d to hym to kepe/ But whan he sawe place and
tyme/ he reteynyd hyt lyke a theef/ So hyt befelle that a marchant of
withoute forth herd the good reporte & fame of this man/ cam to hym and
deliuerid hym grete tresour to kepe/ And this tresour abode thre yer in
his kepynge. And after this thre yer thys marchant cam & requyred to
haue hys good deliueryd to hym agaym/ And thys man knewe well that he
had no recorde ne wytnes to preue on hym this duete/ Nor he had no
obligacion ne wrytynge of hym therof/ In suche wyse that he denyed alle
entyerly/ And sayd playnly he knewe hym not. And whan thys good man
herde and vnderstode thys. he wente sorowfully and wepynge from hym so
ferre and longe that an old woman mette wyth hym/ And demanded of hym
the cause of hys wepynge/ And he sayd to her/ woman hit apperteyneth no
thynge to the Go thy way/ And she prayd hym that he wold telle her the
cause of hys sorowe/ For parauenture she myght gyue hym counceylle good
and prouffytable. And than this man told to her by ordre the caas of his
fortune/ And the old woman that was wyse & subtyll demanded of hym yf he
had in that cyte ony frende whiche wold be faythfull and trewe to hym
And he sayd y'e that he had dyuerce frendes/ Than said she goo thou to
them and saye to them that they do ordeyne and bye dyuerce cofres &
chestis/ And that they do fylle them with som olde thinges of no value/
and that they fayne And saye that they be full of gold, siluer & other
Iewels and of moche grete tresour/ And than that they brynge them to
this sayd marchant And to saye to hym that he wold kepe them/ For as
moche as they had grete trust and affiance in hym And also that they
haue herd of his grete trouthe and good renome/ And also they wold goo
in to a fer contre And shold be longe er they retorned agayn And whilis
they speke to hym of this mater/ thou shalt come vpon them and requyre
hym that he do deliuere to the/ that thou tokest to hym/ And I trowe be
cause of tho good men that than shall profre to hym the sayd tresour/
And for the couetise to haue hit/ he shall deliuere to the thy good
agayn/ But beware late hym not knowe in no wyse that they ben thy
frendes ner of thy knowleche This was a grete and good co[=u]ceyll of a
woman And verily hit cometh of nature oftentymes to women to gyue
counceyll shortly and vnauysedly to thynges that ben in doute or
perillous and nedeth hasty remedye/ And as y'e haue herd/ this good man
dyde And dyde after her counceyll