MAN OF LAW를 소개합니다.

  There was a wise and wary sergeant-at-law,
  A well-known figure in the portico
  Where lawyers meet; one of great excellence,
  Judicious, worthy of reverence,
  Or so he seemed, his sayings were so wise.
  He'd often acted as Judge of Assize
  By the king's letters patent, autherized
  To hear all cases. And his great renown
  And skill had won him many a fee, or gown
  Given in lieu of money. There was none
  To touch him as a property-buyer; all
  He bought was fee-simple, without entail;
  You'd never find a flaw in the conveyance.
  And nowhere would you find a busier man;
  And yet he seemed much busier than he was.
  From yearbooks he could quote, chapter and verse,
  Each case and judgement since William the First.
  And he knew how to draw up and compose
  A deed; you couldn't fault a thing he wrote;
  And he'd reel all the statutes off by rote.
  He was dressed simply, in a coloured coat,
  Girt by a silk belt with thin metal bans.
  I have no more to tell of his appearance.

직업인 법률가로서 갖춰야 할 것들은 다 갖춘 인물로 자신의 일에 대해서는 철저한 것으로 보인다. 다만 “And yet he seemed much busier than he was.” 부분에서 보듯 자신의 지위에 자부심을 갖고 은근한 방식으로 자랑하고자 하는 마음도 읽어볼 수 있다.

  Hear what is said about it by the wise:
  It's better to be dead than to be poor,
  And one whom all your neighbours will despise,
  For goodbye all respect, when you are poor!
  And here is yet another sage old saw:
  'Horrible are the lives of the penurious!'
  Beware of being driven to that pass! [...]
  For gain and profit you scour land seas;
  And like wise men, are kept informed about
  The state of kingdoms; you're a fount of news
  And stories, tales of peace, war, and debate.
  Were it not for a merchant, I'd be out
  Of tales right now. He's been dead many a year,
  But he taught me a tale, which you shall hear.

이 내용은 법률가가 이야기를 시작하기 전에 했던 말로, 가난한 삶이 비참한 것임을 강변하고 있다. 또한 자신이 하는 이야기를 상인에게 들었다고 하면서 상인이 현명한 존재라고 추켜세우고 있다. 여기서 그가 상인들과 가까운 관계를 유지하고 있으며 가난한 삶을 경멸하고 있다는 것을 추측해 볼 수 있다. 그가 자본적 상하관계에 민감하고 속물적 측면이 있음을 여기서 읽어볼 수 있다.


→ 7. MAN OF LAW'S TALE을 감상합시다.