x, which
was euer disposyd to play many mery pageants,[71] wyth whom before he
had bene of famylyer accoyntaunce and prayd hym to give hym a sercenet
typet. This gentylman, more lyberall of promyse than of gyfte, grauntyd
hym he should haue one, yf he wold com to hys lodgyng to the sygne[72]
of the Bull wythout Byshops gate in the next mornynge at vi of the
cloke. Thys scoler thankyd hym, and for that nyght departyd to hys
lodgyng in Flete Strete, and in the mornyng erely as he poyntyd cam to
hym to the sygne of the Bull. And as [soon as] thys gentylman saw hym,
he bad hym go wyth hym in to the Cyte, and he sholde be sped anon;
whyche incontynent went togyder, tyll they[73] cam in to seynt Laurence
Church in the Jury, where the gentylman espyed a preste raueshyd to
masse[74] and [he] told the skoller that "yonder is the preste that
hath the typet for you," and bad hym knele downe in the pew, and he
shold speke to hym for it. And incontynent thys gentylman went to the
preest and sayd: syr, here is a skoller, a kynnysman of myne, gretly
dyseasyed wyth the chyncough.[75] I pray you, whan masse is donne, gyue
hym iii draughtys of your chales. The preest grantyd hym, and tornyd hym
to the skoler, and sayd: syr, I shall serue you as sone as I haue sayd
masse. The skoler than taryed styll and herd the mas, trusting that whan
the masse was done, that the preste wold giue hym hys typet of sarcenet.
Thys gentylman in the meane whyle departyd out of the chyrche. Thys
preste, whan mas was done, putte wyne in the chales, and cam to the
skoler knelyng in the pew, profferyng hym to drynk of the chales. Thys
skoler lokyd upon hym, and musyd and sayd: why, master parson, wherfore
profer ye me the chales? Mary, quod the prest, for the gentylman told me
ye were dysseasyd with the chyncough, and prayd me therfor that for a
medecyne ye might drynk of the chales. Nay, by seynt mary, quod the
scoler, he promysyd me ye shulde delyuer me a tipet of sarcenet. Nay,
quod the preest, he spake to me of no typet, but he desyred me to gyue
yow drynk of the chales for the chyncough. By Goddis body, quod the
scoler, he is, as he was euer wont to be, but a mokkyng wretch, and
if[76] I lyue I shall quyte hym; and so departid out of the church in
great anger.

By thys tale ye may percyue, it is no wysdom for a man to truste to a
man to do a thing, that is contrary to hys old accustumyd condycyons.

FOOTNOTES:

[71] tricks and pranks.

[72] orig. reads