entylly
one of the lynne ragges, thynkynge to haue gyuen
|| E iiij.|| a gyfte very acceptable & pleasaunt, But
Gratian there with lyttle plea sede and content, not
with out an euydent synge of dyspleasure, toke one of
them betwene hys fyngers, and dysdaynyngly layd it down
agayne, made a mocke and a mow at it, after
the maner of puppettes, for thys was hys maner, if any
thing lykede hym not, that he thought worthy to be
despysede. Wher at I was bothe ashamed and wonderously
afrayed. Not withstondynge the Prior as he is a man not
at all dull wytted, dyd dyssemble the matter, & after
he had caused vs drinke a cuppe of wyne, gentylly he
let vs departe. When we came agayne to London. _Me._
What shuld ye do at Londo: seynge ye were not farre
from the see cost, to seale in to yowr cuntre? _Ogy._
It is true. But that see cost I refused and gladely dyd
fle from it, as from a place that is || noted and more
euyl spoken of it, for robbyng, stelynge, and vntrue
dealynge, then is of dangerouse ioperdy in the see, be
that hyll Malea wher many shyppes be drowned & vtterly
destroyed for euer. I wyll tell the what I dyd se the
last passage, at my commynge ouer. We were many caryed
in a bote frome Calys shore to go to the shyppe.
Amongest vs all was a pour yoge ma of Frauce, and
barely appayrelled. Of hym he demauuded halfe a grote.
For so moche thay dow take and exacte of euery one for
so smalle a way rowynge. He allegede pouerty, then for
ther pastyme thay searched hym, plucked of his shoes,
and betwene the shoo and the soule, thay fownde .x. or
.xij. grotes, thay toke the from hym laughyng at the
mater: mockinge and scornyng the poer & myserable
Frenchman. _Me._ What dyd ye fellow than? _Ogy._ What
thyng dyd || E v.|| he? He wept. _Me._ Whether dyd they
thys by any authoryte? _Ogy._ Suerly by the same
authoryte that thay steyle and pycke straungers males
and bowgettes, by the whiche they take a way mennes
pursys, if they se tyme and place conuenyent. _Me._
I meruayll that they dare be so bold to doo soch a
dede, so many lokynge vpon them. _Ogy._ They be so
accustomed, that they thynk it well done. Many that
were in the shyp lokede owt and sawe it also, in the
bote were dyuerse Englyshe marchauntes, whiche grudged
agaynst it, but all in vayne. The boteme as it had ben
a tryflyng mater reiosed and were glade that they had
so taken and handelyd the myserable Frenchman. _Me._
I wold play and sporte with these see theues, & hange