[306] _i.e._ coming home.
+ _Of the husbandman that caused the iudge to geue sentence agaynst him
selfe._ cxxi.
+ An husbandman in Zeland came before the chiefe ruler of the countrey
(whose bull had kyld the poore mans cow) and after he had leaue to
speake, hee sayde: my bull leapyng ouer the dyche hath kyld your cow;
what is the law? The ruler, mistrustyng no deceit, answered: thou muste
paie for hir. Than with licence the poore man sayd: Sir, I failled in my
tale: your bull hath kyld my cow. The ruler, beyng a little amoued,
sayde: this is another matter. The poore man sayd: Verely it is all one
thyng: and you haue truely iudged.
By this tale ye perceyue, that a wyse iudge wyll first know the cause
well, and yet will not be hasty to geue sentence. The prouerbe biddeth
thus: Iudge righteously the cause of the pore and needy.
+ _Of the Italian friar that shoulde preach before the B. of Rome and
his cardinals._ cxxii.
+ A famous frier in Italye, called Robert Liciens,[307] appoincted to
preache before the bishop of Rome and his cardynals beinge in the
pulpit, and beholdyng the bishop and his cardinals, enter into the
churche with so great pompe, noise, and rufflyng, that no king vse[d]
the lyke, and seyng the bishop borne by vi men, and beynge at great
leysure set downe, and harkenyng what he would saye, he sayd nought
elles but this: Phy on S. Peter! phy on S. Paule! and with rauyng he
spit now on the ryght side, and nowe on the left syde: and so, without
more ado, shouyng through the preace,[308] gat hym awaie, leauyng them
all astonied: some thynkyng hym to bee fallen into a furie: other
supposyng him to bee fallen into some heresy, Iewishe or Paganise
belefe, that he so burst out intoo suche blasphemies. And whan it was
consulted to laie hym in prison, a cardinall, who knewe his wytte, and
loued hym, perswaded, that he shoulde fyrste be called before the bishop
and certayne cardinals, to here what he would saye. And so beyng
inquired, why hee burste out into so horrible blasphemies, he answered,
that he had appointed a farre other argument: and in fewe woordes
declared the whole summe of hys sermon. But whan I (sayde he) sawe you
lyue so pompously, and in so great delites and pleasures: and on
th'other side consydered, howe homely, howe peyneful, and how harde a
lyfe the Apostles ledde, whose places you supplie, I gathered, that
eyther they were mad, that by so sharpe a waye contended to come to
heauen, or els that you holde[309] the streight way to hell. But of you
that beare the keyes of heauen, I could not perswade my self to deeme
euill. Than what els could I do, but detest theyr foolyshnes whiche,
whan thei might after this facion haue liued gloriously in all welth and
pleasure, wold rather all their life turment them selfes with
watchynges, fastynges and other peynfull labours?