[39] Orig. reads _properte is_.
[40] _Vide infra._
[41] economy.
[42] defiled, from Fr. _rayer_, to shine and give light, as the rays of
the sun, and thence to streak with lines of dirt, and so to soil. The
word is not common. See Nares art _ray_ (edit. 1859), and Cotgrave art
_rayer_ (edit. 1650).
[43] Orig. reads _turnyd_.
[44] Orig. reads _saw_.
+ _Of the wedded men that came to heuen to clayme theyr herytage._ xix.
+ A certayn weddyd man there was whyche, whan he was dede, cam to heuen
gates to seynt Peter, and sayd he cam to clayme hys bad heretage whyche
he had deseruyd. Saynt Peter askyd hym what he was, and he sayd a
weddyd man. Anon Saynt Peter openyd the gatys, and bad hym to com in,
and sayde he was worthye to haue hys herytage, bycause he had had much
troble and was worthye to haue a crowne of glory. Anon after there cam a
nother man that claymyd heuen, and sayd to Seynt Peter he had hade ii
wyues, to whom Saynt Peter answered and said: come in, for thou art
worthy to haue a doble crown of glory: for thou hast had doble trouble.
At the last there cam the thyrd, claymynge hys herytage and sayde to
Saynt Peter that he had had iii wyues, and desyryd to come in. What!
quod Saynt Peter, thou hast ben ones in troble and thereof delyueryd,
and than wyllingly woldyst be troblyd again, and yet agayne therof
delyueryd; and for all that coulde not beware the thyrde tyme, but
enterest wyllyngly in troble agayn: therfore go thy waye to Hell: for
thou shalt neuer come in heuen: for thou art not worthy.
Thys tale is a warnyng to them that haue bene twyse in paryll to beware
how they come therin the thyrd tyme.
+ _Of the merchaunte that charged his sonne to fynde one to synge for
hys soule._ xx.
+ A ryche marchant of London here was, that had one sonne that was
somewhat vnthryfty. Therfore hys fader vppon hys deth bed called hym to
hym, and sayde he knew well that he had ben vnthryfty; how be it, yf he
knew he wold amend hys condycyons he wolde make hym hys executour and
leue hym hys goods, so that he wolde promyse hym to pray for hys soule
and so fynde one dayly to syng for hym: which thyng to performe hys
sonne there made a faythfull promyse. After that this man made hym hys
executour, and dyed. But after that hys sonne kept such ryot, that in
short tyme he had wasted and spente all, and had nothynge left but a
henne and a cocke that was his fader's. It fortunyd than that one of hys
frendys came to hym, and sayd he was sory that he had wasted so moch,
and askyd hym how he wolde performe hys promyse made to hys fader that
he wolde kepe one to syng for hym. Thys yong man answered and sayde: by
God! yet I wyll performe my promyse: for I wyll kepe this same cocke
alyue styl, and he wyl krow euery day, and so he shall synge euery day
for my faders soule; and so I wyl performe my promyse wel ynough.
By thys ye maye se, that it is wysdome for a man to do good dedys hym
selfe, whyle he is here, and not to trust to the prayer and promyse of
hys executours.
+ _Of the mayde wasshynge clothes that answered the frere._ xxi.
+ There was a mayde stode by a reuers syde in her smoke,[45] wasshynge
clothes, and as she stouped ofttymes, her smocke cleued betune her
buttockkes. By whome there cam a frere, seynge[46] her and sayde in
sporte: mayde, mayde, take hede: for Bayarde bytes on the brydell.[47]
Nay, wys [I], master frere, quod the mayden, he doth but wype hys
mouthe, and wenyth ye wyll come and kysse hym.
By thys ye may se that womans answer is neuer to seke.
+ _Of the thre wyse men of Gotam._ xxii.
+ A certayn man there was dwellynge in a towne called Gotam that went to
a fayre iii myle for to bye shepe; and as he cam ouer a bryge he met
with one of hys neyghbours and told hym whether[48] he went, and askyd
hym whych way he wold bryng them. Whyche sayd he wolde brynge them ouer
the same bryge. Nay, quod the other man, but thou shalt not, by God!
quod
_4 lines of the original are wanting._
_Presently there came a milner, who bore a sack of_[49] mele vpon a
horse, a neybour of theyrs, and paciently askyd them what was the cause
of theyr varyaunce; which than she_wyd to hym_ the mater and cause, as
ye haue harde. Thys thyrde man, the mylner, _beganne_ for to rebuke them
by a famylyer example, and toke his sacke of mele _from_ his horse backe
and openyd it, and pouryd all the mele in the sacke ouer the brydge into
the ronnynge ryuer; wherby all the mele was lost, and sayde thus: by my
trouthe, neybours, because ye stryue for dryuynge ouer the brydge those
shepe which be not yet boughte, nor wotte not where they be, me thynketh
therfore there is euen as moche wytte in your hedes as there is mele now
in my _sacke_.
Thys tale shewyth you, that som man takyth _upon him for to teche_ other
men wysdome, when he is but a fole hymselfe.