Time was when thou a kettle Wert filled with better matter: But Fryer _Bacon_ did thee spoil, When he thy sides did batter,
with more to the same purpose. "_Time was_," said he, "I know that, Brazen face, without your telling, I know Time was, and I know what things there was when Time was, and if you speak no wiser, no Master shall be waked for me." Thus _Miles_ talked and sung till another half hour was gone, then the Brazen head spake again these words, "_Time is past_:" and therewith fell down, and presently followed a terrible noise, with strange flashes of fire, so that _Miles_ was half dead with fear. At this noise the two Fryers awaked, and wondered to see the whole room so full of smoke, but that being vanished they might perceive the Brazen head broken and lying on the ground: at this sight they grieved, and called _Miles_ to know how this came. Miles half dead with fear, said that it fell down of itself, and that with the noise and fire that followed he was almost frighted out of his wits: Fryer _Bacon_ asked him if he did not speak? "Yes," quoth _Miles_, "it spake, but to no purpose. I'll have a Parrot speak better in that time than you have been teaching this Brazen head." "Out on thee, villain," said Fryer _Bacon_, "thou hast undone us both, hadst thou but called us when it did speak, all England had been walled round about with Brass, to its glory, and our eternal fames: what were the words it spake?" "Very few," said _Miles_, "and those none of the wisest that I have heard neither: first he said, '_Time is_.'" "Hadst thou called us then," said Fryer _Bacon_, "we had been made for ever." "Then," said _Miles_, "half an hour after it spake again and said '_Time was_.'" "And wouldst thou not call us then?" said _Bungy_. "Alas!" said _Miles_, "I thought he would have told me some long Tale, and then I purposed to have called you: then half an hour after, he cried '_Time is past_,' and made such a noise, that he hath waked you himself, methinks." At this Fryer _Bacon_ was in such a rage, that he would have beaten his man, but he was restrained by _Bungy_: but nevertheless for his punishment, he with his Art struck him dumb for one whole month's space. Thus that great work of these learned Fryers was overthrown (to their great griefs) by this simple fellow.