+ A certayne merchaunt and a courtear, _being upon a time together_ at dyner hauing 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, lokyng on him, thought that he had _ben weeping, and asked hym why_ he wept. This curtear, not wyllynge [it] to be kn_own that he had brent his_ mouth with the hote custerd, answered and said, sir: q_uod he, I had_ a brother whych dyd a certayn offence wherfore he was hanged; _and, chauncing_ to think now vppon 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 perceuyng, spake to the merchaunt and seyd: sir, quod _he, pray_ why do ye wepe now? The merchaunt perseyued how he had _bene deceiued_ and said[143]: mary, quod he, I wepe, because thou wast not hangid, _when that_ thy brother was hangyd. + _Of the thre pointes belonging to a shrewd wyfe._ xcix. + A yong man, that was desirous to haue a wyf, cam to a company _of Phi_losofers which were gadred to gider, requiring them to gif _him their opinion_ howe he might chose him sich a wyf that wer no shrew. Th_ese Philos_ofers with gret study and delyberacion determinid and shewd this man that there _were iii espe_cial pointes, wherebi he shuld sure know if a woman were a shrew. The _i point is_ that if a woman have a shril voyce, it is a gret token that she is a shrew. The ii point is that, if a woman have a sharp nose, then most commenly she is a shrew. _The_ iii point that neuer doth mis is[144] that if she were [a] kerchefer,[145] ye may be sure she is a shrew. FOOTNOTES: [143] Singer inserts _answered_ before _and said_; but the word does not appear to be required. + _Of the man that paynted the lamb upon his wyfes bely._ c.