noon
`` Ay , but not nigh so well as Latin . '' `` Then you shall never make your bread at Rome . '' Gerard borrowed a beautiful Greek manuscript at a high price , and went home with a sad hole in his purse , but none in his courage . In a fortnight he had made vast progress with the Greek character ; so then , to lose no time , he used to work at it till noon , and hunt customers the rest of the day . When he carried round a better Greek specimen than any they possessed , the traders informed him that Greek and Latin were alike unsaleable ; the city was thronged with works from all Europe . He should have come last year . Gerard bought a psaltery .