"What hath he except himself ?" "With himself then shall he buy it," quoth I, "with his body and the power of labour that lieth therein; with the price of his labour shall he buy leave to labour." "Riddles again!" said he; "how can he sell his labour for aught else but his daily bread?
He must win by his labour meat and drink and clothing and housing! Can he sell his labour twice over ?" "Not so," said I, "but this shall he do belike; he shall sell himself, that is the labour that is in him, to the master that suffers him to work, and that master shall give to him from out of the wares he maketh enough to keep him alive, and to beget children and nourish them till they be old enough to be sold like himself, and the residue shall the rich man keep to himself." John Ball laughed aloud, and said: "Well, I perceive we are not yet out of the land of riddles.

The man may well do what thou sayest and live, but he may not do it and live a free man." "Thou sayest sooth," said I..