A ryche Frankelyn in the contrey havynge by his wyfe but one chylde and no mo, for the great affeccyon that he had to his sayd chylde founde hym at Oxforde to schole by the space of ii or iii yere. Thys yonge scoler, in a vacacyon tyme, for his disporte came home to his father. It fortuned afterwarde on a nyght, the father, the mother and the sayd yonge scoler _5 lines wanting._ _I_ have studyed sovestry, and by that scyence I can prove, that these ii chekyns in the dysshe be thre chekyns. Mary, sayde the father, that wolde I fayne se. The scoller toke one of the chekyns in his hande and said: lo! here is one chekyn, and incontynente he toke bothe the chekyns in his hande jointely and sayd: here is ii chekyns; and one and ii maketh iii: ergo here is iii chekyns. Than the father toke one of the chekyns to him selfe, and gave another to his wyfe, and sayd thus: lo! I wyll have one of the chekyns to my parte, and thy mother shal have a nother, and because of thy good argumente thou shalte have the thyrde to thy supper: for thou gettyst no more meate here at this tyme; whyche promyse the father kepte, and so the scoller wente without his supper. By this tale men may se, that it is great foly to put one to scole to lerne any subtyll scyence, whiche hathe no naturall wytte. _OF THE COURTEAR THAT ETE THE HOT CUSTARDE_ A certayne merchaunt and a courtear, _being upon a time together_ at dyner having a hote custerd, _the courtear being_ somwhat homely of maner toke _parte of it and put it_ in hys mouth, whych was so hote that made him _shed teares._ The merchaunt, lookyng on him, thought that he had _ben weeping, and asked hym why_ he wept. This curtear, not wyllynge it to be _known that he had brent his_ mouth with the hote custerd, answered and said, sir: _quod he, I had_ a brother whych dyd a certayn offence wherfore he was hanged; _and, chauncing_ to think now uppon his deth, it maketh me to wepe. This merchaunt thought the courtear had said trew, and anon after the merchaunt was disposid to ete _of the custerd_, and put a sponefull of it in his mouth, and brent his mouth also, that his _eyes watered_. This courtear, that percevyng, spake to the merchaunt and seyd: sir, quod _he, pray_ why do ye wepe now? The merchaunt perseyved how he had _bene deceived_ and said: mary, quod he, I wepe, because thou wast not hangid, _when that_ they brother was hangyd. _OF HYM THAT SOUGHT HIS WYFE AGAYNST THE STREME_ A man there was whose wyfe, as she came over a bridg, fell in to the ryver and was drowned; wherfore he wente and sought for her upward against the stream, wherat his neighboures, that wente with hym, marvayled, and sayde he dyd nought, he shulde go seke her downeward with the streme. Naye, quod he, I am sure I shall never fynde her that waye: for she was so waywarde and so contrary to every thynge, while she lyvedde, that I knowe very well nowe she is deed, she wyll go a gaynste the stream.