Why I Was Too Busy -- Chaucer

In the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer (speaking as a pilgrim) makes all of the following observations about The Sergeant-at-Law (i. e. The attorney):
He is very well-dressed, in brocades, silks, and satins.
He is very well versed in legal precedent, able to cite case law all the way back to William the Conqueror..
He is very busy.
And last, the zinger, cloaked as an arch observation:
“And yet, he seemed busier than he was.”
The art of seeming busier than one is is still practiced by well-dressed professionals today, especially by Americans following the advice of Benjamin Franklin to do just that.
Christine Bird