, sayd: Sir, what woulde
you haue? Take of the couer (quoth his mayster). Then holde you the
candell (saide the seruaunt).

FOOTNOTES:

[317] A very usual practice in those days. At p. 254 of the
_Northumberland House-hold Book_ (ed. 1827) we find:--

"Two Gentlemen waiters for the Bordes Ende and a servaunt betwixt theim
iii--Hannsmen and Yonge Gentlemen at their Fryndes fynding v (as to say
Hanshmen [Henchmen] iii and yong Gentlemen iii)."

Orig. and Singer, for _trane_ read _trade_.

+ _Of the gentilman that checked hys seruant for talke of ryngyng._
cxxx.

+ A gentilman, brought vp at London in an In of court, was maryed, and
kepte an house in the countrey: and as he sate at supper with his
neyghbours aboute hym, vpon an alhalow-daie at night, amonge other
communication, he talked of the solemne ringyng of the belles (as was
the vsage than). His man, that waited on the table, sayd to his maister:
sir, he that were this nyghte in London, shoulde here wonderfull
ryngyng, and so began a tale. Hys mayster, not content with his talke,
said: Hold thy peace, foole, wilt thou tel me of ringing in London? I
know it (I trow) a lyttell better than thou. For I haue beene there an C
alhalow nyghtes.

+ _Of the blynde man and his boye._ cxxxi.

+ A certayne poore blynde man[318] in the countrey was ledde by a curst
boy to an house where a weddyng was: so the honest folkes gaue him
meate, and at last one gaue hym a legge of a good fatte goose: whiche
the boy receyuyng kept a syde, and did eate it vp hym selfe. Anon the
blynde man saide: Iacke, where is the leg of the goose? What goose (quod
the boy)? I haue none. Thou liest (quoth the blinde man), I dyd smell
it. And so they wente forth chidyng together, tyll the shrewde boye led
the poore man against a post: where hittyng his brow a great blow, he
cryed out: A hoorson boy, what hast thou done? Why (quod the boy) could
you not smell the post, that was so nere, as wel as the goose that was
so farre from your nose?

+ _Of him that sold two lodes of hey._ cxxxii.

+ In London dwelled a mery pleasant man (whiche for [t]his tyme we may
call Makeshift[319]) who, beyng arrayed somewhat haruest lyke, with a
pytcheforke on his necke, went forth in a mornyng and mette with twoo
lode of hey comeyng to the citieward, for the whiche he bargayned with
the owners to paye xxx shillynges. Whyther shall we bring them, quoth
thei? To the Swan in Longe Lane[320] b