Thus I do pay myself at my own hand, for otherwise I get nothing upon the said ecclesiastical treasure.

Ho, my friend! said he, if thou didst know what advantage I made, and how well I feathered my nest, by the Pope's bull of the crusade, thou wouldst wonder exceedingly.

It was worth to me above six thousand florins, in English coin six hundred pounds.

And what a devil is become of them?
said I; for of that money thou hast not one halfpenny.

They returned from whence they came, said he; they did no more but change their master.
But I employed at least three thousand of them, that is, three hundred pounds English, in marrying--not young virgins, for they find but too many husbands--but great old sempiternous trots which had not so much as one tooth in their heads; and that out of the consideration I had that these good old women had very well spent the time of their youth in playing at the close-buttock game to all comers, serving the foremost first, till no man would have any more dealing with them.