ody and sowle For the lye that the
auncyent enemye made Eue & adam to beleue hym/ made hem for to be
dampned wyth alle theyr lignage to the deth pardurable And made hem to
be cast oute of Paradyse terrestre/ For he made them to beleue that god
had not forboden them the fruyt. But only be cause they shold not knowe
that her maister knewe But how well that the deuyll said thise wordes
yet had she double entente to hem bothe For they knewe ann as they had
tasted of the fruyt that they were dampned to the deth pardurable/ And
god knewe it well to fore But they supposid well to haue knowen many
other thynges And to belyke vnto his knowleche and science And therfor
fayth saynt poule in a pistyll/ hit ne apperteyneth to saure or knowe
more than behoueth to saure or knowe/ but to fauoure or knowe by mesure
or fobrenes/ And valerian reherceth that ther was a good woman of
siracusane that wold not lye vnto the kynge of *ecylle whiche was named
dyonyse And this kynge was so full of tyrannye & so cruell that alle the
world defired his deth and cursid hym/ Saauf this woman onely whiche was
so olde that she had seen thre or .iiii. kynges regnynge in the contre/
And euery mornynge as sone as she was rysen she prayd to god that he
wold gyue vnto the tyrant good lyf and longe And that she myght neuer
see his deth/ And when the kynge dyonise knewe this he sent for her And
meruayllid moche herof For he knewe well that he was fore behated/ And
demaunded her/ what cause meuyd her to pray for hym. And she answerd and
said to hym Syre whan I was a mayde we had a right euyll tyrant to our
kynge of whom we coueyted fore the deth And whan he was ded ther cam
after hym a worse/ of whom we coueyted also the deth/ And whan we were
deliueryd of hym/ thou camst to be our lord whiche arte worste of alle
other. And now I doubte yf we haue one after the he shall be worse than
thou art/ And therfore I shall pray for the And whan dionyse vnderstod
that she was so hardy in sayynge the truthe/ he durste not doo tormente
her for shame be cause she was so olde.

[Illustration]

_The fourth chapitre of the thirde book treteth of the maner of the
fourth pawn and of the marchants or changers._

The fourth pawn is sette to for the kynge And is formed in the fourme of
a man holding in his ryght hand a balance/ And the weyght in the lifte
hand/ And to fore hym a table And at his gurdell a purse fulle of monoye
redy for to gyue to them that requyre hit And