nesse, or oblyuion I
can not say: and whan he shulde confesse him, he gaue hit to the
confessour to rede: whiche confessor, beinge well lerned and experte in
that busynes, parceyued hit wolde requyre a longe tyme to rede ouer:
wherfore after a fewe wordes he sayde: I assoyle the frome all the
synnes conteyned in this lybell. Yea, but what shall my penaunce be,
quod the yonge man? Nothinge els, sayde the confessour, but that thou
shalte the space of a moneth rede this lybell ouer euery daye vii tymes.
And all thoughe he sayde it was impossyble for him to do, yet the
confessour wolde nat chaunge his sentence. By which mery subtyle answere
he confuted the breble brable[200] of the folysshe felowe.

By this tale ye may perceyue that he that occupyeth this office, that is
to saye, a confessour, ought to be discrete, prudent, and well lernedde.
This confessour knewe well the ordinaunce of holye churche: whiche
wylleth confession to be made with the mouthe, and nat by wrytynge.

FOOTNOTES:

[199] Narrative or account. In its original signification, libel merely
implied _libellus_, a little book or volume, a pamphlet, but not
necessarily one of an offensive kind.

+ _Of the hermite of Padowe._ xl.

+ An hermite of Padow,[201] that was reputed for an holy man, vnder the
semblaunce of confession, entyced many of the notablest wyues of the
towne vnto folye and lewednes. So at last, whan his offence was
dyuulgate and knowen (for hypocrisy can nat longe be hid) he was taken
by the prouost, and brought before the prince of Padowe, duke Francis
the vii of that name, whiche for his disporte sent for his secretarye,
to wryte the womens names, that the hermit had layen by. Whan the
hermyte had rehersed manye of the dukes seruantes wyues, and the
secretarye merely laughenge had writen them, he semed as he had al said.
Be there any mo, sayde the duke? No forsothe, said the hermite. Tel vs
trouth, quod the secretarie, who be mo, or els thou shalte be sharply
punisshed. Than the hermyte sighinge said: Go to, write in thin owne
wife amonge the nomber of the other; which saienge so sore greued the
secretarye, that the penne felle out of his hande and the duke laughed
right hartily, and sayde it was well done: that he that with so great
pleasure harde the fautes of other mennes wyues, shulde come in the same
nombre.

By this ieste we may lerne, that one ought nat to reioyce at an others
grefe or hurte: For lytell woteth a man wha