The Cornish writings of the Boson Family Published by the Institute of Cornish studies, 1975
In tyme that is passed, there Dwelt in St. Levan a man & woman in a place caled The House of a Ramm.
And the worke did fall scarce; & saith the man to his wife; I will goe to looke for worke to doe; & you can earne your living here.
A fair farewell he did take, & farr to the east he did travell, & att last he did come to the house of a farmer, & did looke for there worke to d e.
What work can’st thou doe, saith the farmer. Every work wever, saith John. Then they bargained for three pound a yeare wages.
And wn there was an end of the yeare, his master did show to him the three pound. Looke John saith his master: he[re] is thy wages, but if thou wilt give it to mee again, I will teach thee a sharp point of Witt.
Wt is that saith John, nay saith his master, give it to mee, & I will tell thee. Take it then saith John. Then saith his master: Haue a care you doe not leaue an old way for a new way.
Then they bargain’d for another yeare for the same wages. & wn there was an end of the Yeare. his master did bring the three pounds.
Looke John saith his master. here is the wages; but If thou wilt give it mee again, I will teach thee a sharp point of witt.
We is that saith Toen saith John then maith h, Gie it me, & wit tell the, take it then saith John the saith his master: Hau a cano you doe not lodge in a house where an old man may be married to a young woman.
Then they bargaind for a yeare more sewn the yeare was over. the master brought the three pound. Looke John saith the master, here the wages but If thou wilt giue it me again I will teach the the best point of witt of all.
Wt is that saith John. nay saith the master, giue it me, & I Will el thee. take it then saith John; then saith his master. Bee struck twice before you strike once for that is the best point of witt of All.
Now John, he would not serue any longer. but he would goe towards his wife. nay saith his master you shall goe in, for my wife does bake this morning, & shee shall make a Cake for thee to come home to thy wife.
And they did putt the nine pound in the Cake; & wn John did take his leave. here saith his master here is a Cake for thee to carry home to thy wife; & wn you & yr wife are very merry together, then doe you cut the cake & not before.
A fond farewell he tooke & towards home he travelld; & at last he did come to St. Eler Down & there he did meet with three Merchants of Trerine (Men of the Countrey) coming home from Exeter fair.
And John, saith they. come wth us. wee are glad to see thee where wer’t thou soe farr.
John said, I have been labouring and now I am going home to my wife. And they said, ‘go along with us, and thou will be welcome..
They took the new road, and John kept the old road. And going past the Hedges of Chywoon, and the merchants were not gone far from John, but thieves clung to them.
And they began to make a clamour; and with the clamour that the merchants did make, John clamoured also ‘Thieves, thieves!’
And with the clamour that John did make, the thieves left the merchants; and when they did come to Market Jew, then they met again.
And John’ they said, ‘we are obliged to you; had it not been for will we had been all ruined men. Come along with us, and thou will be welcome’.
And when they did come to the house where they were to lodge, John said ‘I must see the host of the house’.
“The host of the house?” they said. What dost thou want to do if thothe host of the house? Here is our hostess, and she is young; if thou wants to see the host of the house, go to the kitchen, and there thou will find him’.
And when he did come to the kitchen, there he saw the host of the house; and he was an old man, and feeble, turning the spit.
And John said, ‘here I will not lodge, but in the next house. ‘None the less’, they said, ‘do dine along with us, and thou will be welcome.’
Now the hostess of the house, she plotted with a certain monk who was in the village, to murder the old man in bed at night-time, I suppose people to be resting, and put the blame on the merchants.
And when John was in bed, there was a hole in the end-wall of the house, and he saw a light. He stood up out of his bed, and he listened, and he heard the monk talking; he turned his back to the hole: ‘perhaps’ , he said, ‘there is someone in the next house, who did see our evil deeds.
And with that, the evil-wife with her fellow murdered the old man in bed.
And with that John with his knife cut (through the hole) out of the back of the monk’s gown a completely-round piece.
And the next morning, the evil-wife, she began to make a clamour about her murdered goodman; and as there was not man nor child in the house but the merchants, they must hang for it..
Then they were taken, and to the gallows they were led; and at last John came to meet them.
And John’, they said, ‘we have got hard luck; our host has been murdered last night, and we must hang for it’.
‘All of you? You seek the magistrates (?)’ (said John); ‘wait, people, for these ones did not do the evil deed (?)’.
‘Who knows’, they said, ‘who did the evil deed?’ ‘Who did the evil deed?’ said John; ‘Unless I can quickly prove who did the evil deed, I will hang for it’.
‘Say, then’, they said. ‘Last night’, said John, ‘when I was in my bad, the a list, and I stood up; and there was a hole in the end- wallop the house’.
‘And some monk turned his back against the hole; “perhaps”, he said, “there is someone in the next house who can see our evil deeds”‘.
‘And with that, with my knife I cut a piece, through the hole, out of the back of the monk’s gown —a completely-round piece. And to make my words be proven, here is the piece in my pocket to be seen’.
And with that the merchants were freed, and the woman and the monk were taken and hanged.
Then they came together out of Market Jew; and at last they came to Cornawheely Wood in Buryan.
Then there was a road-junction; and the merchants wanted again for John to go home along with them; but for the moment he would not, but he would go home to his wife.
And when he was gone from the Merchants he spun out the time, so that there might be proof, was his wife keeping straight in his respect; was she or was she not.
And when he did come to the door, he would hear (= thought he heard) another man in the bed. He was clapping his hand upon his dagger to murder the two, but he thought that he was to be counselled twice before striking once.
And he came out again; and then he knocked. ‘Who is there, in the name of God?’ she said.
‘It is me here’, said John. ‘By Mary, whom do I hear?’ she said. ‘ If you are John, come indoors’. ‘Bring the light then’, said John; then she brought the light.
And when John did come indoors, he said ‘When I did come to the door, I would hear (thought I heard) another man in the bed’.
And ‘John’, she said, ‘when you did go away, I was three months gone with child; and now we have a sweet little boy in the bed, thanks be to God’.
John said, ‘I will tell thee. The master and the mistress gave me a cake and said to me, when I and my wife may be most joyful together, to break the cake and not before; and now we have cause to be joyful’.
Then they broke the cake, and there were nine pounds in the cake. And they got the money; and they ate the bread; and there was not one rebuke or spitefulness or anything in the world.
