by, so thou art a good lad, and runst not after these new-fangled
preachments which lead but to heresy, and set folk racking their
brains about sin and such trash, we'll get thee shorn and into minor
orders, and who knows what good preferment thou mayst not win in due
time!"

"Sir, I am beholden to you, but my mind is set on study."

"What kin art thou to a fool?" cried the minor canon, so startling
Ambrose that he had almost answered, and turning to another
ecclesiastic whose siesta seemed to have ended about the same time,
"Look at this varlet, Brother Cloudesley! Would you believe it? He
comes to me with a letter from mine old friend, in consideration of
which I offer him that saucy lubber Bolt's place, a gown of mine own
a year, meat and preferment, and, lo you, he tells me all he wants
is to study Greek, forsooth, and hear the Dean's sermons!"

The other canon shook his head in dismay at such arrant folly.
"Young stripling, be warned," he said. "Know what is good for thee.
Greek is the tongue of heresy."

"How may that be, reverend sir," said Ambrose, "when the holy
Apostles and the Fathers spake and wrote in the Greek?"

"Waste not thy time on him, brother," said Mr. Alworthy. "He will
find out his error when his pride and his Greek forsooth have
brought him to fire and faggot."

"Ay! ay!" added Cloudesley. "The Dean with his Dutch friend and his
sermons, and his new grammar and accidence, is sowing heretics as