soth vniustly and wrongfully I am accused.' The philosopher herd the
praier of the yongman [and] askid hym if he iustly or vniustly were
accused. Forsoth he affermed with an oth vniustly. The philosophre
heryng the thyng of trowth and moevid with pite saide that
'with goddis help I shal help the; but as of the Right thow hast
taken respite vnto morow day, whiche tho thynges at thoo plees nil
thow nat leve'[1] and I shalbe redy to socoure thy trowth and to noisaunce
of their falshed.' Forsoth the yonge man dide that the
philosophre badde. Forsoth the morow after [he] cam to the
philosopher to the Right; whom after the Right had seen as a [wise]
man cald the philosophre, and so cald made hym to sitte next hym,
Than 'the Right callid thaccusers and the accused and comaunded
that thei shulden Reherse the plees; and so thei diden. Of theym
forsoth standyng bifore, the Right saide to the philosophre that the
causes of hem he shuld here and therof do iugement. Than the
philosophre saide to the Right: 'Now comaunde yee that the cliere
oile of the v ful tonnes be mesured and thow shalt knowe and wite
how moche ther be of cliere oile; and in like wise of the v half
tonnes and thow (f. 127b) shalt knowe how moche ther be of cliere
oile. Than the thikke oyle of the v ful tonnes so measured and thow
shalt know how moche thikke oile be in hem, and in like wise of
the V half tonnes, if ther be asmoche as in the ful tonnes, know thow
for a soth the oile is stolen. And if thow fynde in the half tonnes
suche part of thikke oile as of cliere ther beyng went and issued
out,[2] know thow for a sooth that oile nat to be stolen.' The
Right heryng thus, confermed the iugement and so was don. And in
this maner the yongman escaped with the wisdam of the philosophre.
And so the plees endid, the yongman yielding thankynges to the
philosophre. Than the philosopher saide vnto hym: 'Herdistow that
never of the philosophre, "Ne bie thow non house bifore that thow
knowe thi neighburgh".' To this the yong man: 'First we had an
house that next vs hosted.' To whom the philosophre: 'First selle thyn
hous bifore that thow dwel next a shrewde neighburgh'." The
disciple: "Suche iugement appierith to be [of] the philosopher and
this is the grace of god and meritorily is cald this name, the help of
wrecchis."[3]
