away and] for his infinite dreede rewarded with grete mede. Of
whiche particioun made with his felaw he now hymsilf eftsoones no
more swore.
Than he sorowful the hurt and damage of his possessioun and
forsoth more sorowful the losse of his wif with the advowtrier[1]
arraied to his felaw and felawesse as to the advowterer and advowteresse.
[He] made forsoth an habundaunt and a plentivous felawship
and feste, brought in and bad of his neighburghs and of his
parentis and affinites, closed behynde the curteyn of the wif and his
felaw replete and drunke, asked of hym if it pleased hym vnder
guyle to Reherce and tel to the delectacioun of theym at the feste
how moche money and in what maner he withdrow it from hir with
whom he dide thadvowtry. Thadvowtrer deceived bi moche
praier[2] and drynk reherced the thyng. And whan in thende of the
Recreacioun of the mete the spirit of hym to moche bolned and
stopped as often is don, as he drow the curteyn accised and bounden
sigh and with turmentis; ther turned to hymsilf to thende of
lesyng that sumwhat that he had told seemed to be of lesyng,
saieng: "Whan and that other fested it was seen to me to stonde in
thentre of a brage; and lo alsodainly the thunder seemed to be
quasshed and broken, and whan I in al the violence with dreede
fallyng of the horrible brak out of sleepe." And so of temporal
thyng don turned the trowth in to fals fantasy and saved that he
had almost lost. And vttirly[3] put his felawe in perdicioun and
lost was wher that he covenaunted with an oth to depose al envie
from his wif. With reconsiliacioun so made, she ordeyned newe
guyles and wrenches of advowtrie. Whan he forsoth of that counsail
the house fallen and broken of a poore man to his house a
litel straite way she perced[4] under erth from that (f. 137) oon[5]
house into that other[6] and had his free comyng and goyng whan
that he wold. And whan this sufficed nat to theym, they toguyder
saiden as to bien felawshipped in weddyng and Matremony and
articulerly in thiese wordis:[7] "Mi lord is thi felaw; say thow to
hym forwhi thow camst from thi cuntrey in wifes right and forwhi
- ↑ H. & S. 'advowterer.'
- ↑ H. & S. 'prier.' but the Ms. abbreviation would easily resolve into 'praier;' the Latin has Deceptus ille prece nima. This sentence inserted on lower margin of Ms.
- ↑ H. & S. 'vtterly.'
- ↑ H. & S. 'parted'; Lat. (I, 70, l, 35) perforat.
- ↑ Omitted by H. & S.
- ↑ The translator missed the meaning of this sentence entirely, Cum enim ille ex illius consilio domum emisset a paupere domui sui socii contiguam, subterraneam perforat ille viam de domo in aliam.
- ↑ H. & S. 'woordis.'
