+ Dantes the poete dwelled a whyle with Can, the Prince de la Scale,[272] with whome also dwelled an other Florentyne, that hadde neyther lernynge nor prudence, and was a man mete for nothynge but to scoffe and ieste; but yet with his mery toyes, he so moued the sayd Can, that he dydde greatly enryche hym. And, bycause Dantes dispised his foolysshenes, this scoffer sayd to hym: how cometh it, Dantes, that thou art helde[273] so wyse and so well lerned, and yet arte poore and nedy? I am an vnlerned man and am an ignorant fole, and yet I am farre richer than thou art. To whom Dantes answered: if I may fynde a lord lyke and conformable to my maners, as thou hast founde to thyn, he wyll lyke wyse make me ryche. FOOTNOTES: [271] In _Chevraeana_, premiere partie, Paris, 1697, 8vo. p. 119, this story is altered to suit the Emperor Maximilian I. [272] See Balbo, _Vita di Dante_, edit. 1853. Can de la Scala, mentioned in the text, was one of the sons of Alberto de la Scala, Lord of Verona, and was born in 1292. Some account of Alberto de la Scala may be found in my _Venetian History_. The anecdote related here probably refers to the earlier period of Dante's acquaintance with the prince, about A. D. 1318-20. Balbo does not seem to have thought this story worthy of notice, though he furnishes one or two other examples of the poet's powers of retort. See also Cinthio's _Hecatommithi, Deca Settima, Novella settima_, edit. 1608. + _Of hym that had sore eyes._[274] lxxxviii. + One, that had sore eies, was warned of the phisitian, that he shulde in any wyse forbeare drinking or els lose his eies: to whom he sayd: it is more pleasure for me to lose myne eies with drinkynge, than to kepe them for wormes to eate them oute. By this tale ye may perceyue, that it auayleth nat to warne some for theyr own profytte. FOOTNOTES: [273] Orig. reads _holde_. [274] "_On Sore Eyes._ _Fuscus_ was councell'd if he would preserve His eyes in perfect sight, drinking to swerve; But he reply'd, 'tis better that I shu'd Loose the, then keep them for the worms as food." _Wits Recreations_, 1640 (p. 35 of reprint 1817). + _Of the olde woman that had sore eyes._ lxxxix.