for thyng to come [he] lost that was present: the wolf lost both oxen and cheese."
One sentence of the Latin connecting link is here[1] omitted the sense of which is: The Arab reproved his son saying: "Take counsel of that one who has experience in the thing thou askest about, for thou canst thus gain experience more easily than if thow makest the experiment thyself.
Svcheon chastised his sone [saying]: "Ne trust nat to the counsail that thow herist of al men lest it fal to the as it happened to the thief whiche trusted and trowed to the counsail of sucheon." To that the sone: "How cam it to hym, Fader?" Than the fader saide:
XIX.[2] The Thief and the Moonbeam
"It is saide that suche a thief went to the house of suche a Richeman of entent to Robbe and stele; and ascended vp to the Roof and cam to the wyndowe or lover bi whiche the smoke went out and herkened if any withyn were awake. That whiche the lord of the house aperceived [and] saide softly vnto his wif: 'Aske and crie thow with an high voice whens it cam to me, the grete plente of money that I have. That as to cry and reherse laboure thow moche.' Than she with a grete voice saide: 'Sir, wherof hastow somoche money and thow wer never no Marchaunt?' [And he]: 'That god hath gyven kepe thow and do therof thi wil and aske nat wherof somoche money comyth.' And she, as she was enjoyned, more and more cried, reherced, and stired. Than he therof as coarted to the praiers of his wif saide: 'See that thow ne discovre oure counsail to any man; I was a thief.' Than saide she: 'It seemyth wonder to me how somoche money thow myghtest purchace and gete with theft and never I herd clayme ne chalange therof.[3] Than saide he: 'Suche a Maister of myn taught me a charme that I shuld sey[4] whan I shuld ascende to the Roof of the house. And comyng to the wyndow I toke the beame of the Moone with myn hand and vii tymes saide my charme, that is to say, Saule. And so I descendid and cam doun without perel, and what precious thyng I fond in the house I tooke it; and that don eftsones I cam to the beame of the Moone and the same charme vii tymes saide, with al that taken in the house I ascended and bare awey and brought to my howse. With suche engyne and wit I possede the money that I now have.' Than the wif saide: 'Thow
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