be desirous to see the alderman to confer with him, how shall we do then?

Iesus haue mercy vpon vs (quoth she) you say women are fools, but me seemeth men haue need to be taught sometimes. Before you come away in the morning. let Iohn the Frenchman tell him that the alderman himselfe shall come to his lodging in the afternoon: and, receiuing a note of all the goods that be in the ship, he shall deliuer vnto him a bill of his hand for the payment of his money, according to that time. Now sweetheart (quoth she) this alderman shall be thine own selfe, and Ile go borrow for thee all things that shall be necessary against that time.

Tush (quoth her husband) canst thou imagine that he, seeing me in the morning, will not know me again in the afternoon?

O husband (quoth she) he will not know thee, I warrant thee: for in the morning thou shalt go to him in thy doublet of sheeps skins, with a smuched face, and thy apron before thee, thy thumb-leather and hand-leather buckled close to they wrist, with a foule band about thy neck, and a greasie cap on thy head.

Why woman (quoth he) to go in this sort will be a discredit to me, and make the merchant doubtfull of my dealing: for men of simple attire are (God wot) slenderly esteemed.

Hold your peace good husband (quoth she) it shall not be so with you, for Iohn the Frenchman shall giue such good report to the merchant for your honest dealing (as I praise God he can do no lesse) that the Grecian will rather conceiue the better of you than otherwise: iudging you a prudent discreet man, that will not make a shew of that you are not, but go in your attire agreeable to your trade. And because none of our folks shall be priuy to our intent, to-morrow weel dine at my cousin Iohn Barbers in Saint Clements Lane, which is not far from the George in Lumbard Street, where the merchant strangers lie. Now Ile be sure that all things shall be ready at my cousin Iohns that you shall put on in the afternoon. And there he shall first of all with his scissers snap off all the superfluous hairs, and fashion thy bushy beard after the aldermans graue cut: then shall he wash thee with a sweet camphire ball, and besprinkle thine head and face with the purest rose-water; then shalt thou scoure thy pitchy fingers in a bason of hot water, with an ordinary washing ball; and all this being done, strip thee from these common weeds, and Ile put thee on a very fair doublet of tawny sattin, ouer the which thou shalt haue a cassock of branched damask, furred round about the skirts with the finest foynes, thy breeches of black veluet, and shooes and stockings fit for such array: a band about thy neck as white as the driuen snow, and for thy wrists a pretty pair of cuffs, and on thy head a cap of the finest black, then shalt thou put on a fair gown, welted about with veluet, and ouerthwart the back thwart it shall be with rich foyne, with a pair of sweet gloues on thy hands, and on thy forefinger a great seale-ring of gold.

Thou being thus attired, Ile intreat my cousin Iohn Barber, because he is a very handsome young man, neat and fine in his apparell (as indeed all barbers are) that he would take the pains to wait vpon you vnto the merchants, as if he were your man, which he will do at the first, because one of you cannot vnderstand the other, so that it will be sufficient with outward curtesie one to greet another, and he to deliuer vnto you his notes, and you to giue him your bill, and so come home.

It doth my heart good, to see how trimly this apparell doth become you, in good faith, husband, me seems in my mind, I see you in it already, and how like an alderman you will look, when you are in this costly array. At your return from the merchant, you shall put off all these clothes at my cousins again,