Then the disciple: "Though the things I have heard are fixed
in my mind, yet they spur my soul on to wish to hear more." The
Master said: "I will tell the gladly," and he began thus:
XIV.[1] The Tale of the Golden Serpent
"It was saide of suche a Richeman in the Citee goyng, that a
bagge ful with a thowsand talentis bare with hym and moreover a
serpent of gold havyng eyen of jacynt in the same bagge, and al that
he lost. And suche a poore man makyng ther his iourney fond it
and yave it to his wif, and how that he found it to hir rehersed.
The womman heryng this saide: 'That god hath yeven kepe we.'
Another day a Bedil went bi the wey so to cry and to proclame:
'Who that hath founde suche money do yield it ageyn and without
forfaiture or fraude he shall have therof an hundred talentis.' This
heryng, the fynder of the money saide to his wif: 'Yield we the
money and want any synne, we shuln have therof an hundred
talentis.' To this the womman: 'If god had wold that he shuld
enjoie the money he shuld nat have lost it. That god hath yeven
kepe we.' The fynder of the money laboured as to yield it and she
vttirly denyed it. And whether she wold or nold, to the lord he hath
yold it and that he promised asked. The Richeman ful of wikkidnes
saide: 'That me lackith another serpent wite yee.' This that he
saide was[2] of a shrewde intencioun, as that he wold nat to the
poore man yielde his promyse. The poore man saide he fonde
nomore. And the men of that Citee fauorable to the Richeman,
derogaunt and sharp agenst the fortune (f. 128) of poverte beryng
hym haate, drewe hym and bitoke hym to the Right. Forsoth the
poore man cried and swore, as it is above saide, that he fonde
nomore. But while the word of this poore and richeman ran to
the Ministres tellyng, the same smote and cam to the earis of the
kyng. That as he had herd, called toguyder the Richeman and the
poore and to hym[silf] comaunded to presente the money. Al
thynges brought to the kyng, the philosophre whiche was cald the
help of wrecchis with other sapient men cald and of his accusers to
noye and to accuse, here and mark yee, the philosopher comaundith.[3]
This herd [and] evenly moeved with pitee on the poore
man, [he] cald hym vnto hym and saide: 'Tel me, my brother if
thow have the money of this man? that if thow have nat, with help
