¶ Of the Welchman that saw one xls. better than God. lxxix.
¶ A Welchman on a tyme went to churche to be shryued, and chanced to come in euyn at the sacryng-time.[123] When he had confessed him he went home, wher one of his felowes askyd hym whether he had seen God Almighty to day; which answerd and sayd: nay, but I saw one forty shillings better.
¶ Of the frere that said dyryge for the hoggys soule. lxxx.
¶ Upon a tyme certayn women in the countrye were appoynted[124] to deryde and mokke a frere limitour, that vsed moche to trouble them; whereupon one of them, a lytyll before the frere came, tooke a hogge, and for dysport leyd it under the borde after the manner of a corse; and told the frere it was her good man and dysyred hime to say dirige for his soule. Wherefore the frere and his felaw began Placebo and Dirige and so forth, thorough the seruyse full devowtly, which the wyues so heryng could not refraine them selfe from lawghynge and went in to a lytyll parler to lawgh more at theyr pleasure. These freris somwhat suspected the cause, and quikly, or that the women were ware, lokyd under the borde, and spying[125] that it was an hog, sodenly toke it bytwene them and bare it homeward as fast as they might. The women, seyng that, ran after the frere and cryed: com agayn, maester frere, come agayne, and let it allone. Nay by my faith, quod the frere, he is a broder of ours, and therefore he must nedys be buryed in oure cloyster. And so the frerys gate the hog.
By this ye may se, that they that use to deride and mok other, somtyme it tornyth to theyre owne losse and damage.
¶ Of the parson that sayde masse of requiem for Crystes soul. lxxxi.
¶ A certayn prest there was that dwellyd in the cuntry which was not very well lernyd. Therfore on Ester-Euyn he sent his boy to the prest of the next town, that was ii. myle from thens, to know what masse he sholde synge on the morowe. This boy came to the sayd prest, and dyd his maysters errande to hym. Then quod the prest: tel thy mayster that he must * *