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 And
cam vpon them whan they spack of the mater to the
marchant for to deliuere to hym the sayd cofres to
kepe whyche his frendes had fayned and requyred of
hym that he had taken to hym to kepe/ and than an[=o]n
the sayd marchant sayd to hym I knowe the now well.
For I haue auysed me that thou art suche a man/ And
camst to me suche a tyme/ And deliuerest to me suche
a thynge whiche I haue well kept/ And than callyd
his clerck/ and bad hym goo fecche suche a thynge
in suche a place/ and deliuere hit to that good man
For he deliuerid hit to me/ And than the good man
receyuyd his good. And wente his way right Ioyously
and gladd/ And this marchant trycheur and deceyuour
was defrauded from his euyll malice/ And he ne had
neyther that one ne that other ony thynge that was
of value/ And therfore hit Is sayd in prouerbe to
defraude the beguylar is no fraude/ And he that doth
well foloweth oure lord And seneke faith that charyte
enseygneth and techeth that men shold paye well For
good payement is sometyme good confession/ And this
marchant trycheour & deceyuour resembleth & Is lyke
to an hound that bereth a chese in his mouth whan
he swymmeth ouer a watre For whan he is on the watre
He seeth the shadowe of the chese in the watre/ And
than he weneth hit be an other chese/ And for couetyse
to haue that/ he openth his mouth to cacche that/
And than the chese that he bare fallyth doun in to
the watre/ And thus he loseth bothe two/ And in the
same wise was seruyd this marchant deceyuour/ For
for to haue the coffres/ whiche he had not seen/ He
deliueryd agayn that he wold haue holden wrongfully
& thus by his couetise and propre malice he was deceyuyd/
And therfore hit apperteyneth to euery good & wyse
man to knowe & considere in hym self how moche he
had resseyuyd of other men/ And vpon what condicion
hit was deliuerid to hym And hit is to wete y’t
this thinge apperteyneth to resseyuours & to chaungeours
And to alle true marchans and other what som euyr
they bee/ and ought to kepe their bookes of resaytes
& of payements of whom & to whom and what tyme & day.
and yf y’e demande what thynge makyth them to
forgete suche thynges as ben taken to them to kepe
I answere & saye that hyt Is grete couetyse for to
haue tho thynges to themself and neuer to departe
from them/ And it is all her thought and desire to
assemble alle the good that they may gete For they
beleue on none other god/ but on her richessis theyr
hertes ben so obstynat/ and this sufficeth of the
marchantes.