came vnto a
certeyne preste, that hadde his purse hangynge at his gyrdell
strouttinge[166] oute full of money that he a lytell before had
resceyued, and gentilly gretynge hym sayde: good Mayster, our parysshe
preste bad me bye him a palle[167] (which is the vppermoste vestement,
that a preste syngeth masse in); if it wolde please you to go with me, I
were moche bounde to you: for our curat and you be of one stature. The
preste was contente. Whan they came there where he wolde bye it, the
palle was broughte forth, and the preste dyd it on: the poller loketh
and toteth[168] thereon, and preyseth it, but he layde a wyte,[169] that
it was to shorte before. Nay, quod the syller, the faute is nat in the
vestement, hit is the strouttinge purse vnderneth that beareth hit up.
Shortely to speake, the prest dyd of his purse, and layde hit by, and
than the vestiment they behelde agayne. Whan the poller sawe the preste
was tourned, he snatched vp the purs, and toke his legges and to
go.[170] The preste rounne after with the vestement on his backe: and
the vestement-maker after the prest. The prest bad stop the thefe, the
siller bad stop the prest, the poller bade holde the mad preste, and
euery man wende[171] he had ben mad in dede, bicause he had the
vestement on his backe; and so whyle one letted an other, the false
poller went his waye.

FOOTNOTES:

[164] The original has _whan she turned her to have taken money_.

[165] Cheating.

[166] The word seems to be here used in a rare sense. The meaning is
_bulging_.

[167] This word (Latine _pallium_) was originally used in a special and
exclusive signification.

[168] Singer explains this to mean _gazeth_.

[169] Found fault with it.

[170] There is probably some corruption here. We ought perhaps to read:
"and toke _to_ his legges _as if_ to go."

[171] Weened.

+ _Of Papirius pretextatus._ xxi.

+ AULUS GELLIUS[172] reherseth, how the Senatours of Rome on a tyme
helde a great counsaile. Before which tyme the senatours chyldren,
called of their garmentes _Pueri pretextati_, vsed to come into the
parlemente house with theyre fathers. So at this tyme a chylde, called
Papyrius, cam in with his father and herde the great counsayl the which
was straytely commaunded to be kept secrete, tyll hit was decreed. Whan
this chylde came home, his mother asked him what the counsaile was. The
chylde answered, hit oughte nat to be tolde. Now was his mother more
desyrous to kno