¶ Of the frere that tolde the thre chyldres fortunes. xlviii.
¶ There was a frere lymyttour whyche wente a lymyttynge to a certayne towne, wherin dwellyd a certayne ryche man of whome he neuer coulde gette the value of an hal[f]peny: yet he thought he wolde go thyder and assaye hem.[82] And as he wente thyderwarde, the wyfe standyng at the dore, perceyuynge hym commynge a farre of, thoughte that he was commynge thyther, and by and by ranne in and badde her chyldren standyng thereby, that if the frere asked for her, say she was nat within. The frere sawe her runne in and suspected the cause, and came to the dore and asked for the wyfe. The chyldren, as they were bydden, sayde that she was nat within. Than stode he styll lokynge on the chyldren; and at the laste he called to hym the eldeste and badde hym let hym se his hande; and whan he saw his hande: O Jesu! quod he, what fortune for the is ordayned! Then he asked the seconde sonne to se his hande and, his hande sene, the frere sayd: O Jesu! what destenye for the is prepared. Than loked he in the thyrde sonnes hand. O God! quod he, thy desteny is hardest of all; and therwith wente he his way. The wyfe, heryng these thinges, sodenly ranne out and called the frere againe, and prayde hym to come in, and after to sytte downe, and sette before hym all the vitaile that she had. And whan he had well eaten and dronken, she besought hym to tell her the destenyes of her chyldren; which at the last after many difficulties tolde her that the fyrste shulde be a beggar, the seconde a thefe, the thyrde a homicyde; whiche she hearynge fell downe in a soone[83] and toke it greuouslye. The frere comforted her and said that, thoughe these were theyr fortunes, there myght be remedy had. Than she besought of him[84] his counsell. Than said the frere: you must make the eldest that shalbe a beggar a frere, and the seconde that shalbe a thefe a man of lawe, and the thyrde that shalbe an homicyde a phisicyon.
By this tale ye may lerne, that they that will come to the speche or presence of any persone for theyr owne cause, they muste fyrste endeuer them selfe to shewe suche matters as those persones most delyte in.
¶ Of the boy that bare the frere his masters money. xlix.
4 lines wanting.
Ye, quod the frere. Than wente the man to the boye and sayd: syr, thy mayster byddeth the gyue me xl pens. I wyll nat, quod the boye. Than called the man with an hye voyce to the frere and sayd: syr, he sayeth he wyll not. Than quod the frere: bete him; and whan the boye harde his mayster say so, he gaue the man xl pens.
By this ye may se, it is foly for a man to say ye or nay to a matter, excepte he knewe surely what the matter is.