Talk.—"What you will: I will talk of things not of earth, or of things of earth; things of life, or things of grace; things pure, or things of the world; so that we but gain good by it."
Now did Faithful think this strange; so he came up to Christian, and said to him in a soft voice, "What a brave friend have we got! Of a truth, this man will do well in the way."
At this Christian gave a meek smile, and said, "This man, whom you so take to, will cheat with this tongue of his a score of them that know him not."
Fai.—"Do you know him then?"
Chr.—"Know him! Yes; his name is Talkative; he dwells in our town. I wist not how you should be strange to him."
Fai.—"Well, he seems to be a man of good looks."
Chr.—"That is, to them that know him not through and through: for he is best out of doors; near home his looks are as bad as you could find."
Fai.—"But I fain think you do but jest, as I saw you smile."
Chr.—"God grant not that I should jest in this case, or that I should speak false of one. I will let you see him in a clear light. This man cares not with whom he picks up, or how he talks: as he talks now with you, so will he talk when he is on the bench, with ale by his side; and the more drink he has in his crown, the more of these things he hath in his mouth."
Fai.—"Say you so? then am I wrong in my thoughts of this man."