64.
Reading edition
¶ The description of an enuious and naughtie neighbour.[E394]
Chap. 53. [1]
An enuious neighbour is easie to finde, His cumbersome fetches are seldome[2] behinde. His hatred procureth from naughtie to wurse, His friendship like Iudas that carried the purse.[E395] His head is a storehouse, with quarrels full fraught, His braine is vnquiet, till all come to naught. His memorie pregnant, old euils to recite, His mind euer fixed each euill to requite. His mouth full of venim, his lips out of frame,[E396] His tongue a false witnes, his friend to defame. His eies be promooters, some trespas to spie, His eares be as spials,[E397] alarum to crie. His hands be as tyrants, reuenging ech thing, His feete at thine elbow, as serpent to sting. His breast full of rancor, like Canker[3] to freat, His hart like a Lion, his neighbour to eat. His gate like a sheepebiter,[E398] fleering aside, His looke like a coxcombe,[E399] vp puffed with pride. His face made of brasse, like a vice in a game, His iesture like Dauus,[E400] whom Terence doth name. His brag as Thersites,[E401] with elbowes abrode. His cheekes in his furie shall swell like a tode.[E402] His colour like ashes, his cap in his eies, His nose in the aire, his snout in the skies. His promise to trust to as slipprie[4] as ice, His credit much like to the chance of the dice. His knowledge or skill is in prating[5] too much, His companie shunned,[6] and so be all such. His friendship is counterfait, seldome to trust, His dooings vnluckie and euer vniust. His fetch is to flatter, to get what he can, His purpose once gotten, a pin[7] for thee than.