ter and the seruante were afterwarde in greate trouble.

By this ye may lerne, yt is greate folye for a mayster to putte a
seruaunte to that besynes whereof he can nothynge skyll and wherin he
hath not ben usyd.

FOOTNOTES:

[60] orig. reads _gentylman_.

[61] purlieus.

[62] a lean beast not worth hunting--_Nares._

[63] The jest here, such as it is, lies in the play on the words male
(of the deer) and the mail, or post.

+ _Of the gentyll woman that sayde to a gentyll man: ye haue a berde
aboue and none benethe._ xxx.

+ A yonge gentylman of the age of xx yere, somwhat dysposed to myrth and
gaye, on a tyme talked wyth a gentylwoman whyche was ryght wyse and also
mery. Thys gentylwoman, as she talked with hym, happenyd to loke vpon
hys berde which was but yonge and somewhat growen vpon the ouer lyppe,
and but lyttell growen benethe as all other yonge mennys berdes comynly
vse to grow, and sayd to hym thus: syr, ye haue a berde aboue and none
beneth; and he, herynge her say so sayde in sporte: maystres, ye haue a
berde beneth and none aboue. Mary, quod she, than set the tone agaynst
the tother. Which answere made the gentylman so abasshed, that he had
not one worde to answere.

+ _Of the frere that sayde our Lorde fed fyue M. people with iii.
fysshys._ xxxi.

+ There was a certayn White Frere whiche was a very glotton and a great
nyggyn,[64] which had an vngracyouse boy that euer folowed hym and bare
his cloke, and what for the freres glotony and for his chorlysshnes the
boy, where he wente, cowlde scante gette meate ynoughe: for the frere
wolde eate almoste all hym selfe. But on a tyme the frere made a sermone
in the contry, wherin he touched very many myracles whyche Cryste dyd
afore hys passyon, amonge which he specyally rehersyd the myracle whyche
Cryste did in fedynge fyue thousande people with fyue louys of brede and
with iii lytell fysshes; and this frerys boy which caryd not gretely
for hys mayster * *, _by reason that_ hys mayster was so great a churle,
_cryed out aloude_ that all the church harde, and sayd: by _my faith,
then, there were no_ fryers there! whyche answere made all _the people
laughe, so_ that for shame the frere wente out of the * * * * * he than
departyd out of the churche * * * *

By thys ye may se that it is honeste * * depart with suche as he hath to
them * *

FOOTNOTES:

[64] niggard.

+ _Of the frankelyn that wold haue had the frere gone._ xxxii.