peyne that she deserved torned vnto the man; to whom it profited nat
anymore his wif to kepe. Forwhi also an hepe of wrecchidnes fil
vnto this man, for the most dele of the people bilieveden that he
hadde deserved this that he suffred."[1] Than quod the disciple:
"Ther nys no man whiche may kepe hym from thengyne and wills
of womman but if that god kepe hym. So bi this tale I shal nat
wedde bicause of this exhortacioun."[2] Than quod the Maister:
"This oughtist thow [nat] to bileeve of al wymmen, forwhi grete
chastite and[3] grete goodenes is Repared and arraied in many
wymmen, and wite thow that in a goode womman may be arrettid
goode felawship. A goode womman also is a feithful keper and a
goode house. Salamon in thend of his proverbis made xxii verse of
the laude and the goodenes of wymmen." To this the disciple saide:
"Wele hastow comforted me. But herdistow ever of any suche
womman whiche that torned hir wit and hir engyne vnto goode?"
Quod the Maister: "I have herd." Quod the disciple: "Tel me of
hir, for that were to me novelte and grete wounder." The Maister:
XII.[4] The Tale of the Ten Coffers.
"It is saide to me that suche a man of Spayne went to Miche
and while he went he cam in to Egipt; whiche wold entre and pas
thurgh the deserte [and] thought to leve his money in Egipt. And
bifore that he would leve it he asked if any feithful man Were in
that Regioun to whom he myght leve it. And an auncient man
shewed hym to a man named of goodenes and of trewth,
to whom he left a thowsand talentis. From that he went furth and
made anend of his journey and cam ageyn to hym to whom he committed
his money, and this that he to hym commytted asked. But
he ful of wikkednesse saide that he never had seen hym tofore.
Forsoth he so disceived went to the goode men of that Regioun arid
told to hem and reherced how he to whom he had commytted his
money hadde hym entreatid. Forsoth neighburghs heryng suche
thynges of (f. 126) hym wolden nat bileeve it, but saiden it myght
nat be but that he had lost his money. So every day he went to the
house of hym to whom he commytted his money[5] [and] with
- ↑ The last sentence of the tale in the Latin was omitted by the English translator (I, 20, l. 10), Wherefore at the compulsion of most good people, deprived of his dignities, lowered in esteem on account of slander from his wife, he had to suffer the penalty of incest.
- ↑ Lat. (I, 20, l. 14) est magna dehortatio.
- ↑ Ms. 'at.'
- ↑ No. XV in the original, I, 20, l. 22.
- ↑ Lat. (I, 21, l. 4) illius qui retinebat iniuste pecuniam.
