[288] Louvaine.
[289] Cooked.
+ _Of the same chaplen and one that spited him._ cii.
+ The same Antony dyned on a tyme with a sorte of merye felowes, amonge
whome there was one that greatly spited[291] him in his scoffes and
merye iestes. And as they sate laughynge and sporting, one asked whiche
was the most reuerent part of mans bodye? One sayd the eie, an other the
nose; but Antony, bycause he knew his enuyer wolde name the clene
contrarye, sayde the mouth was the most reuerent parte. Naye, quod his
enuyer, the parte that we sytte on is the moste reuerent; and bicause
they meruayled whye, he made this reason, that he was moste honourable
amonge the common people, that was fyrste sette; and the parte that he
named was fyrste sette. Whiche sayenge contented them, and they laughed
merelye. He was nat a littell proude of his sayenge, and that he hadde
ouer come Antonye. This past forth. Four or fyue dayes after, they were
bothe bydde to dyner in a nother place. Whan Antony cam in, he found his
enuier, that sat talkynge with other, whyle the diner was makynge redy.
Antony tourned his backe to him and lette a great ***** agaynst his
face. His enuyer, greatlye disdayninge, sayde: walke knaue with a
myschiefe, where hast thou ben nourtered? Why and dysdaynest thou, quod
Antony? if I had saluted the with my mouthe, thou woldest haue saluted
me agayne; and nowe I grete the with that parte of my body, that by
thyn owne sayenge is moste honourable, thou callest me knaue.
Thus he got agayne his praise, that he hadde loste before.