e courtear had said
trew, and anon after the merchaunt was disposid to ete _of the custerd_,
and put a sponefull of it in his mouth, and brent his mouth also, that
his _eyes watered_. This courtear, that perceuyng, spake to the
merchaunt and seyd: sir, quod _he, pray_ why do ye wepe now? The
merchaunt perseyued how he had _bene deceiued_ and said[143]: mary, quod
he, I wepe, because thou wast not hangid, _when that_ thy brother was
hangyd.

+ _Of the thre pointes belonging to a shrewd wyfe._ xcix.

+ A yong man, that was desirous to haue a wyf, cam to a company _of
Phi_losofers which were gadred to gider, requiring them to gif _him
their opinion_ howe he might chose him sich a wyf that wer no shrew.
Th_ese Philos_ofers with gret study and delyberacion determinid and
shewd this man that there _were iii espe_cial pointes, wherebi he shuld
sure know if a woman were a shrew. The _i point is_ that if a woman have
a shril voyce, it is a gret token that she is a shrew. The ii point is
that, if a woman have a sharp nose, then most commenly she is a shrew.
_The_ iii point that neuer doth mis is[144] that if she were [a]
kerchefer,[145] ye may be sure she is a shrew.

FOOTNOTES:

[143] Singer inserts _answered_ before _and said_; but the word does not
appear to be required.

+ _Of the man that paynted the lamb upon his wyfes bely._ c.

+ A Conning painter ther was dwelling in London, which had a fayre yong
wife, and for thingis that he had to do went ouer se; but because he was
somwhat jelous, he praed his wyfe to be content, that he might paint a
lamb upon her bely, and praed her it might remain ther, til he cam home
again; wherewith she was content. After which lamb so painted he
departid; and sone after that, a lusti yong merchaunt, a bacheler, came
and woed his wyf, and obteined her fauor, so that she was content he
shuld lye with her; which resortid to her and had his plesure oftymes;
and on a time he toke a pensell, and to the lamb he painted ii hornys,
wening to the wif that he had but refreshed the old painting. Than at
the last, about a yere after, her husband cam home again, and the first
night he lay with his wyfe, he loked uppon his wifes bely, and saw the
ii hornes painted there. He said to his wif, that some other body had
ben besy there, and made a new painting: for the picture that he painted
had no hornes and this hath hornes; to whome this wif shortly * *
* *

_cetera desunt._

_He