thynge & better to kepe that is goten Than to gete more And
therfore hit is sayd y't the poure demandeth and beggeth er he felith/
and also hit is sayd that he y't dispendith more than he hath/ with oute
strook he is smyten to the deth/ Ther was a noble man named Iohn de
ganazath whiche was ryght ryche/ And this man had but two doughters whom
he maryed to two noble men/ And whan he had maryed them/ he loued so
well his sones in lawe their husbondes/ that in space & succession of
tyme/ he departed to them alle his goodes temporell/ And as longe as he
gaf to them they obeyed hym & were right diligent to plese and serue
hym/ so hit befell that on a tyme that he had alle gyuen in so moche
that he had ryght nought/ Than hit happend that they to whom he had
gyuen his goodes/ whiche were wonte to be amyable & obeyssant to hym as
longe as he gaf. Whan tyme cam that he was poure and knewe that he had
not they becam unkynde Disagreable and disobeyssant/ And whan the fader
sawe that he was deceyuyd by his debonayrte and loue of his doughters/
He desired and couetyed fore teschewe his pouerte/ At laste he wente to
a marchant that he knewe of olde tyme. And requyred hym to lene to hym.
x. thousand pound for to paye and rendre agayn wyth in thre dayes/ And
he lente hit hym/ and whan he had brought hit in to his hows/ Hit
happend that hit was a day of a solempne feste/ on whiche daye he gaf to
his doughters and her hufbonde a right noble dyner/ and after dyner he
entrid in to his chambre secretly wyth them/ And drewe out of a coffre
that he had do make all newe shettynge with iii. lockis/ the menoye that
the marchant had lente hym And poured out vpon a tapyte that his
doughtres and theyr hufbondes myght see hit/ And whan he had shewid hit
vnto them he put hit vp agayn and put hit in to the cheste saynynge that
hit had ben all his And whan they were departed he bare the money home
to the marchant that he had borowed hit of/ And the next day after his
doughters and theyre hufbondes Axid of hym how moche moneye was in the
cheste that was shette wyth. iii. lockis/ And than he fayned and saide
that he had therein. xxv. thousand pound/ whiche he kepte for to make
his testament and for to leue to his doughters and hem/ yf they wolde
here hem as well to hym ward as they dyde whan they were maried/ And
than whan they herde that/ they were right Ioyous and glad And they
thoughte and concluded to serue hym honorably as well in clothynge as in
met