forsoth as to a grete persone as he was, graunted anon to his peticioun.
Forsoth whan they comen to Loth, eftsones and eftsones
wern [thei] praied that thei shulden vndergo his Roof, for that he
was no grete persone; as coarted or driven of soule thei wenten
away."[1] A yong [man] oones asked an old man: "Whan I am
boden to mete shal I ete moche?"[2] To whom thold man saide:
"Moche! forwhi if he be thi friend that bad the, he shal joye and
be glad of thi moche etyng; forsoth if he be an enemy he shal
sorow and be sorowful."[3] To whiche thold man saide: "What
and wherfor laughest thow, chield? For I am Remembred of the
wordis that I have herd of blac Maymund."
XXII.[4] The Lazy Servant Maimund
"Suche an old man asked of hym hov moche he myght ete.
To whom he: 'Of whos mete? of myn mete or of another?' Quod
he: 'Of thyn.' Maymund: 'As litel as I may.' Quod he: 'What of
another?' [Maymund]: 'As moche as I may'." To whom thold
man: "Thow now remembrest of the wordis of sum gloton, slowth,
foole, jangler, or and a litel cat. And whatsumever of hym suche
be saide: this or that, more or lasse he fyndeth in hym."[5]
Tholdman: "His lord comaunded hym suche a nyght to shitte the
yaate; and he oppressed with slowth and vnlust myght nat arise and
therfor he saide the yaate was shit. Forsoth than in the Morow the
lord saide: 'Maymunde, open the yaate.' To whom the seruaunt
saide: '[Maister], I wist wel that thow woldest have it open this
day and therfor I shit it nat at eve.' Than the lord apperceived
that he left it vndon bicause of slewth and saide, 'Arise and do thi
werke for it is day and the Sonne is now high'. To whom the
seruaunt: 'If the sonne he at an height gyve me mete.' To whom
the lorde saide: 'Thow most worst seruaunt, wiltow ete the nyght?'
To whom the seruaunt: 'If it be nyght suffre me to sleepe.' Another
tyme the lord saide to his seruaunt in the nyght: 'Maymunde, arise
and see whether it Rayne or nat.' He forsoth cald the hounde
whiche lay without the gate and whan the dogge cam he felt his
feete that wern drye and saide to his lord that it Rayned nat.
- ↑ This is a very inexact translation; cf. I, 37, 25, quia autentica non erat persona, velut coacti annuerunt.
- ↑ Lat. quid faciam: parum vel nimis comedam?
- ↑ The English omits Hoc audito risit puer 'When the boy heard this he laughed.'
- ↑ No. XXVII in the Latin, I, 38, l. 3.
- ↑ The English omits the following sentence of the Latin (I, 38, l. 7): Iuvenis: Multum placet mihi de eo audire, quia quicquid de eo est, derisorium est; et si quid de eius dictis vel factis mente retines, eloquere, et habeo pro munere. The young man: "I am greatly pleased to hear about him, for everything about him is ridiculous; and if you remember any of his sayings and actions, tell me and I shall have my reward."
