+ A marchantys wyfe there was in Bowe parysh in London, somewhat slepte in age, to whom her mayde cam on a Sonday in Lente after dyner and sayde: maystres, quod she, they rynge at Saynte Thomas of Acres, for there shall be a sermon prechyd anon; to whome the mastres answered and sayde: mary! Goddys blessynge haue thy harte for warnynge me thereof; and because I slepte not well all this nyght, I pray the brynge my stole to me: for I wyll go thyder to loke, whether I can take a nappe there, whyle the preest is prechynge. By this ye may se, that many one goth to chyrch as moch for other thynges as for deuocyon. FOOTNOTES: [57] Orig. reads _gentylman_. [58] mocked, made a jest of. See Nares (edit. 1859) _in voce_. + _Of the woman that said and she lyued another yere she wolde haue a cockoldes hatte of her owne._ xxvi. _Of the above tale but a few words remain in the fragment._ + _Of the gentylman that wysshed his tothe in the gentylwomans tayle._ xxvii. + A gentylman and gentylwoman satte to gyder talkyng, _which gentylman_ had great pain in one of his tethe, and hapnyd to say _to the gentylwo_man thus: I wys, maystres, I haue a tothe in my hede which _greuyth me u_ery sore: wherfore I wold it were in your tayl. She, heryng him _say this, answe_ryed thus: in good fayth, syr, yf your tothe were in my tayle it coulde _do it but lytle_ good; but yf there be any thynge in my tayle that can do your tothe good, I wolde it were in your tothe. By this ye may se that a womans answere is seldome to seke.[59] + _Of the Welcheman that confessyd hym howe he had slayne a frere._ xxviii. + In the tyme of Lente, a Welcheman cam to be confessyd of his curate; whych in his confessyon sayde that he had kylled a frere; to whome the curate sayd he coulde nat assoyle hym. Yes, quod the Welchman, yf thou knewest all, thou woldest assoyle me well ynoughe; and when the curate had commandyd hym to shew hym all the case, he sayd thus: mary, there were ii freres; and I myght haue slayn them bothe, yf I had lyst; but I let the one scape: therfore mayster curate set the tone agaynst the tother, and than the offence is not so great but ye may assoyle me well ynoughe. By this ye may se, that dyuers men haue so euyll and larg conscyence that they thynke, yf they do one good dede or refrayn from doynge of one euyll synne, that yt ys satysfaccyon for other _synnes_ and ofencys. FOOTNOTES: [59] This moral is also attached to Tales 21, 44, and 56, in all which cases the lady's rejoinder is not less opposed to modern notions of female delicacy. + _Of the Welcheman that coude nat gette but a lytell male._ xxix.