aduertysed by hys wyfe, put upon him his wyue's
rayment and went to the herber; and whan he was gone thyder the prentys
cam in to bed to his mastres; where for a season they were bothe content
and plesyd ech other by the space of an hour or ii; but whan she
thoughte tyme conuenient, she said to the prentyse: now go thy way into
the herber, and mete hym and tak a good waster[8] in thy hand, and say
thou dyd it but to proue whether I wold be a good woman or no; and
reward him as thou thinkyst best. This prentys doyng after his mastres
councell went in to the herber, where he found his master in his
mastres' apparell and sayd: A! thou harlot, art thou comen hether? now I
se well, if I wod be fals to my master, thou woldest be a strong hore;
but I had leuer thou were hangid than I wold do him so trayterous a ded:
therefor I shall gyve the som punyshment as thou lyke an hore hast
deseruyd and therewith lapt him well about the sholders and back, and
gaue him a dosen or ii good stripes. The master, felyng him selfe
somwhat to smarte, sayde: peace, Willyam, myn own trew good seruant; for
Goddis sake, _holde thy_ handes: for I am thy mayster and not thy
maystres. Nay, hore, quod _he, thou knowest_ thou art but an harlot, and
I dyd but to proue the; and smote him agayn. _Hold! Hold!_ quod the
mayster, I beseech the, no more: for I am not she: for I am thy
_mayster_, for I haue a berde; and therwith he sparyd hys hand and felt
his berd. Good mayster, quod the prentyse, I crye you mercy; and then
the mayster went unto hys wyfe; and she askyd hym how he had sped. And
he answeryd; I wys, wyfe, I haue been shrewdly betyn; howbeit I haue
cause to be glad: for I thank God I haue as trew a wyfe and as trew a
seruant as any man hath in Englonde.[9]

By thys tale ye may se that yt ys not wysdome for a man to be rulyd
alway after his wyuys councell.

FOOTNOTES:

[7] _i.e._ do out. It is, perhaps, scarcely necessary to mention that in
French, the term _commander_ has a double signification, _to command_
and _to commend_. In our language, the two words are of course distinct;
hence the jest.

[8] Cudgel.

+ _Of John Adroyns in the dyuyls apparell._ iii.

+ It fortunyd that in a market towne in the counte of Suffolke there was
a stage play, in the which play one, callyd John Adroyns which dwellyd
in a nother vyllage ii myle from thens, playde the dyuyll. And when the
play was done, thys John Adroyns in the euynyng departyd fro