Of the whiche mayde thys marchant of Bandach was esrysd
wyth her loue so ardantly that he was ryght seeke/
And that men supposid hym to dye. And than the
other dyde doo come the phisicyens whiche sayd that
in hym was none other sekenes sauf passyon of loue/
Than he axid of the seeke man yf ther wer ony woman
in hys hows that he louyd and made alle the women
of his hows to come to fore hym/ And than he chees
her that shold haue ben that others wyf and sayd that
he was seek for the loue of her/ Than hys frende sayd
to hym Frende conforte your self/ For trewly I gyue
her to yow to wyf wyth alle the dowayre that is gyuen
to me wyth her/ And had leuer to suffre to be wyth
oute wyf than to lese the body of his frende And than
he of Bandach wedded the mayde. And wente wyth
his wyf and wyth his richesse ayen in to his contrey
And after this anone after hit happend that the marcha[=n]t
of Egipte be cam so poure by euyll fortune/ that he
was constrayned to feche and begge his brede by the
contrey in so moche that he cam to bandach. And
whan he entrid in to the toun hit was derke nyght that
he coude not fynde the hows of his frende/ but wente
and laye this nyght in an olde temple/ And on the
morn whan he shold yssue oute of the temple/ the officers
of the toun arestid hym and sayd that he was an homycide
and had slayn a man whiche laye there dede And an[=o]n
he confessid hit wyth a good wylle/ And had leuyr
to ben hangid/ than to dye in that myserable and poure
lyf that he suffrid And thus whan he was brought to
Iugement And sentence shold haue ben gyuen ayenst hym
as an homicide/ his frende of bandach cam and sawe
hym and anone knewe y’t this was his good frende
of Egipte And forthwyth stept in and sayde that he
hymself was culpable of the deth of this man/ and
not that other/ and enforced hym in alle maners for
to delyuer and excuse that other/ And than whan that
he that had don the feet and had slayn the man sawe
this thynge/ he considerid in hym sels that these
two men were Innocente. of this feet/ And doubtynge
the dyuyn Iugement he cam to fore the Iuge and confessid
alle the feet by ordre/ And whan the Iuge sawe and
herd alle this mater/ and also the causes he considerid
the ferme and trewe loue that was betwene the two
frendes And vnderstode the cause why that one wold
saue that other/ and the trouth of the fayte of the
homicide And than he pardoned alle the feet hoolly
and entierly/ and after the marchant of bandach brought
hym of egipte wyth hym in to his hous/ and gaf to hym
his suster in mariage/ and departid to hym half his
goodes/ And so bothe of hem were riche/ And thus were
they bothe veray faythfull and trewe frendes/ Furthermore
Notaires. men of lawe and crafty men shold and ought
to loue eche other And also ought to be contynent chaste
& honeste/ For by theyr craftes they ought so to be
by necessite/ For they conuerse & accompanye them
ofte tyme with women And therfor hit apperteyneth
to them to be chaste and honeste And that they meue
not the women ner entyse them to lawhe/ and Iape by