y this ye may se, that oftentymes a womans wytte at an extremyte _is
moche_ better than a mans.

+ _Of the frere that tolde the thre chyldres fortunes._ xlviii.

+ There was _a frere_ lymyttour whyche wente a lymyttynge to a
cer_tayne_ towne, wherin dwellyd a certayne ryche man of whome he ne_uer
coulde_ gette the value of an hal[f]peny: yet he thought he wolde go
thyder and assaye hem.[82] And as he wente thyderwarde, the wyfe
stand_yng at the_ dore, perceyuynge hym commynge a farre of, thoughte
that he _was commynge_ thyther, and by and by ranne in and badde her
chyldren standyng _thereby_, that if the frere asked for her, say she
was nat within. The frere _sawe her_ runne in and suspected the cause,
and came to the dore and asked for the wyfe. The chyldren, as they were
bydden, sayde that she was nat within. Than stode he styll lokynge on
the chyldren; and at the laste he called to hym the eldeste and badde
hym let hym se his hande; and whan he _saw his_ hande: O Jesu! quod he,
what fortune for the is ordayned! _Then he asked the_ seconde sonne to
se his hande and, his hande sene, the frere sayd: _O Jesu! what_
destenye for the is prepared. Than loked he in the thyrde sonnes _hand_.
_O God!_ quod he, thy desteny is hardest of all; and therwith wente he
his way. The _wyfe_, heryng these thinges, sodenly ranne out and called
the frere againe, _and pray_de hym to come in, and after to sytte downe,
and sette before hym _all the vita_ile that she had. And whan he had
well eaten and dronken, she be_sought_ hym to tell her the destenyes of
her chyldren; which at the last after many _difficulties_ tolde her that
the fyrste shulde be a beggar, the seconde a thefe, the thyrde a
homicyde; whiche she hearynge fell downe in a soone[83] and toke it
greuouslye. The frere comforted her and said that, thoughe these were
theyr fortunes, there myght be remedy had. Than she besought of him[84]
his counsell. Than said the frere: you must make the eldest that shalbe
a beggar a frere, and the seconde that shalbe a thefe a man of lawe, and
the thyrde that shalbe an homicyde a phisicyon.

By this tale ye may lerne, that they that will come to the speche or
presence of any persone for theyr owne cause, they muste fyrste endeuer
them selfe to shewe suche matters as those persones most delyte in.

FOOTNOTES:

[82] _i. e._ him. The Orig. reads _them_.

+ _Of the boy that bare the frere his masters money._ xlix.

_4 lines