+ _Two gentylmen_ of acquoyntaunce were apoynted to lye with a gentylwoman both in one nyght, the one nat knowynge of the other, at _dyuers houres_. + Thys fyrste at hys houre apoynted came, and in the _bedde chanced_ to lese a rynge. The seconde gentylman, whanne he _came to bedde_, fortuned to fynde the same rynge, and whan he hadde _stayde som tyme_ departed. And two or thre dayes after, the fyrste gentylmanne _saw hys_ rynge on the others fynger, and chalenged it of hym and he _refused it_, and badde hym tell where he had loste it: and he sayd: in suche a _gentylwo_mans bedde. Than quod the other: and there founde I it. And the _one gentylman_ wolde haue it and the other said he shulde nat. Than they agreed _to be decyded_ by the nexte man that they dyd mete. And it fortuned them to _mete_ the husbande of the said gentyll woman and desyred hym of his _iudg_ment, shewynge hym all the hole mater. Than quod he: by my iud_gmente, he t_hat ought[14] the shetes shulde haue the rynge. Than quod they: and _for your_ good iudgement you shall haue the rynge. + _Of the scoler that gave his shoes to cloute._ vi. + In the Uniuersyte of Oxeforde there was a scoler that delyted moche to speke eloquente englyssshe and curious termes, and came to the cobler with his shoes whyche were pyked before (as they used that tyme), to have them clouted, and sayde this wyse: Cobler, I praye the sette _two try_angyls and two semycercles vpon my subpedytales, and I shall _paye_ the for thy laboure. The cobeler, because he vnderstoode hym nat halfe, answered shortely and sayde: syr, your eloquence passeth myne intelly_gence_. But I promyse you, yf he meddyll with me the clowtynge of youre _shoon_ shall cost you thre pens. By this tale men may lerne, that it is foly to study to speke eloquently before them, that be rude and vnlerned. + _Of hym that said that a womans tongue was lightest of digestion._ vii. + A certayn artificer in London there was, whyche was sore _seke and_ coulde not well dysgest his meat. To whom a physicyon ca_m to give_ hym councell, and sayd that he must vse to ete metis that be light _of dig_estyon and small byrdys, as sparowes, swalowes, and specyally that byrd _which is_ called a wagtayle, whose flessh is meruelouse lyght of dygestyon, _bycause that_ byrd is euer mouying and styryng. The sekeman, herynge the phesicion _say so_, answered hym and seyd: sir, yf that be the cause that those byrdes be lyght of dygestyon, than I know a mete moch lyghter of dygestyon than other[15] sparow swallow or wagtaile, and that is my wyues tong, for it is neuer in rest but euer meuying[16] and sterryng. By this tale ye may lerne a good generall rule of physyke. FOOTNOTES: [14] Owned. In _Northward Hoe_, 1607, by Decker and Webster, act i. scene i., the writers have made use of this story. See Websters' Works, edit. Hazlitt, i. 178-9. + _Of the woman that followed her fourth husbands bere and wept._ viii.