sture,
exhorted the prynces and people to make warre agaynste the Turkes and
other the enemies of chrystendome: and whan he came to the very effect,
and [was] moste hotte and earnest in his tale, he began to wepe, that
there were none, that wold to so godly a purpose offer them selfe to be
capitains. If this be the let[341] of the mattier, beholde me here,
whiche will be nothynge abasshed to cast aside this grey friers coate,
and to take vpon mee to be a souldiour, or your capitaine. And euen with
that woorde he caste of his vpper coate; and vnderneth he was a playne
souldiour, arraied in a skarlet cloke, and a long rapier hangeyng by his
side. And in this warlyke apparell, in the personage of a Capitan, he
stode and preached halfe an houre. Being sente for of the Cardinals
with whom he was familiar, hee was asked what was the pretence of that
new example. He answered, that he did it for his wenches pleasure, who
familiarly confessed that nothynge in the sayd Robert displeased hir,
saue his friers coate. Then saide he to hir:

In what apparell shal I best plese you? In a
man of warres, quoth shee? Than se
that you be at my sermon to
morow, quoth he.[342]

FOOTNOTES:

[341] The obstacle to the matter.

[342] This tale is followed by the colophon, which is: Imprinted at
London in Fletestrete, by Henry Wykes. Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum
solum.

ADDITIONAL NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

MERY TALES AND QUICK ANSWERES.

P. 16. _Of him that preched on Saynt Christophers day._

In _A Booke of Meery Riddles_, 1617 (repr. of ed. 1629, p. 73 of Mr.
Halliwell's _Literature of the xvith and xviith centuries Illustrated,
&c._ 1851), we have the following:--

The xvii Riddle.

"Who bare the best burthen that ever was borne
At any time since, or at any time befor[n]e.

_Solution._--It was the asse that bare both Our Lady and her Sonne out
of Egypt."

P. 21. _Of the yonge woman that sorowed so greatly her husbondes deth._

"There was a poor young Woman who had brought herself even to Death's
Door with grief for her sick Husband, but the good Man her Father did
all he could to comfort her. _Come, Child_, said he, _we are all mortal.
Pluck up a good heart, my Child: for let the worst come to the worst, I
have a better Husband in store for thee. Alas, Sir_, says she, _what
d'ye talk of another Husband for? Why, you had as good have stuck a
Dagger to my Heart. No, no; if ever I think of another Husband,