¶ The xiij fable maketh mencyon of the fader and of his thre children
E is not wyſe / whiche for to haue
vanyte and his pleſyr taketh debate
or ſtryf / As hit appiereth by this
fable / Of a man whiche hadde
thre children / and at the houre
of his dethe he byquethed / and gaf to them his
herytage or lyuehode / that is to wete a grete
pere tree / a gote & a mylle / ¶ And whanne
the fader was deed / the bretheren aſſembled
them thre to gyder / and wente before the Juge
for to parte their lyuehode / and ſayd to the
Juge / My lord the Juge / Oure fader is dede
whiche hath byquethed to vs thre bretheren al
his herytage and as moche of hit ſhold haue
the one as the other And thenne the Juge
demaunded / what was theyr lyuehode / And
they anſuerd a pere tree / a gote and a mylle /
And thenne the Juge ſayd to them / that they
ſhold ſette and make partyes egal of your lyuelede / And the one to haue as moche of hit as
the other / hit is a thynge moche dyffycyle to
doo / but to your aduys how ſhold ye parte it /