Character Index | Proverb Index
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| Character Index | Proverb Index |
The Charcoal Maker invited a Cloth Cleaner friend to live with him to share expenses. The Cloth Cleaner declined fearing that charcoal would dirty all of his cloth.
Townsend version
A charcoal-burner carried on his trade in his own house. One day he met a friend, a Fuller, and entreated him to come and live with him, saying that they should be far better neighbors and that their housekeeping expenses would be lessened. The Fuller replied, "The arrangement is impossible as far as I am concerned, for whatever I should whiten, you would immediately blacken again with your charcoal."
Moral
Like will draw like.
L'Estrange version
A fuller had a very kind invitation from a collyer to come and live in the house with him. He gave him a thousand thanks for his civility; but told him that it would not stand with his convenience; for (says he) as fast as I make any thing clean, you'll be smutting it again.
Moral
'Tis a necessary rule in allyances, matches, societies, fraternities, friendships, partnerships, commerce, and all manner of civil dealings and contracts, to have a strief regard to the humour, the nature, and the disposition of those we have to do withall.
[Note: A fuller works with (cleans in this context) cloth and a collyer with coal to make charcoal.]
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Tom Simondi, All Rights Reserved