longam, et manu teneat eum nobis. Alii admirati quærebant quare hoc diceret: qui ait, Vide quod primus fuit malus, secundus pejor, iste pessimus; timeo quod cum mortuus fuerit alius pejor succedit qui penitus nos fame perimet. Unde solet dici,[1] Seilde comed se betere." [Seldom comes a better.]
Note II.
Tale LXI. Vol. I. p. 213.
The latter part of this apologue is in Alphonsus, 'De Clericali Disciplina. It is the last of the Latin copy; but not noticed in Mr. Douce's analysis, as occurring in the Gesta.
Note III.
Tale II. Vol. II. page 26.
"Of judgment against adulterers"
"The Storke wreker of advouterie," [adultery.]
Chaucer. The Assemblie of Fowles, fol. 235.
"This bird," says Speght, (Gloss, in v.) "breedeth in the chimney-tops of houses, and as it is written of him, if the man or the wife commit adultery, he presently forsaketh the place. And as Aristotle
- ↑ Translation of the Latin: A certain abbot gave his monks three plates of food. The monks said, "He gives us little. Let us pray God that he dies soon." Whether from this cause or from another, he died. Another replaced him, who gave them two plates. The angry monks said gloomily, "Now all the more so we should pray: since one plate has been taken from us, may God take from him his life." And he died as well. A third replacement came, who took away two plates. The angry monks said, "This one is worst of all, because he has starved us to death; let us pray that he dies soon." But one monk said, "I pray God to give him a long life, and protect him for us." The others were amazed and asked why he said so. He replied, "See how the first was bad, the second worse, this one the worst; I fear that if he dies another ever worse will succeed him who truly will starve us to death." Thus it is customary to say, ... (Wikisource contributor note)
