CXLI.
Celandum est secretum.
Macrobius [MS. Mocrobius.] tellis how þer was a nobyƚƚ captayn̛ in Rome þat hight Papirius; & when̛ he was a childe with his fadur, on̛ a day he went with hym̛ vnto the cowrte, and when̛ he come home his moder askid̛ hym̛ what at þe senaturs & þe wyse men̛ of Rome said̛ at þer cowrte & þer parlement. And he ansswerd̛ hur & sayd̛ þat it was not lawfuƚƚ to teƚƚ, for he þat tellid̛ it mond̛ be dead̛ þerfor̛. And sho tuke a wand̛ & bett hym̛, and he saw þat hym̛ burd̛ nedes teƚƚ hur somwhat, & he fenyd in þis maner of wyse & sayd̛, þer aƚƚ þe cownceƚƚ att þe senaturs had at do at þer parlement was for to witt whedur it was more necessarie þat a man̛ sulde hafe ij wyvis, or a womman̛ ij husbandis. And̛ sho went & told̛ it vnto hur commedurs, & tellid̛ þaim aƚƚ þe town̛ our, so þat on̛ þe morn̛ after, wurd̛ come þer-of vnto þe senaturs þat þe cownceƚƚ of þer parlement shulde be dis-curid̛ be þis little childe; & þai garte feche hym̛ aforn̛ þaim, & spyrrid̛ hym̛ what þat was at he had tellid̛ his moder, & he tolde þaim [MS. repeats, þaim.] aƚƚ þe proces. And þan̛ þe senaturs ordand̛ þat fro thens furtℏ no childe, bod alonelie he, sulde com̛ into þer parlement with his fadur, for pereƚƚ of tellyng of þer cownceƚƚ; & afterward̛ hym̛ happend̛ be þe wyseste man̛ in aƚƚ Rome.