an: wherfore shall we this day fyght?
Mary, sayd the frenche man, I wyll make good with my body, that these
armes were myne auncetours' before thyne. What were your auncetours'
armes, quod the Janwaye? An oxe heed, sayd the frenche man. Than, sayde
the Janwaye, here needeth no batayle: for this that I beare is a cowes
heed.

By thys tale ye perceyue howe nycely the vayne braggynge of the frenche
man was deryded.

FOOTNOTES:

[146] Just now.

[147] The Genoese.

+ _Of the curate that sayde our Lorde fedde U. C. persons._ iiii.

+ A certayne curate, preachynge on a tyme to his parysshens sayde, that
our Lorde with fyue loues fedde v hundred persones. The clerke, herynge
hym fayle,[149] sayde softely in his eare: Sir, ye erre; the gospell is
v. thousande. Holde thy peace, foole, said the curate; they wyll scantly
beleue, that they were fyue hundred.

FOOTNOTES:

[148] At all points.

[149] Make a mistake.

+ _Of hym that profered his doughter in mariage._ v.

+ There was a man vpon a tyme, whiche profered his doughter to a yonge
man in mariage, the which yonge manne refused her, sayenge, that she was
to yonge to be maryed. I wys, quod her foolysshe father, she is more
able than ye wene. For she hath borne iii. children by our parysshe
cleeke.

Lo, by this tale ye se, that foles can nat telle what and whan to
speake: therfore it were best for them to kepe alway silence.

+ _Of them that came to London to bye a Crucifixe._ vi.

+ There were certayne men vpon a tyme sent out of a village to London to
bye a Crucifixe of wodde. The Caruer that they came to, seynge and
herynge by theyr wordes, that they were but folysshe blount felowes,
asked them, whether they wolde haue the ymage a lyue or elles deade;
whiche question so abasshed them, that they went a syde to deuyse
whether[150] was beste. So whan they had spoken priuely to gether, they
came to the caruer agayne and said they wold haue the image a lyue:
for, if theyr neighbours at home where nat so contente, they myghte
lyghtly[151] kylle hym.

FOOTNOTES:

[150] Which of the two.

+ _Of hym that folowed his wyfe to buryenge._ vii.

+ A man, that wepynge folowed his wyfe to buryenge, rebuked his lyttel
sonne, that wente with hym, because he sange, sayenge that he was
peuysshe and madde to synge at his mothers buryenge, but he shulde
rather be sory and wepe. The chylde answered: father, seynge ye gyue to
these prestes mo